Electric Vehicles

[tennbengal]

Anyone here made the switch?

Jen and I are test-driving one tonight (something in the Kia family apparently) and a Nissan Leaf on Sunday. If anyone has one, any obs/thoughts etc? And, no, I am not in the shopping for Tesla part of the EV store.

[wlu_lax6]

Anyone here made the switch?

Jen and I are test-driving one tonight (something in the Kia family apparently) and a Nissan Leaf on Sunday. If anyone has one, any obs/thoughts etc? And, no, I am not in the shopping for Tesla part of the EV store.

Friend has a gas/electric combo Honda (I think). Loves it.

[Sabo]

I don't have an electric car, but one suggestion is to see if your garage has 220V service running to it. If so, then you'll be able to recharge your car pretty quickly. If not, upgrading your service to 220V can add several hundred dollars to the cost.

[Steve of phpBB]

Here's a whole thread on non-Tesla EV options.

I have a co-worker who bought a Nissan Leaf a few months ago. She has seemed pretty happy with it. But according to the thread, there may be some compatibility problems because it uses a specific type of charger?

[Johnnie]

I want to, but I live in an apartment.

[tennbengal]

I don't have an electric car, but one suggestion is to see if your garage has 220V service running to it. If so, then you'll be able to recharge your car pretty quickly. If not, upgrading your service to 220V can add several hundred dollars to the cost.

We are planning on spending to get that kind of charger, I think, and are factoring that in. It would be for me, my commute after the move is now about 60 miles round trip and I am currently spending $80 a week in gas.

[tennbengal]

Here's a whole thread on non-Tesla EV options.

I have a co-worker who bought a Nissan Leaf a few months ago. She has seemed pretty happy with it. But according to the thread, there may be some compatibility problems because it uses a specific type of charger?

Gracias.

[Steve of phpBB]

Here's a whole thread on non-Tesla EV options.

I have a co-worker who bought a Nissan Leaf a few months ago. She has seemed pretty happy with it. But according to the thread, there may be some compatibility problems because it uses a specific type of charger?

Gracias.

De novo.

[phxgators]

I have a Model 3 (pretty sure there's a Model Y owner here too, but I'll let him speak for himself).

I fucking love it. If we can take the Elon filter off of this company (man does he need to just shut the hell up), they really are the best option as far as range, reliability, features, and not catching on fire (cough Chevy). And when you throw in the fact that the car is objectively better now than when I bought it in 2018, it's hard to look outside Tesla, for me. It's incredible that other manufacturers still aren't getting to over-the-air updates to improve their cars.

Other notes: The supercharger network is also a huge separator, if you plan on taking road trips. Their mobile service is fantastic. I've had them out 3 times in almost 3.5 years. One warranty item and two tire rotations. That's it. Grand total of $125 in maintenance costs in 3.5 years.

Our next new car will be to replace my wife's with, likely, a Model Y (and she hates Elon).

edit: Understood you're not looking at Teslas. Putting that out there for anyone else that may be interested. I am all for a wider range of choices in the EV market. The 2 or 3 people that I know that went the on-Tesla route did not have great experiences, but that's a small sample size.

[govmentchedda]

I have a Model 3 (pretty sure there's a Model Y owner here too, but I'll let him speak for himself).

I fucking love it. If we can take the Elon filter off of this company (man does he need to just shut the hell up), they really are the best option as far as range, reliability, features, and not catching on fire (cough Chevy). And when you throw in the fact that the car is objectively better now than when I bought it in 2018, it's hard to look outside Tesla, for me. It's incredible that other manufacturers still aren't getting to over-the-air updates to improve their cars.

Other notes: The supercharger network is also a huge separator, if you plan on taking road trips. Their mobile service is fantastic. I've had them out 3 times in almost 3.5 years. One warranty item and two tire rotations. That's it. Grand total of $125 in maintenance costs in 3.5 years.

Our next new car will be to replace my wife's with, likely, a Model Y (and she hates Elon).

edit: Understood you're not looking at Teslas. Putting that out there for anyone else that may be interested. I am all for a wider range of choices in the EV market. The 2 or 3 people that I know that went the on-Tesla route did not have great experiences, but that's a small sample size.

It's me, and I agree wholeheartedly with the above post. The only drawback so far is the monthly payment. I got through about 2 months of just using a supercharger and not plugging in at home. I was planning on doing that exclusively, and then the free miles I got from phxgators from his referral ran out and I tried the regular plug in charging at home. It gets a surprising 15-20% charge every night, and is more than enough for me. I've only used it as a daily driver so far, so I can't speak to how it is on longer trips, but I've been fine with the regular 110V charging, and see no need for me to buy the 220V unit for the house.

[P.D.X.]

I drive several different EV's from the local car-sharing service. My completely anecdotal preference: Bolt > Leaf > Prius

[phxgators]

It's me, and I agree wholeheartedly with the above post. The only drawback so far is the monthly payment. I got through about 2 months of just using a supercharger and not plugging in at home. I was planning on doing that exclusively, and then the free miles I got from phxgators from his referral ran out and I tried the regular plug in charging at home. It gets a surprising 15-20% charge every night, and is more than enough for me. I've only used it as a daily driver so far, so I can't speak to how it is on longer trips, but I've been fine with the regular 110V charging, and see no need for me to buy the 220V unit for the house.

Glad to hear you're enjoying the Y! I do have the wall charger (charges 40+ mi/hi) since I had a long commute when I first got it. Was ~$500 plus a couple hundred for installation. Totally worth it back then. Not as much now, but I probably still would get it just for the convenience.

[A_B]

There are still decent tax breaks for installing chargers and buying EVs right? Or are those just dealer incentives now?

[tennbengal]

There are still decent tax breaks for installing chargers and buying EVs right? Or are those just dealer incentives now?

Tax break for EV, not sure on chargers.

[Shirley]

There's a Slack channel at work for electric cars (and solar panels). It's nearly all Tesla owners. And it's nearly 100% satisfied owners (of the Teslas). As phxgators pointed out, if the car alone isn't the draw, Tesla's supercharger network should be if you plan to take trips in the thing. No other manufacturer is even close - and that's especially an issue because most competitors don't have nearly the range of Teslas.

The US really needs to settle on an effective standard and then build or incentivize a massive network of chargers. But we'll just buy a couple more fighter jets instead.

[A_B]

There's a Slack channel at work for electric cars (and solar panels). It's nearly all Tesla owners. And it's nearly 100% satisfied owners (of the Teslas). As phxgators pointed out, if the car alone isn't the draw, Tesla's supercharger network should be if you plan to take trips in the thing. No other manufacturer is even close - and that's especially an issue because most competitors don't have nearly the range of Teslas.

The US really needs to settle on an effective standard and then build or incentivize a massive network of chargers. But we'll just buy a couple more fighter jets instead.

This part of the infrastructure plan actually is in the works I think. Kentucky is looking at a grant to install them across the state. I imagine other states are as well.

[phxgators]

There are still some federal credits available, I think. It was based on vehicle sales, so Tesla's have all been used. Though there was talk of a new round being available which would allow new Tesla buyers to get a credit again. Some states also offer credits in addition to the federal credits.

[Nonlinear FC]

We are using state grants, that I think are part of a federal program(?) to install charging units at our HQ and a few depots. They are for our fleet, but employees can use them, too.

I really want to get an EV when my Passat kicks it.

[govmentchedda]

There are still decent tax breaks for installing chargers and buying EVs right? Or are those just dealer incentives now?

Depends on your state, I think. Also on your make. Pretty sure the national Tesla ones ran out years ago. There was some mention that the tax changes might bring back some EV breaks, but I don't know if it passed.

[govmentchedda]

Also, when you get a Tesla the power cord (20-25' length) comes with an adapter so you don't have to go Tesla supercharger only. Quite a few of the city garages around here have charging stations and many of them are free. They charge MUCH slower than a supercharger, but faster than 110V at home. For example the one at my grocery store doesn't really do much for me because I'm not there long, but the one in the garage where I park for Lightning games gives me a solid 20% battery charge for the ~4hrs or so that I'm parked there during the game.

[sancarlos]

They are very common out here. Our next car will almost certainly be an electric. My wife drives a 2010 hybrid SUV Ford Escape. We are planning to give it to my daughter after she graduates this June. Then we will buy one. Personally, I drive a 2015 hybrid Ford Fusion. I love it. Over 40 mpg, blended.

[Steve of phpBB]

Personally, I drive a 2015 hybrid Ford Fusion. I love it. Over 40 mpg, blended.

We got a hybrid Toyota Rav-4 last year. All-wheel drive and decent clearance. It's basically a Subaru Outback that gets 40 mpg.

I'd love to get an electric but I don't think we'll be buying a car any time soon. I certainly hope not.

[Steve of phpBB]

Gaba has updated his thread.

[Steve of phpBB]

He went with the Kia …

[The Sybian]

Just saw an article that Motor Trend named the Mustang Mach-E the best electric car. A neighbor has one, they are pretty cool looking.

[sancarlos]

I don't like the idea of supporting a douchebag like Elon Musk, but I lean toward getting a Tesla because they have those super-fast charging stations. They are pretty easy to find on the west coast.

[The Sybian]

I don't like the idea of supporting a douchebag like Elon Musk, but I lean toward getting a Tesla because they have those super-fast charging stations. They are pretty easy to find on the west coast.

Plus it's the only option when you need to go 0-60 in 2 seconds.

[Johnnie]

I don't like the idea of supporting a douchebag like Elon Musk, but I lean toward getting a Tesla because they have those super-fast charging stations. They are pretty easy to find on the west coast.

I really, really, really like the Ioniq 5 from Hyundai, but the lack of infrastructure with fast charging stations nation wide means it's probably Tesla or bust when I finally get a house.

[Shirley]

I agree that Musk is a douchenozzle, but the things that Tesla has done to advance car technology (and really the whole buying and ownership experience) can't be overstated. There's a reason Tesla owners rave about their cars.

[Johnnie]

The Ioniq 5 is still desirable, but I kinda want the Lyriq now.



Edit:

Doug DeMuro has chimed in:

[sancarlos]

The problem with the Ionic (and other Hyundai and Kia electric vehicles) is that they are not made in the USA (yet), and thus not eligible for the $7,500 tax credit that the other makers offer.

So, we are about done trying to be a one-car household (since we gave my wife's old Ford Escape to our daughter). Starting to look hard at electric cars, especially SUVs or hatchbacks. Leading candidate so far is the electric Mustang. My neighbor has one and loves it. He's going to let me drive it, soon.

[Johnnie]

The problem with the Ionic (and other Hyundai and Kia electric vehicles) is that they are not made in the USA (yet), and thus not eligible for the $7,500 tax credit that the other makers offer.

So, we are about done trying to be a one-car household (since we gave my wife's old Ford Escape to our daughter). Starting to look hard at electric cars, especially SUVs or hatchbacks. Leading candidate so far is the electric Mustang. My neighbor has one and loves it. He's going to let me drive it, soon.

Oooh, that's good to note.

And what about the Chevy Blazer EV? That one looks cool too.

[A_B]

I don't think the blazer is out until 2024 models start showing up.

[Sabo]

Leading candidate so far is the electric Mustang. My neighbor has one and loves it. He's going to let me drive it, soon.

Is that the one that looks like a hatchback? If so, I have to say that's an ugly car, even worse than the Pontiac Aztek.

My friend just ordered a Ford Maverick last week but he won't get it for six-to-eight months because they're having issues getting manufacturing supplies. I'm looking forward to driving his once he gets it because it looks pretty fantastic.

[Nonlinear FC]

Leading candidate so far is the electric Mustang. My neighbor has one and loves it. He's going to let me drive it, soon.

Is that the one that looks like a hatchback? If so, I have to say that's an ugly car, even worse than the Pontiac Aztek.

My friend just ordered a Ford Maverick last week but he won't get it for six-to-eight months because they're having issues getting manufacturing supplies. I'm looking forward to driving his once he gets it because it looks pretty fantastic.

I have the same issue if it's the one that looks like an Aztek. No likey.

[sancarlos]

Leading candidate so far is the electric Mustang. My neighbor has one and loves it. He's going to let me drive it, soon.

Is that the one that looks like a hatchback? If so, I have to say that's an ugly car, even worse than the Pontiac Aztek.

My friend just ordered a Ford Maverick last week but he won't get it for six-to-eight months because they're having issues getting manufacturing supplies. I'm looking forward to driving his once he gets it because it looks pretty fantastic.

I have the same issue if it's the one that looks like an Aztek. No likey.

To each his own, but I like the Mustang. The look takes a bit getting used to, because it is a small SUV, instead of the traditional coupe. But, I don't think it looks like an Aztec.

Mustang


Aztec

[rass]

Leading candidate so far is the electric Mustang. My neighbor has one and loves it. He's going to let me drive it, soon.

Just one story, but my wife's co-worker had one. The battery died after she had it for less than a year, and they couldn't/wouldn't fix it and sat on the car, pretty much dodged her calls, even though I think there was a recall. She finally got a halfway reasonable buyout and said bye-bye.

[wlu_lax6]

I like the mustang E, but it is probably the glowing horse. I have heard horror stories from owners of it. More like what Rass is saying...on the other hand my first car was a Dodge K car station wagon...so I am used to it.

[Sabo]

Maybe it isn't the electric Mustang, but there is some Mustang variant that looks a lot like an Aztek. It's so ugly I was waiting for the tent to open out of the back.

[mister d]

It’s sad, but people like you are always so afraid of change. Instead of embracing things like your son dying, you’d rather be arrogant and selfish and stand in the way of Elon and Tesla using completely stunning technology to slaughter other innocent people.

Sorry you hate progress! Women, am I right?