Why I will never buy an electric car

P-51 Mustang, 2,080 miles with two 110 gal. drop tanks.

Well, you asked!

VW had a diesel model (Rabbit, I believe) that without air came in at around 1000 miles. Very boring to drive, but very economical.

A 400 mile range is plenty when every town along the way has a gas station. When every gas station has an electric car charging station along with gas pumps, electric cars will no longer need a 1000 mile range to be competitive with gas cars.
Just for the heck of it, I went to Tesla’s website and entered a trip from Austin, TX to Vadido, NM, a trip we make annually. Turns out that I can drive there with a Tesla, but I would have to detour way up to Amarillo to get on I-40, turning what is now a 709 mile 11hr 33 minute trip into a 787 mile 15 hr 14 minute trip, about 3 hours of that trip is battery recharging time.

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I didn’t say the last electric forklift I drove was 60 years ago so don’t go putting words in my mouth. I have driven gasoline, propane and electric ones since and the electrics are the least precise, with the newer gas and propane ones also not as good as the ones I drove 60 years ago. Two reasons, the newer ones I drove had automatic transmissions and OSHA has outlawed the “suicide” Knobs that let you do all the steering with the left hand and let me simultaneously operate the lift and tilt controls with my large right hand.

The Under $40,000 Model # is an illusion, Musk has already admitted that there are no plans to build any base models as long as they can sell all the upmarket ones they can make. Hasn’t anyone else noticed that all of Elon Musk’s businesses depend on federal or state subsidies, local tax abatement’s and voodoo mathematics and accounting.

I never said no one should buy an electric car, I just said I never will and that I didn’t think any one car family should. I guess some people don/t like their sacred cow given a stern glance.

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Heh heh, he should just rent a car for the honeymoon. Enough to worry about without worrying about a re-charge.

Yeah agree. Our fork lift was about 10 years old. I can’t remember one 60 years old. Maybe they had them but I never saw one. They were all LP.

And the thing with range on a gasser is that you go 400 miles and then its a 15 minute stop for gas, coffee, and the mens room, and you can go another 400 miles if you want.

Man, I wish I could go 400 miles between men’s rooms. I’ve reached that age where “I can pee” is the new “I gotta pee”, if I know what’s good for me.

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Yeah for illustration purposes only. Actually I like to go about 100 miles then a mens room stop and sneak around the corner for a smoke.

I know electric cars can charge up most of the way in a relatively short period of time but that it takes like overnight to top them off. How long does it take most to charge these days?

Can’t argue with that.

I really don’t know why you’re making this argument. I’ve said several times now the current electric cars are GREAT as a commuter car, but not so great as a road trip vehicle. But it’s changing. More and more electric charging stations are being built every year. And within 10 years you’ll see battery charges lasted 3-4 times what they are now. This technology is still at it’s infancy. It’s changing constantly. More and more players are getting in the game.

Yep, short trip, in town, short commuter car. That’s what they are good for and not so much over the road. So why then do they continue to try and market them as over the road cars? Tesla especially with their hyped network of charging stations. Just be honest that it needs to be a second or third car and get in the gasser for longer drives.

SHORT? You consider 100 miles short?

The average commute in the US is less then 50 miles. So they can easily cover the commute of MOST drivers.

Are you disagreeing with yourself or just don’t like the word “short”? I used to work 2 miles from home, then 50 miles from home. The one I considered short and the other I considered long but I guess there is a vast range between the two. I guess everyone will just have to define for themselves what short means. Plus you gotta consider vicinity miles in addition to the to and from miles. At least I used to drive a lot of vicinity miles-kinda what cars are for.

You’re the one who said SHORT COMMUTER car. I haven’t wavered at all on what I’ve said.

The electric vehicles out today can handle the vast majority of every ones commute. They have a range more then DOUBLE the average commute in the US.

As I said in an earlier post, my experiences with battery powered replacements for internal combustion engines has not been great. However, I realize that battery technology is improving. About 12 years ago, my wife bought me a Ryobi battery powered string trimmer. The battery is a lead acid battery. When I started to use the string trimmer this year, the battery was not rechargeable. A new replacement battery is $68. However, for $99 I purchased a new Worx string trimmer. It has a detachable lithium ion battery. It’s much easier to use than the lead acid battery powered string trimmer I had.
If I need to buy a replacement lawnmower, I am leaning toward one with a detachable lithium ion battery. The Black and Decker with its lead acid batteries is heavier to push than my gasoline powered mower.
I bought a new minivan last fall. I was tempted by the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan, but I’ve never been able to get a good price from the Chrysler dealer, so I stuck with the tried and true and bought another Toyota Sienna.
I thought about looking for a used Nissan Leaf to use around town, but the cost of an additional vehicle wouldn’t pay off.

Yeah, sounds good on paper but likely falls short in reality. When they ask people about commutes, people respond with how far they live from work. Not many people just go to and from work directly without going anywhere else. Lots of errands to run, kids to drop off/pick up and so on adds up. And those ranges being cited are best case. Batteries are new, ambient temps are moderate etc. Half my year is cold and need heaters running or A/C and placing additional load on batteries, reducing range. A lot of people fall into these same situations. 100 miles per day is not very much from my perspective, especially if you derate it based on the climate


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I have an EGO 21 inch cut 56 volt lithium battery powered mower. It mows the lawn just as well as a gas mower and the battery charges up in less than an hour. I normally can do the whole yard with one charge.

Maybe
maybe not. Often technology has a rapid growing curve in the beginning and then it hits a plateau where farther improvements are small.

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From what was reported in tthis forum in some other thread, I figured Leaf has a known problem about short battery life :frowning:

Paying Tesla or even Leaf price for “around town” is not going to pay back to compare even to taxi, they are way too expensive for that they offer.

@thegreendrag0n. You are right. I can’t justify a battery car. I like to test new technologies if it doesn’t cost me very much. Several of my friends have Toyota Prius hybrids. I need a minivan to transport my musician friends and their instruments. A Prius wouldn’t work for me. I thought about a Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan, but we have a good Toyota dealer and I have never been able to work with the Chrysler dealer.
I bought a used Black and Decker rechargeable battery lawnmower a couple of years ago. It hasn’t worked out very well. Mrs. Triedaq likes to mow and mowing is a task I don’t like. However, she has had two rotator cuff surgeries and two foot surgeries, so I do the mowing most of the time. The Black and Decker mower was too hard for her to push.