Do you plan to go electric (car that is)?

Alligatorob

Alligatorob

SF VIP
Location
Northern Utah, transplanted from Florida/Louisiana
I like the idea of electric cars but don't see doing it anytime soon.

2 things holding me back. Range and cost.

I need a car that is capable of longer trips, last month I drove to Oregon, almost 600 miles in one day, about half on a lesser traveled 2 lane highway. That trip would not have been feasible in an electric car.

Cost is also an issue, right now the lowest priced Tesla is twice what I paid for my last car. I would consider paying more, but only after solving the range problem. And not paying more would help...

A third issue I think about is real efficiency and environmental impact. Electricity needs to be generated from something, I am not sure we take that into account when we compare electric to oil cars.

Who here already has an electric car? Who is planning on one?

An interesting article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58123729
 

The environmental issue is that electric cars are powered by lithium-ion batteries. Mining lithium and manufacturing the batteries is water-intensive and disposing of them does contribute to soil and water pollution. Still cleaner than gasoline powered cars, though.

I don't want one, but we might get one for my wife next year.
 
Alligatorob said:
I like the idea of electric cars but don't see doing it anytime soon.

2 things holding me back. Range and cost.

I need a car that is capable of longer trips, last month I drove to Oregon, almost 600 miles in one day, about half on a lesser traveled 2 lane highway. That trip would not have been feasible in an electric car.

Cost is also an issue, right now the lowest priced Tesla is twice what I paid for my last car. I would consider paying more, but only after solving the range problem. And not paying more would help...

A third issue I think about is real efficiency and environmental impact. Electricity needs to be generated from something, I am not sure we take that into account when we compare electric to oil cars.

Who here already has an electric car? Who is planning on one?

An interesting article: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58123729
Click to expand...
Electricity can be generated from clean energy sources. A bigger issue might be, what happens to all the old batteries once they can no longer hold a charge? I think they can be recycled to some extent.

Everything is going electric. While I was making coffee this morning, a guy on an electric scooter was going door to door sticking flyers on people's doors. I've seen people on electric unicycles going down the street. I often see people on e-bikes in local traffic. The new neighbors near the park have a Tesla.

Of course, this is Colorado, which is one of the leading research centers on clean energy sources. Denver also has some of the dirtiest air in the country due to inversions that trap particulate matter in the atmosphere. It's well known for its "brown cloud."

Personally, I don't have any plans to buy an EV, although it would make sense for my needs, which are just a few short trips during the week to run errands. So I'm not contributing much to pollution. If I was still working and commuting to an office every day, I would definitely buy one.
 

There are still some issues that need to be resolved before I would want an electric vehicle....range, ability to recharge quickly, and costs. For urban commuters who have a recharge station at home, and drive less than 100 miles/day, electric cars would be a plus. However, if a person wanted to take a trip, and had to stop every 200 miles for a 12 hour recharge, these vehicles would be useless. Keeping such a vehicle for more than a few years might result in a huge cost to get a new set of batteries.

Some manufacturers...Ford, etc., have committed to all electric by 2030....perhaps by then, these issues may be resolved.
 
Someone stole my '99 Honda Civic three years ago, and I was fortunate to find a '12 Toyota Plug in Prius.
My average mpg was 50 to 63 in the Civic by using various modifications, techniques and constant variation.
The Prius goes about 12 miles with no gas, thus can be driven around town for a year without getting more gas.
It averages around 60 mpg on the road for longer trips. Overall, I do like the combination and feel it's a good option.
 
I would consider a hybrid but not a totally electric vehicle. I drive around town mostly but do some road trips several times a year and, like others, range would be a problem with an EV.
 
I need to learn more about them.

Does the car keep its charge while sitting for days and weeks at a time?
Do they lose their charge in cold weather?
How much does a full charge cost and can I opt for a 25% charge or enough to top it up?
The cost of maintenance and repairs, etc...

If I eventually go electric I'm pretty sure that I will lease. I'm not sure that I would feel comfortable owning a 15-year-old electric vehicle.

I am concerned that in an effort to promote the switch to electric vehicles it will become much more expensive to own and operate a gasoline-powered vehicle. I believe that the price of gasoline will increase to or beyond the levels currently seen in European countries.

At this point in my life, I may say to heck with it.

thumb_shgnmyve61jklshq5ae9646761090.jpg
 
Range is my biggest concern. There are some new charging stations being installed In the interior. Not sure I’d want to stop for 1/2 for a charge. Non-Tesla chargers cost as long as you’re plugged in. The rates aren’t high so it may not encourage those who want to do something else to return and move their cars. Not sure there’d be enough service for the future demand.

Most of our power here is hydro electric, it’s the transmission lines that would concern me. With these forest fires, some areas have been losing power for long periods.
 
When my husband was alive, it was his dream to get an electric car. So, we did lease a Chevy Bolt. He loved it. I was simply OK. Not a great range, but we got a high power charging station installed at home. The lease expired a few months after he passed and I made the decision to let it go.
For me, personally, it was a wise choice, as I later sold the house and moved to an apartment building. No charging stations. But that was not the only reason I went back to gas. I wanted to start doing more road trips, and finding charging stations on the road is not always reliable yet. Plus, the electric was Ricks baby, not mine.
I think it will be hard until the infrastructure catches up...with more access to charging. For example, in the smaller city I live in, there is only one public charging station (outside of car dealerships I guess).
 
We like to tow our small travel trailer on trips. I would worry about range and re-charging at campgrounds. Are electric vehicles powerful enough to tow a trailer?
 
Aunt Bea said:
I need to learn more about them.

Does the car keep its charge while sitting for days and weeks at a time?
Do they lose their charge in cold weather?
How much does a full charge cost and can I opt for a 25% charge or enough to top it up?
The cost of maintenance and repairs, etc...

If I eventually go electric I'm pretty sure that I will lease. I'm not sure that I would feel comfortable owning a 15-year-old electric vehicle.

I am concerned that in an effort to promote the switch to electric vehicles it will become much more expensive to own and operate a gasoline-powered vehicle. I believe that the price of gasoline will increase to or beyond the levels currently seen in European countries.

At this point in my life, I may say to heck with it.

thumb_shgnmyve61jklshq5ae9646761090.jpg
Click to expand...
I don't think any rechargeable battery can keep its charge for a long time. That's probably why manuals that come with all cars (including gas only cars) say, "Drive the car frequently" or something like that. We know a gas car's battery won't start the car if it isn't driven for several weeks. The Alternator charges the battery while the car is driven.
 
The solution to charging electric cars is already known and would enable any driving distance possible. The secret is to embed charging cables in the roads and highways over which we travel, as this image illustrates:

ev-charging-roads.jpg
​

Funny thing, though, how so many people today make out like the electric car is something new. It's not. Here's a woman from 1906 at an electric car charging station charging her Pope - the brand name of her electric vehicle.​

af31170c6bde9bdc93438dbdf26899d4
 
Electric vehicle technology is advancing by leaps and bounds, Your 8-hr wait for charging is for older-generation EVs using Level 1 chargers (standard home current).

The three most popular models in CA, where 10% of new cars in 2020 were EVs/hybrids, were the Toyota Prius (hybrid; Toyota just unveiled its first all-electric car April 2021), and the all-electric Nissan Leaf and Chevy Bolt.

The 2021 Bolt:
"....The Chevy Bolt EV has a DC fast charger option, and charges at a rate of up to 55 kW, which allows the Bolt EV to recharge up to 80% in about 1 hour. Like the Chevy Spark EV and Volt, the Bolt EV uses the SAE Combined Charging Connector (CCS) for level 3 DC fast charge. "

On average:
Level 1 recharges at 4 miles of charge per hour.
Level 2 recharges at 25 miles of charge per hour.
Level 3 recharges approx 100 miles of charge per hour.

Also, lithion-ion batteries can be and are recycled. Tesla, for example, recycles ALL its LI batteries.

Just for research purposes, check out various website which try to keep a running list of recharging stations. This is one of them:
Plug-in America Map of Recharging Stations

I figured I had bought my "forever and last" car in 2017, an (ICE) Ford Edge Sport. But I've got my eye on the new Mustang Mach-E SUV. If the reviews and user experiences are good, I'd be tempted in 2024 to trade up. Woohoo!
 
I don't take any long trips, so I would consider buying one. Other factors would come into play though like any other car.
 
Jeweltea said:
We like to tow our small travel trailer on trips. I would worry about range and re-charging at campgrounds. Are electric vehicles powerful enough to tow a trailer?
Click to expand...
Ford is reported to be making an EV version of their F-150 pickup starting in 2022. I'm sure it will be strong enough to pull most travel trailers, but I haven't seen any info on its range or prices.
 
Just been watching a programme featuring champion motorcycle racer Guy Martin, building, testing and racing electric vehicles.

It all seemed very positive until the reality of a drive from John O'Groats to Land's End (opposite ends of Great Britain - approx 850 miles depending on route taken) kicked in. The car's range, availability of charging points, different types, non functioning ones etc... all combined to make a journey time of 26 hours - much longer than by petrol / diesel car. The cost was also approx twice as much as the cost of charging varied greatly.

It will be some time before electric vehicles reach price parity with petrol ones, and at least as long till a reliable charging infrastructure is in place. As it stands, people will also need larger vehicles to have the same carrying capacity as IC vehicles.

I'm not convinced by the 'Green' credentials. An EV is just a car with a different engine. The manufacturing processes will be the same and the only difference will be the generation of the power. Does that come free? Zero emissions?
 
I've had my Neon 23 years and only put 6000 miles on it so if I can't make it see me out I would definitely consider electric. What I would like is something with a higher seat, it's getting harder and harder to get in and out of.
 
Capt Lightning said:
The car's range, availability of charging points, different types, non functioning ones etc... all combined to make a journey time of 26 hours - much longer than by petrol / diesel car
Click to expand...
That's the biggest problem, and I just don't see a simple solution. Battery exchange stations perhaps?? Until that one is fixed the market will be limited to people who don't travel very far.

If we were in the market for a third car, I might consider it, but that's not likely. Not for the two of us anyway...
 
Alligatorob said:
That's the biggest problem, and I just don't see a simple solution. Battery exchange stations perhaps?? Until that one is fixed the market will be limited to people who don't travel very far.

If we were in the market for a third car, I might consider it, but that's not likely. Not for the two of us anyway...
Click to expand...
Until batteries can be recharged in under 10 minutes, EVs aren't going to be practical for many people. Battery exchange is one solution.
 
A family member stated that certain individuals want to see to it that we are all forced to have electric vehicles in the next 10 yrs. There's no way I can afford one and by then if prices keep going up on everything I won't be affording much as it is anyway. Things are just getting a little concerning anymore.
 

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