"Do you own an EV?" Topic

EV = electric vehicle

* yes
* yes, several
* no
* not any more
etc.

I have a plug-in hybrid so: No or Kinda?

I think the environment is important, so no, I do not.

nope.. Till the cost drops, better battery life (15 years), faster recharging, more charging stations, and evidence how the first wave of EV buyers experience the "no value" at trade in time shock hits them… I'm staying away.

No.

Nope, and I don't intend to.

@tmprabbit, you forget to mention the significant reduction in range during cold weather, or if you actually expect your vehicle to haul or tow loads.

Nope

Nope. Have no interest in getting one.

No, but the performance on some of these EV cars are amazing

Yes. I have a 2012 Nissan Leaf, and I smile every time I pass a gas station.

Nope ! Heard way too many horror stories about them. I'll stick with dino fuel until the EVs actually have the benefits that are claimed for them.

Stryderg +1

No, but my next car will be.

No, but I'll get a hybrid for the next car. All I ask of a car is that it reliably gets me from A to B, has big boot (trunk) and a decent range.

Given the isuues of range and access to charging points, EVs have a long way to go, and may well end up being dead end tech when we are all driving hydrogen fuelled cars.

Until then, my old diesel Volvo is fine.

The responses here may be influenced by whether one lives in the US or elsewhere.

When in the US I hire a really big (suburban type) car as the motoring is a treat in itself. Just driving around those big long roads is most enjoyable.
The fuel is so cheap that it becomes a minor consideration.

In the UK my fuel tank on a 2 litre ford car costs £110.00 GBP ($135) to fill. Quite expensive.

I shall be using an electric vehicle when in the UK . Marvellous.
Two different worlds?

Just thoughts. I have no authoritative final answer.

martin

No, but my next car will be one. Of course, my state's electricity grid is already 100% renewable, so no hidden coal consumption. And I have solar on the roof, so the car would be free to charge.

better battery life (15 years),

On its way. link

experience the "no value" at trade in time

I started to look at this. And the answer is complex, due to the impact of US tax credits etc. Based on what I am seeing in other countries, I think this is an aberration in the US.

I think the environment is important, so no, I do not.

Dont forget the deaths from ICE particulate pollution. link

See also lower total cost of ownership: YouTube link

Nope, don't want one.

I have a hybrid truck now, but the next vehicle will likely be an electric one. I wish we would have gone electric decades ago, but that apparently wasn't to be the case. Better late than never I suppose.

Just bought a Hybrid for my wife. I still drive my diesel truck. It will be a while before an EV fits our life style.

Don't have car so not an issue for me. We looked into it when my wife replaced her last car about 18 months ago. We normally buy second-hand 2-3 years old and couldn't afford new – no such option available for EV and new prices were just silly. Add in that we can't get a charge unit at home and few local charge points and it isn't feasible.

In theory it is a great idea but the practicalities don't work for a lot of people and that isn't changing much here in the UK.

No, but I'll be sure to buy one when they get the recharge time down to 10 minutes or less. So probably going to be awhile

We have a Hybrid Highlander and a gas Mini. We love them, but the future is all electric for us.

I drive a Prius and get 45 mph. I fill up once a month…maybe. Drives very well, is comfortable, and has great acceleration. So yeah, I'm going to go electric.

Infrastructure is not ready for EV. I have extended family in rural WI – would not dream of taking an electric up there. In 6-8 years, when car #2 is ready to be replaced, its replacement will likely be EV.

We replaced ur small local runabout with an EV last year. I've just about got used to it, works fine and is far cheaper to use than the petrol car. For longer runs we still have our diesel Volvo

No, not yet.

Just changed our compact petrol car for a small petrol SUV.

I'm low mileage so not too fussed about economy.

Don't trust the EV situation which I suspect will not be significantly improved until I'm in a hearse heading for a bonfire.

No for the negatives listed above and for the fact that I doubt I'll outlive petroleum fueled vehicles.

No. Up front cost, lack of charging stations, recharge time and battery life make them not ready for prime time for me.

Nope

Nope. Never will. The cold winter environment where I live will make it unappealing. Plus the range is not where it should be for long trips. The US is huge. To start forcing the populace to have only an EV to purchase in "x" years, without having the infrastructure for it is crazy.

My current plan is to get a hybrid pickup. With the lack of infrastructure for EV and the other EV issues it makes sense to have dual fuel.

Does an ebike counts.?

I have a hybrid and a gasoline SUV today. Next vehicle may (most likely will) be electric as we really only need one vehicle capable of extended range and the hybrid fulfills that role.

No and whilever I tow a caravan there is no likelihood either. I'm hoping Hydrogen will filter down from lorries before my current diesel packs up, but if not it will be more of the same.

Ok, so yes I do.

I did have a Mustang GT which I sold to get the BEV. Do I regret it? Nope not really, the performance is almost as good, people in the back can sit comfortably. Range is the same, ok it was quicker to refill the ICE but it's not a dealbreaker, the only times I charge in the wild, I'm doing a long journey and could do with the break..

While I don't do American long journeys, I do UK long journeys, so a trip from London to York, no problem, a day trip to the Tank Museum (320 miles) no problem…

Would I go back? The answer is more complicated than yes or no. I bought a 10yo fun car for the weekends…

mumbasa asking how many miles you drive average a day? For work generally about 20 one way though can vary daily but still mostly over 12 and under 30

Yes

Retired living at 9,036 feet in very rural Colorado. I don't think there is a charging station within 40+ miles and cold temperatures other June through September. I might pick one up as a third vehicle if and when the tech gets better.

Not yet. Here in Australia the price is too high, and there is a severe shortage of charging stations, especially outside cities. If you want to drive 500km in a day, you'd have to pre-plan where you are going to recharge on the journey, and hope that when you get to the charging station that it is working and that there isn't 10 cars lined up before you waiting their turn.

And how is this related to miniature wargaming? ;-)

Tactics wins battles. Logistics wins wars.

So, plbbbbtbtbbbtbtbtbtbbttt to both the yes and no people.

I own a hybrid now (couple of months old). Pure electric is useful for some situations. Hybrid mode for others. I don't do any of the things where you need a solo internal combustion engine, but it has that mode as well.

US made battery, but I can't trace the raw materials, so I'm on the downside of probability there.

Nope, But I'm doing my part by eating beans!

They are all well and good until the state realizes that they can't collect taxes on gasoline. I wonder what they will tax?

California already has a plan. They are going to tax people on how many miles they drive.

Now a EV MBT would be awesome even if no bridge known to man could carry it.

Yes a Tesla Model 3 with extended range and home charger. I also have solar panels

I have the same experience as Extrabio1947 (Prius with great mileage) but agree with Ran The Cid that the infrastructure is not ready -- and I live in the heart of the San Francisco-San Jose megalopolis.

So I don't have a pure electric vehicle and doubt that I'll get one in the next several years.

@JMcCarroll: Taxing road use does seem to make sense for replacing lost revenue that was collected for road maintenance.

Not until the range and infrastructure is there. It's not.

Also, the cost inflation is ridiculous.

These are electric motors people. Simple direct drive. The "complexity" is an excuse to Jack prices. I am not playing that game.

No.
However, I can see how a diesel-electric series hybrid would be the closest thing to an ideal vehicle in the near to midterm future. It'll use less fuel being a diesel. The hybrid bit helps it recover braking energy, so further saving fuel. The smaller battery used in a hybrid, as opposed to a full battery electric, uses less lithium (and whatever else) so less impact on the environment due to mining. The series style of hybrid means no mechanical transmission, thus realizing the advantage of an EV's "simpler/reliable" drivetrain.

Sign me up for a Cybertruck once the retrofit kit for the above scheme is available.

Perry

No. Missed an opportunity about eight years ago, and now I think I should probably stop driving about the time my econobox wears out.

Mind you, I'm still deeply suspicious. Why exactly electric cars rather than green fuels?

TANSTAFL applies.

Yes, you won't be paying for gasoline… but you will be paying for the electricity to charge the EV. And if you check, I'll bet that cost far exceeds the cost of gas over the same amount of time.

The thing about energy is that it ain't free. Even wind and solar have costs (extremely high costs, compared to all other sources). Sure, the source appears free— the sun— but the mechanisms to turn that into electricity are not free and are highly inefficient, too (and far from environmentally friendly as they are sold to be).

We use gasoline in vehicles because it's relatively easy to acquire and efficient to use compared to electric power grid sources, and thus much, much cheaper.

I drive a hybrid— but I know that the initial cost of a hybrid and the required maintenance far outweighs any savings on gasoline, even at the current inflated prices. Most car buyers, who change vehicles within five years, will NEVER recoup the cost of a hybrid compared to a straight ICE… they won't even come close.

As for EV, I suspect that situation is similar— that there is no way to recoup the cost of the vehicle, or the cost of electricity, in gas savings compared to an equivalent ICE, or even a hybrid. EVs have a lot of buzz (no pun intended), and the eco-left is "in lurv" with them… but I don't think that right now these vehicles are either truly practical nor the environmental saviors they are presented as. And now many governments are looking to place a tax on EVs to cover the losses in gasoline tax revenue typically used to pay for road construction and maintenance.

As I said, TANSTAFL.
(Look it up, or read some Heinlein.)

At this stage, my next car, when I buy one, will probably be an ICE if I can help it.

No EV for me.

What no one is even talking about (particularly manufactures) is that the electric motors insulation of the windings will degrade over time due to overheating, corrosion or other forms of damage causing low resistance and eventually failure.

In my line of work over the last 40 plus years we utilized numerous large, powerful electric motors for equipment that would fail periodically and either had to be replaced, or if the failure was not catastrophic, could be rewound. Neither was inexpensive.

This consideration, even over and above the issues with battery failures, is enough for me to never go that route. I have had multiple ICE vehicles with over 300K miles that I was able to keep running with routine maintenance and minimal repair costs.

Lastly, I travel and do long stretches of over 700 miles in a single day and no EV is capable of doing that currently.

Kim