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KakerMix posted:I think CVTs are weird as hell since the engine just whines up to a point then just sticks there as you gain speed, but that's only because I expect a shift to happen that never comes. Yeah, it's this. My brother has a new Pathfinder with a CVT and my parents have a Volt. The Pathfinder just revs up to 2-3k rpm and stays there until you back off the acceleration (most times). The Volt, being electric and fixed gear, just doesn't rev or shift or anything.
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Sep 12, 2013 14:04
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My 15 year old Mustang has just been declared a total loss by insurance, I've just spent hours and hours trying to figure out just how nerdy I want to go with electric vehicles, it's just a shame I can't really justify the cost of a tesla if I'm going to let my wife drive it.
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Sep 12, 2013 22:30
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ROCKET SCIENCE
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illectro posted:My 15 year old Mustang has just been declared a total loss by insurance, I've just spent hours and hours trying to figure out just how nerdy I want to go with electric vehicles, it's just a shame I can't really justify the cost of a tesla if I'm going to let my wife drive it. I was a bit nervous letting my wife drive my Model S then I went and got in an accident myself.
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Sep 12, 2013 22:32
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eeenmachine posted:I was a bit nervous letting my wife drive my Model S then I went and got in an accident myself. My wife just has a bad habit of crashing into fixed objects and then denying responsibility. * reversed out of driveway into a car that was parked in front of our driveway. * reversed out of our driveway into a car parked in front of our neighbours driveway. * drove into a ditch, because it had grass growing in it. But the best one is..... * drove into high curb in parking lot, she said it was my fault because I was teaching the kids to sing the alphabet song backwards. Her mother is the same, driving into a wall at a gas station and then trying to tell the insurance people that it was the gas station's fault for putting a wall there. Personally I could afford a Model S but I'd be too scared that people would try (probably unsuccessfully) to steal it and damage it.
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Sep 12, 2013 23:12
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illectro posted:My wife just has a bad habit of crashing into fixed objects and then denying responsibility. Well that is what insurance is for!
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Sep 12, 2013 23:16
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illectro posted:Blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah. 
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Sep 13, 2013 01:21
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And quit blaming your wife for your clumsy driving. Get better, and get a Tesla.
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Sep 13, 2013 01:31
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Ok ok! Oh wait... delivers in 3 months. Nope, not going to drive my dead mustang for 3 months.
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Sep 13, 2013 02:16
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illectro posted:Ok ok! If you're near a service center they'll let you buy the loaner Model S's at a discount with no wait. I was there today and they said they can't keep the loaners around for customers because they all sell so quickly.
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Sep 13, 2013 03:15
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BMW released another press kit for the City Evolution maxi scooter. I am really itching for details on it. 
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Sep 13, 2013 15:18
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Phone posted:BMW released another press kit for the City Evolution maxi scooter. I am really itching for details on it. Man, that thing looks awesome.  I've only owned a 150cc 4stroke gas scooter but that was enough to make me intensely curious about other types. I have a friend who bought an old 'broken' e-scooter and rehabbed it for his commute. Given viable speed and range i would LOVE to own an EV scooter.
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Sep 13, 2013 20:42
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I was phone posting (heh) earlier, but here is a more in-depth post. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDq8qZjZD1k Stats/features: - ABS - Traction Control/Stability - Heated grips - 8kWH battery - 100km/62mi mixed use range - 11kW motor (15hp) that can burst up to 35kW (47hp) - 53 lb-ft of torques - 75mph top speed If they would only release a price!! 
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Sep 13, 2013 20:50
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The guy's face makes it look like he's desperately trying to push out more electrons and go faster. Or needs to poop
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Sep 13, 2013 21:07
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Phone posted:
The amount of torque available at the 47hp setting would be downright dangerous, which is awesome. Im sure they have it tuned not to give you the full treatment off the line, but hopefully some computer trickery will make it as dangerously entertaining as we know it can be. 
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Sep 14, 2013 23:39
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So I'm at 3 months and 3057 miles with my 2013 Volt. A little backstory, since this is my first post in this thread. I had a 2012 Cruze Eco manual that I surprisingly enjoyed. It was a great little commuter car that was giving me 32 mpg around town, 46 mpg on the highway. I was averaging about 36 mpg overall as most of my driving is urban/suburban. I was planning to drive the Cruze to 100000 miles. Long story short, I ended up being offered a loaded $45,000 Volt for ~$28,500 after federal tax rebate (and they gave me $14500 for the Cruze). I also got 0% financing for 36 months. Evidently the dealership hadn't met their quota for June and were desperate to sell a Volt and knew I was a sucker. I never considered buying a Volt namely because I didn't feel like it was worth $40-$45k. I always thought it was a good $30k car. At $28.5k for a loaded one on free money, I couldn't resist. My stats so far: 2275 miles from the grid, 782 miles from gasoline. I'm averaging 46 miles per charge 676 kwh and 18.2 gallons of gas used. $67 in gas, $71 in electricity for a total of $138 in energy consumed. 4.5 cents/mile for energy By comparison, my Cruze Eco was running around 10.5 cents/mile for energy Things I like: Styling Technology Smooth, silent, instant torque Hatchback versatility Well controlled ride No range anxiety Economy Things I don't like Rear head/legroom - I'm 6ft2 and have exactly enough leg and headroom behind the driver's seat for long-term comfort. Rubber front spoiler scrapes on everything - sounds horrible but shows no signs of damage so far The side mirrors are waaaaay out there. It makes judging width in garages a little tough. I'm on my second right side mirror, fortunately they're not expensive to replace. Things that surprise me most: How normal it is to drive How well it handles on more aggressive tires How well the dashboard interface works - on very rare occasions it is laggy, otherwise it works pretty well How neurotic and irrational the people on the Volt forums are - on one hand they nitpick the car to death to the point where you wonder why they still own one, on the other they give the car glowing reviews and want everyone to buy one. In my short 3 months I really like it. It's a good fit for my lifestyle and driving need. I would recommend one at GM's new pricing point ($35k) to anyone who drives under 50 miles daily, need to seat 4 average sized adults and luggage, and occasionally take longer trips. Anyone that drives more than 50 miles daily will have a hard time recouping the cost vs a Prius or Cruze or whatever. Goober Peas fucked around with this message at 00:55 on Sep 15, 2013 |
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Sep 15, 2013 00:53
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illectro posted:Personally I could afford a Model S but I'd be too scared that people would try (probably unsuccessfully) to steal it and damage it. Just chiming into say. loving BUY IT! Can't drive the loving thing enough. I even live in a condo that makes charging a bit of a pain, like when some rear end in a top hat parks in the EV charge spot all weekend, but there's free charging a block from the parking lot. I'm a bad person, because I now want to buy a house just so I can have a place to put an HPWC and pull 72/72A for a while.  Oh, also for gently caress's sake- get parking sensors! I'm on the "wait list" to get them retrofitted. Bloody thing is a 4700lb land yacht and is much larger than it feels.
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Sep 16, 2013 06:32
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Powercube posted:...like when some rear end in a top hat parks in the EV charge spot all weekend... If I drove a pure electric, that motherfucker would get a big old glob of two part epoxy in the fuel filler neck.
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Sep 16, 2013 14:50
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Powercube posted:Just chiming into say. loving BUY IT! Can't drive the loving thing enough. I even live in a condo that makes charging a bit of a pain, like when some rear end in a top hat parks in the EV charge spot all weekend, but there's free charging a block from the parking lot. I'm a bad person, because I now want to buy a house just so I can have a place to put an HPWC and pull 72/72A for a while. I feel your pain. I'm in a short term rental and am barely surviving keeping the S charged off a normal 110 outlet. Charges at 3 miles of range an hour!
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Sep 16, 2013 15:35
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Goober Peas posted:
I think that touches on something that doesn't get talked about much. Volt owners and everyone else seem to push the Volt primarily on the strength of it's EV-Range economics, such that if you drive MOSTLY within its EV range it has ridiculously low fuel costs. But, EVEN in your situation where you went from a highly efficient ICE car to a Volt and use it outside of its EV range on a regular basis, it's still costing you less than half the previous vehicle in fuel. As you say, that alone may not be a compelling reason to upgrade from a 46mpg-hwy car you already own or a cheaper 46mpg car you may compare to, but i think it's still a pretty drat good reason to put some math down and really look at the numbers for people who own an inefficient car and would be making a huge upgrade. There are probably some people out there who are driving around in 20mpg tanks that think the Volt is an expensive car even at 30k because they are not comparing total costs of vehicle payment + fuel costs to their current situation. Some of them might find that after running the numbers, not only can they afford to get into a cheaper Prius, they can afford to step up to a nicer Volt because they'll be saving so much on fuel costs that they can go a little up-market on their purchase price and still be paying less than they initially thought in TOTAL costs vs their existing fuel bill.
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Sep 16, 2013 17:56
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Powercube posted:Just chiming into say. loving BUY IT! Can't drive the loving thing enough. I even live in a condo that makes charging a bit of a pain, like when some rear end in a top hat parks in the EV charge spot all weekend, but there's free charging a block from the parking lot. I'm a bad person, because I now want to buy a house just so I can have a place to put an HPWC and pull 72/72A for a while. I'm living comfortably with a NEMA 14-50 plug, even though I can't run the dryer and charge the car at the same time. Still, it's plenty of juice to get the car charged overnight, even if I've run it down nearly flat. A high-power charger would pull more current than my entire house, so absent the wherewithal to trench new copper into the townhouse (with attendant HOA fight), I'm at the happy medium. Parking sensors? How long have these been a thing? It could definitely use them.
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Sep 16, 2013 18:02
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Madurai posted:Parking sensors? How long have these been a thing? It could definitely use them. They came out with the price hike in early August. About the epoxy thing; I'd love to- but I am the only EV in the entire complex- be too obvious. Also, the landlords are great about enforcement- just people are getting creative and parking in the spot after they leave for the weekend- then leaving right before they come in.
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Sep 16, 2013 18:15
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Powercube posted:They came out with the price hike in early August. Double-park behind them and drape the cord over their car.
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Sep 16, 2013 18:27
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Powercube posted:They came out with the price hike in early August. Get permission from the office to call the tow company for them on the weekends.
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Sep 16, 2013 18:42
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withak posted:Double-park behind them and drape the cord over their car. I'd love to double park behind them- but it's technically unfeasible due to the width of the lot. I'll go with the tow authority for now. It's only a thing when the free chargers a block away are blocked up with people leaving their Priuses plugged in all weekend. It's eleven miles of battery-only range, people! Come get it after the... hour and ten minutes it needs to pretend to be a ZEV!
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Sep 16, 2013 18:55
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Powercube posted:I'd love to double park behind them- but it's technically unfeasible due to the width of the lot. I'll go with the tow authority for now. It's only a thing when the free chargers a block away are blocked up with people leaving their Priuses plugged in all weekend. It's eleven miles of battery-only range, people! Come get it after the... hour and ten minutes it needs to pretend to be a ZEV! Ugh that plug-in Prius and the new plug-in Accord's EV range is so stupidly low. Why do they even bother.
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Sep 16, 2013 19:11
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Squibbles posted:Ugh that plug-in Prius and the new plug-in Accord's EV range is so stupidly low. Why do they even bother. Some people have commutes short enough to justify it. If work has a charger then you can double it also.
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Sep 16, 2013 19:20
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Squibbles posted:Ugh that plug-in Prius and the new plug-in Accord's EV range is so stupidly low. Why do they even bother. It's a case of ideal range at ideal wh/mi to even get the eleven mile range + charge and return home. Given my experience with EVs manufacturer's rating is based off fictitious conditions (not that I don't routinely pull 255Wh/mi in my S)- I'd imagine that they are probably getting about 9 miles of EV range a charge. I don't really see why you'd want to operate with such a low margin and not even have a small amount of gas in the tank. What if they go to the grocer on the way home from work, or want to go out for dinner. Honestly, it's marketing. I get it, it looks cool to plug in your car- and you get a tax credit. Seriously, though- if you have any kind of ICE charge at home or use the regenerative breaking + alternator to charge the battery whilst you are rolling above the max EV speed anyway! I'd be more offended if I saw someone plugging in a Volt, though. That's not even trying. Edit: I'd laugh if Prius and Accord plug-ins got Chademo before Tesla caves and makes an adapter. I'd love a cup of tea as well
Powercube fucked around with this message at 19:41 on Sep 16, 2013 |
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Sep 16, 2013 19:38
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Squibbles posted:Ugh that plug-in Prius and the new plug-in Accord's EV range is so stupidly low. Why do they even bother. It's good for the buyer because they get tax break, plus they get to feel good about having an electric car; it's good for Toyota because they can keep the price down by using a tiny battery pack, and it's good for dealers because the margins are much higher than on other EVs. vvv It's a pretty big deal, IMHO if you're going to be running on gas regularly you'd probably be better off looking at a Cruze Eco or the Cruze Diesel. vvv Gynocentric Regime fucked around with this message at 22:09 on Sep 16, 2013 |
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Sep 16, 2013 21:42
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I'm interested in owning a Volt, but I'm not sure how well it would work if I don't think I could charge it regularly. How big of a deal would that be? For reference, my average commute is about ~35 miles daily.
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Sep 16, 2013 21:58
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If you can't charge it regularly, you're probably better off with something else, like a Prius, or a TDI Volkswagen. Your commute is inside the full-charge range, though, so if you can commit to plugging it in every night, you could easily commute on 100% electricity, and only use gasoline for longer trips. For me, this is critical, since 90%+ of my driving is my commute, I save quite a bit by buying my energy from the grid, instead of from a gas station. Don't worry about a 220v charger, either. As long as your intended charge circuit can handle 110v @ 12a sustained, you'll have a full charge almost every morning. (Volt has a 12 amp and an 8 amp charge setting. 8a is for suckers.) The gas-only fuel economy isn't bad at all, but you can do better, elsewhere.
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Sep 16, 2013 22:11
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Sole Survivor posted:I'm interested in owning a Volt, but I'm not sure how well it would work if I don't think I could charge it regularly. How big of a deal would that be? Buy a corolla if you want to be boring or a mustang v6 to pep it up and complain about build quality. A 2014 corvette would be ideal and close to a volt in pricing.
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Sep 16, 2013 22:38
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MrYenko posted:If you can't charge it regularly, you're probably better off with something else, like a Prius, or a TDI Volkswagen. Volt owner here, I agree. Although I want to chime in and say that the 240v chargers have come down significantly in price as of late. I bought a 30amp Clipper Creek and had it installed for under $600. A year ago, the same would have been closer to $1200. My motivation was primarily for running errands on the weekend, secondary was being able to keep the standard 120v unit in the trunk for use around town or at work.
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Sep 17, 2013 02:00
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Another volt owner here. Don't bother with the 240v charger unless you completely drain every day and have to charger faster than ~10 hours. They have small enough batteries to charge on 120v. Also, if you are on a lease, its pretty easy to calculate how much gas you would have to save to justify the charger cost. Unless you just think its neat, then why not? Has anyone here tried one of the kick starter/open sourced style DIY 240v charger?
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Sep 17, 2013 02:50
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My parents have a Volt and just got a level 2 charger installed. The only reason to get it was that in the winter, preheating the Volt while plugged-in still caused battery drain. With the level 2, they can now preheat without losing any range. (It's a big deal when cold weather reduces your range from 42 to 24)
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Sep 17, 2013 13:38
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Thwomp posted:My parents have a Volt and just got a level 2 charger installed. Being in South Florida was a big part of my purchasing decision. It would have been harder to justify in a part of the country that actually gets cold.
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Sep 17, 2013 13:44
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MrYenko posted:Being in South Florida was a big part of my purchasing decision. It would have been harder to justify in a part of the country that actually gets cold. You might benefit from level 2 in Florida for pre-cooling if you don't have a garage. I have a tandem carport that is open on two sides, so being able to crank the AC 10 minutes before leaving the house (while still on the grid) has been a plus this summer. Granted, the AC is a smaller draw on the Volt than the heater is.
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Sep 17, 2013 18:03
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MrYenko posted:Being in South Florida was a big part of my purchasing decision. It would have been harder to justify in a part of the country that actually gets cold. It really depends on your commute and driving habits even then. After two winters in Alaska, including the last one with -20 F days, we're still at a lifetime MPGe of 178 and have only driven 1488 miles on gas.
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Sep 17, 2013 18:24
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Well, awesome. The dealer just sent up all of my paperwork and it's totally wrong. Wrong price, wrong financing info, wrong down payment...It even says I'm buying a sedan. Anybody have access to a Nissan VIN decoder? I'd love to see what it says they're actually trying to sell me. Right now the paperwork doesn't show the option packages, accessories or even which model Leaf the car is.
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Sep 18, 2013 02:01
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Try this. And post the results, I'm curious. 
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Sep 18, 2013 02:04
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I actually already had. It says it's a Z-car made in Smyrna. Going the roundabout way, I pulled up the dealer's inventory online and found the car. Per that, it's exactly what we agreed upon. Somebody just ROYALLY hosed up the paperwork. They're sending corrected papers in the morning. As soon as I called and said things were wrong the salesman pulled up his notes and read to me exactly what we agreed upon. I'm not 100% sure this wasn't an attempt to see if we'd just sign it (you'd think if it was they would have included my down payment in the numbers), but it sounds like they're going to try to fix everything.
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Sep 18, 2013 03:01
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