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As I’m sure most of you know, it’s probably a bad idea to attack a moderator then edit the comment out once it was seen by your intended target. Especially when you have 7 pages of infraction history.
But even if you could afford it, the numbers may not work out if you’re driving low mileage. I’m saving close to $2000 annually in gas (low gas price estimate). It’s actually a little higher, especially now that my overnight charging discount finally started. If you’re not putting in the miles, you won’t save enough for it to be worthwhile.
There’s other reasons for considering one besides overall cost savings. I live in hurricane country. One factor I would consider is an ability to use the vehicle’s battery to run the refrigerator during an extended power outage. We have natural gas water heater and stove so those are covered. Food storage is a must. Best would be a built in whole home natural gas generator with automatic transfer switches and a service contract. Such a deal could cost as much as an entry level new vehicle. Having an EV with an electrical adapter would allow us to power the refrigerator conserving our food until power is restored. A portable generator would do the job but thieves drive through neighborhoods listening for generators running so they can quickly steal them. They come prepared with bolt cutters and battery powered saws to cut through locks and chains.
Can’t wait to get back to all of those things. Filling up at a station in less than 5 minutes and getting back on the road. No longer having to sit for 30-50 minutes to charge and constantly worrying if I can make it to the next charging station. Having the sound of the engine and the feel of driving something mechanical can’t be beat. EVs are beyond impractical and hopefully will never be more than they are now, status symbols for those thinking they are helping the environment when in reality they are causing more damage. Counting the days now.
Did you get all your talking points from an oil executive or Fox News?
Majority of people cannot switch to only EVs at home yet. Majority of Tesla owners also have a 2nd ICE car at home. I think the stat is >58% of Tesla owners have atleast another car. If you going on a long trip, rent a car is the best thing to do.
Long distance driving is very bad and dangerous if your car is not checked out. I've had 2 road trips cut short because of sudden car failure or tire issue.
I've had my Tesla trip cut short because of a flat tire and Tesla Roadside assistance took 4 hours to get to us.
Another trip, the car started smoking because of coolant leak. Long road trips require cars that are reliable.
As for EV charging, today unless you have a Tesla the charging network is very poor between interstate areas.
Again, YOU can’t. Speak for yourself. I drive far more now because it’s cheap and convenient as opposed to expensive and inconvenient. There hasn’t been a single time my Tesla limited me. Not when I decided to drive to Florida after Ian on an hour’s notice. Not when I had to drive to Rochester - 6 hours - and back in one day for work. Not when it’s been parked at the end of a dirt road in Adirondacks while I’m camping 3 miles into the woods.
Nothing but awesome.
As someone who has been seriously considering an EV (especially a Tesla 3 Long Range) for a while, I can see both sides of this debate. You're absolutely right that most of the scenarios in the article can be chalked up to poor research on the part of the buyer/leasee. And it's awesome that you've managed avoid any inconvenience whatsoever.
But I think it's perfectly fair to say that switching to an EV is going to be an adjustment for most drivers. The reason we have held off so far is that my fiancee's parents live in a rural section of Vermont around 230 miles from us. We've rented a Model 3 Long Range several times now to try it out (I recommend anyone do this before buying). The trip normally takes around 3.5 hours with no traffic, but it took us about 5 on recent drive thanks to cold conditions and drastically reduced range. We had to stop twice each way at super chargers. Thankfully, there are plenty along the route so finding available chargers was not an issue. But the additional time is far from ideal as it means less time spent visiting with family and more idle time. This was the biggest hang up for us before testing the Tesla, and it remains the biggest hang up.
On the other side of the coin, "local" (up to around 100 miles from home) driving is awesome. Even in the winter. It's super liberating to drive around most of the day, come home and plug in (we have level 2 destination chargers in my building), and wake up to a vehicle that's charged and ready to go the next day. With rentals, maintenance was a non-issue, but knowing we wouldn't need oil changes is also part of the appeal. And the ability to schedule my departure so that the car is warm and ready to go without worrying about emissions in the garage or wasting gas is awesome. And yeah, it's just fun to drive. "Better for the environment" is nice, but really, the convenience of not having to visit a gas station, the comfort, the tech, and the sporty ride make it worth it. The "club" stuff is silly. I've never been that guy (whether it's #JeepLife, or a Ford/Chevy/Dodge truck guy, a Prius person, etc.). I just want to drive the car I like to drive.
I totally understand drivers who are unwilling to make the shift to a full EV. Charging infrastructure needs to improve in much of the country, and range anxiety is very, very real for many of us. Especially if you're not on a major interstate or metro area. Things will continue to improve until hopefully those are non-issues in the not so distant future. I ended up opting for a Volvo PHEV for the time being. We only need one car (mostly for weekend driving) since we're walkable/subway accessible to everything during the week. But we're looking at SFH not far from the city and when we do, we'll almost certainly add a Tesla to the stable. The PHEV will probably be the go-to for the longer drives, but the Tesla will be the choice for everything closer to home. If it gets to the point where I can make 230 miles in the dead of winter in New England (particularly Northern New England) with enough range left over to eliminate anxiety (and without dropping $100,000+), I'll be happy to switch to full EV. But until then, it's just not worth it as an only-car for us.
As someone who has been seriously considering an EV (especially a Tesla 3 Long Range) for a while, I can see both sides of this debate. You're absolutely right that most of the scenarios in the article can be chalked up to poor research on the part of the buyer/leasee. And it's awesome that you've managed avoid any inconvenience whatsoever.
But I think it's perfectly fair to say that switching to an EV is going to be an adjustment for most drivers. The reason we have held off so far is that my fiancee's parents live in a rural section of Vermont around 230 miles from us. We've rented a Model 3 Long Range several times now to try it out (I recommend anyone do this before buying). The trip normally takes around 3.5 hours with no traffic, but it took us about 5 on recent drive thanks to cold conditions and drastically reduced range. We had to stop twice each way at super chargers. Thankfully, there are plenty along the route so finding available chargers was not an issue. But the additional time is far from ideal as it means less time spent visiting with family and more idle time. This was the biggest hang up for us before testing the Tesla, and it remains the biggest hang up.
On the other side of the coin, "local" (up to around 100 miles from home) driving is awesome. Even in the winter. It's super liberating to drive around most of the day, come home and plug in (we have level 2 destination chargers in my building), and wake up to a vehicle that's charged and ready to go the next day. With rentals, maintenance was a non-issue, but knowing we wouldn't need oil changes is also part of the appeal. And the ability to schedule my departure so that the car is warm and ready to go without worrying about emissions in the garage or wasting gas is awesome. And yeah, it's just fun to drive. "Better for the environment" is nice, but really, the convenience of not having to visit a gas station, the comfort, the tech, and the sporty ride make it worth it. The "club" stuff is silly. I've never been that guy (whether it's #JeepLife, or a Ford/Chevy/Dodge truck guy, a Prius person, etc.). I just want to drive the car I like to drive.
I totally understand drivers who are unwilling to make the shift to a full EV. Charging infrastructure needs to improve in much of the country, and range anxiety is very, very real for many of us. Especially if you're not on a major interstate or metro area. Things will continue to improve until hopefully those are non-issues in the not so distant future. I ended up opting for a Volvo PHEV for the time being. We only need one car (mostly for weekend driving) since we're walkable/subway accessible to everything during the week. But we're looking at SFH not far from the city and when we do, we'll almost certainly add a Tesla to the stable. The PHEV will probably be the go-to for the longer drives, but the Tesla will be the choice for everything closer to home. If it gets to the point where I can make 230 miles in the dead of winter in New England (particularly Northern New England) with enough range left over to eliminate anxiety (and without dropping $100,000+), I'll be happy to switch to full EV. But until then, it's just not worth it as an only-car for us.
I'd like to see more aggressive PHEV options - closer to 100 mi electric-only which would cover most commutes (some of them have such low Electric-only range even a modest 25 mi round trip is dicey in real-world scenarios). I think that could work esp. if it uses the gas engine as a generator vs. to propel the wheels.
Yours is a reasonable and clearly well researched example of how an individual/family should approach the conversion from gas to EV transportation.
When someone eschews this part of the process before making the jump, you end up with the poster who resorted to insults in an attempt to push his weakly supported anecdote-based arguments.
It took me 3 years and 4 months to make the jump, most likely FAR longer than most. From the time I first experienced operating my friend's Tesla when he visited for my 40th birthday weekend, until finally making my own purchase, I read everything I could find. I spoke to every owner I could. I researched every possible angle necessary to make such an important decision.
As I pointed out above, anyone who claims to have experienced the "failures" of EV life while ranting about the lack of sound is exposing their failure to do even basic level research before making what amounts to a quantum leap of faith while upending a very important part of their lifestyle.
I’ve never seen a 250kw charger go below 80kw. The numbers don’t back up anything you’re saying. That’s a fact..
What you mistakenly asset as a fact is, in your own words, a single data point: your personal experience.
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