Let’s just hope that works out better than the disaster of ‘ride sharing’ (Uber, etc.). More traffic and more pollution were the result.
While you’re at it, look at the Pacifica PHEV. EPA estimates are 32MPG for both city and highway, and tests in the car mags show that to be real. That’s without plugging in and just using regenerative braking. Very comfortable, and the battery/ICE transition was seamless in my test drive. No Stow and Go middle row, that’s where FCA put the battery. OTOH, the middle seats are more comfortable than the Stow and Go seats.
@jtsanders. Because I transport people and musical instruments, interior space is essential. There are occasions when I fold down the rear seat, remove the middle seats and load in a set of four timpani. I haven’t looked at a Chrysler product in years, but I would have to see how the battery affects cargo space.
The minivan is a compromise for me. A full size van is too wasteful when I an just out running errands. A Prius doesn’t have the space for me, my fellow musicians and our instruments. I don’t want to license and insure a full size van and a Prius. The hybrid Sienna or Pacifica may be a good choice for me when I am ready to replace my 2017 Sienna. However, at age 79, I may not be playing too many more years.
Where you getting your info from? EV’s may only have a range of 200 miles. But plug hybrids - since it’s a hybrid could have a range of well over 400 miles.
That future is here now. Where I live, The Sun Coast, Manatee County, one can pay 4 bucks (free for under 5 y.o. and over 80 y.o.) and use the MCAT buses all day. Many buses are “hybrids.” They operate both clean-diesel and diesel-electric hybrid buses.
The MCAT buses also connect with SCAT, Sarasota County to the south west and the Skyway ConneXion route (Sunshine Skyway Bridge) linking to PSTA, Pinellas County (St. Pete, Clearwater) to the north, with similar programs.
Additionally, MCAT offers free bus service to and from the ever popular Anna Maria Island…
…which has many visitors daily to the 8 miles of beautiful Gulf beaches. Anna Maria Island access/egress is limited to three two-lane drawbridges and vehicle traffic slows to a crawl. It makes sense for beach goers and diners to reduce use of multiple vehicles.
I ride my bicycle to and from the island on convenient bike trails that are separated from the highway. I ordinarily pass all the traffic, particularly when raising a drawbridge backs up traffic more.
Once on the island, Free Island Trolley service and (golf cart) shuttles are available.
The future is here. Many folks here opt for no car ownership.
CSA
I did not get the message here, Mike
I told “200+”, so you can have your 400 or more 
Not at all. The batteries are under the floor in the space occupied by the Stow and Go cavities for the middle seats. I got the impression from your first post that you were thinking about a new Sienna. I’m sure it’s a good choice. I thought that I would offer a similar minivan for comparison. Rather than give up to horn, maybe you could allow one of your orchestra mates to provide the transportation.
@jtsanders I am not ready to buy a new minivan at this point in time. I bought my present 2017 Sienna in late 2017 and it is just now ready for a new set of tires.
The May issue of Consumer Reports just arrived and reported on the 2021 Sienna. CR did report that a technical service bulletin has been issued for the Sienna about a brake problem. I thought about the Chrysler Pacifica hybrid Van when I bought my present 2017 Toyota Sienna, but having had a 2011 Sienna, I decided to stay with the tried and true design.
In other words, I like new technology, but I want others to shake out any bugs before I take the plunge.
It’s good that you passed on the 2017 Pacifica PHEV. They had a software problem, solved in 2019, that caused the injectors to continue pulsing after the spark plugs were shut down when switching to battery power. This in turn injected raw gasoline into the exhaust manifolds. It burned there and in the front end of the catalytic converter. This destroyed the cats, of course. All PHEVs produced prior to the 2020 MY were affected. It did seem odd that a frugal guy like you would buy so soon. I guessed that your son might be in line for another buddy deal on your well cared for van.
@jtsanders I don’t think I will be in the market for a new minivan for a while. A hybrid minivan makes sense to me. I have seen minivans in taxicab service in large cities. I was surprised it took until 2017 for one to be marketed.
At my age, I think it is important to keep up with new technology. The really difficult decision is to determine for me what is really worthwhile and what is not.
I found this interesting video about recycling lithium batteries:
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Investor groups are buying out coal fired and natural gas fired power plants and mothballing them instead of dismantling. The coal fired plants are fully stocked with coal.
Admittedly, I did not properly prepare for retirement, thus the cost of an EV is out of the question. However, had I the financial wherewithal, I would be at my local tesla dealers promptly. And while long-distance driving (cross-country) remains a challenge at this time, the technology continues to advance and, [I believe] in my lifetime long journeys will not only be possible, but as easy as using petrol powered cars.
It is unfortunate, the previous administration removed tax advantages for purchasing EV’s. With Elon Musk, Bill Gates and other innovators leading the charge (pun intended), I feel certain the initial costs for these cars and trucks will drop to an affordable rate for the average family.
Gas powered vehicles will remain long-past my life expectancy, yet with functional EV powered semis in the experimental stages, renewable-energy-charged vehicles will enter the common social fabric.
Now, with the proposed grid improvements nationwide, more opportunities will be accessible to further this technology. Trains running coast to coast could one-day be electric.
With the advent of the NEMA 14-50 plug adaptor for charging, costs to install a home charging station have dropped considerably.
Today, the availability is limited to a few who can afford it. Remembering early home computers costing $2500.00 allowing only some to have access to them, now few households are without them. But EV is not a potential future, it is the future.
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Just to toss in an interesting tidbit… A friend in Ireland recently posted photos and info about how charging stations are becoming more available there with local businesses putting in “pay at the pump” chargers in parking lots. She posted a pic of a charger that can accomodate one or two cars at a time in the parking lot of a local veterinarian clinic for use by employees and clients.
Interestingly though, she just replaced an aging diesal powered small car (small compact per U.S. standards but average size of most cars in Ireland) with a new Mini D, an itty bitty car with diesal engine. Despite not needing the type of driving range in Ireland that many U.S. drivers want and frequently need, at present diesal powered cars still are more affordable to buy and operate there.
They just built a brand new house but building code didn’t allow for the wiring required to install a charger for an EV and the nearest public charging station is miles away.
So even a country that is geographically small compared to the U.S. and which is ahead of the U.S. in adopting EVs has a long way to go before EVs overtake dino powered vehicles.
But in the early decades of automobiles over 100 years ago finding gasoline to fuel them went through a gradual process of supply and demand being sorted out. Infrastructure for EVs will too, in time.
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There’s a HUGE difference between GM’s EV from the 90’s and the Tesla. Mainly the batteries and performance. But I do give GM a lot of credit for what they did. Too bad they didn’t go any further. Now they are play catchup (along with everyone else). GM has the money and th e technological mite to be a big player in this new market. I hope they do.
I agree but the articles pointed to the “skateboard” platform concept that GM showed in 2002, not the EV1 they built in the 90’s. The EV1 was cutting edge in 1996 compared to everyone else. Took 9 years after the EV1 was killed for Tesla to build the Roadster.
That GM “skateboard” concept was essentially copied by Tesla in their Model S released in 2012, a full 10 years later. So we already know the platform is “a winner” as Tesla has proven.
Given an EV’s need for a very large battery, mounting it centrally as the floor for low polar moment of inertia and low center of gravity makes sense. Every other component must then be positioned around that big prismatic lump. The next logical step is to see how far you can push the car design that surrounds it. Add a car body, a minivan, or a truck to the same chassis with limited changes.
We have several of those in Central Maryland.
I agree 100%. But Tesla took it much farther and IMHO - much better.
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Heard CA is banning construction of new gas stations.
A friend of ours is totally happy with his as well, he does have Solar power at home so charges the car off his solar panels, works well even here in the Northwest. Fairly easy to find a level 2 charger now with Electrify America and the others putting in chargers close by. It works well for you and that’s what’s most important.
Comparing notes with the local guy who’s been preaching the EV gospel for over a decade who just got the Niro EV which has gone over 250mi on a charge even in the winter temps. His has a cold weather package that has some sort of battery heater so the range didn’t suffer one bit. Lot nicer than the little 3wheel pickup that couldn’t go over 35mph that he used to daily.