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ATP: Electric Vehicles

BubbaJean said:
Do people expect EV ranges to grow significantly in the next few years?
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more likely that charging networks expand and charging speeds get better so that you can road trip easier with the range you have. From what I've read there may be a little bit of room to grow with battery chemistry but the next big leap will come from solid state technology which won't be in EVs for a while.
 
tsywake said:
Got an email this week that there was a fuck up with the site and the order that we watched the salesman place right in front of us did not go through. So Ford suggested we order it online and designate the dealer we want it to go to. Then this morning the Mrs. showed me an article stating that Mach-E production is being halted due to a lack of computer chips, similar to the Lightning pause.

To add, the guy ended up taking the GT he ordered, so it's almost like we're not destined to get a Mach E.
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I think the Mach-E is cool, but I also think it was a bad design choice by Ford to totally remake the look away from a classic Mustang. The beauty of the Lightning is that it is, and looks like an F-150, and it hauls like one. Huge missed opportunity to redefine what a muscle/rally car can be and set that standard for the future. By making the Mach-E seem exceptional, they're missing out on a consumer base.
 
BaseballBoomhauer said:
I think the Mach-E is cool, but I also think it was a bad design choice by Ford to totally remake the look away from a classic Mustang. The beauty of the Lightning is that it is, and looks like an F-150, and it hauls like one. Huge missed opportunity to redefine what a muscle/rally car can be and set that standard for the future. By making the Mach-E seem exceptional, they're missing out on a consumer base.
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Agreed. I'd have already bought an electric mustang had they kept the look of the original.
 
My wife keeps getting excited about the pacifica hybrid. First 33 miles is all electric. We rarely need more than that in a day.
 
BaseballBoomhauer said:
I think the Mach-E is cool, but I also think it was a bad design choice by Ford to totally remake the look away from a classic Mustang. The beauty of the Lightning is that it is, and looks like an F-150, and it hauls like one. Huge missed opportunity to redefine what a muscle/rally car can be and set that standard for the future. By making the Mach-E seem exceptional, they're missing out on a consumer base.
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In the grand scheme of things, it's probably for the best we didn't get one. The newer EVs coming out are much better, and like you said, don't tarnish the identity of a prior brand.

The new Audi EV that premiered during the Super Bowl is straight fire.
 
tsywake said:
In the grand scheme of things, it's probably for the best we didn't get one. The newer EVs coming out are much better, and like you said, don't tarnish the identity of a prior brand.

The new Audi EV that premiered during the Super Bowl is straight fire.
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Straight fire? Pass.
 
BeachBumDeac said:
@WFU03 still got your Bolt or did the battery explode?
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My lease ran out last month actually, so no.

In the interim, we replaced our Volt with a Mustang Mach-E. So, for a year and half, we only had EVs.

When the Bolt lease ran out, my wife said she wanted one car with gas because she was sick of stopping at the same locations and charging on road trips. Apparently there are only so many times the Walmart parking lot in Columbia can be an exciting stop. Therefore, we replaced the Bolt with a Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe. It's ok, but I miss the nimbleness of the Bolt.

After having only EVs for a while, the biggest problems with EV adoption currently are:
1. Too little variation in road trip stops. As I mentioned, a lot of chargers are in Walmart or Sams Club parking lots. And, even those that aren't, are in the same physical location every trip. For instance, if you're driving through Jacksonville and need to charge, you're almost certainly stopping at the Avenues mall. If you drive that direction fairly routinely, you might want to stop and eat at different places each time. Because there are so few charging spots currently, you basically can't.
2. Too few of the chargers work consistently at the level they should. This is a two part issue. One, too many chargers are just plain down. With limited stalls, this is a huge problem. Two, when chargers are "working," sometimes that 350 KW charger is only dispensing 78 KW of power at most.
3. Too few stalls. This will become a problem soon if supplies don't start building quickly. Biden's plan does target this issue, but I'm guessing there will be a crunch in about a year when more EVs are on the road, but new stalls haven't come online yet.

All that being said, I wanted to get another EV (or keep the Bolt) when our lease ran out. The road trip issues are not that significant and the vast majority of the time, I'm not going on a road trip. However, I got outvoted by my wife, and I felt like staying married.
 
I feel like I just read something my dad would write, are you my father?

His biggest gripe is essentially the same thing. Everyday driving is fine but road trips require boring stops at the same locations that take longer than just filling up with some gas. Plus because it does take longer as the increase in EV continues the infrastructure for support needs to be exponentially more. Like if you had 10 gas pumps you need like 30 EV stations.
 
WFU03 said:
2. Too few of the chargers work consistently at the level they should. This is a two part issue. One, too many chargers are just plain down. With limited stalls, this is a huge problem. Two, when chargers are "working," sometimes that 350 KW charger is only dispensing 78 KW of power at most.
3. Too few stalls. This will become a problem soon if supplies don't start building quickly. Biden's plan does target this issue, but I'm guessing there will be a crunch in about a year when more EVs are on the road, but new stalls haven't come online yet.
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I think the chargers not working is more a function of Electrify America. Tesla Supercharges have almost always worked for me. In 3 years, I've only had one that didn't work.
 
tsywake said:
In the grand scheme of things, it's probably for the best we didn't get one. The newer EVs coming out are much better, and like you said, don't tarnish the identity of a prior brand.

The new Audi EV that premiered during the Super Bowl is straight fire.
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trying to google this but not finding it
 
I'm on the more range is not the big problem. Charging is the problem. Biggest issue is time to go from near empty to full charge. As others have noted, limited places to charge.

ICE vehicles can get enough fuel for 500 miles in 10-15 minutes. EV's require much more time than that.

A friend has a Tesla. It's great around town. However, 300 mile trips from Maryland to Outer banks require planning for recharge stops so he arrives with enough charge to do local travel on the outer banks and get back to a charging station before running out. So that adds about an hour each way to his travel time.
 
Deaconblue said:
I'm on the more range is not the big problem. Charging is the problem. Biggest issue is time to go from near empty to full charge. As others have noted, limited places to charge.

ICE vehicles can get enough fuel for 500 miles in 10-15 minutes. EV's require much more time than that.

A friend has a Tesla. It's great around town. However, 300 mile trips from Maryland to Outer banks require planning for recharge stops so he arrives with enough charge to do local travel on the outer banks and get back to a charging station before running out. So that adds about an hour each way to his travel time.
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nah man there are Tesla superchargers at the Harris Teeter in Kill Devil Hills. He can park, buy groceries for the week, and come back out to a full battery.
 
Deaconblue said:
I'm on the more range is not the big problem. Charging is the problem. Biggest issue is time to go from near empty to full charge. As others have noted, limited places to charge.

ICE vehicles can get enough fuel for 500 miles in 10-15 minutes. EV's require much more time than that.

A friend has a Tesla. It's great around town. However, 300 mile trips from Maryland to Outer banks require planning for recharge stops so he arrives with enough charge to do local travel on the outer banks and get back to a charging station before running out. So that adds about an hour each way to his travel time.
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The 250kw Superchargers (as opposed to 150kw Superchargers) from Tesla make a tangible difference in charging times. It seems like I can do from about 15% to 70% in about 15-20 minutes. Really, just enough time to use the bathroom or eat something and then get back on the road. I've had a few different times with 250kw chargers where it was ready to go before I was done doing what I needed to do.
 
MichDeac25 said:
I think the chargers not working is more a function of Electrify America. Tesla Supercharges have almost always worked for me. In 3 years, I've only had one that didn't work.
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I pretty much agree, but I’d say Tesla is uniquely good. EA is pretty good for the others, but all of the other companies are much less reliable than Tesla.
 
WFU03 said:
I pretty much agree, but I’d say Tesla is uniquely good. EA is pretty good for the others, but all of the other companies are much less reliable than Tesla.
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I just looked at the EA charging station map. They are wayyyy behind Tesla. Whatever people want to say about the actual cars, refueling a car is a big component of owning one. And Tesla knew that early on and invested in its own network, which just makes the experience so much better.
 
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