OT: Someone Get GMUBrian a drink and put him on suicide watch......

[MasonSAE4]

Having just moved to a hybrid I have to say, I f**king love it. In this area of the country where the charging infrastructure is probably among the most advanced, it rocks. I put in $10 of gas last month and since my apartment complex has free charging stations, that's literally all I paid to get around for a month.

Even my friend who is a huge muscle/vintage car enthusiast told me the other day that his next car will have a battery in some form. That's when it hit home for me that the market really is changing. The real test will be getting the charging infrastructure in place in parts of the country where public transit is far less viable.

 

[GMUgemini]

Having just moved to a hybrid I have to say, I f**king love it. In this area of the country where the charging infrastructure is probably among the most advanced, it rocks. I put in $10 of gas last month and since my apartment complex has free charging stations, that's literally all I paid to get around for a month.

Even my friend who is a huge muscle/vintage car enthusiast told me the other day that his next car will have a battery in some form. That's when it hit home for me that the market really is changing. The real test will be getting the charging infrastructure in place in parts of the country where public transit is far less viable.

Out in the exurbs of Phoenix (Laveen, Maricopa) there are a lot of EVs, but there is also a lot of rooftop solar there too.

Whenever I see apartment complexes, I envision solar covered parking with charging stations. Our local Safeway covered all their parking with solar in about 2015 and they run their entire store from the energy generated by their parking lot. ASU also generates a ton of energy from their parking lots and they have charging stations for people parking in them (although I think you have to have a particular parking pass to be able to use them?).

Im surprised more places don’t do it around here. Makes your car cooler to park in the shade AND you generate energy at the same time.

 

[MasonSAE4]

Out in the exurbs of Phoenix (Laveen, Maricopa) there are a lot of EVs, but there is also a lot of rooftop solar there too.

Whenever I see apartment complexes, I envision solar covered parking with charging stations. Our local Safeway covered all their parking with solar in about 2015 and they run their entire store from the energy generated by their parking lot. ASU also generates a ton of energy from their parking lots and they have charging stations for people parking in them (although I think you have to have a particular parking pass to be able to use them?).

Im surprised more places don’t do it around here. Makes your car cooler to park in the shade AND you generate energy at the same time.

There's definitely been an uptick in charging stations around the DMV although they don't seem to be solar powered for the most part (and with the grid still being heavily carbonized it still isn't entirely environmentally friendly.) Not to take this thread in a political direction, but it looks like there's about to be a pretty heavy federal investment in charging stations. I hope there's a good plan for where to put them and they don't all end up clustered in big cities.

 

[GMUSSTN]

There's definitely been an uptick in charging stations around the DMV although they don't seem to be solar powered for the most part (and with the grid still being heavily carbonized it still isn't entirely environmentally friendly.) Not to take this thread in a political direction, but it looks like there's about to be a pretty heavy federal investment in charging stations. I hope there's a good plan for where to put them and they don't all end up clustered in big cities.

Out here in Hawaii there are TONS of places that run 100% solar and all of them offer free car charging as well. If you're a huge place like Costco why wouldn't you make the investment? It costs roughly $150/mo to power my little 3BR townhouse and I never turn on my air conditioners because I'm not a wimp...so that's just fridge/stove/oven/washer/dryer/water heater for 2 people. People in my neighborhood run ACs all day long and I can't imagine what it's like for them. If my HOA allowed solar I'd look into it, but since my HOA generally just sucks we'd rather move in a few years than stay here and invest in it.

As for the cities that's the only place where a full EV makes sense at the moment since the range isn't that great. The further out you live the more you need the reliability of a gas engine. As the range improves I think it should get better though but that's still a couple decades away.

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

Having just moved to a hybrid I have to say, I f**king love it. In this area of the country where the charging infrastructure is probably among the most advanced, it rocks. I put in $10 of gas last month and since my apartment complex has free charging stations, that's literally all I paid to get around for a month.

Even my friend who is a huge muscle/vintage car enthusiast told me the other day that his next car will have a battery in some form. That's when it hit home for me that the market really is changing. The real test will be getting the charging infrastructure in place in parts of the country where public transit is far less viable.

Hybrids make sense right now...

All EV...having to modify your garage/power to charge and then drive 40 miles out of your way to hit a charging station en route to Myrtle?

Not yet. And some of the lines at those stations...

But, if the infrastructure comes like you say...

 

[bravesfan]

Hybrids make sense right now...

All EV...having to modify your garage/power to charge and then drive 40 miles out of your way to hit a charging station en route to Myrtle?

Not yet. And some of the lines at those stations...

But, if the infrastructure comes like you say...

The real question is: Why the hell are you going to Myrtle?

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

The real question is: Why the hell are you going to Myrtle?

Haha we still do golf trips in November...

 

[Old Man]

Haha we still do golf trips in November...

That's acceptable.

 

[GMU79]

Having just moved to a hybrid I have to say, I f**king love it. In this area of the country where the charging infrastructure is probably among the most advanced, it rocks. I put in $10 of gas last month and since my apartment complex has free charging stations, that's literally all I paid to get around for a month.

Even my friend who is a huge muscle/vintage car enthusiast told me the other day that his next car will have a battery in some form. That's when it hit home for me that the market really is changing. The real test will be getting the charging infrastructure in place in parts of the country where public transit is far less viable.

Doesn't his current car have a battery in some form?

 

[GMUSSTN]

Doesn't his current car have a battery in some form?

He said "vintage" so maybe all his cars currently have crank starters?

 

[Pikapppatri8]

There's definitely been an uptick in charging stations around the DMV although they don't seem to be solar powered for the most part (and with the grid still being heavily carbonized it still isn't entirely environmentally friendly.) Not to take this thread in a political direction, but it looks like there's about to be a pretty heavy federal investment in charging stations. I hope there's a good plan for where to put them and they don't all end up clustered in big cities.

With increased solar at home - most car charging for commutes will be solar. A third of the houses in my neighborhood have Tesla solar cells and power walls. They use them to charge their Teslas and as back-up. So I think that trend with more charging stations will make EVs more practical.

 

[gmubrian]

The next car I want to add to my collection is a 30ish vintage resto mod. As an example, one I have my eye on is shown below. Ironically, the EV craze seems to be making these more affordable than ever, at least that is what I am assuming is pushing their prices down.

 

[MasonSAE4]

Hybrids make sense right now...

All EV...having to modify your garage/power to charge and then drive 40 miles out of your way to hit a charging station en route to Myrtle?

Not yet. And some of the lines at those stations...

But, if the infrastructure comes like you say...

I think a big question is how many level 3 chargers get built. Most public chargers right now are level 2, which still take hours to fully charge. Tesla has some level 3 stations, although those are proprietary tech if I'm not mistaken.

I think the rate of charging is a bigger barrier than the scarcity of the charging stations at the moment. I can find plenty of places to pull off while on a trip to charge my car, but I don't want to sit at a Chipotle or whatever for three hours waiting for it to charge.

 

[gmubrian]

I think a big question is how many level 3 chargers get built. Most public chargers right now are level 2, which still take hours to fully charge. Tesla has some level 3 stations, although those are proprietary tech if I'm not mistaken.

I think the rate of charging is a bigger barrier than the scarcity of the charging stations at the moment. I can find plenty of places to pull off while on a trip to charge my car, but I don't want to sit at a Chipotle or whatever for three hours waiting for it to charge.

Excellent point.

Another issue is that not all EV's support level 3 charging either.

It still takes way longer (20-30 minutes) to get a 50-80% charge via a level 3 charger where it takes, what 5 mins tops to get a full tank of gas. While battery weight to power storage has solved the performance issue of EVs, the refueling issue is still very real. To me, it limits EV usage to local commuting and errand running and similar short range activities.

During the brief gas shortage that hit the DC area pretty hard, I briefly considered buying an EV (don't faint PiKapp, yes I actually considered it). I was going to go buy the cheapest one (the mini cooper EV) just in case since my cars get pretty bad mileage, in general. As part of that I was researching the different level chargers and the level 3 chargers can get pretty pricey. If the shortage had lasted much longer, I had settled on installing a level 2.

Related to that I don't know if having a level 3 at home really makes much sense. I have a hard time think of scenarios where I need to charge an EV in short order while you are at home. And then to justify the cost that is estimated at around $50k if you can even get the power company to make necessary changes to your residential property.

 

[MasonSAE4]

Excellent point.

Another issue is that not all EV's support level 3 charging either.

It still takes way longer (20-30 minutes) to get a 50-80% charge via a level 3 charger where it takes, what 5 mins tops to get a full tank of gas. While battery weight to power storage has solved the performance issue of EVs, the refueling issue is still very real. To me, it limits EV usage to local commuting and errand running and similar short range activities.

During the brief gas shortage that hit the DC area pretty hard, I briefly considered buying an EV (don't faint PiKapp, yes I actually considered it). I was going to go buy the cheapest one (the mini cooper EV) just in case since my cars get pretty bad mileage, in general. As part of that I was researching the different level chargers and the level 3 chargers can get pretty pricey. If the shortage had lasted much longer, I had settled on installing a level 2.

Related to that I don't know if having a level 3 at home really makes much sense. I have a hard time think of scenarios where I need to charge an EV in short order while you are at home. And then to justify the cost that is estimated at around $50k if you can even get the power company to make necessary changes to your residential property.

Yeah I think level 2 is perfectly adequate for most home chargers. If you leave it on overnight you'll pick up 150 miles or something, and most people will use no more than half of that before it goes back on the charger the next night. The real issue like many have pointed out is the long haul trips. Now, I think the inconvenience of not being able to go more than like 300 miles on one charge is a bit overstated as I'm sure that's an infrequent occurrence for the vast majority of people, but I get why people would want a hybrid for the immediate few years before battery capacity is improved or chargers become more readily accessible.

 

[CHRISTOPHER JAMES JOLLAY]

Good points all around.

The other issue is, I think the tax write-offs are gone for buying evs from manufacturers that have sold a certain amount of units....yes?

I miss my beautiful gas guzzling baby already...somebody buy it although anything over 35k is crazy
Pre-Owned 2008 Ford Mustang For Sale at BMW of Alexandria | VIN: 1ZVHT89S985155915

Owned by no one but me and previously the Canadian government for joy rides.

 

[MasonSAE4]

The other issue is, I think the tax write-offs are gone for buying evs from manufacturers that have sold a certain amount of units....yes?

I'm pretty sure you're right. I didn't get shit for a tax break on my hybrid, but maybe full EV's still get something. I'm a bit surprised with how popular cash for clunkers was that they haven't attempted that again.

 

[JimP]

Not a car guy...buy used and run them as long as I can. Electric has to come down in price for me to consider. However, there is a Kandi K27 on display tonight at my local minor league baseball stadium. $15,999. Apparently electric. Kinda ugly, even to this non-car guy. Boxy with tiny tires.

 

[Pikapppatri8]

Not a car guy...buy used and run them as long as I can. Electric has to come down in price for me to consider. However, there is a Kandi K27 on display tonight at my local minor league baseball stadium. $15,999. Apparently electric. Kinda ugly, even to this non-car guy. Boxy with tiny tires.

That is how I afford higher end cars - get them off a lease and they are reconditioned, you can demand new wheels and have extended coverage. I got a Mercedes and Porsche that way

 

[GMU79]

Not a car guy...buy used and run them as long as I can. Electric has to come down in price for me to consider. However, there is a Kandi K27 on display tonight at my local minor league baseball stadium. $15,999. Apparently electric. Kinda ugly, even to this non-car guy. Boxy with tiny tires.

Not a car guy either. I drive a '96 Camry with 315K on it.
I'll go electric or hybrid when I can charge them at any gas station in the country in the same 3 minutes it takes me to fill up with gas, and then drive for 400 miles on one charge.