EV-Phobia is getting worse!

[Tom]

Folks, let's be sure to keep this civil. It's too easy for 'friendly' disagreements to go downhill. Thanks.

 

[workinonit]

It's sad when I hit "New Posts" at the top and this post is at the top of the list, on an RV forum. I could really care less about EVs. They are actually good for the industry I work in, power. In the end I suppose EVs use as much fossil fuel as an ICE does. I don't see the allure. Stated with civility.

 

[workinonit]

Who hasn't been civil?

 

[Quit RVing]

DomTom is a well known EV disciple. He believes they are the answer. 84% of people don’t agree with him. Neither do I.

EV’s are not the answer.

 

[NY_Dutch]

DomTom is a well known EV disciple. He believes they are the answer. 84% of people don’t agree with him. Neither do I.

EV’s are not the answer.

I would change your last sentence to "EV's are not the only answer."

 

[DonTom]

. 84% of people don’t agree with him. Neither do I.

Which can only mean one thing. 84% plus one are wrong!

-Don-, Plymouth, CA (electric motorcycle ride, getting my free charge here).

 

[LarsMac]

Well, it's been about 40 years since the conversations started really getting underway about Global Warming and what to do about it. A lot of recent evidence seems to suggest that we've likely missed that window of opportunity to resolve the problems that are coming our way. If this last Winter and Spring are any indicator, it's going to get pretty uncomfortable in the next decade, which will be about the amount of time we have to actually get something done if we hope to settle the climate back down before our grandchildren are our age.
There are still far too many ICE machines out there pumping more CO2 into the atmosphere than we will be able to deal with for a long time. I figure to spend the next year wandering about until I find a place to park the Dancer and kick the wheels from under, and wait for my retirement to catch up to me. Whatever the vehicle of the future is going to be, I probably won't be able to afford one.

 

[Tom]

I could really care less about EVs.

You can use the Ignore Forum function and you won't see any threads in this EV forum.

 

[jymbee]

Can you explain the main things you did NOT like? And what type of EV was it?

-Don- Auburn, CA

It was a Genesis GV70. Very impressive machine with a number of pretty cool "smart" options he was more than willing to demonstrate.

Of course, as shown in the various responses in this thread, everyone has their own preferences as to what would and what would not work for them depending on their own circumstances and lifestyle.

In this case, we had planned a trip in this person's equally impressive pickup. At the last minute others decided to come along so the mode of transportation was changed to the EV.

Right off the bat there was an ongoing discussion about the state of the batteries given the car wasn't fully charged starting out for a number of reasons and if batteries got low, where would be a good place to wait while the batteries were charged.

I couldn't help but think, as we passed a number of gas stations along the way, that at least for me this whole charging thing, finding and waiting, is not something I would want to deal with given we live in a very rural area with few EV charging options.

Nothing against EVs in general and fully understand that another person's circumstances could easily conform to the what an EV owner has to deal with.

You live in an area with many nearby charging options, or can charge at home and plan your driving activities to take advantage of EV advantages, fine. I get it. Go for it.

Also, I'm not much of a sedan or SUV guy. I'll stick to my boring mini van or pickup, fuel economics be damned.

 

[DonTom]

Who hasn't been civil?

Perhaps got deleted by the site team before you could read such.

Otherwise, I also don't know.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[DonTom]

everyone has their own preferences as to what would and what would not work for them depending on their own circumstances and lifestyle.

Agreed. I have said there are situations where I would not want to own an EV, such as if I lived in San Francisco and always had to park 3 or four blocks away. Few garages. Some rent their garages out for around $750.00 a month. And if such is available, rush into such a deal. Or you will be too late by perhaps the next day. And your car better be small--or a motorcycle! And probably still has no electricity to charge with.

But now they have more than a thousand places to charge on the street in SF alone. 140 of them are free to use, the others very cheap, often cheaper than charging at home. 42 are DCFC. That is lot for such a small city in area size. So owning an EV there can be done, but it is still not the same as home charging. At least not to me, even though I often pay the most for my home charging (PG&E is ridiculously expensive these days, here in CA).

They had a few rate increases since 2024 already. last year was cheaper with:

"The average bundled electric rate for PG&E residential customers is 45 cents per kWh as of January 1, 2024, according to the latest electric rate report. However, the cost per kWh of electricity ranges from 34 to 72 cents per kWh depending on your rate plan and the time of year."

Even when for free, that would seem like a hassle to me, if I lived in SF. I am charging my electric motorcycle right now as I am typing this, after today's 150-mile ride. But I also got around 50 miles added for free while I was typing out a couple of messages for this forum, in a nice shady park with tables under trees right across the street from the free to use charge station. An "opportunity charge", I could have easily done the 150 miles plus without recharging on that bike (Energica Experia). But that was a very nice place to take a break--and get a free charge at the same time.

the car wasn't fully charged starting out for a number of reasons

Was the main reason poor planning?

I have only had the need to charge my Tesla on the road two times since year 2018. Both were overnight trips. I have never had the need to charge my Chevy Bolt on the road. But with my electric motorcycles, I usually recharge them on every trip, even if an "opportunity charge" (meaning not needed, but it is there, so use it) such as today's charge in Plymouth.

I would find it a hassle to now go to gas stations for local trips. I don't mind in my RV with the 80-gallon tank, those breaks are often helpful on longer drives.

Anyway, I was thinking more about RV cars than SUVs and larger electric vehicles when I asked you that question.

this whole charging thing, finding and waiting

Most EV cars find them for you. We will never have as many charge stations as gas station even if every car were an EV. Around 90% will be charging at home or at work. We only need the charge stations for the longer trips, and most are cars are used for less than 40 miles per day in the USA.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[workinonit]

You can use the Ignore Forum function and you won't see any threads in this EV forum.

Thanks. I put that button to good use. I had been looking for just that feature. Shouldn't have EVs on an RV forum.

 

[DonTom]

Shouldn't have EVs on an RV forum.

Why not?

 

[NY_Dutch]

Why not?

Is Tesla throwing in a Cyber Truck as a bonus when you buy one of thier cars yet?

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Shouldn't have EVs on an RV forum.

My personal opinion is that in this forum EVs (and pickup trucks and SUVs and sedans) should be discussed solely in the context of their use with RVs. We don't have a board for "I love pickup trucks" or "The future of sedans", so why have one dedicated to any & all happenings with another vehicle type? If you want to discuss the latest news or trends in EVs, subscribe to Motor Trend or insideEVs.com

I'll also note that the Electric Vehicles board is listed under the RV Discussions group. Not Lifestyle or Hobbies. To me. that gives the expectation that the discussions will be related to RVing rather than the entire EV genre. So use of an EV to tow a camper or as a toad behind a motorhome is appropriate, but the number of super-charger stations in West Nowhere is beyond the pale.

I'll reiterate: this is solely my personal opinion.

 

[Tom]

Thanks. I put that button to good use.

Shouldn't have EVs on an RV forum.

As we see from discussions here, some EVs can be/are used as tow vehicles and possibly toads. Electric motorhomes may be a pipe dream or a reality. Folks here talk about taking their motorcycles on the back of their RV, and some of those may be electric motorcycles. So, I don't see why EVs should be excluded any more than gas or diesel vehicles.

Meanwhile, opening this (EV) forum was a way to bring all the dispersed EV-related discussions into one place. OTOH the sticky message at the top of this forum does say it was an experiment. We/I haven't come out the other end of that, but I'm personally leaning heavily towards it having been a good choice.

 

[DonTom]

but the number of super-charger stations in West Nowhere is beyond the pale.

IMO, that can be the most important thing to somebody using an EV to tow with in West Nowhere.

However, OTOH, since Viajeros left this forum, I do not think anybody here is using an EV to tow an RV.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[TheBar]

However, OTOH, since Viajeros left this forum, I do not think anybody here is using an EV to tow an RV.

-Don- Auburn, CA

Did they actually leave or just change their name again? Wasn't it John and Linda or something like that before? Like Skookums changed his handle also.

 

[DonTom]

Did they actually leave or just change their name again? Wasn't it John and Linda or something like that before? Like Skookums changed his handle also.

You decide after reading his very last message here.


-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[Heretoserve]

See here.

"Only 16% of Americans Would Buy an EV, a Study Finds. Here’s Why:"

• Respondents cited high battery repair costs and high purchase prices as some of the reasons, in addition to perceived unsuitability for long-distance driving.

Only 16% will consider buying an EV as their next car. All for nonsense reasons, IMAO. Especially worrying about the battery, but not tranies, ICE engines, and etc which fail every day somewhere. Few trannies and engines have an 8-year warranty. But my 2018 Tesla Model 3 battery, has such, which still has not yet expired. And I cannot tell any difference in range since the day it was new.

Both main reasons are nonsense, IMAO. I would use my Tesla for a trip across the country before considering any ICE car, but of course, I would take my ICE Class A for that anyway, as I already have.

-Don- Auburn, CA

​

My issue would be the long time for recharging. If on a trip I can fill a fuel tank in a few minutes, but to charge an EV could take an hour for large battery configuration. And that is if a charger is available.

I can see EV or at least hybrids being the solution to the majority of air pollution problems in large cities but currently the technology is not there for large heavy vehicles like RV's, busses, 18 wheelers, and construction equipment. Maybe someday but we arent there yet. If the majority of cars and light trucks were ev or hybrid that would eliminate a lot of the pollution. Many people drive less than the amount a hybrid will run on batteries in a given day. But if they need to go on a trip then fuel is available for that.

We have a lot to do before we can expect EV to be the solution. We will need to build more power plants, and what type? Wind and Solar work but may not be as effecient as we will need. I would prefer nuclear if a safe design was used and in an area out of natural disasters such as coastlines or earthquake zones.