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Denzine posted:What do you all think would it take to make an electric truck viable to the average truck owner? Gobs of loving torque. Loads of it. No automatic transmissions to overheat/break when yanking something around. Possibly PTO/high voltage electrical connections in the field for welders, pumps, etc. The only limiting factor at this point is battery capacity, but I can't help but wonder if someone like the electrical companies would be smart/bright enough to have electric trucks they can charge right off the power lines they're maintaining. I have no clue at all about how realistic it is to have a medium voltage charger built directly into a truck. I'd imagine the transformer would have to be pretty significant, which would weigh the truck down. On the plus side you could realistically do an extremely quick charge over a lunch break and be ready to go, the downside being that if a linesman messes up making a connection to the lines it could be extremely dangerous.
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Mar 3, 2012 14:20
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dietcokefiend posted:But who gets the money? Gas is generally purchased in the area the car is driven, which doesn't always line up with where a car is registered. EVs are going to start causing a ton of trouble when it comes to hashing out how much people pay and who to pay it to. It really needs to be taxed at the power source, otherwise the area being impacted doesn't get the funds to fix their roads. Why not do it on the roads most traveled in your state? There are many existing systems that read traffic data, including new "smart lights" that analyze traffic flow patterns to self-optimize the light timing. Otherwise you can have two or three road crews set up traffic counters in random areas throughout a year. Gather data from these (neutral party verifying all data, of course - don't allow the Barney Fifes of some rear end-backward municipality to claim the traffic flow of a superhighway in L.A.) take all funding from the self-reported odometer readings and split it based on traffic flow. In the end, little towns with a poo poo-ton of roads will probably get less funding per road, but as they aren't dealing with major traffic flow they should be able to stretch maintenance out. Then larger routes will be maintained better, such as a highway connecting two towns that counts as part of a major trade route.
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Feb 24, 2013 01:20
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Radbot posted:Maybe plug in a Kill a Watt meter to show how it literally costs nothing to charge and that you'll be happy to kick in for what you consume anyways? Depending on the size of the bureaucracy, it wouldn't matter if he showed that plugging that EV in had a direct correlation to the adoption rate of kittens and puppies at your local animal shelter - a rule is a rule (this is coming from a bitter corporate blowhard). That said, I've seen about three different Tesla Model S's cruising around the Pittsburgh area over the last few weeks - I wish I could flag down an owner and ask them how the hills affect their range. I'm seriously considering a (much cheaper) electric when I return home to Western PA, but I'm a bit worried that our infamous long, climbing highways will suck a smaller battery pack dry.
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Nov 16, 2013 01:43
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As much as I love Tesla and their cars (I have never seen anyone take the electric vehicle as seriously as them, and goddamn I am so happy for them re-opening NUMMI and bringing back 4,000 jobs) this "Autopilot" stuff scares the everliving poo poo out of me, especially in the sue-happy USA. I mean, we had someone successfully sue an energy drink manufacturer because they stated there was no scientific evidence that proved that the advertised boost in energy were true (this was completely based on an advertising slogan of "It gives you wings") and I feel like the current social climate in the US is too damned immature to deal with this stuff yet. There is this horrible feeling inside of me right now that someone is going to put their Model S85D on a highway or back road, purposely fall asleep, and when another jackass on the road starts doing crap like merging without looking/driving into the wrong lane/botching a turn/etc. you're going to have the lawsuit of a century bleeding out Tesla for every penny they have, even though the car is not supposed to be truly driver-less. Call it "Intelligent Driver Assist" or "Smart Cruise Control" but for the love of God don't call it loving "Autopilot". I'd hate to see one of the most innovative car manufacturers of the last century go under due to some sue-happy dumb-rear end that intentionally pushes the technology beyond its limit. EgonSpengler posted:I went to the Tesla store on my last visit to Vancouver and I absolutely fell in love with the Model S. I could make it work financially in Canada, but the one thing holding me back is at least once a year at home I take a trip far north to visit inlaws, (about 1200km north of the furthest supercharging station) and it would burn me to have to rent a car to handle that trip if I dropped near six figures on a single car. It would be different if it was Leaf money, but the Leaf is too small for the family. The S would be totally suitable for every other use case I have though, and electricity is cheaper in BC than it is anywhere. I'm also currently in Germany and the norm between my social circle is to rent automobiles whenever you make a longer trip, principally to save wear and tear on your own car.  Maybe I'm hanging out with a lot of people that don't have much faith in their cars, but when you consider the low cost of a car rental for a once-a-year trip it's honestly not such a big deal. I don't know your commute, but I'd be willing to guess your fuel savings would offset the cost of the rental regardless and you'd still come out ahead. Personally, I don't see renting as a problem, as you're on the bleeding edge of a new technology and there's a logical excuse as to why there aren't supercharging stations up there. If it was 2075, the world has converted to 95% electric and you paid six figures (probably 7 at that time) for a car that can't make the trip, sure. I can see the shame factor. However, it's still a new technology, and goddamnit, you're driving an electric car. How cool is that?If you buy the car in Germany please take me for a ride thanks in advance
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Oct 10, 2014 19:53
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When I read that they sent Robert Downey Jr. to go hang out with Elon Musk to get some real-life inspiration for how Tony Stark would act, I thought it was a bit weird. Then Tesla makes a robot snake charger that looks like its straight out of the movies, and now I see why everyone draws parallels to Tony Stark. 
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Aug 7, 2015 02:37
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Ribsauce posted:I don't know if price is an issue, but there are off lease Leaf's with under 20k miles all over the place where I live for under 10k. If it would work for me I'd buy one. Same here. Apparently when Georgia cut their (admittedly really nice) incentive program, the local Nissan lots have a poo poo-ton of turned-in Leafs and brand new ones sitting around the lot. My lovely apartment complex won't install chargers because we have new owners that are cutting everything back and the only "option" is to sneak up to a 120v outlet outside or in a private garage to charge up. Without level 2 support I don't want to own an electric, otherwise I would've snagged a used Leaf long ago. Subjunctive posted:Sure, I don't want to do the math myself. I'm with you on questioning the manufacturing impact - they're claiming that the BEVs use significantly more CO2 emissions to build which I'm kind of struggling with. Yes, many batteries are manufactured in China and other low-cost countries before being shipped to the US, but car parts are manufactured everywhere in the world so I'm wondering why the BEVs are getting poo poo on. It kinda smells of a self-reporting thing where Ford, VW et. al. are telling you how much effort they need to make a vehicle like that, and I get the impression that these companies are not happy about producing electrics in the first place. Kinda like asking an angry kid how much effort he's putting into raking leaves when his dad forced him to do it (a LOT, no dad, gently caress you!) Also, I was always under the impression that when night falls and the BEVs are set to charge, that they're using power at a significantly lower demand point. From what I understand it's tough to bring a lot of the larger fossil fuel plans on- or off-line, which is why we have things like Pump-Storage Hydroelectric systems. So in reality, the BEVs are leeching off of a system that is already generating pollution 24/7, and until BEV use gets to the point where drat near everyone is charging at night and they need to bring another fossil-fuel generator online, BEVs are getting a "free ride" on the existing pollution from power plant generation. To be frank, I'm making GBS threads on this paper with nothing more than a "gut feeling" so feel free to tell me to piss off, but I think that the paper isn't considering the fact that a power plant can't be turned on or off like a standard ICE automobile, and that's kind of a stretch.
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Sep 29, 2015 01:03
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ilkhan posted:Nuke plants are really slow to throttle up/down. Fossil fuel plants are really quick to do so. Reading wikipedia (I had no idea it was called "Load following") I'm starting to see I'm a bit full of poo poo when it comes to the fossil fuel power plants being slow to throttle down. So yeah, if you're in an area where there are load-following plants then the battery CO2 use is probably a fair comparison to make. That said, I have no goddamned clue how much of my power is generated from fossil fuels vs. renewables, and if those fossil fuels are base load, peaking, following, etc. so I'm probably not the person to be talking at this point. I still want to buy a good EV, though. Come on Tesla, have that Model 3 out by 2017 please. 
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Sep 29, 2015 01:34
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So for you EV guys out there, how often do you see this poo poo? I understand why EV charging spots are predominantly closer to buildings and so forth, because trying to feed a L2 charger a ton of amps results in you having to use shorter runs of thicker cable unless you're trying to install a transformer or whatever out there. This makes perfect sense. However, I live in an area with a ton of EVs thanks to Georgia's awesome tax break a few years back on EV sales, and in almost every single parking lot I come across I see someone with a gasser car parked in the EV spot because it's inevitably closer to the building. EV adoption depends on people realizing that opportunity charging is a thing and that it can cure the range anxiety stuff right off the bat, and I'm stoked that the local grocery store chains are all about doing this stuff for their customers. However, I'm worried that there are a poo poo-ton of narcissistic people out there who will block access to these chargers because "Ahm more important than thay arr" or whatever the idiot driving this Nissan Versa thinks, and that a lot of the frustrated EV crew will eventually say "Ha gently caress this, it'll never work" when it comes to the end of their lease. Then again, it could just be the pricks that live around this area, and as a note I'm moving out of here as soon as I can for that same reason. As a note - the lady in the Prius had just pulled in at that point and had her car plugged in by the time I was moving out, so it's not like she was using it as a glorified equivalent to a handicapped parking spot.
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Feb 13, 2016 16:48
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Mange Mite posted:It's true, driving an electric car is like being handicapped Yeah sorry, that was worded poorly - I see people park there cars there as well that don't plug them in to charge. I guess, maybe using it as one of those "expectant mother" parking spots? Maybe the "carpool only" parking spots? Feel free to substitute it as you please. Edit: duz posted:Not here, since it's illegal or at least there's a big sign on the charger saying it's illegal to park a non charging car there. You should see if you can get a law like that passed at least at the local level. God, I would love to do something like that, and try to get a law passed allowing filtering for motorcycles. However, talking with a few people who have lived here over the years, they've told me it's a solidly red state where your opinion doesn't matter unless it comes attached with a $10k "donation". 
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Feb 13, 2016 17:12
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The Locator posted:People who aren't handicapped park in the handicapped spots all the loving time, why would you think that these sort of people would pay any attention to EV parking spot restrictions? Apparently in my pretend la-la land that I live in, people are genuinely decent and reserve parking spots for the disabled to help make their admittedly more difficult lives easier. Also these decent people care about the environment and encourage EV owners to enjoy their cars and help the world.  Jesus, as if I didn't need another reason to go ram my car into a wall.
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Feb 13, 2016 17:38
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Ranter posted:steam is now live I'm guessing Elon knows I'm too poor as I can't see poo poo on my end. Maybe in the next lifetime I will be rich enough for a proper car.
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Apr 1, 2016 04:35
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io_burn posted:If you like bad financial planning surrounding cars, you should really lurk r/teslamotors and watch 18 year olds living with their parents rationalizing leasing a $100,000 car because of all the money they'll save on gas. I remember talking with a person at a Tesla store about the lease terms on a car (GA, so they aren't allowed to actually sell it). The lady dropped $725 a month for the stripped-down 70 kW/H model and I remember thinking "Holy gently caress, there's no way in hell I could spend $300+ a month in loving gas to make this even remotely worth it".  Reddit is hilariously awful so I never go there, but thank you for the mental image of the average Redactor. Edit: Supercharging being standard on the 3 is a really good idea. Early adopters on the S and Roadsters are more likely to be conscious about the range limitations and needs of an electric vehicle. People like ~my girlfriend~ (who adores the concept of the Model 3 and autopilot) that routinely forget to charge their phones will see the limitations of the electric car slam in their face when they're sitting on the side of the road without a charge, staring down the prospect of a tow and 3 hour recharge session. These folks will most likely bad-mouth electric vehicles as inconvenient at that point because they made a mistake, and now fixing it is causing them to have to change their entire day. However, let them tap into a supercharger and put enough miles to get home in about 15 minutes and it'll turn into more of an embarrassment of "yeah, I forgot to charge it, so I had to go get a coffee." Give someone a battery backup USB charger thing and it becomes less about "This phone sucks" and more "Yeah I forgot". It's a brilliant idea. funeral home DJ fucked around with this message at 17:37 on Apr 1, 2016 |
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Apr 1, 2016 17:29
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Wrar posted:Motortrend gave the Bolt their car of the year award, so it at least drives well. I always thought GM had the favor of the engine/transmission gods as evidenced by the sheer number of annihilated Cavaliers/Cobalts that somehow start every morning and the Great and Revered TH400, Eater of Torque, Shredder of Differentials. As for the chassis gods, I thought they had completely abandoned GM, because, well, every 90's-late 00's car they've ever made. So count me surprised.
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Nov 29, 2016 22:25
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Three-Phase posted:OPEC is cutting oil production. Prices are forecast to rise. In a really sick and twisted way, I'm happy about this even though the average consumer will be screwed. I was so afraid that perpetually cheap gas would kill the idea of EVs in most Americans' minds, but with expensive gas people will be looking forward to abandoning the pump and saving the planet a bit. That said, I'm driving a gas car now and I'm going to feel the pain in my dick as well, at least until I can find an apartment complex that has outdoor chargers or when I can rent a house. Then it's Bolt/Model III time. 
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Nov 30, 2016 21:57
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Subjunctive posted:Probably because the battery is measured and marketed in kWh. Someone a ton smarter than me will correct me on this, but I'll give it a shot: Horsepower as car guys commonly know it is calculated as a derivative of torque. kW is the voltage and current the car is feeding the motor which is pretty trivial for the motor controller to calculate, but the motor's generated torque is something else. So it'd be weird to see the torque calculated HP while your motor is sucking down 750 amps at 300 volts as it would always look like you're not using a ton of power at low RPMs.
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Dec 1, 2016 17:01
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Sagebrush posted:i looked this up Eh, weird gently caress 3-wheeled electric cars with a < $10k price point are going to be all the rage in the future as the American public gets poorer relative to the top earners in the county. We have a new government stepping in that's actively hostile to worker's rights and will be doing their damnedest to strip every penny out of the average joe's pocket, and when gas prices start to climb you're going to see adoption of this stuff. Public transit is out of the question for the USA thanks to years of bitter racism and hatred of the poor causing the rich to shut down every train line and bus route to the suburbs, and people will need a cheap and fast way to get to their $3-a-day job. I don't know if everyone remembers the height of the 2008 gas crunch in the US, but people were selling 3-cylinder Geo Metros/Suzuki Swifts in the US for a hilarious gently caress-ton of money. Hell, if we relaxed crash test standards and legalized UTVs under 999cc displacement for the street (not unlike a Japanese Kei car kind of thing), I'd bet 50% of your bro trucks out there would be off the street overnight, replaced by the latest RZR machines with actual well-designed suspensions. We'd have a poo poo-ton less pollution, to boot. Edit: the recent gas crunch, I meant. funeral home DJ fucked around with this message at 20:03 on Dec 19, 2016 |
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Dec 19, 2016 19:52
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fordan posted:The Zero SR looks interesting though. Wish I lived someplace with fewer idiots per square mile. Hrm. I've test ridden the FXS, its less-powerful but far lighter sister, and it's a blast. The easiest motorcycle I've ever ridden in my life, and that's including scooters. The rest of the guys on DSRs said they were a hoot as well - if it weren't for the fact that my girlfriend is terrified of driving and riding anything more powerful than a bicycle, I'd be considering one. For now, a used Leaf is a better idea once I find a place where I can charge it reliably. Phuzun posted:Relaxing crash standards in a world full of bro trucks and SUVs. I'm sure that wouldn't have the inverse reaction of killing more poor or putting them in the hospital, where they will be stuck with bills due to the soon to be gutted healthcare. Cockmaster posted:Besides, the Model 3 will probably make its way into the used market soon enough (Last I checked, you can already get a used Volt or Leaf for around $10k). I agree with you both but I feel super pessimistic about the working poor having access to Level 2 charging. I live in an apartment complex now and any request for a marginal improvement is replied with them laughing at you and pissing on your shoes while telling you rent's going up next month. Hell, I asked for them to let me into the HVAC closet so I can add a goddamned 4 foot long c-wire to run a thermostat that was invented in the last 30 years, and they told me they weren't willing to open the loving closet as it is too much effort for the maintenance crew. They're cool with me changing thermostats but literally don't want to make the effort to open a locked door so I can make it work. Adding a level 2 charging station will never happen, and I can see people only really having access to charge from random sockets on the outside of buildings. The Leaf takes 22-odd hours to charge from flat on 120v and I'd imagine the Model 3 will take significantly longer, and I don't see adoption taking off if you run a few extra errands after work then can't use your car for a solid day. Meanwhile, the 13kw battery in a 3 wheeled car can fill up from dead in about 8-10 hours on 120v so it seems a ton more realistic for the average person to own.
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Dec 20, 2016 15:22
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bull3964 posted:I just don't see that happening on a wide scale due to the cost of housing. It's expensive as gently caress to live in high density urban areas and many people just flat out can't afford it even if they do cut a car out of their budget. This is 100% the challenge - I'm thinking of trying to move in towards Atlanta to cut out a chunk of my commute (I'm currently like 5 miles from the I-285 border that marks Atlanta) and the astoundingly high prices that people are asking for with apartments and housing located anywhere near public transit is basically killing any thoughts of moving in there. The new apartments being built in the area are all "luxury" apartments demanding > $1,200 a month for what amounts to a single bedroom or studio unit in some areas, and new homes being built routinely feature signs stating things like "starting from the high $500's". It's nuts, but investors are apparently betting on rich people moving in to cut down on the nightmarish commutes to the suburbs outside the city. Cities like Atlanta need solid public transit like dedicated roads for buses or LRT to the suburbs to make working in a city livable in the next 10 years. I'd bet you could cut an hour to 2-hour commute down to 35 minutes by train, provided you give the folks in the suburbs ample parking to take their cars back out to their homes. If the cities don't invest in it, it's going to be hard to convince investors to buy a downtown office space when they and their employees will be making 2 1/2 hour commutes each morning to work. Also: bull3964 posted:This is a cultural shift that needs to happen as much as any other mentioned when it comes to commuting and it's a hell of a lot easier to implement and would get quicker results. Over time, you can increase the number of people working remotely through a combination of requirements and incentives. In less than a decade, you can GREATLY lower congestion, wear on roads, wear on our vehicles, and emissions. In the corporations I've been employed, I see a ton of lip service to telecommuting but rarely do they ever allow implementation. They put an official policy in at the last company I worked at stating that employees that have been continuously employed for more than a year are able to telecommute once a week, unless you already have a policy adopted by your local manager. Our manager told us she was working on a policy that "fit our team" for about 8 months and that we couldn't telecommute until she finished her policy. I left two months ago, and my coworkers tell me she still hasn't "finished" the policy, and that her superiors in the organization don't give a poo poo. Some bosses just want to be there to stare over your shoulder. 
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Jan 2, 2017 22:05
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Powershift posted:For says they have 13 electrified vehicles coming in the next 5 years including a full electric 300 mile range SUV and a plug-in hybrid transit custom. The idea of a hybrid F-150 makes me all sweaty. Use the existing 3.5 V-6 sans-Ecoboost, run it on the Atkinson cycle and give it a pair of front-and-rear electric motors producing 350 ft-lb of torque, each.
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Jan 4, 2017 13:58
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kimcicle posted:Is the Fiat 500e so terrible that I wouldn't be able to overlook the stupid cheap lease rates that I've been seeing around SoCal? I plan to stay within 20 miles of the office, will be able to charge while at work, and this is a second car for our household. I was originally thinking about a Chevy Bolt, but they are leasing for $300 a month. The eGolf seems a bit more up my alley with lease rates around $170 a month. However, I'm seeing 500e lease deals being advertised at $60 a month. It seems too good to be true, so is the car a crap can that I shouldn't even bother looking at? I can't speak to the e model, but I've been in a few 500's to this point and found that they're not horrible, horrible cars but they aren't that great either. The interiors on them are cheap as hell compared to any modern Japanese car and are on-par with my 2013 Mini which is covered in remarkably cheap plastics. I'm 5'8" and fit fine in it, but taller folks might not be as comfortable. The 500's I've been in had a white steering wheel will be black and brown after a year or so from normal usage, so just prepare for ugly wear n' tear. Make sure you're not signing up for a 10,000 mile per year lease with it, but if it's honestly $60 a month for 24-36 months that's a loving steal and I'd consider it myself if I didn't live in a hellish nature-hating red state. Also the eGolf is, from what I've read, the best of the crop you're looking at in that price range, aside from the Bolt itself (but I'd rather compare that to the Model 3 when it comes out as they're targeting two kinds of customers). Might as well lease it to piss off Sergio Marchionne though!
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Jan 4, 2017 20:57
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:gently caress it buy it and write it up for us Yeah honestly, at $60 a month it'd be worth having around as a backup car when the fun one needs repairs. I want to get an old Leaf for this specific reason, to let me gently caress with the turbo car and have stress-free wrenching where I don't have to worry about getting it all back together to get to work on Monday.
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Jan 5, 2017 14:28
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Weird question, but what are you folks paying for insurance on your electric cars? Due to the Bolt and new higher-kW packs coming out for the Leaf, I guess loads of folks are unloading their '15s off-lease and there are some killer deals out there for 12k-mile Leafs. I went though Geico for a quote, and even with the Leaf as a primary car that's only seeing 15k miles a year, my insurance quote has gone from $79 a month for a Mini Cooper S (Single Male US driver fuckery ahoy) to $180 a month to include both the Mini and the Leaf. Are you folks finding your electrics cost more to insure than gasoline cars, or is this just Geico being weird with their risk pools? I'm actually good with dropping them, but finding an insurance company that is willing to touch an early-30's single dude is getting tough.
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Feb 12, 2017 13:26
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angryrobots posted:I found that geico really likes to jack my rates over time. I moved to state farm and put full coverage on my old beater for less than geico wanted for liability. I'm honestly shocked at how high my rates are, especially given I haven't had a traffic violation in more than 7 years and one accident when I was 16. But... roomforthetuna posted:Might be a credit rating thing rather than a single-male-and-age thing? We found insuring with Geico, making me the primary driver (neither of us having had any accidents, my wife having a longer insurance record, similar ages) dropped our insurance rate by about 30%, presumably because my credit rating is good vs. she did a bankruptcy to escape an upside-down house when that was a thing. Yeah that has to be it. I had to lock my credit down as I was one of those lucky souls that had Experian/T-Mobile send all my personal information out to the internet after they were hacked. I was given 2 choices - use Experian's credit security service (snowball's chance in hell) or just lock my credit down. I chose the latter. I'll unlock it later today and start digging through State Farm and some other companies soon, because Geico is crappy. Also extra gently caress Experian because they did offer credit security through TransUnion, but only for like a week and they snail-mailed my notification almost a month after it happened. And yes, it's hosed that they actually use credit to determine it when I know a poo poo-load of hilariously irresponsible drivers at my former company that make six-figgies all day, while the folks that worked the low-wage jobs were super careful because they realize that replacing things is expensive. As for fuel expense, I'm not into EVs because of cost savings, but more like a subtle "gently caress you" to the current US administration as well as the more positive environmental impact. I'm just taking advantage of a cheap, super-dependable car that is giving me the equivalent of 100mpg. 
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Feb 12, 2017 19:45
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kill me now posted:There are plenty of people with low wages that maintain good credit and a ridiculous amount of high earners who have garbage credit. That's awesome for the former group because it's tough as hell, especially considering how something like a medical emergency can wreck your life. Also I unlocked my credit and Geico is quoting almost half the cost from before, so that was basically it. Crazy how much they factor that in.
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Feb 13, 2017 01:51
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ilkhan posted:He had his credit report set to approved viewers, basically. So the Geico couldn't get his report, which they equated to no history, which meant he got the higher rates. Exactly that. It's properly called a credit freeze, but I'm an idiot with poor vocabulary so I don't know to say that until I look it up.
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Feb 13, 2017 05:15
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I'm glad to hear about the success stories for folks only using 120v charging. The realities of trying to find a reasonably priced place to live are setting in, and it's looking like the apartment lifestyle is my permanent thing going forward. That said, for some odd and awesome reason, Atlanta is chock-full of CHAdeMO/CCS chargers according to PlugShare, so if I hit an "oh poo poo" moment I can get an 80% charge in a half hour and let it soak up the last 20% at home.
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Mar 10, 2017 16:41
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Ola posted:Just don't skimp on the god damned battery packs. If Tesla's gigafactory is up and running and their Model 3 is actually around $30k post-incentives, and since Chevrolet already got 200+ mikes out of the Bolt, I've got the feeling the message is loud and clear for BMW that anything under a 200-mile range won't be taken seriously. Also I'm one of the weirdos out there that really likes MINI's cars and am stupid excited over the idea of an electric Mini. The X3 is a great idea as well for the SUV-worshipping American public, but what I really want BMW to do is get fuckin' weird and crank out carbon-fiber chassis 2/3-series with an electric drivetrain that cranks out around 350HP. Then offer the same super-light chassis with a boosted to all hell 4 cylinder engine. What I'm saying is I want a modern E30, I guess.
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Mar 23, 2017 10:55
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eyebeem posted:It's not a gently caress you. It's not enough to maintain our road system. I'm all in with ev, but roads aren't free and maintaining them isn't cheap. We need to fund it somehow. I'm the motorcyclin' rear end in a top hat EV haver with my Zero FXS, and it gets charged $200 a year from GA as an EV fee. GA's gas tax is about $0.3120 per gallon which, at $200 is approximately 641 gallons of gas. A gas supermoto bike gets, what, 45-50 mpg, so we're looking at 28k miles per year usage for me to equally pay the tax. Calculated another way, I'm getting charged the same as a 23mpg car driven 15k mikes per year, but on a vehicle that weighs less than 500 lbs with my lard-ridden rear end on it. Flat-rate taxes are a brutally stupid way to implement a charge for an issue created by usage, because it ends up indirectly creating incentives for other transportation methods. Usage taxes based on odometer reads and vehicle weight makes more sense in the long run, as it's a fair approximation of road damage. When I lived in PA they did actually levy a tax on trucks based on the GVWR which I thought was a really cool idea, until the DMV guy told me that the Ford Excursion doesn't pay these taxes as it's classified as a "station wagon" while the Ford Ranger I was driving classified as a full-size truck.  Plus the added benefit is we'd see SUVs drop off the face of the earth while carbon fiber cars rule the roost, and that is a pretty bad-rear end future.
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Jun 29, 2017 12:22
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Christ, I hate Americans sometimes. A coworker that took an interest in Tesla EVs (and after seeing the Zero wanted to talk to me about it) was indignant upon learning the base Model 3 has a range of 215 miles. She said that EVs are worthless if they can't do her week-long commute without charging. When I suggested that, like a cellphone, you can change it at home nightly, she responded "why the hell would I want to do that? What if I forget?" and "Why do you want to convince me these things can work when I know they'll never work for me?" We even delved into the whole stupid "what if I spontaneously need to drive to {destination > 200 miles away}? I can't just rent a car!" argument, complete with her admitting that the need has never happened before, but what if? This is a well-studied biochemist in the US, not exactly an F-550-driving Bubba with a hatred of "homo cars", but her striking ignorance is a solid reason why we should all start developing a taste for cockroach because global warming will be making that our main food source soon. 'Murcians gonna 'Murcia, heil petrol.
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Jul 6, 2017 20:43
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Subjunctive posted:Why do you think her nationality is responsible for her entrenching in opinions when challenged, and moving goalposts? I'm an American, and folks I've met from overseas seem to be more willing to entertain the thought of EVs, or at least solid public transit. Anecdote not being evidence is absolutely true here, so yeah it's dumb for me to assume. I just notice it's the folks that are born and raised here that tend to believe that if a new solution isn't perfect off the bat, it shouldn't be considered at all. Look at the whining about public transit, health care, green energy and countless other stupid things for some real-world examples. After all, "Make America Great Again" and the idea of taking us back to a "simpler" time that never existed isn't just a slogan, it's a mantra for a gently caress-ton of folks. IOwnCalculus posted:How is "you don't need to go to the gas station once a week" not a benefit? I'd love to just plug in at home every night and not have to make a pitstop on the way home for gas. I plug my stupid goddamn motorcycle in at night and I don't give a flying gently caress about gas prices, filling up, whatever, and its great. I wake up and it's ready to go, it's convenient. This is like arguing that smartphones suck because their charges last 1/4 the time of an old-school Nokia while completely ignoring the fact that an iPhone can buy/sell stocks then play a loving movie afterward.
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Jul 6, 2017 21:19
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ilkhan posted:She's not stupid (or, at least not stupid because of this), but she doesn't understand how waking up every morning with a full tank of cheap gas helps her. Pretty much this. Some folks are really, really hung up on the idea that cars should be filled up once/twice a week at maximum, I guess. Introducing them to new, radical ideas like "filling your car up every night at home" tends to throw them for a loop. Oddly, I've also had people also ask if batteries are safe, which is weird as hell considering there's a quite a few gallons of flammable liquid sitting in the center or back of your car.  I personally can't wait to see the weird poo poo people get themselves into when EVs start going truly mainstream. There are plenty of stories about folks dumping diesel into gas cars, so it should be a blast to see what kind of hosed-up ways people try to ram a CCS cord into a CHAdeMo port.
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Jul 7, 2017 02:05
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stevewm posted:Can only imagine it's going to involve lots of cut up extension cords. 40A EVSEs wired up with 14ga lamp cord. And Bubba Joe will attempt to power his shed with his car....without the proper equipment. "Hey Bubba, you sure that inverter can handle that saw?" "Th' gently caress's an inverter?" No poo poo, if I had the equipment to safely do so, I'd make a demonstration series on YouTube showing people what happens when you try to run 40A through cheap-poo poo electrical cords and other electric-related idiocy. Whoever does so will probably earn a Nobel Peace Prize for preventing the deaths of thousands of people.
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Jul 7, 2017 03:33
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I want an i3 but only because I can't imagine the intense smug feeling from telling someone that my car is made from "carbon-fiber reinforced plastics".  Also, like everyone else I heard that the i3 is actually a hell of a nice car to drive.Honestly though, the announcement of the new BMW 3-series electric comes across as bizarre, as I'm not sure where the i3 fits in the product line going forward. Yes, it's the smaller, lighter "city car", but unless we find that the all-electric 3 is the same price as, let's say a mid-range 5-series, there's not really a reason to consider the i3 at all. Especially considering that the electric 3 is claimed as having 200+ miles of range. Also if BMW makes an electric 3-series wagon available in the US I may need to sell all my worldly possessions to get my fat, greasy fingers on it.
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Jul 22, 2017 23:46
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drgitlin posted:The Countryman is the best CUV I've driven because it's small and light (compared to everything else in that class). Didn't drive the phev as I was at Formula E but am looking forward to it, I would hope it would be a hard one for them to gently caress up. Reviews in the U.K. are calling it a hell of a machine, and because it has a de-tuned version of the i8 power train I'd expect as much. Also holy poo poo if someone makes a tuning kit to boost the 3 cylinder up to the 200+ HP output of the i8 it could be hilariously quick, to boot. I would love the new Countryman PHEV, but at this point I'm in with a Mini R55 that's suiting my needs, and with Mini announcing the Mini Cooper full-electric coming out in ~2 years there's little reason to consider the PHEV. With the outright insane progression of battery tech over the last few years, I think EVs are going to hit this the same purchasing wall that computers hit, where the technology is moving so fast there's no reason to rush out and buy a model today when next year's model has the potential to be 40% faster. Adiabatic posted:For a bunch of electric vehicle nerds you guys sure are testy. I'm going to a meet thing for National Drive Electric Week in September and I feared it'd be boring, but now it looks like we'll get some fist fights out of the deal. 
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Jul 23, 2017 18:13
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Also "home chargers" is a bit of a misnomer - they're technically power supplies that check to ensure it's safe to supply your EV with juice from the wall. The chargers on most EVs are in the vehicle itself and as MrYenko said will only take as much power as appropriate for the charging level. Aside from making sure you're not going to deep-fry your rear end when you plug it in, the "EVSE" (if you want to be a sperg) sends a communication to the car to tell it that it can safely draw x amperes of current without worrying about blowing your circuits locally. I'd start with looking at what your home's circuit breaker box has to offer and make your decision from there. Depending on your panel's rating, you might be able to safely swing a 35A breaker and get the HCS-40, or if you are a masochist with a vastly underused panel that wants to feed a Tesla Model S 17kW you can fit a 100A breaker instead. Make sure your wiring is up to snuff, though - the crap-rear end apartment I'm renting has a 20A service running to the garage, but I know the wiring is woefully undersized from a prior experiment. This explanation doesn't mean poo poo when it comes to Tesla Superchargers, CHAdeMo or CCS units, though, which are actual off-of-the-EV chargers. Tesla's superchargers can feed 120kW of hot, hot garage-burning action into a Model S and Musk himself is implying the next generation of supercharger will offer > 350kW, so throw everything I said out the window if you pull the Bolt up to a CCS unit.
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Jul 23, 2017 22:43
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Michael Scott posted:Haha drat that sucks. $100k and nary a cow hide. Millions of cattle can be killed for meat but use every part including the hide and it's murder am I right? Come on Elon. There's also the chance that their leather supplier sucks and they had a ton of rejects, or that leather wasn't being ordered in the volume to justify it. There's no real way to know why unless someone inside the company comments on it.
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Jul 23, 2017 23:08
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Subjunctive posted:How is that masochism? I've got my HPWC on a 100A breaker (it maxes at 72A draw afaict), and it wasn't painful. Do I have something unfortunate awaiting me? Not at all, I figured most folks would be paying out the wazoo to get a 100A breaker and 4-gauge wire run. Also holy poo poo I'm envious of a 17kW setup.
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Jul 24, 2017 00:59
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I'm glad to hear (so far) that Tesla's put a lot of emphasis on handling and the physical responsiveness of the vehicle's drivetrain. My personal fear was that with the concept of autopilot taking over 10 years from now there would be no real emphasis on road feel, handling, etc. Looks like that was an unfounded fear, which is a great thing. Personally still waiting for the next Mini-E to see how that goes (with the Mini being everything I love about handling in a car combined with that wonderful, rattling British charm and electrical problems), but the Model 3's now an option on the plate as well in 2019 or whatever. Edit: Holy hell the Model 3 doesn't have a key, you use your smartphone.  I'm betting it's less than 6 months until someone's spoofing Model 3 "keys" and taking cars for joy rides.
funeral home DJ fucked around with this message at 13:43 on Jul 29, 2017 |
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Jul 29, 2017 13:35
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Jimong5 posted:You know GM gets poo poo on for the EV1 situation, but how many other car manufacturers were putting out anything close to it at the time? Even now, outside of Tesla GM seems to be way ahead of every other manufacturer putting out solid EVs that you can actually buy today. I mean compare what GM has vs Ford, the difference is massive. GM is one of those cases where they have some superbly brilliant people working there, but they never get noticed for it. I have a soft spot for the company in my heart because they were the ones stuffing quad-cam V-8 engines into mother-loving-FWD platforms and were at least trying to do weird poo poo in the past long before anyone else had the balls to try it (V-8-6-4, Cadillacs with night-vision screens, quadrasteer trucks, etc.). Also there's no way you can hate on folks who somehow keep an engine design pioneered in what, the 40's(?) still relevant today. Let's strap leaf springs in the back of a Corvette and make it fast anyways. Let's make an entire line of cars with body panels made out of cheap plastic. Let's make a hybrid with a huge lithium ion battery that can go 40 miles before kicking the gas motor on, and let's let people charge it externally. Also let's link up the system with a heat pump/cooling system to keep the batteries happy. It's honestly of no surprise to me that something chafed a GM engineer's rear end looking at the Model S, and when Tesla announced the Model 3 the engineer muttered under his/her breath "I'll show you, motherfucker". GM gets concepts and ideas right, they just kind of suck at packaging and reliability, and, well, design in general. Edit: At the National Drive Electric week meet-up I got to drive the Bolt and it is My Next Car™ so I'm looking forward to paying off the house for a bit and strapping a 50A charger in place.
funeral home DJ fucked around with this message at 03:01 on Oct 4, 2017 |
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Oct 4, 2017 02:59
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I bought a house solely to install a level 2 EV Charger in, and I know Clipper Creek is the go to charger in any case, but has anyone installed an OpenEVSE charger? I’m considering their complete kit for the 40A L2 and the few YouTube videos I’ve seen show folks are thrilled with them, but much as with any DIY stuff I fear waking up one morning to a pissed-off girlfriend asking why her Leaf didn’t charge after the needlessly complex control system takes a hot dump. The reasons I’m considering it is because of cost and the charge timer options, and it will most likely be hardwired into prevent theft as it’s living in a car port. Any advice is appreciated.
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Oct 25, 2017 11:34
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