Living with an Electric Car - Engineering Explained

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Couple things on this review.

Car play is a connection only service. You don't get wireless car play from anyone I know of. The disco/ reconnect seems to be a leaf thing.

The leaf has the worst range estimation of any electric I've driven - its like rolling dice.

All hybrids have a regen transition on the brake pedal before you hit the foundation brakes. They all feel like stepping on a chunk of tofu.

UD
 
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His complaint with the Apple Car Play was that you had to disconnect and re-connect it to get it to connect to the vehicle instead of just doing it, itself via the software automatically. Which when he shows how this works is stupid.
 
I also explained via the YouTube channel comments that it would make no sense for those not doing a short commute to work / back or just using it for grocery getting. Those of us that need longer range because of longer travel distances and that live in really cold climates most of the year will suffer from far decreased range both by the batteries being cold and the heater gobbling up the available power.

Until there is 500 mile range at $30,000 USD with batteries that last a full 10 years with minimal decrease in range it's not going to happen for most folks. Especially considering you can burn a lot of gas for that difference in price now and you can fill it in minutes and not hours and hours.

The Leaf is also stupid with its air cooled batteries as he points out why going through the manual. That's just stupid and short-sighted on Nissan's part.
 
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Here I was hoping to see discussion on the vehicle and it's electric characteristics...... instead of Carplay.......
 
Originally Posted by Sunnyinhollister
Love my Bolt. The Volt was probably the best all around plug in, the first generation Leaf was not so great.

Yeah the volt was something GM did right for sure. Sure as heck beats the Ugly Prius, especially the latest one.
 
Originally Posted by StevieC
Until there is 500 mile range at $30,000 USD with batteries that last a full 10 years with minimal decrease in range it's not going to happen for most folks. Especially considering you can burn a lot of gas for that difference in price now and you can fill it in minutes and not hours and hours.
Subsidies are the only way to get people to buy them, IIRC Teslas had ridiculous subsidies when they debuted.
 
And even with the government gibs programs, uptake is abysmal. The future fetishers and market speculators are all out to lunch on the EV timetable, mostly due to not understanding how the technical and logistical challenges work.
 
Originally Posted by StevieC
Until there is 500 mile range at $30,000 USD with batteries that last a full 10 years with minimal decrease in range it's not going to happen for most folks.


Battery capacity and range aren't going to fix it...

The things that people think that they want (range) means that firstly they needlessly suck up resources for the battery. By needlessly, I man that they will not be using the full capacity regularly. It's silly to build a 500 mile battery then use 100 miles of it nearly every day.

Coupled with that is dragging that battery around the majority of the time.

Then there's the recharge time...bigger battery, longer recharge...less utility.

So I agree with his premise...have one of each.
 
The average car in the USA is 12 years old. ( I'm not talking about original buyers or lessors here). Even if you stopped production of IC vehicles today, it would probably be 10 years before half the IC cars were gone. ,
 
Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
The average car in the USA is 12 years old. ( I'm not talking about original buyers or lessors here). Even if you stopped production of IC vehicles today, it would probably be 10 years before half the IC cars were gone. ,


And in the warm climates like California, where they're pushing for ever higher mpg standards, the average age of cars is what, like 11.3 years.
They would be so much further ahead by incenting the decommissioning of anything older than 10 years.
In fuel savings and lower emissions.
 
Originally Posted by Shannow
Originally Posted by StevieC
Until there is 500 mile range at $30,000 USD with batteries that last a full 10 years with minimal decrease in range it's not going to happen for most folks.


Battery capacity and range aren't going to fix it...

The things that people think that they want (range) means that firstly they needlessly suck up resources for the battery. By needlessly, I man that they will not be using the full capacity regularly. It's silly to build a 500 mile battery then use 100 miles of it nearly every day.

Coupled with that is dragging that battery around the majority of the time.

Then there's the recharge time...bigger battery, longer recharge...less utility.

So I agree with his premise...have one of each.
I think it would be like a power tool battery. There would be different capacities for different costs. The "city" model might only have 100 km range but be really cheap or be able to charge off a simple 110v outlet or something like that. Might be geared towards car share or used as campus vehicles, a glorified golf cart. Then you could have higher range with fast charge capability for a higher cost or something.

It is hard to make one model that does everything, but as the concept matures that may change. However, having a limited capacity with a long charge time will always relegate them to second vehicle status if you can't depend on them. They really need to have modular batteries so you can have one that is charged and ready to go if you need it.
 
^^^ This as a secondary. I am one who would need the 500 mile range because of the miles I do in a cold climate most of the year.
 
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I had a friend at GM that daily drove a Volt. This was a perk because GM had 32 EV chargers in the parking lot at the Powertrain HQ. I asked him how it did on electric-only range on a cold, snowy morning. He said the battery was good for 11 miles when he had to run the heater, window defrosters, lights, and windshield wipers.
 
I have a 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV - full electric. Bought it in 2015 with 2600 miles on it for $8200. Original sticker was $36k. Ouch..... Many of these cars were leased, since they did not sell well at all. My car was put in service in March, 2014. I like how quick it is, the torque is there right from the first turn of the motor. My employer has chargers, so I drive for free. This past September my battery went bad - 19,000 miles on it. Mitsubishi paid $9200 total per the dealer to put a new battery in it. They should have just cut me a check for the car, it would have been cheaper! My range is 70-80 miles when it is not cold. The heater reduces range by around 50%. I actually parked it a few weeks ago, jumped one of my 1996 Accords for a good heater. I like the car, will likely sell it before the 10 year battery warranty is up in 2024. I drive around 20 miles per day, so it works for my commute. I enjoy tinkering on cars, so in that way this car is so dull. Just wash it and check the air pressure in the tires. I would never buy a new one. I enjoy the smell of engines too much, but I could not pass up this deal.......

It is funny how people in pick up trucks especially HATE my car. I have seen people spin their tires, flip me off, race the engine. I guess they assume I am a greenie weenie. I am not. I give them a thumbs up and they get this confused look on their face. HA HA HA.

Dutch
 
Originally Posted by DutchBrad
I have a 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV - full electric. Bought it in 2015 with 2600 miles on it for $8200. Original sticker was $36k. Ouch..... Many of these cars were leased, since they did not sell well at all. My car was put in service in March, 2014. I like how quick it is, the torque is there right from the first turn of the motor. My employer has chargers, so I drive for free. This past September my battery went bad - 19,000 miles on it. Mitsubishi paid $9200 total per the dealer to put a new battery in it. They should have just cut me a check for the car, it would have been cheaper! My range is 70-80 miles when it is not cold. The heater reduces range by around 50%. I actually parked it a few weeks ago, jumped one of my 1996 Accords for a good heater. I like the car, will likely sell it before the 10 year battery warranty is up in 2024. I drive around 20 miles per day, so it works for my commute. I enjoy tinkering on cars, so in that way this car is so dull. Just wash it and check the air pressure in the tires. I would never buy a new one. I enjoy the smell of engines too much, but I could not pass up this deal.......

It is funny how people in pick up trucks especially HATE my car. I have seen people spin their tires, flip me off, race the engine. I guess they assume I am a greenie weenie. I am not. I give them a thumbs up and they get this confused look on their face. HA HA HA.

Dutch


I am not a greenie either, but I can't stand this type of macho behavior. Grow up, please!
 
Great video as it clearly hit the nail on the head with regards to market uptake which is that people who would most benefit from using EV generally do not have convenient method to recharge their cars.

Who are these people?

Apartment/Condo dwellers. People who live in small garage-free/1-car garage single family homes located near/inside cities.
 
Nissan gave this guy a Leaf to drive around for several months. That's the problem with most of these YouTube reviewers. You can tell he is down playing the main issues of charging and having a second vehicle.
They also always mention low maintenance costs, but skip how these things hold up long term. What is the projected life for these vehicles? The expectation for any gasoline powered vehicle is 150k-200k miles.
 
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Originally Posted by gregk24
Originally Posted by DutchBrad
I have a 2012 Mitsubishi i-MiEV - full electric. Bought it in 2015 with 2600 miles on it for $8200. Original sticker was $36k. Ouch..... Many of these cars were leased, since they did not sell well at all. My car was put in service in March, 2014. I like how quick it is, the torque is there right from the first turn of the motor. My employer has chargers, so I drive for free. This past September my battery went bad - 19,000 miles on it. Mitsubishi paid $9200 total per the dealer to put a new battery in it. They should have just cut me a check for the car, it would have been cheaper! My range is 70-80 miles when it is not cold. The heater reduces range by around 50%. I actually parked it a few weeks ago, jumped one of my 1996 Accords for a good heater. I like the car, will likely sell it before the 10 year battery warranty is up in 2024. I drive around 20 miles per day, so it works for my commute. I enjoy tinkering on cars, so in that way this car is so dull. Just wash it and check the air pressure in the tires. I would never buy a new one. I enjoy the smell of engines too much, but I could not pass up this deal.......

It is funny how people in pick up trucks especially HATE my car. I have seen people spin their tires, flip me off, race the engine. I guess they assume I am a greenie weenie. I am not. I give them a thumbs up and they get this confused look on their face. HA HA HA.

Dutch


I am not a greenie either, but I can't stand this type of macho behavior. Grow up, please!


You do not have to be a greenie. Just drive a small car like a Geo Metro.
 
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