My car is giving me fits

Marie5656

Marie5656

SF VIP
Location
Batavia, NY
My car is electric. A Chevy Bolt EV. It is a lease, and I cannot wait until May when I can give it up. Forget the "green" thing. I hate being out and about and then realize I need to go home because I had not charged it in a while.
A couple years back, Rick put in a 240v line, for quicker charging. Had to buy a special charging plug. So, Sunday, I went to plug it in, suddenly Sparks flew from the outlet (had not plugged into the car yet) and I heard a crackling sound from inside the outlet box. So, I ran inside to make sure the breaker was off.
Went back out and pulled out the old 110V cord. Had to get out the extension cord to run from the outlet outside the house. I had forgotten how LONG the 110 takes to charge the car. Hours upon hours. I at first thought it was not charging at all. Turns out it was, but at a snails pace. Had to bring car in today for ture rotation. Had them check the charging port on the car just to be sure. It is fine. I just have to remember to be patient and wait.
 

Marie, I'm glad you didn't start a fire. I would have been scared to death. I've been thinking about an electric car for awhile. How far can you go on a full charge? I guess you will have to write it down on a calendar or post it on your refrigerator each time you need to charge it.
 
So far, I think electric cars are more for people who want to save the environment, rather than saving money. I heard about "Range Anxiety" & I think it's real. I'd certainly have it if I had to depend on an electric car.
When I was shopping for a car last year, I wanted a hybrid but the higher price made up for whatever fuel savings there are.
 

Ruth n Jersey said:
Marie, I'm glad you didn't start a fire. I would have been scared to death. I've been thinking about an electric car for awhile. How far can you go on a full charge? I guess you will have to write it down on a calendar or post it on your refrigerator each time you need to charge it.
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Depends. in warmer weather, 200-300 miles, if you drive it right. You can regenerate a small amount of energy while driving.
It was something Rick always wanted. He got it, now I am done, The big thing, on long trips, you have to keep track of where charging stations are. I was on the NY State Thruway once, and stopped at a rest area once, and was surprised that there was NOT a charging station. I looked on the Thruway website, and do not think there are any at any of the service areas.

I am going back to a gas car.
 
I agree Marie, never had an electric car and don't intend to get one. I don't think there's many charging stations around, and the ones that are may be being used by other people. It would have to be a super quick charge too. I'd rather fill my tank and have a good general idea of how many miles I'll get before needing more gas. I don't know much about those cars, but I read somewhere that the batteries they use are not very recyclable or environmentally friendly once you have to get rid of them.
 
Marie5656 said:
My car is electric. A Chevy Bolt EV. It is a lease, and I cannot wait until May when I can give it up. Forget the "green" thing. I hate being out and about and then realize I need to go home because I had not charged it in a while.
A couple years back, Rick put in a 240v line, for quicker charging. Had to buy a special charging plug. So, Sunday, I went to plug it in, suddenly Sparks flew from the outlet (had not plugged into the car yet) and I heard a crackling sound from inside the outlet box. So, I ran inside to make sure the breaker was off.
Went back out and pulled out the old 110V cord. Had to get out the extension cord to run from the outlet outside the house. I had forgotten how LONG the 110 takes to charge the car. Hours upon hours. I at first thought it was not charging at all. Turns out it was, but at a snails pace. Had to bring car in today for ture rotation. Had them check the charging port on the car just to be sure. It is fine. I just have to remember to be patient and wait.
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You don't have to wait until your lease is up. I've traded my leased car in early three times - no penalty or early-termination charges. One car was traded in 10 months before the lease ended. The dealer won't care, as long as you're leasing another car from them.
 
win231 said:
You don't have to wait until your lease is up. I've traded my leased car in early three times - no penalty or early-termination charges. One car was traded in 10 months before the lease ended. The dealer won't care, as long as you're leasing another car from them.
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I am not going to wait. Probably will go in March of April so I can take advantage of them starting to get rid of 2020 cars. Staying with same dealer, but plan to buy outright.
 
There are 200 charging stations in London and by the end of next year there will be 300 more... even around here in my rural area there's a lot..but I still wouldn't have an electric car!!
 
This is interesting. I am presently reading a book called "Why Your World Is About To Get A Whole Lot Smaller" by Jeff Rubin. He does tell us that the world is running out of cheap oil & gas & the cost of food & transportation is going to get a lot more expensive. However, he does present another problem & it is this. Where are we going to get the electrical power should everyone in the world get electrical cars? He mentions the power black out in the NE USA during one hot summer when just too many air-conditioners were turned on. By the way, I bought a car 4 months a go. It was a Ford Focus with 4 cyclinders; all gasoline.
 
My oldest boy, the firefighter, has a Tesla. He LOVES that thing! It sure is fast, I'll tell you that!!! Damn, the G force when he planted his foot had me pressed so hard against the seat back I thought it was gonna break lol! My own fault, I asked him to show me!

It's not his main vehicle. Their main car is a Denali, for hauling 4 kids around. The Tesla is his car for running around, to and from the fire station, driving to his other businesses etc. He installed a charging station in his garage, and he lives in California so there are charging stations EVERYWHERE! When he has to drive long distances, there's a feature in the vehicle which maps out for him where the charging stations are that he needs to stop at along his route.

He says for his personal transportation, he'll never go back to a gas car, and will stick with a Tesla from here on out. He's had everything...porsche, lamborghini, 'vette etc., all the sport and elite cars, and the Tesla is his absolute favorite. He loves speed (as is evidenced by his choice of previous vehicles lol) and the Tesla delivers more speed in less time than anything else he's ever owned.
 

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