Electric Car thread

[WattsUpDude]

Hey all. Who's driving an eCar? I'm not really looking for reviews but wanted to hear some experiences and some nuances about living with it daily that those "initial review" videos can't encompass.

 

[Mulezen]

I know that Ready to Ride has a Rivian on order. That would be interesting to hear about. Ford’s Lightning was at a show in Detroit. The ICE journalist who rode in it was wowed.

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/we-rode-shotgun-in-the-new-ford-f-150-lightning-platinum-it-blew-our-minds-186939.html

 

[E biker]

I wonder at some point a meter will be on the car to charge the driver mileage fees for the road tax.

 

[6zfshdb]

I've been looking at e-cars myself but where I live, it might be too soon. The few charging stations I pass all have significant wait times since it takes so long. I know this varies in different locations around the country though and more charging stations are being added. In my case however, it may pay to wait.

 

[DavidRvR]

I will also add... The same power everyone is trying to get rid of is charging the cars.. Power generation isnt free...

 

[chunk]

Not yet, but I hope to someday. Battery technology is making progress and maybe the Infrastructure bill passed by the US congress last year will infuse some much needed money into a usable charging infrastructure. Electric cars are very doable and are coming despite the petroleum industry and other special interests trying to slow it down. With the car manufactures seemingly fully committed to electrifying cars, it's just a matter of time until they are main stream. No more timing belts, valve adjustments, oil changes, or any of the maintenance associated with ICE.

 

[E biker]

No more wars over oil?

 

[theemartymac]

No more wars over oil?

Nope, but the Lithium and Cobalt wars are gonna be great!!!

 

[PatriciaK]

Hydrogen fuel?

I would love an electric car, but also waiting for infrastructure to be sufficient. Although, considering we've got a whopping 40,000 miles on our 12 year old Prius, we can probably do the bulk of our charging at home.

 

[jakimo]

Absolutely love my Model Y.. best vehicle I've owned, besides my '67 VW bus (first car) hehe

I mostly commute or take day trips with it

 

[theemartymac]

Absolutely love my Model Y.. best vehicle I've owned, besides my '67 VW bus (first car) hehe

Have you seen the new VW Mini-Bus concept? This could be one to get excited about? Supposedly there is a camper series already in the plans.

Volkswagen ID Buzz

 

[jakimo]

Yah.. very configurable too! I think it looks very odd tho

I’ll check it out when it arrives!

 

[Taylor57]

I recently purchased a 2022 Hyundai Kona EV. 300 mile range and very quick. Not crazy about having to figure out charging stations and the little nuances of how to get them to work, but I don't miss gas stations.

I use my trickle charger at home and usually charge to 80-85%. If the battery is under 50%, it takes a day to recharge on the level 1 Trickle. Have been looking to install Level 2 at the house...

 

[WattsUpDude]

I wonder at some point a meter will be on the car to charge the driver mileage fees for the road tax.

At least in Cali, I understand there’s already a fee on top on the annual registration cost for EVs.

 

[WattsUpDude]

I recently purchased a 2022 Hyundai Kona EV. 300 mile range and very quick. Not crazy about having to figure out charging stations and the little nuances of how to get them to work, but I don't miss gas stations.

I use my trickle charger at home and usually charge to 80-85%. If the battery is under 50%, it takes a day to recharge on the level 1 Trickle. Have been looking to install Level 2 at the house...

That’s on my shortlist! What trim did you go with?

 

[mschwett]

I will also add... The same power everyone is trying to get rid of is charging the cars.. Power generation isnt free...

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.

 

[Taylor57]

That’s on my shortlist! What trim did you go with?

SEL

 

[Taylor57]

The problem today with Electric cars (or any car for that matter) is actually finding one in stock to buy. We have friends that waited close to a year for the new E Ford Mustang and another who has been waiting 9 months for a new BMW E car. Many dealers are adding 3-5k surcharges on top of MSRP and fleecing customers. I was lucky that my local dealership does not do that. However, they are now out of cars. Every car that comes in, has been sold already. All due to chip shortage I'm told. Strange times.

 

[chunk]

I'm a fan of the old air cooled VW's, I had lots of them as a kid. I'd buy a new one today if I could.
I like the soon to come electric VW bus. At least they tried to stay true to the original design as far as the aesthetics and didn't just poach the name. I can kind of see the old air cooled bus in the look. The specs so far look pretty good too. If it ever gets here, I'll look.

 

[Bicyclista]

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.