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Age 70 and 68. We've already gone 100% electric. Bought 2 Chevy Bolts back in April and June of 2021. Chevy was phasing out the old model and we got amazing price. (about $24.5K). Loved the first one so much 2 months later we bought the second.
So we haven't bought a cent of gas since June 3rd, 2021.
Have a 240 Volt charger installed in garage. Bolts have 259 mile range, we usually charge up every 3rd night or so. Bolts are amazing city cars. Super fun to drive and surprisingly roomy.
They are not great road trip cars. Their "fast" charging is too slow. So when we did a road trip in the fall we rented a Tesla Model Y. Charging was a breeze. Car tells you where chargers were (down in Florida many times it was a WaWa). About 15 minutes later we'd be on the road. Every couple hours, I need to hit bathroom and stretch my legs anyway.
It's funny to read the silly posts by the anti-ev folks here. They are so clueless. But it doesn't matter. Every EV is selling like crazy, Tesla's have nearly a year long waiting list. They'll keep grabbing a larger share of the market every year. Slowly over time the car manufactures will stop producing gas cars because they won't be able to justify the fixed expenses.
It will be like the folks that say "I'll never drive an automatic stick shifts are better." You can hardly find a car with a stick shift these. days.
I know. But their current cars were inadequate for the trip. Because the range and charging capabilities weren't adequate.
Like I pointed out in a previous post, having to stop every hour to charge for 30 minutes to drive another hour.
By any measure, most Teslas are higher end vehicles. Yes, I know there's one for $35K with an astounding 220 miles of range, less than half that of my F150 or the 2010 Forester and 40% of the 2021 Forester's range. Hell, my kid's '05 Sable gets 26/27 MPG if he doesn't bury his foot in it.
I know. But their current cars were inadequate for the trip. Because the range and charging capabilities weren't adequate.
Like I pointed out in a previous post, having to stop every hour to charge for 30 minutes to drive another hour.
By any measure, most Teslas are higher end vehicles. Yes, I know there's one for $35K with an astounding 220 miles of range, less than half that of my F150 or the 2010 Forester and 40% of the 2021 Forester's range. Hell, my kid's '05 Sable gets 26/27 MPG if he doesn't bury his foot in it.
The thing is... most people are not doing road trips every day. It's usually a daily commute and shopping trips. The EV will be suitable for most people's needs most of the time. And as the person above mentioned, you can always rent a vehicle for the occasional road trip.
If you are someone who regularly does long distance trips, today's EVs are probably not for you. But future EVs may improve to the point that longer trips become possible. My bet is on technology improvements.
I find it amusing that the generations that created most of the modern technology we have today are so down on EV technology. Could anyone imagine when the cell phone first appeared that within 40 years we would have phones more powerful than the computers of that time? Last time I checked, the first CP wasn't an iPhone 13.
Change takes time, you don't like it, don't buy it, but EV and self-driving cars are coming and there is nothing that is going to stop it. Even the big oil companies recognize it and are moving to other products.
I would love to have a EV but I'm under no illusion that it's better for the environment. My housemate just bought one for commuting (45 miles each way). We'll see how it works out. Fortunately his employer has a couple charging stations, and apparently there's another within walking distance. He bought it mostly for commuting.
It would not very easily make the trip I'm planning out to CA next month. And not that I would ever take I-10 through Texas again (ugh), but definitely not there either! Wouldn't chance it. I had enough problems with stops on the way here (Alabama) from California (weather: snow, ice, Hurricane Zeta).
I know. But their current cars were inadequate for the trip. Because the range and charging capabilities weren't adequate.
Like I pointed out in a previous post, having to stop every hour to charge for 30 minutes to drive another hour.
By any measure, most Teslas are higher end vehicles. Yes, I know there's one for $35K with an astounding 220 miles of range, less than half that of my F150 or the 2010 Forester and 40% of the 2021 Forester's range. Hell, my kid's '05 Sable gets 26/27 MPG if he doesn't bury his foot in it.
I said I stopped every couple of hours for 15 minutes. Not every hour for 30 minutes. Just because your argument is weak, don't change the times.
If I had a sedan and an SUV but decided a Minivan was a better for the road trip, that doesn't make the sedan and SUV bad vehicles.
Tesla no longer has a $35K vehicle. The cheapest one is $44,900. It gets 267 miles of range. Which is fine BTW. People that don't drive EVs always overs estimate the need for more range, and always exaggerate the difficulty of charging.
EVs aren't for everyone. If you have a place to charge at home or work, they usually will work out fantastically. If you have to depend on commercial charging for your basic needs, you will get no cost savings over gasoline, and it will be a hassle.
I would love to have a EV but I'm under no illusion that it's better for the environment. My housemate just bought one for commuting (45 miles each way). We'll see how it works out. Fortunately his employer has a couple charging stations, and apparently there's another within walking distance. He bought it mostly for commuting.
It would not very easily make the trip I'm planning out to CA next month. And not that I would ever take I-10 through Texas again (ugh), but definitely not there either! Wouldn't chance it. I had enough problems with stops on the way here (Alabama) from California (weather: snow, ice, Hurricane Zeta).
Your housemate has a Leaf according to your earlier post. The Leaf is the red headed step child of the EV world because it has no liquid cooling and has a non-standard fast charging port. (I know I've owned 2 of them)
There's no reason the Leaf won't be 100% fine for his 90 mile daily commute. He'd be fine even if he didn't have a place to charge at work.
But the Leaf is an even worse choice for road trips than the Bolt.
But most modern EV's (Tesla, VW ID4, Mustang Mach E, Ionic 5) would handle your Alabama to California trips with zero problems. Plenty of infrastructure.
If you tell me your going to be touring the backroads of Montana..... quite the different story.
It will be like the folks that say "I'll never drive an automatic stick shifts are better." You can hardly find a car with a stick shift these. days.
All of my cars are still manual transmission. But in all fairness, my daily-driver just turned 31. This is the car that I drive in Los Angeles traffic. I am NOT an opponent of EVs, but am emphatically speaking from the viewpoint of a driving-enthusiast, vs. a commuter or a road-tripper.
All of my cars are still manual transmission. But in all fairness, my daily-driver just turned 31. This is the car that I drive in Los Angeles traffic. I am NOT an opponent of EVs, but am emphatically speaking from the viewpoint of a driving-enthusiast, vs. a commuter or a road-tripper.
I have a Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack that I dearly love, almost 500hp and torque stock, but I would lose if I raced a Tesla, and 9 times out of 10, it wouldn't be close. The Tesla model S makes a Hellcat a joke, so I don't understand this whole "enthusiast" thing. I am a huge enthusiast and I love a big V8, but I also know when technology has surpassed what was.
Oh, and Dodge announced that after 2023 there would be no more hemi V8's. They are going Turbo V6 until they release their electric Chargers and Challengers.
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