Tesla

[Kamban]

djohnflatfeecfp wrote:

However, someone made the point above about Tesla being the one with a long-term track record. Anyone try other EVs besides Tesla? Also, curious the thoughts of waiting a couple more years for lots more choices to be available.

Click to expand...

Others like Leaf also have long term record but their battery power management is 3-5 years behind Tesla. With a 55KW battery the SR+ gets 240 miles. The same in other car manufactures gets 30% less.

But one would say that even 170 miles should be enough for daily driving. Unfortunately what no one tells you upfront is that to keep the long term health of the battery it is best that you charge to only 80% on a regular basis and not let it get down below 10%. That is another 30% down at 120 miles. And if you drive at 80 miles/hour or live in extremely cold climate the battery will give even less mileage each day. Who wants a 80 mile per charge car.

Moral of the story: Buy the longest range you can afford. If you wish wait for another 2 years to see if longer range batteries will come by.

[StarTrekDoc]

@Kamban hit it squarely on the head as far as the battery tech.   Tesla has the longest experience in high capacity battery usage and utilization.   They routinely say charge to 80% and make it a point.   At first Tesla wasn't interested so much in efficiency but that changed dramatically with the Model 3 when they changed both battery AND motor technology and started crushing the tech.   Nothing out there really has the combination of efficiency, range, and performance that Tesla has at this time.

Bolt has efficiency, but not styling nor performance.    Etron has performance, but efficiency/range suffers dramatically.    Leaf has some range, some efficiency some performance, but Jacks to Tesla Aces --- but at 1/2 the price too.

In truth, anything electric will cost less to maintain than any ICE vehicle.  The issue is the range and anxiety it may cause if you push the range limits.

[Marko-ER]

?tion:  If you buy a PHEV like a chevy VOLT and use it mostly in electric-only mode, do you get most of the benefits of the electric as in lower gas bills & less wear-tear/maintenance of the IC engine?  Plus the benefit of range when you need it?  I guess the down-side is the complexity of the system and with the smaller battery, I bet it wears out more quickly.

[Kamban]

Marko-ER wrote:

I guess the down-side is the complexity of the system and with the smaller battery, I bet it wears out more quickly.

Click to expand...

You get the complexity and repair costs with not much additional benefit. Battery for plug in is never as good mileage as it is claimed. Better to just buy ICE or EV. Some non plug-in hybrids like Prius might be worth it. But the plug ins are much more expensive for what they deliver.

[StarTrekDoc]

Volt carries a decent sized battery and local hauling.  It has the all EV mode and sure does offer the safetynet of the ICE for distances.   It was a good option for transitioning to total EV.  Most travel these days round trip is <300miles.  We go up from San Diego to Downtown LA without issue roundtrip on our Tesla 3.

 

Volt is a good car, but it's really tiny inside IMHO and dated.  But a good car.  There's really no other option like it.  Prius Prime is NOT an alternative either -- worse than Volt.

[Lordosis]

Sometimes my laptop or phone would say I have 15-20% battery left and then without warning power down due to low battery.

I have yet to own an EV but to those that do; How accurate are the power meters?  Can you rely on the last 10 miles to get home?

I have pushed several cars beyond E and lived to tell the tale.

https://youtu.be/TuEdU_lrtZk

[StarTrekDoc]

Loved that episode - Thelma/Louise ---you cut off the ending though! 

- Pushed our 500e to 2 miles ;  Tesla 3 got down to 15 miles .    My understanding is 0 is 0.   Either jumped from 10 to 2 or anything like that.   By the time you're <25you're already doing the hypermileing thing - no AC, no heated seats ginger on the gas.

 

[chaudock]

In Nov 2016 I took my 3 month old, 200 mi range Tesla X(60) to Vegas from Orange County, CA.  There were only 3 Supercharging stations outside of OC on the way to there in 2016: Rancho Cucamonga, Barstow & Primm.  On the way to Vegas I was hitting 80-85mph(sometimes a bit more)and  I made 2 quick stops(30 min) at Barstow and Primm to supercharge. When 'calculated' the efficiency of the meter reading,  I noted about 75% efficiency between the meter reading and the actual mile I was able to drive.

So, on the way back to the OC, I had also planned on stopping at Primm, then Barstow for the recharge.  While charging at Primm I punched in the next destination to Barstow.  There was a big 'X' on it and wouldn't calculate the estimated time of arrival.  When I called Tesla they told me that the Superchargers at Barstow were all down for the next 2-3 days!  The next station was Rancho Cucamonga which was about 182 miles away!  My Tesla X had a 200 mi range & from my 75% efficiency calculation, I could only drive about 150 miles at full charge.  I was essentially stuck in the dessert!  I was ready to call and pay for the tow where ever the Tesla ran out of miles for me.  But, I was able to make it back to Rancho Cucamonga Supercharger, with about 20 miles to spare, driving 55-60 mph in the right lane.

Another time in town, I was able to pushed it down to 5 miles.

At least for the Tesla, it's pretty accurate.

I'll be returning the 200 mi TX next week & pick up the 310 mi T3.  I will no longer have supercharging anxiety driving to SD or LA!

[ENT Doc]

Longest thread ever

[beagler]

Could've turned off the AC and drafted a semi to extend range!

[Marko-ER]

Ha for those who want to compare PHEV to pure EV.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIGrTCcnUSY

 

Straightpipes, I like these guys!  But probably too 'millenial' for the rest of y'all.

[burritos]

Marko-ER wrote:

Ha for those who want to compare PHEV to pure EV.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIGrTCcnUSY

 

Straightpipes, I like these guys!  But probably too ‘millenial’ for the rest of y’all.

Click to expand...

These guys are hilarious. As a proud gen xer, I love millennials.

[treesrock]

I love the Straight Pipes.  Except that their channel makes me want to buy a $100k plus station wagon.  If they call it the best car in the world it must be awesome.

[adventure]

StarTrekDoc wrote:

Loved that episode – Thelma/Louise —you cut off the ending though!

– Pushed our 500e to 2 miles ;  Tesla 3 got down to 15 miles .    My understanding is 0 is 0.   Either jumped from 10 to 2 or anything like that.   By the time you’re <25you’re already doing the hypermileing thing – no AC, no heated seats ginger on the gas.

 

Click to expand...

I finally was able to hit "turtle mode" (essentially 0) in our Leaf. Managed to do it 1 block from home, so all was OK.

We had some range anxiety in the beginning, but none/not much now. With a gas car, I never actually knew how much further I could go - with the electric car, I can know very accurately, and (this was my Aha! moment) I need to get home with 0%. Not "slightly above 'E', just 0, then I can charge it up. It helps not to have to factor in a few more miles to the gas station tomorrow morning before we leave again.

 

[Lordosis]

Anyone want to make a prediction on what year the US will have more EVs then ICEs???