What Electric Vehicle should I get?

[Nysoz]

Thanks. So what do you use to connect the Tesla to the NEMA 14-50 outlet. Do you just use the portable charger that comes with the car?

Also how do you orchestrate the after 12:15 am charging? Is there some way to set a timer?

Yeah the mobile charger comes with the car and the standard 5-15 plug adapter. You have to get the 14-50 adapter from the website.

The car charging settings can schedule charging at certain times for cheaper rates if you have that in your area.

[AR]

Yeah the mobile charger comes with the car and the standard 5-15 plug adapter. You have to get the 14-50 adapter from the website.

The car charging settings can schedule charging at certain times for cheaper rates if you have that in your area.

So let's say you are one of those people who likes to have the portable charger in the car for emergencies. What do you do:

A. But a second portable charger and adapter
B. Just use the portable charger that came with the car and put it in your trunk after each use
C. Get a wall charger (but no 14-50 outlet).
D. None of the above/something else

[burritos]

I don't do that either. I think both groups are nuts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3temT1kGck

Me this AM. Been going down this for 20+ years. I call it my my dementia prophylaxis:

https://cycling.today/cycling-can-he...ays-new-study/

But yeah, in my experience MTBing is more hazardous.

[White.Beard.Doc]

Thanks. So what do you use to connect the Tesla to the NEMA 14-50 outlet. Do you just use the portable charger that comes with the car?

Also how do you orchestrate the after 12:15 am charging? Is there some way to set a timer?

Tesla sells adapters for all types of outlets. The regular USA 110 outlet adapter comes with the cars these days. You purchase the adapter for the 14-50 outlet. I paid $35 for that adapter. In the old days, the vehicles came with both 110 and 14-50 adapters, but no longer. I also carry an adapter in the vehicle that will allow me to plug the Tesla into a J1772 charger. I have never needed it, but I felt it would be good to have it should I need to charge at a non-Tesla charging station. When you stop at a Tesla supercharger, there is no equipment needed for charging as you simply plug the cable on the supercharger into your vehicle.

As far as timing of charging, you can set charging to start right away when you plug in, or you can schedule time of day charging. We leave the time of day charging on at all times, so each vehicle will automatically start charging at 12:15 am. On a light use day, the vehicle may charge for minutes, and on a heavy use day, the vehicle will charge for several hours.

Owning an EV is a mind shift. In an ICE, you drive all week and then go to the gas station to fill up. An EV is more analogous to owning a cell phone. Every night, overnight, you recharge to full. At this point in time, it is quite inconvenient to own an EV if you don't have access to charging where you park every night. If I lived in an apartment without access to charging, I would be hesitant to buy an EV. Since we have charging at home, owning an EV is more convenient than an ICE vehicle more than 99% of the time. On long trips, an EV may be a bit less convenient than an ICE, but on our last long weekend out of town, we had one supercharger stop for about 20 minutes on the way home while we took a potty break. The 400+ mile range of the Model S definitely helps with that, so be cognizant of the range of the vehicle you purchase with respect to how you plan to use it.

[AR]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3temT1kGck

Me this AM. Been going down this for 20+ years. I call it my my dementia prophylaxis:

https://cycling.today/cycling-can-he...ays-new-study/

But yeah, in my experience MTBing is more hazardous.

Can't you just go running? Same dementia prophylaxis, and I assume quite a bit safer.

[AR]

Tesla sells adapters for all types of outlets. The regular USA 110 outlet adapter comes with the cars these days. You purchase the adapter for the 14-50 outlet. I paid $35 for that adapter. In the old days, the vehicles came with both 110 and 14-50 adapters, but no longer. I also carry an adapter in the vehicle that will allow me to plug the Tesla into a J1772 charger. I have never needed it, but I felt it would be good to have it should I need to charge at a non-Tesla charging station. When you stop at a Tesla supercharger, there is no equipment needed for charging as you simply plug the cable on the supercharger into your vehicle.

As far as timing of charging, you can set charging to start right away when you plug in, or you can schedule time of day charging. We leave the time of day charging on at all times, so each vehicle will automatically start charging at 12:15 am. On a light use day, the vehicle may charge for minutes, and on a heavy use day, the vehicle will charge for several hours.

Owning an EV is a mind shift. In an ICE, you drive all week and then go to the gas station to fill up. An EV is more analogous to owning a cell phone. Every night, overnight, you recharge to full. At this point in time, it is quite inconvenient to own an EV if you don't have access to charging where you park every night. If I lived in an apartment without access to charging, I would be hesitant to buy an EV. Since we have charging at home, owning an EV is more convenient than an ICE vehicle more than 99% of the time. On long trips, an EV may be a bit less convenient than an ICE, but on our last long weekend out of town, we had one supercharger stop for about 20 minutes on the way home while we took a potty break. The 400+ mile range of the Model S definitely helps with that, so be cognizant of the range of the vehicle you purchase with respect to how you plan to use it.

Thanks for the info.

So just for clarification, you charge your car with the portable charger that came with it plus the $35 adapter that you got.

[burritos]

Can't you just go running? Same dementia prophylaxis, and I assume quite a bit safer.

If cycling is scary to you, then being a pedestrian should be also scary:

https://www.ghsa.org/resources/news-...ght-Addendum21

Unless you are talking about treadmilling. In which case, make sure you don't have any kids:

https://www.wired.com/story/peloton-treadmill-recall/

[AR]

If cycling is scary to you, then being a pedestrian should be also scary:

https://www.ghsa.org/resources/news-...ght-Addendum21

Unless you are talking about treadmilling. In which case, make sure you don't have any kids:

https://www.wired.com/story/peloton-treadmill-recall/

Yeah, I only run on a treadmill. But you could run on a dedicated trail with no cars around.

Being a pedestrian is scary though, but not as scary to me (I couldn't get your first link to work).

I also don't have that treadmill. Mine has killed zero children.

[Nysoz]

So let's say you are one of those people who likes to have the portable charger in the car for emergencies. What do you do:

A. But a second portable charger and adapter
B. Just use the portable charger that came with the car and put it in your trunk after each use
C. Get a wall charger (but no 14-50 outlet).
D. None of the above/something else

The only time you may need the portable charger is on long road trips. Driving around town you’ll never need it.

Chargers are also so prevalent now (download the PlugShare app and see where all the chargers are) so the likelihood of needing to use the mobile charger are slim. That said, I just bring the mobile charger with me on road trips if absolutely in a bind. So I’m option B but only on road trips.

Other people do the same as me, or choose option A/C. But the wall charger is essentially the same price as a second mobile charger so most would opt with C unless their situation was specific like needing to charge other EVs or an RV or something.

[Kamban]

If I remember correctly, I think you said #1 is undesirable because of a fire hazard (low risk) or something like that.

I don't want that. So if I get the 14-50 outlet and I don't want a fire hazard (or I want to keep the small connector in the car for emergencies, which isn't actually true for me) then what would I buy to connect the car to the outlet? It sounds like you are saying that the thing I would want to buy is no longer sold directly by Tesla.

The constant act of plugg/unplugging the supplied charger to the 14-50 is a fire hazard. So the options are to do it infrequently ( long road trips), keep it constantly plugged in or buy a second one to keep in the car.

[Kamban]

So let's say you are one of those people who likes to have the portable charger in the car for emergencies. What do you do:

A. But a second portable charger and adapter
B. Just use the portable charger that came with the car and put it in your trunk after each use
C. Get a wall charger (but no 14-50 outlet).
D. None of the above/something else

This is more of a personality issue - are you a fly by the seat of your pants person or a server data redundancy person who makes sure that you have everything covered, within reason.

I take some risks when buying equities or some overseas travel but for things like vehicles used daily I like some redundancy. A Tesla is not like a gas vehicle where if gas runs low/out you can crawl to a gas station, carry gas in a can or call AAA. Having a charger that you can at least plug into a 110V circuit will get some charge in a few hours to get to a place where you can juice up. It may be rare but one emergency is all it takes to make one a convert and it will cost much less than that emergency.

Tesla is not selling anymore the corded wall connector but they are selling the corded version of a mobile connector for $400 or one similar to the one that comes with your car for $275. I think both come with a 30% fed tax credit and so the overall cost is $200-280. For me, spending that much for peace of mind is worth it. Others may have a different opinion.

Whatever you do, don't do option 2. That is what causes fires and outlet meltdown.

[burritos]

Yeah, I only run on a treadmill. But you could run on a dedicated trail with no cars around.

Being a pedestrian is scary though, but not as scary to me (I couldn't get your first link to work).

I also don't have that treadmill. Mine has killed zero children.

Projected fatality rate for people walking spiked 21% for largest ever year-over-year increase as dangerous driving and traffic violence plagued U.S. roads

WASHINGTON, D.C. – New data from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) projects that 2020 had the largest ever annual increase in the rate at which drivers struck and killed people on foot. What drove this surge? The likely culprits are dangerous driving like speeding, drunk and drugged driving, and distraction, which were rampant on U.S. roads during the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with infrastructure issues that have prioritized the movement of motor vehicles over walking and bicycling for many years.

In March, GHSA offered a preview of state and national pedestrian traffic deaths for the first six months of 2020 based on preliminary data reported by the State Highway Safety Offices (SHSOs) in all 50 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.). The report warned that while there were fewer drivers on the road, pedestrians remained at increased risk of being struck and killed by a vehicle. The new Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State: 2020 Preliminary Data Addendum, released today, provides the first look at projected pedestrian fatalities for the full year using additional preliminary data provided by the SHSOs.

GHSA projects there were 6,721 pedestrian deaths in 2020 – a 4.8% increase from the 6,412 fatalities reported by SHSOs the year before. Factoring in a 13.2% decrease in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in 2020, the pedestrian fatality rate was 2.3 per billion VMT, a shocking and unprecedented 21% increase from 1.9 in 2019. This projection is the largest ever annual increase in the pedestrian death rate since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) was established in 1975.

https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=7677067

Strangulation of children seems scary to me. We have a fancy treadmill. Not a fan. I like being outside despite it inherent risks.

[Marko-ER]

I keep vacillating, but with the new tax incentives if they pass and if your garage/lifestyle vibes with it, the new Ford F150 full-size lightening truck is going to be hard to beat in base version. 40K, minus FordX incentives (which dealers *have to* pass along), minus the new union-built up-front tax credit = price under 28K for the base Pro version. That's super low price/great value for what you get, more than competitive with the 35K+ base version ICE F150. Plus the killer feature = vehicle-to-load, you can use your vehicle to power your house! My only gripe is with those vinyl seats, if I can upgrade to cloth, I would be banging my head against my local Ford dealers' door to be first in line.

[Nysoz]

Last time I checked retail buyers can’t get a base model electric f150. Base model was for fleet/commercial buyers only. I think my brother said when he looked into it the price was like $60-70k with the options he wanted.

Then since you’re locked into the dealership model with Ford, dealerships can add any type of dealership fee they want. I think I saw a dealer with a rav 4 prime in California with a markup of $40k over msrp.

https://www.torquenews.com/6626/cont...eave-fans-torn

[Gamma Knives]

I am curious what the tax incentives will look like if they pass. As my income will likely make me ineligible, I feel disincentivized to buy a car that is eligible. I don't want to pay $7500 - $12,500 more than most consumers for the same product. Talk about a major initial depreciation.