Would you buy an EV?
 

Now that you can pickup Leafs for under $7k I have been toying with the idea of getting one for commuting and shopping. One advantage is you can almost always get front row parking, now DEQ testing, no waiting in line for gas. Has anyone else been tempted?

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

Yes..
But the range is too small to have as a main car and i alresdy have a prius.

I'd buy an ebike instead.

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

If it would fit in the back of my truck, could be handy.

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

What is the range going to be on a 2013/4 Leaf? Allowing for duty cycles it cant be much more than 60 miles or so can it?

I don't think I have ever seen a single charging station ever, except for pictures on the interweb. Combined, that seems like a really poor combination.

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

My concern with both EVs and hybrids has always been battery life.

How long do the batteries last and cost of replacement when they are exhausted.

I saw some charging stations at motorway service areas on my last trip to Blighty.

My current daily commute is about 50 miles so an EV would work for my commute but not if I wanted to go any further.

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

I would for my commute. 90% of my driving is to and from work which is under 40 miles round trip and work has free charging stations.

Issue is strata doesnt allow charging of electric vehicles on property at home and no public stations close by so I would be wary having to rely on charging just at work.

The other 10% of driving can be done by car share service or transit.

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

There are a lot of charging stations around here. You can plug into 110v outlet
Range can be up to 138 miles.
You can buy a new high capacity battery for around $5500 to give you similar range to the latest Leaf. Still a little less because the new Leaf is light and more aero dynamic.
Battery life reduces to around 80% after 10 years, 200k ish

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

I believe a 2014 Leaf was rated at 84 miles when new. (EPA) I assume we are talking used here, for the price you quoted.

Yes, you can plug into 110, if you have 6 hours to kill.

If I was going this route I would be far more likely to look at something like a (kill me now) Dart.

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

It's a lovely idea, and the amount of miles I do I could cope with current range and charging obstacles. But what if I did want to drive across country?, I don't want to stop for charging breaks or find myself in the middle of nowhere with no charging options. I don't want to have an emergency at 3.00am and need to go to the ER but oh dear my car isn't charged. Yes I could hire a car for a long trip or take a taxi to the ER but until there is much better infrastructure and the charging speeds are the same as filling up with gas to provide the same range I think I'll pass. I do think it will be the norm in 50 years though.

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

I am thinking of this as an additional car , not a replacement car. Electric scooters cost too much, plus dealing with the heat/cold would be an issue. Not sure if I would need an endorsement on my drivers license.

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

Darts cost quite a bit more than $6k. It's almost pocket money change for a used car in the US.

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

I guess.

There is no way I would spend 7K on a car (or any vehicle) with a 60 mile range.

When do we get to the part where we discuss it's appearance? ;)

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

I have a gorilla mask. Hopefully nobody would see me

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

The only electric motor I'd consider is a Tesla. However, i don't want to spend $80k on a car.

I've never once waited in line for gas, nor do i consider parking at the front of a store an advantage :D - I'll stick with gas

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

We've been spending time in the NYC metropolitan area lately, & we've been absolutely astounded by all the charging stations all of a sudden popping up on the major commuting motorways. ALL the rest stops along the Merritt/Hutch Parkways now have many charging stations.


In fact recently we were hard pressed to find a non-electric parking spot at one highway rest stop so we could use the blurdy toilet. :blink: Seemed like at least 80% of the parking was charging slots!

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

We've been spending time in the NYC metropolitan area lately, & we've been absolutely astounded by all the charging stations all of a sudden popping up on the major commuting motorways. ALL the rest stops along the Merritt/Hutch Parkways now have many charging stations.


In fact recently we were hard pressed to find a non-electric parking spot at one highway rest stop so we could use the blurdy toilet. :blink: Seemed like at least 80% of the parking was charging slots!


Electric is obviously the way of the future here....

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

This is what I meant by having front row parking. Sometimes it's much easier to find an EV only parking space. The other types of spaces are those ones where you need a special wheelchair badge. I think they cost around $250 though and it's probably not legal.

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

Definitely tempted, if things otherwise go as planned. This wouldn't be the only car in the household, and as such would work perfectly for my commute. Plug in every night and never have to stop at a gas station again!

The catch: My current car is doing fine, has limited resale value, is a fair bit more comfortable than a Leaf, and since I drive only ~7k miles/year I don't spend much money on gas anyway. So the question becomes how much would I value not having to go to a gas station once every couple of weeks...

Used BMW i3s are also getting pretty cheap.

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

my husband drives a tesla. uses it for commuting every day. we even went to disney Florida in it from Texas. Planned carefully we did the trips between superchargers and took breaks to use restrooms, stretch legs, eat etc and it really wasnt bad.

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

...and should you have found yourself stranded at the vergeside I'm sure an obliging smoke belching truck would have given you a tow, even this Clemson Tiger would have obliged, might have sniggered a bit mind. :rofl:

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

i think tesla have some kind of rescue network thing for stranded cars. plus the dash is giving you constant updates if you are going to go below the threshold for the amount of power you have left if its less then the distance to the next known charger. You can of course charge on a normal domestic power supply but that is super slow. we have had ours 18 months now and my husband loves it.

it also is the fastest car ive ever driven. you put your foot down and its like sh1t of a shovel! no slow wind up - its just moving straight away - gives you g-force lol.

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

What sort of connection do you need for the Battery pack, would one of these work?

https://i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/...LBL/s-l225.jpg

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

Took me 2.5 minutes to wipe the coffee off my monitor! LOL! :)

Ian

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

:huh: ..... I don't even own an automatic!
:lol: I am glad you mentioned that!

Is there some reason why cars get more ugly the less petrol they use? :confused: I can't think of any exceptions, with Tesla have gone for the "bar of soap" approach, with their entire range having been styled without the slightest hint of character or distinctive details.

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

I thought you had a lawn mower

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

Chainsaw.

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

I do - it's a six-speed manual. :nod:
The only gear that needs is a helmet, gloves, chaps, and boots. :)

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

How many chaps does it take?

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

I had a 3 year lease on a Chevy Spark that I just returned to the dealer. When I got the car 3 years ago I could go 90 miles by the time I turned it in I was lucky to get 68 miles. My commute just to my office and back is 40 miles so if I had anything else to do that day I was really limited. Loved that I never had to go to the gas station and in 3 years never had to take it in for repairs/oil changes, etc like you would for a gas car.

The bonus for an electric car in California is the ability to drive in the car pool lane:thumbup:

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

I would buy an EV for trips within a range of 50 miles from my home but for long distance road trips I'd need to have a gas burner as a second car

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

I've been looking into different EV's myself for shorter commutes around the city, and to get to and from my parents' place in the suburbs. It seems like it would be cheaper than constantly using the trains / Uber to get around, and would save on gas comparatively to popular gas engines. I came across one study conducted by Autolist.com, and it looks like the depreciation rate of EV's is much higher compared to gas powered engines, other than Tesla. Tesla shows the lowest depreciation rate compared to other cars, gas powered and electric included. It's a little out of budget for me at this point, but it is something I'm taking into consideration for the future. I hope this helps your decision! https://www.autolist.com/tesla-model+s-san+francisco-ca#section=news&s=a

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

Let us hope that they sort out solar powered charging points for them soon. Finding gas post hurricane is an entertaining pastime but when the electric is out finding a charging point must be fun.

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

https://images.vat19.com/waka-waka/w...charging-a.jpg

Take your own.

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

Doing a bit of research. A colleague at work had a fiat. He told me in the winter he only got around 60 miles and in the summer around 80 miles on a charge. This was on a new car. The 5 year old leafs only have around 70 to 75% capacity , so this means in the winter the range could be as low as 40 miles possibly.

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

Quick google suggests where I am enough to get you to the nearest Gas Station.

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

Maybe you could keep a back up supply of charge in a convenient red plastic 5 gallon Leyden jar in the garage? :sneaky:

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

Better still, buy a generator to charge your EV.

On a side note, I have heard EVs are more expensive to insure

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

also if you aren't able to charge it from home, it could be more expensive than gas at some charging stations....

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

I'm waiting for this
It May Be More Hype Than Loop, But Texas' Hyperloop Proposal Is A Finalist | KUT

Re: Would you buy an EV?
 

Interesting that the only European country listed is the UK with two routes.

https://hyperloop-one.com/global-challenge