Electric Car thread

[chunk]

It's quite an endeavor to bring a vehicle to market in the USA, especially strange little ones like that. I remember the Dale car and the 10 years behind schedule Elio, people have paid deposits and are still waiting for delivery that never comes. Is it a motorcycle or car, do you need a helmet or not? That was a problem for Elio, and I don't know how that was resolved, if ever. They sound good on paper but usually never materialize. Time will tell I guess, and I will follow this ones development and see if it makes it out to the consumer on the scheduled time line.

 

[PatriciaK]

Would love to check out the Hyundai Kona EV, but, unfortunately, it's not available in NC, where we would need it.

I suppose we could purchase in WA, when we return, then (very carefully!) plan a cross-country drive to get it east. Or, stick with a plug-in hybrid for a few years.

 

[scrambler]

I switched to electric cars 8 years ago and never looked back.
So much more fun to drive, simpler, quieter, cleaner, basically maintenance free, full every morning, no more trips to the gas station.
If you can charge at home and can afford it (there is a secondhand market now), I cant find a single reason not to have one
I would not go back for anything.
And cherry on the cake, the new EVs are now finally coming out with the ability to power your home from the car in case of an outage.

 

[chunk]

This got me wondering about Elio cars again. Still not one car has been delivered and now apparently the CEO, Paul Elio, is promising an electric version instead. This has to be a scam from day one, millions of dollars in deposits and investments and he's still at it.

Elio Motors promised a next-gen, 84 mpg car and got millions in deposits. But where are the cars?

Phoenix-based Elio Motor took millions in customer deposits and promised an 84-mpg car. Customers are still waiting.

www.usatoday.com

 

[ChezCheese:)]

I have a prius, which I am keeping for maybe another year, by which time I hope a used all electric will be within my budget. My prius will still be low miles and should net close to what I paid for it (I bought it used, of course).

 

[dodgeman]

The drawback is trying to go 500 or 600 miles In a day.

 

[PatriciaK]

The drawback is trying to go 500 or 600 miles In a day.

We are WAY too old to be putting in 500-600 mile days in a vehicle !

 

[rich c]

I bought $1,000 in Aptera stock last year. In addition to being a plug-in EV, the Aptera can also be charged by solar panels on its—er—fuselage. Aptera claims that if you only drive 40 miles per day, and you are able to leave it out charging in the sun all day (such as in a company parking lot), you would never have to plug it in. Aptera is a San Diego company where the sun shines most of the time.

Plus, you can buy more battery capacity, up to 1,000 miles range. Depending on the options, the car will cost between $25,000 and $50,000, which is very reasonable compared to other electric cars and trucks.

However, it is only a two-seater and it probably cannot haul a couple of ebikes. When it comes out later this year (unless it is delayed) I would love to test ride it. My girlfriend and I would probably be better served by an electric pick-up with a tailgate lift for our ebikes. I do like the pop-up tent on the Aptera! (Scroll down to the bottom of the page of the link provided above.)

My stock ownership entitles me to a reservation to buy an Aptera (in lieu of the $100 reservation fee). I may or may not buy it.

How long has Aptera been at trying to bring a car to market? They formed the company in 2006 and 16 years latter, no car. https://www.greencarreports.com/new...pse-how-why-it-happened-a-complete-chronology

 

[Taylor57]

I switched to electric cars 8 years ago and never looked back.
So much more fun to drive, simpler, quieter, cleaner, basically maintenance free, full every morning, no more trips to the gas station.
If you can charge at home and can afford it (there is a secondhand market now), I cant find a single reason not to have one
I would not go back for anything.
And cherry on the cake, the new EVs are now finally coming out with the ability to power your home from the car in case of an outage.

The new Hyundai IONIQ powers both ways but good luck trying to buy one.

 

[DavidRvR]

not true. the power everyone is trying to get rid of is fossil fuel power, which currently account for just under 60% of electricity generation, and falling rapidly. states with high electric car penetration also happen to be ones which use relatively little fossil fuel for electricity and are cleaning their grids up faster.

If that all then why get rid of it? That cant be the big poluter they say if we have cut it so much already? Cant wait to see how planes and big ships do at night with everything running...Read stories of people getting solar on the house and they was not worried about the blackouts and so on in california... They didnt know it only works in the sunlight (for the most part)..

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

www.eia.gov

Energy source	Billion kWh	Share of total
Total - all sources	4,116
Fossil fuels (total)	2,504	60.8%
Natural gas	1,575	38.3%
Coal	899	21.8%
Petroleum (total)	19	0.5%
Petroleum liquids	11	0.3%
Petroleum coke	7	0.2%
Other gases3	11	0.3%

I seen a funny .. Well for me it was, maybe not for some..seems to happen a lot..

 

[scrambler]

If that all then why get rid of it? That cant be the big poluter they say if we have cut it so much already? Cant wait to see how planes and big ships do at night with everything running...Read stories of people getting solar on the house and they was not worried about the blackouts and so on in california... They didnt know it only works in the sunlight (for the most part)..

They have this new technology now called a battery that charges on solar during the day, and when the grid goes down, allows your solar system to disconnect from the grid and keep running, so you can power your house with the battery and recharge it with solar.
Quite handy actually

 

[mschwett]

If that all then why get rid of it? That cant be the big poluter they say if we have cut it so much already? Cant wait to see how planes and big ships do at night with everything running...Read stories of people getting solar on the house and they was not worried about the blackouts and so on in california... They didnt know it only works in the sunlight (for the most part)..

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

www.eia.gov

Energy source	Billion kWh	Share of total
Total - all sources	4,116
Fossil fuels (total)	2,504	60.8%
Natural gas	1,575	38.3%
Coal	899	21.8%
Petroleum (total)	19	0.5%
Petroleum liquids	11	0.3%
Petroleum coke	7	0.2%
Other gases3	11	0.3%

I seen a funny .. Well for me it was, maybe not for some..seems to happen a lot..

your logic is… well, i don’t know what to call it. burning coal and oil pollutes. that’s why we’re getting rid of it. that’s why it’s down to approx 60% from higher numbers. it will continue to drop, and as a result all electric cars will get cleaner and cleaner. this is the same logic which drives electrification of buildings; build the building now and it gets cleaner as the grid gets cleaner.

i live in california and know dozens if not hundreds of people with solar. no issues, just lots of cost savings. and no, electric cars don’t catch on fire often. there are millions of them out there, abd just like gasoline batteries can be dangerous. accidents and mistakes will happen.

 

[DavidRvR]

Some of you guys dont get Sarcasm... Wow.. Kinda loss for keys on my board.

 

[Bicyclista]

How long has Aptera been at trying to bring a car to market? They formed the company in 2006 and 16 years latter, no car. https://www.greencarreports.com/new...pse-how-why-it-happened-a-complete-chronology

I am well aware of the risks and that I could lose my entire investment.

 

[Readytoride]

I know that Ready to Ride has a Rivian on order. ..

Been driving an electric car (Nissan Leaf) for 4 years now. So sort of an early adopter, but not too early.

There is very little comparison between an electric and a gas car. Once you drive electric, it is hard to go back to gas.

It has spoiled me rotten, I tell you. Rotten! I cringe and make faces if I have to sit or drive an ICE (internal combustion engine) and the noise (the noise!!!) of the endless droning engine just grates on my nerves. Worse yet is the outright roar of a firing engine if I hit the gas pedal for a burst of speed. Why assault my ears that way?? And the awkward slowness of the acceleration is...disheartening. The electric car takes off like a dead silent rocket when those traffic lights turn green, leaving the rest of the herd behind on a dwindling horizon looking stunned with dropped jaws.

My electric car is a silent predator. Quick, frightfully fast, SILENT, and so stealth that nobody knows It is electric unless they glance at my license plate. I pass by gas stations with a smug smile on my face because my car is "fueld up" at home in its own garage. No standing in line waiting for a pump, and then putting foul smelling fuel in a tank while I turn my head struggling to breathe fresh air not ranted with that toxic gasoline smell. Nope. I simply plug my car in to its electric charging unit, and walk off. When I need it, it is fully charged. I smile at all the Teslas I see on the road, recognizing them as silent predators but a bit more noticable and flashy.

Best of all most of the car charging stations are still free, and are becoming more numerous every day. I can fast charge for free at any Nissan dealership in the country which is a sweet, sweet perk.

I am still a year away from getting my maxpack Rivian, and the waiting is getting harder each day. Once it arrives, both my diesel truck and the Prius will be gone.

 

[Readytoride]

I hope to have my solar array up and operational this summer. Still on the schedule to have the ground structure installed this month. The barn roof was where we wanted to put the panels but it was deemed unsuitable to carry the weight due to rafter joist distances (which was within code 36 years ago when we had the barn built, but not today), and the house has a metal roof so panels on that were not an option. I am already approved for "net zero" selling my energy production back to the grid in exchange for using their power and a zero electric bill, but did talk to the solar company about having my electric car charged directly from the panels. They looked into it and said that, unfortunately, it isn't a viable option at the moment due to the lack of an appropriate inverter. One is being designed even as we speak, but not yet ready for prime time.

So my game plan for the future (next 10 years) is to run my electric car until the wheels fall off (which might be at 300,000 miles) then take that 40kWh battery and hang it on a wall to store my solar energy, disconnect from the grid completely, and be independent. I do have a generator, just in case, and will also be able to pull off my Rivian's 180kwh battery as a backup. Will have another e-car to replace my Leaf, so could probably do a VtH (vehicle to house) with that as well.

In the meantime, Dominion VA Power is inching closer to "fossil fuel free". It will take time, and better technology with solar and wind, to finally release us from an oil dependent existance. Natural gas is a poor alternative to oil, but its better than coal by a long shot. Lets hope we, and our planet, can survive the wait to be all renewable.

 

[mschwett]

I hope to have my solar array up and operational this summer. Still on the schedule to have the ground structure installed this month. The barn roof was where we wanted to put the panels but it was deemed unsuitable to carry the weight due to rafter joist distances (which was within code 36 years ago when we had the barn built, but not today), and the house has a metal roof so panels on that were not an option. I am already approved for "net zero" selling my energy production back to the grid in exchange for using their power and a zero electric bill, but did talk to the solar company about having my electric car charged directly from the panels. They looked into it and said that, unfortunately, it isn't a viable option at the moment due to the lack of an appropriate inverter. One is being designed even as we speak, but not yet ready for prime time.

So my game plan for the future (next 10 years) is to run my electric car until the wheels fall off (which might be at 300,000 miles) then take that 40kWh battery and hang it on a wall to store my solar energy, disconnect from the grid completely, and be independent. I do have a generator, just in case, and will also be able to pull off my Rivian's 180kwh battery as a backup. Will have another e-car to replace my Leaf, so could probably do a VtH (vehicle to house) with that as well.

In the meantime, Dominion VA Power is inching closer to "fossil fuel free". It will take time, and better technology with solar and wind, to finally release us from an oil dependent existance. Natural gas is a poor alternative to oil, but its better than coal by a long shot. Lets hope we, and our planet, can survive the wait to be all renewable.

View attachment 121867

fantastic post! it’s great to see virginia weaning itself from coal. we never had much coal out here, so the journey to cleaner grids is a little shorter, but that’s some quick work. from #1 source to trivial on <15 years…. it’s insane that people burn coal for energy in 2022.

 

[FrankR]

Someday, if I can afford it, I will want an eCar. But, I still find it to be a bit too soon for my tastes. We need way more charging infrastructure, and, we need more options on the market.

I Do think there is a market, now, for low end, shorter range, much less expensive, small cars/trikes for leisure and riding around town, but I don't see many offerings yet.

Let's face it - even the eBike market is in it's infancy. Yeah, there are plenty of bikes to buy direct overseas, but, there really aren't that many options today for buying a supported bike inside the U.S. And then taking that to the local level, that whole channel isn't really mature yet.

 

[WattsUpDude]

Been driving an electric car (Nissan Leaf) for 4 years now. So sort of an early adopter, but not too early.

There is very little comparison between an electric and a gas car. Once you drive electric, it is hard to go back to gas.

It has spoiled me rotten, I tell you. Rotten! I cringe and make faces if I have to sit or drive an ICE (internal combustion engine) and the noise (the noise!!!) of the endless droning engine just grates on my nerves. Worse yet is the outright roar of a firing engine if I hit the gas pedal for a burst of speed. Why assault my ears that way?? And the awkward slowness of the acceleration is...disheartening. The electric car takes off like a dead silent rocket when those traffic lights turn green, leaving the rest of the herd behind on a dwindling horizon looking stunned with dropped jaws.

My electric car is a silent predator. Quick, frightfully fast, SILENT, and so stealth that nobody knows It is electric unless they glance at my license plate. I pass by gas stations with a smug smile on my face because my car is "fueld up" at home in its own garage. No standing in line waiting for a pump, and then putting foul smelling fuel in a tank while I turn my head struggling to breathe fresh air not ranted with that toxic gasoline smell. Nope. I simply plug my car in to its electric charging unit, and walk off. When I need it, it is fully charged. I smile at all the Teslas I see on the road, recognizing them as silent predators but a bit more noticable and flashy.

Best of all most of the car charging stations are still free, and are becoming more numerous every day. I can fast charge for free at any Nissan dealership in the country which is a sweet, sweet perk.

I am still a year away from getting my maxpack Rivian, and the waiting is getting harder each day. Once it arrives, both my diesel truck and the Prius will be gone.

Been a fan of Rivian since watching Long Way Up. And I really need to stop watching the review videos since I’m starting to justify what would be a crazy purchase for me. Amazing vehicle that can do almost everything better than dedicated sports cars, off-roaders or luxury sedans.

 

[Taylor57]

Been driving an electric car (Nissan Leaf) for 4 years now. So sort of an early adopter, but not too early.

There is very little comparison between an electric and a gas car. Once you drive electric, it is hard to go back to gas.

It has spoiled me rotten, I tell you. Rotten! I cringe and make faces if I have to sit or drive an ICE (internal combustion engine) and the noise (the noise!!!) of the endless droning engine just grates on my nerves. Worse yet is the outright roar of a firing engine if I hit the gas pedal for a burst of speed. Why assault my ears that way?? And the awkward slowness of the acceleration is...disheartening. The electric car takes off like a dead silent rocket when those traffic lights turn green, leaving the rest of the herd behind on a dwindling horizon looking stunned with dropped jaws.

My electric car is a silent predator. Quick, frightfully fast, SILENT, and so stealth that nobody knows It is electric unless they glance at my license plate. I pass by gas stations with a smug smile on my face because my car is "fueld up" at home in its own garage. No standing in line waiting for a pump, and then putting foul smelling fuel in a tank while I turn my head struggling to breathe fresh air not ranted with that toxic gasoline smell. Nope. I simply plug my car in to its electric charging unit, and walk off. When I need it, it is fully charged. I smile at all the Teslas I see on the road, recognizing them as silent predators but a bit more noticable and flashy.

Best of all most of the car charging stations are still free, and are becoming more numerous every day. I can fast charge for free at any Nissan dealership in the country which is a sweet, sweet perk.

I am still a year away from getting my maxpack Rivian, and the waiting is getting harder each day. Once it arrives, both my diesel truck and the Prius will be gone.

I notice the trend headed to more charging stations, however I also see the trend headed to pay at the pump when you charge. Only a few free level 2 chargers in my neck of the woods and CA is supposedly on the cutting edge of EV's. My at home level 1 trickle charger that came with the car, takes forever to get my car electrified...