Wife thinks next vehicle should be an EV.

[Torrid]

In Dec 2018, we got the Model 3 Mid Range almost on a lark. I had had foot surgery and could not test drive the car. It was really for wifey. After we got the car, Sue and I were driving around the neighborhood, checking out various charging locations. Los Gatos library had free charging; downtown had a large Supercharger network in a back shopping center. Then we were driving in a Kaiser hospital clinic; there were a bunch of chargers. I had a flash of the obvious; this was doable. But I was still on the ICE fill up state of mind. When you are on the road, you charge to your destination; basically top off what you need to get home or wherever. Over time you lose that range anxiety, or at least it lessens. I have never Supercharged for more than 15 minutes. Basically check your cell messages and/or grab a coffee.

Then as you get more used to EV ownership, you realize starting out every day with a full charge is pretty dang great. And no stopping a expensive gas stations, driving out of your way to save on gas price. How often do you drive 150+ miles per day?

Now, I have solar panels and lotsa sunny days, so our use case is perfect for an EV. Certainly each use case is gonna be different. I love the driving; these cars are fun!
I want a Ludicrous. This car holds a lot of promise!

Sounds like we both have our wives to thank!

 

[Ws6]

They just need service. Which of course adds cost. I had a 2004 GTO with the auto and it was solid and worked perfectly at 110k miles. It had 3 fluid changes by then though. Automatic transmission service is the last thing on the average owner's mind though. It's what kills me about buying used with any amount of miles on it.

I still don't love automatics. My DSG twin clutch is some really cool tech, but if it's got to burn fuel I'd rather have a manual in most cases. I guess really the DSG is an automated manual, so it doesn't have the same torque converter automatic issues that tend to arise.

I serviced them. Sadly some were used, and had 60-100K miles on them by the time I bought them, so that killed them, but meh. I just hate slushboxes, although I admit the ZF8 is pretty legit. DCT's, I am not fond of.

 

[Astro_Guy]

Tell her that once Arizona gets off coal and natural gas, you’re all over it.

View attachment 215452

Not sure what your point is here but it seems rather obvious that you have limited undestanding of electrical generation. Nuclear and Coal are base load fuels best run at 100% capacity. That's 39% of capacity according to your graphic. Natural gas is a peaking supply option. You can start one of these plants with the push of a button and have 100% capacity in twenty minutes. You can easily throttle these plants too. At present they are necessary to offset the unpredictable nature of wind and solar. One would think that Arizona could potentially generate a lot of solar power, but you would still need natural gas to cover your needs on a cloudy day or at night.

 

[demarpaint]

I've gone through multiple transmissions and an engine once. You put 100K miles on most automatics and they're toast, or at best have some tq converter judder or some other annoyance in my experience.

I've gone well over 100k miles with more cars than I can remember, in NY with tons of stop and go, and have yet to replace one. I bet there are a lot of people that passed me up on that claim. FTR I now recall I was given a 1970 Maverick with a transmission that shifted from 1-3 all the time skipping second gear. It had over 100 K on it, at the time a transmission rebuilt cost $300. It will be a very long time, perhaps decades before tens of millions of EV' cross the 15-20 year mark to prove themselves to put these discussions to rest.

 

[Astro14]

I've gone through multiple transmissions and an engine once. You put 100K miles on most automatics and they're toast, or at best have some tq converter judder or some other annoyance in my experience.

That’s really surprising, and I don’t think it is typical.

I’ve taken several cars over 200,000. A couple have hit 300,000. Right now, today, the v70XC has 300,000. The XC90 has 248,000. The 2002 V70T5 has 220,000. All of them bought used.

Not one transmission failure. Not one.

No judder. No poor shifting. Automatic transmissions last about forever, in my experience.

To be fair, three of them, the 2001-2002 Volvos, got valve body work early in their lives. That early intervention precluded later problems. The 2000-2002 AW-55 transmission was known for valve body issues. But intervention, with the transmission still in the car, is not a “failure”. The frictions and all the rest of internals were untouched.

 

[demarpaint]

That’s really surprising, and I don’t think it is typical.

I’ve taken several cars over 200,000. A couple have hit 300,000. Right now, today, the v70XC has 300,000. The XC90 has 248,000. The 2002 V70T5 has 220,000. All of them bought used.

Not one transmission failure. Not one.

No judder. No poor shifting. Automatic transmissions last about forever, in my experience.

To be fair, three of them, the 2001-2002 Volvos, got valve body work early in their lives. That early intervention precluded later problems. The 2000-2002 AW-55 transmission was known for valve body issues. But intervention, with the transmission still in the car, is not a “failure”. The frictions and all the rest of internals were untouched.

Same here, in fact a few of them had transmissions that were what some considered to be failure prone. My BIL has a 2007 Town and Country with 300K miles on the original engine and transmission, he commutes from L.I. to N.J. 5 days a week. It's still going strong, but has some body rot.

 

[Torrid]

Same here, in fact a few of them had transmissions that were what some considered to be failure prone. My BIL has a 2007 Town and Country with 300K miles on the original engine and transmission, he commutes from L.I. to N.J. 5 days a week. It's still going strong, but has some body rot.

I’ve lost one transmission and one engine in 20+ years of driving. It’s really not common in my experience either. Both were around 110k miles and older vehicles I bought. I don’t know how the previous owners maintained them.

 

[Ws6]

I’ve lost one transmission and one engine in 20+ years of driving. It’s really not common in my experience either. Both were around 110k miles and older vehicles I bought. I don’t know how the previous owners maintained them.

Mustang 5.0, 1988, transmission died. It had set up for 2 years though, so not shocked.

1993 p71 interceptor. Never died, but wouldnt shift under wot so well.

2002 g20 infiniti. Complete catastrophic failure at 115k miles. I had the fluid changed at 110k miles, so my fault.

2010 jeep grand Cherokee. Fluid changed at 68k miles. Tq converter judder ever since. No actual failure though.

 

[AZjeff]

Tell her that once Arizona gets off coal and natural gas, you’re all over it.

Huh? Source of electricity has never entered a conversation we've had about EVs. The EV owners on BITOG never mention source of the electricity they're using. (Except JeffK bragging about his solar farm. )

 

[AZjeff]

Mustang 5.0, 1988, transmission died. It had set up for 2 years though, so not shocked.

1993 p71 interceptor. Never died, but wouldnt shift under wot so well.

2002 g20 infiniti. Complete catastrophic failure at 115k miles. I had the fluid changed at 110k miles, so my fault.

2010 jeep grand Cherokee. Fluid changed at 68k miles. Tq converter judder ever since. No actual failure though.

Shouldn't this conversation start when EVs became a real buying choice like maybe when Teslas became available for real? The Model S in 2012?

 

[Snagglefoot]

Huh? Source of electricity has never entered a conversation we've had about EVs. The EV owners on BITOG never mention source of the electricity they're using. (Except JeffK bragging about his solar farm. )

I beg to differ. I have posted electricity sources many times. Go ahead and search the postings. California gets most of it power from burning natural gas.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Huh? Source of electricity has never entered a conversation we've had about EVs. The EV owners on BITOG never mention source of the electricity they're using. (Except JeffK bragging about his solar farm. )

Sometimes you get lucky. But the PG&E electricity prices around made solar a no-brainer. Of course the benefits have changed... I love my solar. I gassed up my friend's 2002 Silverado today @ $5.29 per gallon at the cheapie station. That's about what I pay for electricity for a year. Actually thee are other associated costs, so it might be $15 per month, not sure. Who cares?

Again, sometimes you get lucky.

 

[BigJohn]

Here's my two cents... EV's are the biggest scam on the planet.

That being said, I wish every car in LA, NY, Chicago.. etc, should only be an EV. The air pollution there is horrific.

Besides big cities, EV's are a complete joke. In the western US, you don't have to look far for a full-on, water-head human.... they are sitting at a Tesla charging station for 2+ hours.... in the middle of the day. It starts to get interesting when the temps are above 100 degrees in July. They strip down to their shorts and lay on Picnic tables while their $80k auto charges.

I live right next to a rail line that runs east to west. Every other line of cars is full of coal.... Locally, we call that EV fuel. If you are in California, 60%+ of your electricity is produced by burning Nat Gas. You have your head up your poop hole if you really think your EV is saving the planet.

One more... 60%+ of these EV's are made of plastic.... oh yeah... that is fossil fuels.

And OMG... I haven't even started on the whole Lithium mining and waste aspect.....

Now... With my rant delivered.... I would seriously consider a Plug-in Hybrid. The new Ford PU... Maveric, I think... Is high on my list. I could commute all year without burning a single gallon of gas. I could also drive to my grandchildren, who are over 1,000 miles away... and never have to strip naked on a park bench in July while my EV charges in 105 degree temps.

 

[AZjeff]

Made 5 pages before the rants finally begin. To be clear, EV in the case of this thread includes EV, HEV, PHEV.

I beg to differ. I have posted electricity sources many times. Go ahead and search the postings. California gets most of it power from burning natural gas.

You own an EV of some flavor? EV owners don't go on about what is used to make their electricity. They go on about charging at home, not going to gas stations, how fast they are, cheap electricity, etc.

 

[Kantaro]

We're also considering a BEV as our second car. They seem to make a lot of sense for a smaller city commuter and we can charge at home, albeit likely only at L1 as I'm reserving our electrical capacity to convert to a hybrid electric hot water tank in the future. Then the home will be completely off fossil fuels, and our electricity is nearly 90% hydro so I can feel good about that too. The only thing stopping us is that most EVs look silly. So far, only the Rivian R3 has caught our interest.

I do get laugh at the huge line ups condo dwellers in their white Teslas waiting to charge everywhere we go. Some people would probably be better off with a hybrid of some sort as their only vehicle.

 

[Sedin26]

Sometimes you get lucky. But the PG&E electricity prices around made solar a no-brainer. Of course the benefits have changed... I love my solar. I gassed up my friend's 2002 Silverado today @ $5.29 per gallon at the cheapie station. That's about what I pay for electricity for a year. Actually thee are other associated costs, so it might be $15 per month, not sure. Who cares?

Again, sometimes you get lucky.

Maybe a bit of luck but I’d be inclined to say you did the research, pulled the trigger, and now get to enjoy the benefits of your decision.
I imagine it’s immensely satisfying charging an EV at home with your own solar.

 

[Sedin26]

We're also considering a BEV as our second car. They seem to make a lot of sense for a smaller city commuter and we can charge at home, albeit likely only at L1 as I'm reserving our electrical capacity to convert to a hybrid electric hot water tank in the future. Then the home will be completely off fossil fuels, and our electricity is nearly 90% hydro so I can feel good about that too. The only thing stopping us is that most EVs look silly. So far, only the Rivian R3 has caught our interest.

I do get laugh at the huge line ups condo dwellers in their white Teslas waiting to charge everywhere we go. Some people would probably be better off with a hybrid of some sort as their only vehicle.

Are you right up against the limit with your current electrical service?

You can get 120v heat pump water heaters now, which work well if you don’t have high demand. Even a 240v model can be put in on a 25 amp breaker. You can control the timing of your charging so you might find it better to have a decent sized L2 charger and charge overnight instead of using L1.

 

[Ws6]

Shouldn't this conversation start when EVs became a real buying choice like maybe when Teslas became available for real? The Model S in 2012?

I guess. I stopped keeping cars for very long around that time, though. One of my friends had her 2013 Dodge 1500 have issues at 30K miles, lost the trans, her friend had an SRT8 Charger do the same. A family member had one in their 1500 take a dump at around 60K miles. I dunno, autos are just problematic. All those tiny passageways and clutches and solenoids. They don't seem to hold up well in my experience. EV is just a reduction motor. Of course I only have 40K miles on EV's at present, so I don't know yet how it will go for me.

 

[dogememe]

I guess. I stopped keeping cars for very long around that time, though. One of my friends had her 2013 Dodge 1500 have issues at 30K miles, lost the trans, her friend had an SRT8 Charger do the same. A family member had one in their 1500 take a dump at around 60K miles. I dunno, autos are just problematic. All those tiny passageways and clutches and solenoids. They don't seem to hold up well in my experience. EV is just a reduction motor. Of course I only have 40K miles on EV's at present, so I don't know yet how it will go for me.

I have high hopes for my Bolt. Hope to keep it well beyond 100K. But with how little I drive anymore I don’t know how long it’ll take to get there haha. How much do you drive?

 

[Ws6]

I have high hopes for my Bolt. Hope to keep it well beyond 100K. But with how little I drive anymore I don’t know how long it’ll take to get there haha. How much do you drive?

25k mi/year