OFF TOPIC RESPONSE. Warning, this is an off topic response!
I spoke with someone recently about electric vehicles. I was told that the batteries do not last a s long as a gasoline motor and that they cost at least as much as a gas motor, sometimes twice as much, or even more than that to replace. I was told that batteries need to be replaced before 100K miles is reached.
If this true, then it does not make sense to me to buy an electric car. I keep my vehicles long term. I'm not a leased vehicle kind of guy. Therefore, no e-cars for me.
In my world, a vehicle is an extension of my character and personality, not a "machine" or a "means of transportation". That is sooo degrading...
And @herzalot, a Jaguar?!
Maintenance is virtually nonexistent as well, at least on the Audi. First scheduled maintenance at 10K miles is nothing but inspections, and topping off washer fluid. 20K service adds changing the dirt/pollen filter. Sounds like brake pads and rotors last much longer due to regenerative engine braking. EVs are an intriguing proposition all the way around, though I wouldn't want to have to depend on one as an only car, meaning a car that's going to have to make long road trips. Obviously that's still doable, but until there's more infrastructure that will require a lot of planning, and then what happens if charging stations are occupied, or even down for repairs.
We’re on it Bug! Every new development in California (where people’s heads are up all kinds of things, but at least not their asses...ok fine, up there too) must consider exactly the infrastructure you describe. I say “consider” and not “require” because there are naysayers whose days are numbered, and the infrastructure will indeed continue to shift. It’s just a shame it’s not so obvious to some, so it may still take a while in too many parts of the Country.
Etron is very high on our radar. we'll see how they play out in a couple years oh, and that should coincide with our needing a new vehicle.
Dang, that's a beaut. Looks fun.
They don't have an engine, they have an electric motor. In our case, we have two motors - one for the front two tires and one for the rear. And as far as the battery pack goes, there are now enough Teslas on the roads that external labs are confirming the batteries maintain at least 85% of their capacity at 150,000 miles:
Can't speak to electric bills directly, but in theory if you have charging capability at home you can set it to charge at a time when rates are lower. I know someone who owns a Model 3. I asked him what it costs to charge the car and got an unhelpful response at first, but he later bragged about $90 round trip cost to Salt Lake City which equates to about 17 miles per dollar of power assuming 1,500 miles round trip. In my truck that trip would cost around $300 in gas, or about 5 miles per $ of fuel at 20mpg and $4/gal. To achieve the $90 cost I'd have to get 67mpg out of my truck. I would expect the cost to charge at home would be less than at a charging station, and much less again if you have solar.
Maybe at old apt buildings and condos people are out of luck, but they could still get a charge elsewhere. In some new condo developments a charging station is an available add on to their purchase. In others and at some new apartment buildings the developer is adding a bank of charging stations for residents to use. These can be retrofitted into some older developments too. And lots of businesses are adding them to parking garages. My workplace has about 8 charging stations now. If the demand is there, they will be added. It is an amenity that can help attract new tenants.
Maybe what we need is a rude, entitled, selfish, inept idiot driver thread...that would never run out of legs.
I worked for Ford for 12 years in Product Development, the last major vehicle line I was involved in was the Ford Ranger. The 2nd iteration of which is now being sold here.
Did I mention we have free lifetime charging at all the super-chargers? How much do you spend per tank of gas?
Here we go again. First it was e-bikes now it's EVs.
And I also think that e-bikes are here to stay. Just keep those e-bikes on legal trails and we wouldn't have a single discussion about them!
I think you are on the wrong side of this argument. Electric vehicles save you TONS of personal time. My wife hasn't been to a gas station in two years. If you are like me, and regularly have to work gas station stops into your schedule, and dislike sitting in the gas line at CostCo, she is hours and hours ahead of us. Toss in days spent with your car getting a brake job, or tune-up work, etc, and it isn't even close.
In two years there has been only one instance when our 300 mile range didn't work. We were driving up to Idyllwild to spend the weekend in the mountains, and felt that we wouldn't have enough charge to drive there, drive around for a couple of days, and drive home on one charge. So we stopped at the Tesla super-charger in Cabazon by the discount malls, and got 2/3rd's of a full charge in the time it took me to eat a quarter-lber with cheese
Well played, sir.
Really...Sorry, couldn't resist.
