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  1. #81
    I ordered a Model 3 about 10 days after Moonpie. Hasn't come in yet, not sure when that will happen (the original timeframe was "3 to 13 weeks"). I've done the test drive and spoken at length to friends who have Teslas, so I have at least a little idea what to expect. I have the fast charger (not the supercharger; this gives you about 45 miles of charge per hour) already installed in my garage, so if anybody driving through the Philadelphia area needs a "fillup," all you have to do is figure out where I live.

  2. #82
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Greenville, SC
    Being a one car family I have questions relevant to my situation.


    Does anyone driving or considering an electric car have that car as their only vehicle? How is that working for you?

  3. #83
    Quote Originally Posted by camion View Post
    Being a one car family I have questions relevant to my situation.


    Does anyone driving or considering an electric car have that car as their only vehicle? How is that working for you?
    I am also curious about this in the context of longer road trips.

  4. #84
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Vermont
    Quote Originally Posted by Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 View Post
    I am also curious about this in the context of longer road trips.
    If I have to flee to Northern Canada on a moment's notice, I'm going to need longer range...

  5. #85
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    raleigh
    Quote Originally Posted by camion View Post
    Being a one car family I have questions relevant to my situation.


    Does anyone driving or considering an electric car have that car as their only vehicle? How is that working for you?
    as far as Ms. Pie is concerned, yes...this is my "only vehicle"...
    "One POSSIBLE future. From your point of view... I don't know tech stuff.".... Kyle Reese

  6. #86
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    raleigh
    Quote Originally Posted by Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 View Post
    I am also curious about this in the context of longer road trips.
    when you tell the car where you want to go, say...raleigh to nashville....it will compute what your charge is now, and where you SHOULD stop and top off at a super chager (many Targets have them)

    a super charger for my M3 long range will give me a full 360 mile charge is about 50 mins...so, stop, plug up, go shop, eat, nap, explore....

    not QUITE the experience of a gas station, but the cost is around $7.
    "One POSSIBLE future. From your point of view... I don't know tech stuff.".... Kyle Reese

  7. #87

    Will Let You Know and another consideration

    Quote Originally Posted by Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 View Post
    I am also curious about this in the context of longer road trips.
    Planning a drive from LA to Jackson Hole to Denver and back in my M3. Probably in August. After I got my M3 in Dec 2019 I tried out a supercharger just to try it. Car next to me in LA had Ohio license plates.

    In LA there seems to be a wave of catalytic converter thefts. Not a problem for me.

    SoCal

  8. #88
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    Dur'm
    Quote Originally Posted by SoCalDukeFan View Post
    In LA there seems to be a wave of catalytic converter thefts. Not a problem for me.
    I confess that this is one concern about my Prius Prime. It still needs a converter, and the Toyota ones seen to be very popular on the aftermarket, especially the low-use ones that would be in a car like mine. The anti-theft covers are expensive, cumbersome, and not covered by insurance. So score one for Tesla, there.

  9. #89

    Lots to say about this topic

    I am not a frequent OT peruse-er and even less so a poster but I found this topic recently and I have some experience. First of all to all who've contributed - a serious bra-vo for attempting to lead, bend the curve, etc away from fossil fuels and reduce emissions. A brief history of my bona fides:
    • 2006 got solar hot water and my first Prius after watching "An Inconventient Truth"
    • 2012 first prius hybrid battery blew a cell after being parked uncovered for 2 weeks in intense heat (just past 100k miles warranty, ~120k), replaced it with a new one
    • 2014 got at 6 kwh solar array installed on my roof (7 years next month, supposedly have hit break-even)
    • 2018 bought a Bolt EV


    There was a lot to the decision making in 2012 that's long and boring. Traded the '12 prius while it had some value and before it was out of warranty for a 2017 CR-V. Looked into PHEVs but they weren't attractive to me at the time.

    I've been super happy with my Bolt EV but haven't tried to go farther than 100 miles from home with it because of charging. Being on the (non-Tesla) cutting edge, you have to understand that while the options are growing they are a) very regional, and b) not the same as driving to a gas station. Many of the chargers I've tried to use have been broken or inaccessible (locked garage, blocked by an ICE vehicle). Until that situation is resolved, having an in-dash option to help with navigation and stops is useless. If you're counting on a charger and it's just not available then you're kinda screwed.

    As for the Bolt itself - it's not a luxury car like the Tesla but it's zippy and fun to drive. I suffer from "first model year" syndrome; there are many half-finished features or other things that have been improved since 2017. However I expect to take delivery of a 2022 Bolt EV (not EUV) in a month or so, thanks to a GM repurchase option I discovered when there was a battery recall and they took forever to fix. I'm taking advantage of their "MSRP Swap" program which takes the MSRP of my original purchase (which I did NOT pay, plus I got tax credit on top of that) and lets me pick my GM car of choice. Then someone pays the difference. In my case my OG Bolt MSRP is quite a bit more than a brand spanking new one so I am in line for a new car, warranty reset (important for the battery) and a pretty substantial check.

  10. #90
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    Dur'm
    Quote Originally Posted by jwillfan View Post
    As for the Bolt itself - it's not a luxury car like the Tesla but it's zippy and fun to drive. I suffer from "first model year" syndrome; there are many half-finished features or other things that have been improved since 2017. However I expect to take delivery of a 2022 Bolt EV (not EUV) in a month or so, thanks to a GM repurchase option I discovered when there was a battery recall and they took forever to fix. I'm taking advantage of their "MSRP Swap" program which takes the MSRP of my original purchase (which I did NOT pay, plus I got tax credit on top of that) and lets me pick my GM car of choice. Then someone pays the difference. In my case my OG Bolt MSRP is quite a bit more than a brand spanking new one so I am in line for a new car, warranty reset (important for the battery) and a pretty substantial check.
    That sounds like a great program. Please post a review here of the new model when you've had a chance to take delivery and kick the tires a little.

  11. #91
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Atlanta 'burbs
    Just curious . . . For those out there who have only 1 car, which is all electric, what is the plan for when there is a wide scale/long lasting power outage due to storms or power grid failure. Diesel/gas generator as a backup? Hoping the car has enough juice to get to another location? Are there mobile charging options that can come to the rescue, and would there be enough of them to meet the demand in this situation?

  12. #92

    Tesla Model 3 Report

    I echo those Tesla owners who love their car.

    I have mine since late Dec 2019. It really is kind of an indulgence as I don't drive all that much and did much less in the pandemic. I can justify it as my last car was a 2006 Lexus GS 300 that I got used in 2009. I have also not going on an extended road trip but might this August.

    Almost all of my charging is done at home and I just plug in it. I charge to 80% most nights. SoCal Edison has special rates for electric car owners and my electric bill is about the same. It is a pleasure not dealing with gas stations and even looking at gas prices. The car gets smarter all of the time with upgrades and fixes over the air. I actually prefer the size of the M3 to the Lexus and to the Tesla Model S. The rear seats fold down and I can get my golf clubs and cart into the back with no problem. I use the Summon feature almost every day to back it out of my garage, however I have to drive it in and squeeze out.

    My wife who is quite prone to motion sickness has a problem riding in the car in the morning. I am working being "smoother" but the regen braking or something is a problem for her. My married daughter who is really prone to motion sickness actually had a problem test driving another brands electric car and went with an hybrid.

    Since the car is usually charged for 70 to 80% which is over 200 miles I think I can handle an emergency if we have to leave.

    SoCal

  13. #93
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    raleigh
    so, 3 1/2 weeks in, and the device continues to amaze...the system of cameras for the highway auto-driving are fantastic. the Sentry mode records any intrusive movement around the vehicle while it's parked.


    i ran away from a corvette Z-1 for a short burst the other day...he was laughing when he caught up to me at the next light...


    no animals were harmed...
    "One POSSIBLE future. From your point of view... I don't know tech stuff.".... Kyle Reese

  14. #94
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Outside Philly
    Quote Originally Posted by TruBlu View Post
    Just curious . . . For those out there who have only 1 car, which is all electric, what is the plan for when there is a wide scale/long lasting power outage due to storms or power grid failure. Diesel/gas generator as a backup? Hoping the car has enough juice to get to another location? Are there mobile charging options that can come to the rescue, and would there be enough of them to meet the demand in this situation?
    I guess such a scenario would not be dissimilar to a gasoline shortage like the one that affected the southeast not long ago when the pipeline company was hacked. You make do til things get better.

  15. #95
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Raleigh, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by TruBlu View Post
    Just curious . . . For those out there who have only 1 car, which is all electric, what is the plan for when there is a wide scale/long lasting power outage due to storms or power grid failure. Diesel/gas generator as a backup? Hoping the car has enough juice to get to another location? Are there mobile charging options that can come to the rescue, and would there be enough of them to meet the demand in this situation?
    Good question. We lost power in Raleigh for nine days after Hurricane Fran and for five days after an ice storm in 2002. Outages of 12-24 hours are common, because Duke Energy refuses to put power lines underground and, well, stuff happens.

    I can't imagine there are many places in the U.S. totally immune from hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornadoes, blizzards, earthquakes, small mammals trying to nest in transformers, that sort of thing.

    Anybody working on solar-powered cars?

    Oh, for the good old days of horse-drawn carriages.

  16. #96
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Vermont
    we're still working on our standy-by generator which would power our entire house....we have had numerous five day outages, not good at all in Winter.

  17. #97
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Chesapeake, VA.
    I remember seeing a hydrogen powered car driving down a parade route in my home town back in the early 1970s. I don't know anything about how it worked or what the challenges might be, but I am surprised that in all these years there hasn't been any movement that I can see in that direction. The only thing that came out of that car was water vapor. Seemed promising at the time.

  18. #98
    Join Date
    Nov 2020
    Location
    Western NC

    Here is a possible solution

    Quote Originally Posted by TruBlu View Post
    Just curious . . . For those out there who have only 1 car, which is all electric, what is the plan for when there is a wide scale/long lasting power outage due to storms or power grid failure. Diesel/gas generator as a backup? Hoping the car has enough juice to get to another location? Are there mobile charging options that can come to the rescue, and would there be enough of them to meet the demand in this situation?
    Recently installed 15.2 kW of solar panels on my roof and considered the option of a battery backup (i.e. something like the Tesla powerwall). The advantage is that in case of a power outage, you can continue to run off the battery. How long depends on the size of the battery, but during the day you still have the solar panels generating electricity. This is different from just having solar panels, which go offline if the grid is down, leaving you in the dark.

    The disadvantage is the current cost, which for me would have been an additional $6k. I am told that the cost will drop dramatically in the future, so it might be worth retrofitting in a few years. In addition, my power company offers "net metering," which gives me credit for excess power generated during the day and gives it back to me during the night, but only to the extent that I use it. (Last month I gave Duke Power over 1,100 kWhs more than I used, and they were perfectly happy to take it and give me nothing back - but that's another story.)

    The final consideration about battery vs no battery is that power outages for me last in the order of minutes and happen maybe once a year. This is unlike when I lived in the "leafy suburbs" of eastern Massachusetts, where the power outages were usually days long and happened multiple times a year, mostly in the winter when it would take down your heat - even gas furnaces need electricity to run.

    So, you could solve the problem you ask about by installing batteries with your solar panels. You would be independent of the grid in the case of outages, and you can charge your EV either during the day with the panels, or potentially from the battery at night.

    Section 15

  19. #99
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Rent free in tarheels’ heads
    Quote Originally Posted by rsvman View Post
    I remember seeing a hydrogen powered car driving down a parade route in my home town back in the early 1970s. I don't know anything about how it worked or what the challenges might be, but I am surprised that in all these years there hasn't been any movement that I can see in that direction. The only thing that came out of that car was water vapor. Seemed promising at the time.
    Found this explainer video. Basically, hydrogen is barely more efficient than gasoline to produce, distribute and use. And electric vehicles apparently represent a far more efficient use of electricity since the electricity doesn’t have to be transformed into something else before powering an electric vehicle. So there is much less waste. There are actually a few hydrogen cars available commercially. But there are very few filling stations and fuel prices are very high because of the downstream effects of very high production costs. But apparently hydrogen cells are being used widely in other ways. Pretty helpful video.

    “Coach said no 3s.” - Zion on The Block

  20. #100
    I had no idea the crustacean to station ratio was so high!

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