Chevy 8.1 or Ford V10 ?

[Gary RV_Wizard]

In my opinion the difference that Isaac experienced is almost entirely due to the transmissions.  The 4L80E in the P-series is nowhere near as capable as the Allison 1000 5 or 6 speed trannies used in the W-series chassis. Further, if that "recent model F53" was 2006 or later, it was a 5 or 6 speed as well. The extra gears in the Allison were a big advantage for Workhorse until Ford caught up with the 2006 upgrade.

 

[KandT]

This thread reminds me of how ready I am for the first all electric RV.  Our family sedan non-performance Model 3 goes from 0-60 in 4.5 seconds.  Torque is instant and the torque from 45-75 is amazing.  No waiting to switch gears.  So superior to a traditional car.

Now on the MoHo side they will have to be able to go about 600 miles between charges.  I bet the CG's would love to see one pull in and connect to charge!! ;D ;D

We charge our Tesla in the garage almost exclusively so it is a time saver from getting dinosaur fuel.  My math says at $0.12/KW our Tesla will cost about $9 to go 300 miles where gas would be about $31.  That is unless you are charging from your solar panels where you could probably be charging for about $4.50 or less including the depreciation and installation of the panels. 

Can't wait until the rest of the automotive world catches up and then the trucking world and THEN the RV world!

 

[Larry N.]

We charge our Tesla in the garage almost exclusively so it is a time saver from getting dinosaur fuel.  My math says at $0.12/KW our Tesla will cost about $9 to go 300 miles where gas would be about $31.

That's great, as long as you stay local. Not so great for trips of any distance, where you may have to pay for a recharge, and where (at least today) it can be tough to find charging stations outside of major metro areas. And think of the waste from disposing of old batteries in 6-10 years.

Hopefully such problems can be reduced/eliminated, but it's not there yet, if ever.

 

[KandT]

That's great, as long as you stay local. Not so great for trips of any distance, where you may have to pay for a recharge, and where (at least today) it can be tough to find charging stations outside of major metro areas. And think of the waste from disposing of old batteries in 6-10 years.

Hopefully such problems can be reduced/eliminated, but it's not there yet, if ever.

Thank you for your reply.  I thought the exact same things until we really started to seriously look at an EV.  Charging stations are popping up everywhere.  With a Tesla the screen on the map will tell you where they are and which one you should charge at so you don't run out of "fuel".   

Also, I really worried about the batteries with most of my experience being in AGM or flooded wet.  The batts are designed closer to cell phone batteries; however, they have a lower energy density and are able to last longer.  They have been in use long enough to plot out battery degeneration and they are expected to last 20 years or about the life of a typical car.  In terms of disposal, much like a flooded wet cell they are highly recyclable.  The lithium, nickel, aluminum, cobalt and silicon can be separated and reused to make new batts.  People who are looking to purchase an EV wouldn't stand for an environmental disaster at the end of their vehicles life.  The aim is zero waste and that is not unreasonable.

As the trucking industry builds out their charging infrastructure that will leave a path for RV's.  With the amount of fuel they consume and maintenance costs that can be avoided, the trucking industry will adopt electric trucks.  Heck no oil changes or transmissions to break down and fuel at 1/3rd the price?  Many have preorders in already.  Volvo has a prototype cabless rig.  It looks crazy and only stands about 5 feet high.

The future is exciting.  What isn't exciting??  The Equinox they just sent me for work.  Looks the same as a 1990's vehicle only with a backup camera.

 

[Isaac-1]

Charging stations are not everywhere yet, the nearest Tesla charging station is 50 miles from my house, and 5 years ago the nearest was 50 miles from my house.  Of course what has changed is the distance to the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th closest.  5 years ago the second closest was 150 miles, now it is 55 miles, ...

 

[KandT]

Charging stations are not everywhere yet, the nearest Tesla charging station is 50 miles from my house, and 5 years ago the nearest was 50 miles from my house.  Of course what has changed is the distance to the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th closest.  5 years ago the second closest was 150 miles, now it is 55 miles, ...

Yeah - They aren't everywhere but more are there.  They also don't have to be "Tesla" charging stations.  We have public charging in my town but no "Tesla" stations.  Sheetz is a pretty popular convenience store on the East coast states and they have been adding Tesla charging in strategic locations.