The EV anticipation / speculation / discussion electrothread.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > The EV anticipation / speculation / discussion electrothread.

Sten Freak: Sep 10, 2008; Despite all of these shortcomings, the Sten still has a long track record of shooting people right in the face.; College Slice

BonzoESC posted:

I'm a bit surprised there's nothing that cuts off the electronics after two weeks or so (just leaving the chemical self-discharge).

The Prius traction battery can sit for nine months just fine: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3416077

I'm thinking there will be a software update or something which does just that. I cannot imagine there's anything so important (data) as to be kept alive which would kill the battery. They've got to be scrambling on this right now. I'd also think the design would include as much flash memory or the equivalent as possible.

Hell, even a manual "long term parking" switch which disconnects the battery under the hood or something would be better than allowing the car to destroy itself.

Tesla SUV:

# ¿ Feb 22, 2012 17:51

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 15:05

Sten Freak: Sep 10, 2008; Despite all of these shortcomings, the Sten still has a long track record of shooting people right in the face.; College Slice

Please keep giving updates about the Leaf, good and bad. I really could see owning a pure electric one day as a DD.

# ¿ Mar 1, 2012 18:24

Sten Freak: Sep 10, 2008; Despite all of these shortcomings, the Sten still has a long track record of shooting people right in the face.; College Slice

Weinertron posted:

I've been trying to figure out if the Leaf is more expensive or cheaper per year than getting a new stripped hatchback for ~$14k and holding onto it. I've tried some back of the napkin math but not really seen proof either way. None of the numbers below include tax, title, any of that stuff.

Assuming one drives exactly 12,000 miles / yr to match lease terms, with the Leaf S $2000 down + $200/mo lease you spend $9200 over 3 years to have a car, but electricity will cost about 1/5 as much as gas. A stripped hatchback you plunk down $14k now but pay ~$1600/yr for gas. So at 3 years you've spent $4800 on gas and your car has depreciated ~$5000 but you're not selling it. I think that the cheapest way to do a new commuter car is still just a subcompact hatchback. All these numbers are before tax and you have to assume that you're willing to hang on to that subcompact until it's 10 years old.

If you drive way more miles it would tilt it in favor of the Leaf, but then you need different lease terms or you get eaten alive on the mileage. Were you able to get a 15k or 18k mile lease for a reasonable cost?

You should also consider the Leaf isn't going to have any ICE related maintenance costs - motor oil & filter, spark plugs, air filters, not to mention a lot of associated points of possible failure like emissions, fuel delivery and exhaust. Maybe it will have expensive failures in the electronics and battery department but at the least you can be certain you'll never pay for an oil change.

As ugly as they are I'm still big on the idea of having one because I travel less than 20 miles daily pretty much most of the month. But my garage would be a pain to use daily for charging.

Also I don't think this was posted but the Tesla is getting lots of accolades:

http://www.businessinsider.com/consumer-reports-gives-tesla-s-top-score-2013-5

e:

quote:

Consumer Reports just published its review of the 2013 Tesla Model S, and it gave the electric car a 99 out of 100 � higher than any other car it has tested.

# ¿ May 22, 2013 20:07

Sten Freak: Sep 10, 2008; Despite all of these shortcomings, the Sten still has a long track record of shooting people right in the face.; College Slice

There are 3 houses on my block with solar panels on their roof. It's a big industry here as we get a lot of sunshine. So there are people who get energy that doesn't equal carbon in the atmosphere or burnt coal or any of that.

I still want a Leaf. My commute is 4.5 miles one way, barely enough time for the car to warm up so that my Legacy gets about 18mpg or so (1 more than my old LS!). Plus I have a weekend car that sleeps in the garage which could be used in the rare emergency or long trip if my wife is using her car. I'd love to be done with daily gasoline consumption and all the maintenance and smog checks and bs that comes with it.

E: Didn't say my big rub on them - they're built to be light so I assume the ride sucks. But I haven't ridden in one so haven't experienced how they feel on the road with potholes and all.

Sten Freak fucked around with this message at 16:55 on Dec 19, 2013

# ¿ Dec 19, 2013 16:45

Sten Freak: Sep 10, 2008; Despite all of these shortcomings, the Sten still has a long track record of shooting people right in the face.; College Slice

Advent Horizon posted:

The Leaf? It's over 3400 pounds! It is most certainly not a 'light' car.

How's the ride?

# ¿ Dec 19, 2013 18:35

Sten Freak: Sep 10, 2008; Despite all of these shortcomings, the Sten still has a long track record of shooting people right in the face.; College Slice

Not sure if hybrid talk is right for this thread but speaking of interiors, what about the Lexus 200ct? It's just a Prius which has been tarted up with a nice interior and gadgets, and different suspension from what I can tell. Not sure if I can live with a car that takes over 10 seconds to reach 60, on the other hand my commute maxes out at 35 so I just don't need the power on a daily basis.

Anyone drive one yet?

# ¿ Jun 28, 2014 15:57

Sten Freak: Sep 10, 2008; Despite all of these shortcomings, the Sten still has a long track record of shooting people right in the face.; College Slice

ijustam posted:

I have one and I love it. It certainly won't win any races but my commute maxes out at 45-50 mph and it's mostly city. I probably spend half of my commute on electric alone. I get about 35-36 in the winter (mostly so the engine can provide heat) and 44-46 in the summer.

A lot of criticism comes from the price tag for being, what you said, basically a Prius re-skin but I like it and it's not as recognizable as a Prius so you avoid a lot of the "hurr hippy prius owner" mentality. Don't get the nav package though since it's total poo poo and it has the typical Lexus/Toyota nannying where you can't do anything to it while you're moving.

Compared to the Leaf/Tesla the electric motor is weak as hell but it's good enough to scoot around neighborhoods and parking lots. EV mode disengages at 25mph but, like the Prius, it can go on EV power up to around 45mph.

Thanks for the info. I know ride quality is hard to quantify but how does it do over bumps and potholes? The roads around me are mostly terrible.

# ¿ Jun 29, 2014 15:04

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 15:05

Sten Freak: Sep 10, 2008; Despite all of these shortcomings, the Sten still has a long track record of shooting people right in the face.; College Slice

EgonSpengler posted:

The hybrid cycle doesn't really degrade as the battery ages. Old prius's (priora?) are one of the most reliable vehicles on the road, since the electric motor and regenerative braking takes so much strain off the brake pads, plus electric motors are relatively maintenances free.

The batteries do age and degrade, but most of the savings of a hybrid is in the electric motor providing the start/stop motion of the car, and even a diminished battery is still able to provide that. In contrast a pure EV loses outright range as the battery ages, which is much more of a loss to the owner. It's one thing when a 300 mile tesla loses 10% of it's capacity, its a whole other when a 40-mile Leaf does.

I read a study of Prius taxi cabs in NYC over a 10 year period. Going from memory here but battery wear as a function of mpg was very minor, like 1mpg loss after 10 years of hard use.

# ¿ Oct 19, 2016 17:27

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > The EV anticipation / speculation / discussion electrothread.