Would you buy an EV?

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At this point I would not. The extra cost alone would take me 8-10 years of gas and oil changes to get the money back. The resale value would also worry me on an EV. I am not going to say that they might not get there at some point where they are a viable option for me but I am not holding my breath.
 
Not for me. I generally go 350-400 miles (3/4 or my tank) without a fill up. That gets me to Albu (my usual trip) and 3/4ths of the way back. Besides needing to stop and charge each way, there is the scarcity of charging points along the way. I would arrive in town empty and need to immediately charge somewhere out of my way and twiddle my thumbs waiting to finish charging to go do why I came to town. I have an electric motorcycle and use it for trail riding in spring and fall. Not very practical for anything else most of the year, to hot in summer and to cold in winter.
 
We did buy an EV, a 2024 BMW iX xDrive 50. Actually, we leased it because we are uncertain about holding the bag on an EV in a landscape of quickly changing technology, charging, uncertainty about the residual value in 3 years, and uncertainty if we'd even enjoy it. This is the first and probably only time we'll ever lease a car. The goal was not to save money, the earth, or anything else, we added it to our fleet simply because we wanted to experience an EV. We're car guys.

So far, we love it. We've driven it on an 800 mile round trip to Idaho and back in freezing temperatures. We took it with us to California for our winter travels. It's a hoot to drive, very comfortable, no real issues charging, and we haven't had any range anxiety, much like one wouldn't feel much range anxiety with a gasoline vehicle with 250-300 miles of range. Advertised range is 324 miles, and we achieve that or more.

We own other gas vehicles and now prefer to drive the EV for all non-leisure driving, and sometimes, even that too. We put in a home charger ourselves, couple hundred bucks, and a Saturday afternoon.

It can tow some, but we don't tow with it, it's a passenger car. As a car guy I love the performance. I mean, LOVE IT. Owning an EV should be fun and this car delivers that in spades. It's also the most comfortable car we've ever had.
 
John From Detroit said:
If your ride comes in both ICE and EV models as many do and you get say 30 MPG on the ICE but the MPGe for that ride is only 25.. (Not the actual numbers but that's how it worked for me) ICE is better.
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Sounds like you're doing something wrong. I would like to see an example. My Tesla is rated at 116 MPG. My Chevy Bolt is:

"The Bolt EV’s fuel economy rating of 128 MPGe city, 110 MPGe highway and 119 MPGe"

MPGe=Miles per gallon of gasoline-equivalent.


-Don- Auburn, CA
 
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jadebox said:
The Peak charging rate is misleading.
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They use 90% there, 80% is the standard. After 80% the charge rate drops way down. All EV owners should know this.

Only charge to above 80% when you think you really need it for the extra range. You get across the country a lot faster with 80% charges than you would with full charges. Also best to be below 20% SOC when charging (But TBH, I almost never let my EVs get that low).

The charging switches from Constant Current to Contant Voltage at around 80% SOC. That way the battery itself is safely accepting whatever it can. If it stayed on CC, the battery could blow up!

In CV, the battery charge speed drops more and more until 100% SOC when charging stops.

Also, it is better for the life of the battery to not go over 80% SOC.

Also, when you do go to 100% SOC, drive it right after the charge. It's not good for the battery to let it sit for long at a full charge.

-Don- Auburn, CA
 
An EV would work ok for me now. I do almost exclusively city driving in an area that has plenty of chargers. However, I live in a condo where home-charging is not practical, so would have to plan an occasional 45-60 minute charger stop. But that would be only once every 3-4 weeks. Everything is nearby so I don't drive many miles anymore.

I do occasionally make a 250 mile road trip, but chargers are adequate along that route and at the destination city. It would be a minor inconvenience to have to stop for charging almost immediately upon arrival, though. When I get somewhere, I usually have other priorities.

I recently purchased a new SUV and wanted a hybrid, but couldn't find my preferred model with color and equipment that I liked, so it was another ICE vehicle.
 
I had a commuter car for 13 years so my truck sat home most of the time. 30 mpg vs. 12 for the 45 mile round trip! Got rid of it during the pandemic when I worked home for about 2 years. If I was in the market for another commuter, I would seriously consider an EV. I'm back in the office 3 days and home 2 but with retirement hopefully just a few years away, a 3rd vehicle does not make sense right now. Kim's car is a 2019 so we likely will not shop for a replacement until 2029 - we'll see how the EV ranges, prices, and infrastructure are at a that time and go from there.
 
stripit said:
I own a Tesla and love it, but also own other gas and diesel vehicles. I sure wish the electric vehicles could be flat towed as I know a couple other rvers who would buy one to tow behind their motorhomes.
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An aluminum car hauler.
 
DonTom said:
They use 90% there, 80% is the standard. After 80% the charge rate drops way down. All EV owners should know this.
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Telsas only charge at near the peak rate up to about 30% before dropping off.

insideevs.com

Tesla Model S Plaid Fast Charging Results Amaze: Analysis

Today we will take a look at the fast charging results of the Tesla Model S Plaid that is expected to offer the best charging curve of any Tesla so far.
insideevs.com insideevs.com
 
Tom said:
This week one of our clubs had a presentation by the owner of a local Ford dealership. He drives an all-electric truck and brought the truck and an electric Mustang to the meeting. Some takeaways for me (not in order of priority) were:
  • High initial price, but Tesla's recent price drops will affect industry EV prices
  • 8-year warranty, including battery
  • Resale value
  • Battery replacement $30-40K
  • Added weight (due to batteries) = more tire wear
  • Lower maintenance costs (no oil changes, no drivetrain)
  • Those ICE vehicle maintenance costs are 50% of dealership revenue
  • Quick acceleration
  • Cost of must-have home charger
  • $300K cost of Ford-mandated super charger in dealership
  • Availability of cross-country country chargers
  • Price of charges is much less than an equivalent gas tank refill
  • Miles on an in-transit charge
  • Batteries will die in cold climates
  • Less wear on brakes
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I wonder if the battery warranty is pro rated?
 
Onyrlef said:
I wonder if the battery warranty is pro rated?
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No, it is not. You get a new battery at no cost if it fails during the term of the warranty, by their warranty spec which could be when below 70 or 80% of claimed range for so many years(8 years, 120K miles, 70% for my Tesla).

FWIW, I had a battery replaced on my Zero Motorcycle--the one I take on my RV trips. They removed the 6.5 KWH that did not meet spec and replaced it with a more expensive 7.2 KWH battery because they ran out of the 6.5 KWH batteries.

Total cost to me was $0.00. That battery was three years old at that time.

Tesla battery warranty.

-Don- Auburn, CA
 
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jadebox said:
Telsas only charge at near the peak rate up to about 30% before dropping off.
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True, but the big drop-off is at above 80% when your down to a small percentage and then seems to take forever (if you're there waiting!).

Not so noticeable at 50% SOC. Tesla recommends recharging at 10% for that reason--get a faster charge for your charge time. But I am not in such a big hurry, and I would never let mine get that low.

-Don- Auburn, CA
 
jadebox said:
Telsas only charge at near the peak rate up to about 30% before dropping off.

insideevs.com

Tesla Model S Plaid Fast Charging Results Amaze: Analysis

Today we will take a look at the fast charging results of the Tesla Model S Plaid that is expected to offer the best charging curve of any Tesla so far.
insideevs.com insideevs.com
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Yep. It’s not uncommon for us to see 254 or even 256 kw when the battery is at 15 to 20 percent, and we have seen that at minus 27 celcius. It climbs to 30 percent really fast at that rate. After that it starts to drop off gradually. It’s still pretty quick at 80 percent but then starts to drop off pretty quick. By 90 percent it’s down around 30 to 40 kW.

We rarely charge past 90 percent. Although if it’s lunch time we just charge till we are finished eating and it’s quite often 100 percent at that point.

But for non lunch stop charge stops we are usually on the road after 20 minutes and are usually around 80 percent.

All the above on tesla superchargers. Non tesla superchargers is a crap shoot. Having said that we sometimes pick slower non tesla fast chargers just so we can have a relaxed lunch. Tesla superchargers have idle fees if you are connected and not charging.

I can say also that when towing we tend to have longer charge stops as we usually shoot for 90 percent plus on a charge. But usually when we are towing we only charge once per day and that’s a lunch stop so it doesn’t really make our day longer. We are usually on the road by 09:30 or 10 and off the road by 2:30 or 3. And that’s a long day for us. 😊

Any BCers recognize the sign in the background? 😎

IMG_8145.jpeg
 
DonTom said:
MPGe is a federal spec from the EPA. So is the MPG spec of ICE. So they compare correctly.

See here.


"What Is MPGe? Everything You Need To Know"​



-Don- Auburn, CA
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Thank you .. As I said I got as close to my ICE as I could with make and model specs. I was trying to get exact but they did not make an EV in 2014 in my body style... And the difference was about 1 or 2 MPG in my favor.. NOTE that where you live matters Due to the number of fossil v/s other electric generating plants.
 
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