slo’s TUESDAY 11/12 poll - EVs (electric vehicles) 🚗

[slo]

For those that don’t know…..



Many feel very strongly about these cars in regards to why they are wonderful and why they are bad. Today, I’m wanting your opinion about these cars. So give us your electrically charged answer…..

What is your opinion of EVs?
Do you have one?
If you don’t have one….do you want one?
(multiple choice)

*For those that have one, please post about your vehicle along with the pros and cons about it.


For Me…..I don’t like them. I’ve never had one, but I know several people that do/did. There’s only one person that I know that have replaced their EV with another one. I know a few people that didn’t like it so much, that they replaced it in under a year after they got it. I would never want one. My car is a hybrid and I love my car and will always have a hybrid if they are always available.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I don't really have an opinion on them. If somebody else wants one, more power to them. I just don't really want one myself. I am still a bit skeptical about them. I HAVE ridden in one, and it was pretty cool yes, but I just don't think it is for me.

I know I am old, I want to stick with the "tried and true" way cars have been made for like over 100 years.

 

[kdonnel]

Been an all electric car household for almost three years.

Average around $40 a month in electric costs to drive 1800 or so miles a month between the two cars. It varies because my electric rates are slightly more during summer months.

The only maintenance costs during the three years has been $10 cabin air filters every 20000 miles and tire rotations every 10000 miles.

It works out to just over 2 cents a mile including maintenance. My prior cars cost in excess of 12 cents a mile just in fuel.

So 6 times cheaper to operate. I wouldn’t want to switch back to gas since I use the savings to take another vacation each year and wouldn’t want to give that up.

As for purchase cost, we paid $23,000 out the door for the Chevy Bolt and that does not include the $1,875 tax credit we received later. The MME was $55,000 out the door but came with a $7,500 tax credit. Both were priced nearly identical to whatever ICE powered car/SUV we also looked at as possibilities.

If you are someone that leases, you can get some screaming deals on EVs, sub $100 a month.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We don’t have one, but one DS has three in his family, and they are all happy with them. We have a charging port attached to our house for when they visit.

I don’t think we will ever get one, due to the high price.

 

[Kitty 34]

Not interested in owning one. Bought a Toyota Camry last year. Good enough for me.

 

[Babs Johnson]

Nah, I accepted when Avis steered me to an EV rental this past spring. I found it difficult to find charging stations and then I discovered I needed some special card to use them. They wouldn’t accept a regular credit card.

I returned the EV and got a good old fashioned gas guzzler.

Besides, how long does it take to fully charge at one of those stations? I can fill up with gas in 5 minutes.

Any cost savings, if true, are of no relevance to me. Nor do I give a damn about any environmental factors or other “feel good” nonsense.

 

[jo-jo]

Our DS has one.

One would be good for us. We rarely travel more than 50 miles in a day. Most days under 25, some days zero. But have no desire to buy one. If one was given to us, sure, we'd use it but when our 30 ish year old cars finally go, I'm 98% sure we'd get another gas powered.

 

[Meriweather]

I don't have one, don't want one. Don't really have a strong opinion about them.
DD's boyfriend just got one. Haven't heard an opinion yet.

 

[_19disnA]

Zero interest in owning one. Takes too long to recharge, limited range, lack of national charging standards, insufficient infrastructure. Depends on where you live and how far you drive, but we have the same discussion each time this topic appears. EV rental cars sit unused since no one wants that hassle on vacation.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Don't have one. Marie's next car is a hybrid. I think that configuration will be the most popular for some years to come yet. For EV's, I don't think the charging infrastructure is there yet, or at least what most people think it should conveniently be. And the speed of recharge, whole away from home overnight charging, is not there yet. I do think both of those obstacles will be overcome in the future, but not within the real immediate future. 10 years? 15-20? Probably. In the meantime, I think hybrid is a very hsppy medium and step forward.

ETA.... for the vote, don't have one, don't want one now, but, I do think they will be common, not in my lifetime though.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

I have no opinion on them. I just bought a new 2025 car and never was an EV a choice.

I do expect in years forward they will become standard. It's inevitable!

 

[TippyThomas]

I'm not sure I'll ever have to buy another vehicle because I really don't drive much, but if I did, I am considering buying an electric vehicle. The style of driving I do would work really well for that type of vehicle and I already have solar options at home to charge it even more easily and efficiently.

 

[ronandannette]

Big nope! Our grid is a generation away from having decent capacity for EV’s and not only is our electricity generated by fossil fuels, it’s comparatively more expensive as a commodity than gas. Add in the vast distances we drive here and 5 months a year of sub-zero temperatures (which EV’s simply cannot handle well) and it makes them a very impractical attempt at either economy or ecology.

DH drives a Toyota gas hybrid - very reliable and proven technology that cuts his gas consumption almost in half. I’ll be in one myself by this time next year. We believe it’s a much more sensible solution.

 

[loves to dive]

I don't have a strong opinion one way or another. Personally, I'll probably never buy one but that is because I'm trying to make my current car last until I'm no longer able to drive (I'm 67). Most of the time the only time I drive my car is from Georgia to Florida so gas is just easier. To each his own though.

 

[Micca]

Seems like a good idea, not sure if we have the infrastructure to support massive amount of EVs at this time. We bought our second hybrid this year and are really happy with it. We don't really do road trips, so most of our driving consists of errands and events around town. Our second car is an older Ford Focus that probably averages less than 10 miles per week.

 

[hertamaniac]

I worked on the batteries for hybrid EV's in my career.

I am not convinced a BEV is a good, long-term solution for the consumer. While the costs, after the initial expenditure may appear beneficial, there is degradation happening on the battery pack with each cycle. And there is nothing to say the degradation will be linear in the future. So while the warranty is 100,000 miles and I believe is 8 years for most manufacturers, it is relatively easier to achieve if the BMS (battery management system) limits the charge/discharge rate and/or range, to achieve the mileage threshold. Since the EOL (end of life) of an BEV is typically around 70-75% rated capacity, this also can be manipulated by the software (BMS) to meet the mileage/time warranty. Range degradation with age is typical and will occur; it's the rate of degradation that I would be leery of. Of course, the OEM's will tout charts, curves, but those tests are usually run in a more controlled environment than some consumers.

And once the warranty expires, there is nothing to suggest the battery pack doesn't decline in a non-linear fashion leaving the customer with an essentially useless battery pack (there are some secondary uses).

The thermal runaway issue concerns me greatly with the higher energy density cells they are packaging to try and meet higher range.

Some BEV's also require fluid coolant changes which is different than typical ICE coolant (and much more costly). Most BEV owners don't know about this and when they need warranty service, the OEM will inquire about this being done only to have the customer's warranty denied.

I voted no opinion, but I am not for or against a BEV; I use my experiences and empirical data from our labs to formulate my opinion.

 

[kanerf]

I own a Kia Niro PHEV, so it can run as an EV for a short time and then works as hybrid the rest of the time. What is neat though is that it has a sport mode in which it uses both motors (gas and electric) and recharges the electric battery while running. At this point, if you have some long distance drives like I do and limited charging abilities at the distant end, again like me, I would go with a PHEV and not a BEV until there is better distribution of chargers and the cost of charging comes down. I many locals it costs more to charge for 1 mile of driving than the equivalent in gasoline and of course you are paying a lot more for the vehicle.

 

[BrianL]

I did consider an EV for my car purchase last year, but I am not sure they are quite "there" yet for my tastes. I also didn't want to fool with installing power at my home, which had a really old power panel. That additional expense wouldnt have been worth it. I wanted a hybrid - the new Prius, but mostly because I really liked the look. Int eh end, Subaru sold me on an ICE that gets 30 to 35 MPG, so really that works. Next time though I will definitely be looking at EV options - though I usually keep a car fo r20 years so....

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I have no opinion. I don't drive, never got my license.

 

[RedAngie]

I have no interest in owning or even driving an EV. I probably never will.