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Holy moly, the guy who showed me the 2016 Volt just called and said they still have some 2015s they really want to get rid of. He e-mailed me one with a special offer of 25k (2015 Base). I think he said the 2,500 Volt Loyalty + 7,500 tax credit both work in addition to the already discounted price....that makes it like 15k after credit + rebate and before taxes + title and fees if he was correct. I explained that we're not married yet but he said I could still use the $2,500 Volt owner credit somehow....we will see if that is true without putting her on the title or anything which I do not want to do because I don't want to mess up the tax rebate. If anyone has a Volt and is thinking about getting another one I can't imagine a much better deal. Hell even if you don't have a Volt that is like 18k after the tax rebate. We really just went to check out the 2016 because we were bored. I did not really have any intention of buying a second one. But goddamn that deal is crazy. I actually do want a more efficient car because I am going to be driving a lot more since I started my own company and I don't want to rack the miles up in a BMW X3 I don't even like anyway. If this deal is true I might have to buy it. I cannot fathom how I could get a better car for anywhere near that price. FYI here is all the e-mail said. It had a link to the car and this: 2015 Chevrolet Volt Originally - $37,042 Discount - $11,937 Sale Price - $25,105 It was a loaner so it has like 2,400 miles but the $7,500 credit can still be used since it was never titled. It does suck to wait an entire year before I can file and get my credit back but I'll survive. (Is this accurate?)
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Feb 19, 2016 00:06
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Holy poo poo. I'd probably sell my Jeep if I had that offer.
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Feb 19, 2016 01:49
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Where do you live? I did not do anything special to get this offer. I didn't even ask about the 2015s except in passing. We just dropped by the dealer on Sunday, not even driving the Volt (we were in my X3), to see the 2016 Volt. I drove it for 30 minutes. I even said we were just looking at it because we wanted to see what was new and we were not planning on buying one anytime soon. Today out of the blue I got this call about these 2015 Volts. It is not unreasonable to think you could get the same deal maybe minus the Volt $2,500 credit (since you don't have one), although they might have another discount to stack. I doubt Volts are selling at all right now, especially the old model. Some dealers still have 2014s sitting around. Hell, in Virginia it looks like there are dealers who already have 2016s marked down to 29k, although apparently according to the dealer I just called the Volt Loyalty does not work with 2016s. As I said I am in North Carolina but I doubt it matters. 2015s are probably sitting on the lot no matter where you are. Maybe look on Autotrader and just copy paste the quote I had from the e-mail and say you know someone who got offered this price.
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Feb 19, 2016 02:26
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I live down the road from the gigafactory. I'm not expecting much room to deal on Volts. But if they're that desperate it's worth looking into.
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Feb 19, 2016 03:36
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Godholio posted:I live down the road from the gigafactory. Has your economy boomed and are all Reno people now rich and prosperous? P.S. I like going to your casinos and paying much less for more, and getting comped top shelf when I play $5 blackjack (vs Vegas $15 500 deck shoe auto-shuffler watered down jose cuervo).
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Feb 19, 2016 03:38
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As far as I can tell all that's changing is that housing costs are rising.
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Feb 19, 2016 07:52
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Are there other issues with doing a flat need battery configuration like on the Model S, or is it just that the undercarriage area is much smaller on these hatchbacks so they can't fit in the requisite volume without penis shaped protrusions?Ribsauce posted:I explained that we're not married yet El Grillo fucked around with this message at 13:26 on Feb 19, 2016 |
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Feb 19, 2016 13:12
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Godholio posted:I live down the road from the gigafactory. I'm not expecting much room to deal on Volts. How are these related? Are all the Gigafactory employees driving Models S or X?
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Feb 19, 2016 13:23
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El Grillo posted:Are there other issues with doing a flat need battery configuration like on the Model S, or is it just that the undercarriage area is much smaller on these hatchbacks so they can't fit in the requisite volume without penis shaped protrusions? The new Bolt uses a skateboard chassis so no, but you do end up with a much taller car. Same with the i3.
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Feb 19, 2016 14:25
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drgitlin posted:The new Bolt uses a skateboard chassis so no, but you do end up with a much taller car. Same with the i3. But the center of gravity is nice and low, which is one of the main reasons for low-slung cars in the first place. It does impact the styling choices, though.
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Feb 19, 2016 14:43
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Subjunctive posted:How are these related? Are all the Gigafactory employees driving Models S or X? Rural Nevada is a hardcore conservative area where trucks easily outnumber cars and towns are separated by 30+ miles. I haven't seen a single EV on the road since moving here almost a year ago. And I don't know if anyone actually works at the factory yet besides construction workers. Reading press releases you'd think the factory was in Sparks, which is a legit city, but it's actually about a 25 minute drive into the deserty mountains. And there's nothing along the way except a gas station that's about $1 a gallon higher than in towns.
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Feb 19, 2016 18:55
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FYI the 25k price was including the 2,500 Volt loyalty.
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Feb 20, 2016 02:25
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Related to the discussion about autobot crashes, the report published by University of Michigan is UMTRI-2015-34. 11 accidents for a vehicle in autonomous mode, none of them the fault of the robotcar. In three quarters of the cases the robotcar was stopped or driving at 5 MPH or less. Same portion of the crashes were rear-endings, one fifths sideswipes. I suspect one reason for the large number of rear-endings is that robotcars are good at avoiding those themselves. So in a situation where a human driver would end up rear-ending someone and the driver behind them just might manage to stop in time, the robotcar will manage to stop the car safely and end up rear-ended instead.
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Feb 22, 2016 20:11
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Has anyone figured out a way to get EVs to work for people who live in apartments and have few outlets or lovely ones? Trying to reason with the property managers is insane even though the management employees drive EVs themselves. My issue right now is that when you have to scrounge for outlets, you can't get the right ones. I'm currently running a 100-foot extension cord from the garage gate opener, the only outlet I can use in the complex, and it's a creaky old one that can't handle an additional 10-amp draw, so when I plug in my bike, there's a 90% chance it'll just trip the breaker. 10% of the time, it works when my bike figures out to only pull 6-7 amps for some reason I haven't figured out. Most of the time it means not being able to charge. Alternatively, if anyone else has this problem and knows a way to reliably choke the amp draw, I'd love to hear it.
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Feb 28, 2016 01:12
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The "spark" charging cable from charge-amps supports choosing the amperage you charge with: http://shop.charge-amps.com/spark
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Feb 28, 2016 01:41
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Saukkis posted:Related to the discussion about autobot crashes, the report published by University of Michigan is UMTRI-2015-34. 11 accidents for a vehicle in autonomous mode, none of them the fault of the robotcar. In three quarters of the cases the robotcar was stopped or driving at 5 MPH or less. Same portion of the crashes were rear-endings, one fifths sideswipes. Also robocars (at least the google ones) usually drive at below the flow of traffic speed, like IIRC they're limited to 30 or something, so on roads with higher limits and even higher traffic flow speeds, they could catch inattentive drivers off-guard.
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Feb 28, 2016 11:13
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mobby_6kl posted:Also robocars (at least the google ones) usually drive at below the flow of traffic speed, like IIRC they're limited to 30 or something, so on roads with higher limits and even higher traffic flow speeds, they could catch inattentive drivers off-guard. Source? I've encountered them on 101 doing about 70. Also 30 in a 25 zone is how you're supposed to drive. The way CA DMV hammers in the 'match the flow of traffic' into you when getting your license, I really doubt this.
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Feb 28, 2016 19:37
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The Google cars are programmed to exceed the posted limit by up to 10mph depending on traffic flow around them. They will sometimes drive under the speed limit, and it's believed that it depends on their confidence in the environment.
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Feb 28, 2016 20:10
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My buddy said that his cousin's dad works for Google, and their robot cars will flash their headlights when an oncoming vehicle doesn't have its lights on at night, unless they're in a known gang area. Also, if you have good ideas for self driving cars his cousin's dad might use them in his next car.
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Feb 28, 2016 20:45
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I vaguely recall the issue with the Google cars being that they tend to stop dead when they get into a situation they are unclear of. On a typical street, people don't tend to stop dead, so not surprised there are rear end accidents.
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Feb 28, 2016 20:47
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smackfu posted:I vaguely recall the issue with the Google cars being that they tend to stop dead when they get into a situation they are unclear of. On a typical street, people don't tend to stop dead, so not surprised there are rear end accidents. I encounter this all the time. They're turning left.
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Feb 28, 2016 20:51
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I asked a Google engineer once what would happen if a plastic bag got stuck on the LIDAR, and she said that the car was programmed to pull over and stop.
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Feb 28, 2016 21:08
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pun pundit posted:The "spark" charging cable from charge-amps supports choosing the amperage you charge with: http://shop.charge-amps.com/spark Looks like it's meant for EU use since it's designed for 240v outlets. Would it not matter if I just stuck a converter on the end since it's programmed for consistent draw, or are there versions of this kind of cable for North America?
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Feb 28, 2016 21:59
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smackfu posted:I vaguely recall the issue with the Google cars being that they tend to stop dead when they get into a situation they are unclear of. On a typical street, people don't tend to stop dead, so not surprised there are rear end accidents. You've never driven in Miami, clearly.
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Feb 29, 2016 05:01
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Squirrel Burger posted:Looks like it's meant for EU use since it's designed for 240v outlets. Would it not matter if I just stuck a converter on the end since it's programmed for consistent draw, or are there versions of this kind of cable for North America? Don't know, I only live in Europe so I haven't looked into it for the US.
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Feb 29, 2016 05:08
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How big of a clusterfuck do you think the Model 3 deposits are going to be? It seems like if I want a next-gen EV it's going to be about the only way to ensure I get the tax incentives and such but it sounds like I might be camping at my local mall in hopes of being able to do so 
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Feb 29, 2016 06:19
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Deposit order doesn't determine build order, but build order could determine your tax break. Build order will likely be based on trim / options selected, so high dollar orders will probably go first. Not a great situation.
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Feb 29, 2016 06:30
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So basically I might need to get a higher trim model to save money? Ai yi yi.
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Feb 29, 2016 16:28
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Got an ambitious but surprisingly plausible idea. I'm working on a foreign-government funded green energy project in West Africa that's going really well, and some funders want to hire us for some infrastructure projects (which aren't themselves energy-related) based on our performance. To really sell ourselves as a candidate, we've had luck in the past touting our practices for ethical transparency, providing jobs to skilled women, etc. that help us stand out from the regular "just hire some South African engineers to chunk down some cement and call it a day". For a proposed infrastructure project we're thinking to bring some green tech flavor into the small add-ons to help stand out, and since our sites have decent electrical access nearby my boss is taking seriously my ideas about getting some electrical vehicles. The actual worksites are on some pretty rough dirt roads, so an electric car isn't really a practical option nor something easy to swallow in the budget, but when the boss pinged me for more affordable ways to ferry around supervisors and small amounts of gear, I just said "hell, let's get some electric motorbikes". So I'm putting some thought into trying to work in maybe $40k max in electric vehicles just as a test-case (and since that still costs less than purchasing even one dedicated Toyota Landcruiser for the project). Some options I'm looking at, with some mix-and-match: Bolt Motorbike (coming out this year, $5.5k or so retail, power 7hp)  Zero FX (around $8.5k this year, 27hp)  John Deere TE 4x2 electric Gator ($11k, 6hp)  For context, bear in mind that people in West Africa routinely use 100-150cc motorbikes for absolutely everything, so even the 7hp of the little bolt is on-par, though it's going to be an uphill battle to make sure employees don't do what they're accustomed to and try to carry three people and 30 kilos of plantains on the back of one motorbike. The two bikes I've been following as a mild cycle enthusiast, and the eGator I mention because as ex-mil guys we're all familiar with the petrol gator for getting around military bases, and some units even used them for limited fieldwork on rural roads in the wars. For our uses on these development projects we're looking at mainly dirt-road use, but not necessarily actual hardcore offroad, though maybe at worst going slowly down dirt footpaths; the eGator for example would be great for hauling things like sand, bamboo, and cord wood from areas a mile down a path off the main road, etc. I really don't know anything about electric ATVs or hunting vehicles, or if there are any really cheap/small EVs that aren't normal street-legal ones in the US/EU (so don't tend to get discussed in this thread). Are there other competitors to the eGator, small capable vehicles that might be slow but can chug along on quiet dirt roads and move around a few hundred pounds of gear? Open to any creative suggestions as to what vehicles we should be considering tacking as a small add-on to a much larger project, getting some green credibility by having some small EVs to handle logistics on the worksite.
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Feb 29, 2016 19:49
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I had never really thought about that before, but yeah the number of places I really really do not want my self driving car to pull over is huge, in fact there are hardly any good safe places to do that, you usually have to turn and leave a primary road.
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Feb 29, 2016 19:49
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Got an email from Nissan that they will partially subsidize upgrades to the 2g cellphone piece that allows the smartphone / website controls. Depending on the price, I might do this, provided it works better. This 2g is so random with working that I can't rely on it to turn on anything. It says this is for 2011-2014 model years, anyone know what they put in the 2015+ models? If it is wifi and cell, it'd be very appealing.
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Feb 29, 2016 20:49
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Open to any creative suggestions as to what vehicles we should be considering tacking as a small add-on to a much larger project, getting some green credibility by having some small EVs to handle logistics on the worksite. The Arcimoto SRK.
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Mar 1, 2016 02:07
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Oooh, if this were only a 2 seater: http://jalopnik.com/the-morgan-ev3-is-the-all-electric-3-wheeler-of-future-1762077800
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Mar 1, 2016 05:39
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kimbo305 posted:Oooh, if this were only a 2 seater: I think it is, at least in theory. The gasoline 3 wheeler has two seats and this one still looks to have the driver's seat offset to one side. It has a cover installed over the passenger spot, but that looks to be removable.
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Mar 1, 2016 23:00
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Yeah, there's certainly space, unless they use that side for battery. No shots show if there's two seats in the cabin. That cover would be a nice way to make the show model look the coolest and to have the real thing be slightly more practical.
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Mar 1, 2016 23:54
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It was a two seater at the time it was featured on Fully Charged: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNVnMfP9CoA
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Mar 1, 2016 23:57
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Pryor on Fire posted:I had never really thought about that before, but yeah the number of places I really really do not want my self driving car to pull over is huge, in fact there are hardly any good safe places to do that, you usually have to turn and leave a primary road. I don't suppose anyone has considered the idea of incorporating some degree of sensor redundancy into a self-driving car.
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Mar 3, 2016 00:22
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Cockmaster posted:I don't suppose anyone has considered the idea of incorporating some degree of sensor redundancy into a self-driving car. File that patent.
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Mar 3, 2016 00:24
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Phuzun posted:Got an email from Nissan that they will partially subsidize upgrades to the 2g cellphone piece that allows the smartphone / website controls. Depending on the price, I might do this, provided it works better. This 2g is so random with working that I can't rely on it to turn on anything. The article I read said they're covering the cost completely for 2015 cars, so maybe that's why they broke it out there.
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Mar 3, 2016 00:47
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Cockmaster posted:I don't suppose anyone has considered the idea of incorporating some degree of sensor redundancy into a self-driving car. Some companies are definitely doing sensor fusion. Elon Musk says Telsa will just use optical sensors (from Mobileye).
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Mar 3, 2016 01:11
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