EV - not ready for the masses?

[Toyfrog]

You wouldn't be able to get gas either, the pumps require electricity.

Down on the Gulf coast, anytime you see a tropical storm or Hurricane may be heading your way, gas stations are packed with people filling up cans. I was referring to the charging station at your house, if you power is out for a few days or weeks. In the Houston area, we have never had a total gird failure, so if need be, you could drive to an area that has power and get gas, not so easy for an EV to do that. Just my 2 cents.

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[dcmdon]

Averaged over a battery’s life, each mile of driving an electric car “consumes” five pounds of earth."

Not flaming, just what I believe to be true. And why I bought a JT diesel.

Diesels are dirtier than gas engines in every important measure except for CO2. In every other way a gas engine produces less pollution.

 

[Geoarch]

We aren't ready to go all out on EVs. We don't have the grid to charge them. Lithium supplies are limited and dominated by china. Recharging in a timely manner is not possible for the masses.

The best next step would be a series hybrid electric car. It's silly that they are not on the market now. A series hybrid electric is simply an EV with a small and efficient generator. The generator only needs to put out the AVERAGE power used by the car to keep the car running. The generator can be switched off manually to recharge at home for cheaper. The battery banks can be smaller and less expensive if needed because you can always recharge on the fly. The generator can run at a constant rpm and the exhaust can be more filtered for noise and pollution. The average car can keep 60mph with less than 20 hp. A 30 hp generator should be plenty.

I thought that as soon as I ordered my JTR (now on the train) Jeep would make a 4XE Gladiator, but it looks like it won't be in 2023. I'm pre-wired for 220 in the garage and have 6.2kW rooftop solar, so both my wife and I are just waiting.

 

[Geoarch]

Down on the Gulf coast, anytime you see a tropical storm or Hurricane may be heading your way, gas stations are packed with people filling up cans. I was referring to the charging station at your house, if you power is out for a few days or weeks. In the Houston area, we have never had a total gird failure, so if need be, you could drive to an area that has power and get gas, not so easy for an EV to do that. Just my 2 cents.

A hybrid would solve that issue. Probably the best next step like Toyota is doing now and planning on hydrogen.

 

[Geoarch]

Based on what I saw, you aren't actually restricted.

"It’s important to note that EPE does not limit customers from installing a DG system that will produce over 120% of customer’s annual consumption. This is a requirement only if customer wants to be on Net Metering in NM. "

https://www.epelectric.com/renewabl...interconnection-of-facilities-less-than-10-kw

I think it might be different for those of us on PNM. Only southern NM is on El Paso. In some neighborhoods (i.e. Rio Rancho) residents can no longer get rooftop solar, presumably because of grid capacity. East (I'm just north of Albuquerque), they still have the grid capacity.

 

[Geoarch]

Capilary fed electrolysis cells are 98% efficient.. breakthrough!

https://www.greencarcongress.com/2022/03/20220321-hysata.html

I'm not an engineer, but if that generation was powered by renewables, or nuclear there would be no CO2 consequences. Also tangentially, I'm assuming that the water produced could be captured, and we sure could use it in the Southwest. I doubt the technology is here for that however.

 

[Geoarch]

Still one huge problem with most EVs, they are ugly as hell. My wife would be a perfect candidate for an EV but she can't get past the looks.

I thought the new Mustang EV looked pretty good, even though buying a Ford would take some major shifts in my thinking.

 

[The Crusader]

I thought that as soon as I ordered my JTR (now on the train) Jeep would make a 4XE Gladiator, but it looks like it won't be in 2023. I'm pre-wired for 220 in the garage and have 6.2kW rooftop solar, so both my wife and I are just waiting.

I'm about to buy 5 acres and build a barndominium with about 9-10kw of solar panels. All electrical appliances and if I make extra electricity, I will buy an EV. I have a buddy who found the equipment and installed it himself for $13k, $11.5k after Federal rebates. I'm sure prices have gone up in 2 years, but still worth it.

 

[The Crusader]

I'm not an engineer, but if that generation was powered by renewables, or nuclear there would be no CO2 consequences. Also tangentially, I'm assuming that the water produced could be captured, and we sure could use it in the Southwest. I doubt the technology is here for that however.

Every 1000 s.f. of roof coverage will provide over 600 gallons of water with every inch of rain. A 3000 s.f. roof will give you 1800 gallons of water with every inch of rain. A tough sell for Albuquerque, but East TX averages 44 inches/year. Some people live on rain water in the Arizona desert, so it can be done if you conserve.

 

[ratherbskiing]

This past weekend I drove our Tesla (Y) from Utah to PA and it was seamless. Of course, superchargers are plentiful on 70 and 80. It usually took 15-30 min at each charge stop which was perfect to let our dog out. We did stop more frequently than we would have in our Jeeps but it really wasn't that bad. It cost us about $200 in supercharging which I estimate to be about 1/3 of what fuel would have cost us. Honestly, I was dreading the trip but it turned our to be just fine. The trip was further enjoyable due to the reduced wind noise, no engine noice, and no tire hum. Must less fatiguing than any of the Jeeps I own.

 

[Geoarch]

Every 1000 s.f. of roof coverage will provide over 600 gallons of water with every inch of rain. A 3000 s.f. roof will give you 1800 gallons of water with every inch of rain. A tough sell for Albuquerque, but East TX averages 44 inches/year. Some people live on rain water in the Arizona desert, so it can be done if you conserve.

I have friends in Tucson that do that. We use rain barrels for watering during the monsoon.

 

[Orange01z28]

I got a cyber truck on order for 3 years now. I'll keep the jeep also, but I didn't buy it for the climate nonsense and could care less about EVs, I bought it for the autonomous driving. Thats the real future. Uber and lyft have been mapping routes for years so they can dump all the drivers and leave self drivers in the busiest areas. At that point they won't need people to be ready or not, they will set up autonomous charging stations that can be driven into so there will be no human involvement.

If you enjoy driving or cars at all you should be categorically opposed to autonomous driving

the only way it really works is to ban human drivers

 

[Geoarch]

If you enjoy driving or cars at all you should be categorically opposed to autonomous driving

the only way it really works is to ban human drivers

The latter sounds like a good idea sometimes.

 

[j.o.y.ride]

This past weekend I drove our Tesla (Y) from Utah to PA and it was seamless. Of course, superchargers are plentiful on 70 and 80. It usually took 15-30 min at each charge stop which was perfect to let our dog out. We did stop more frequently than we would have in our Jeeps but it really wasn't that bad. It cost us about $200 in supercharging which I estimate to be about 1/3 of what fuel would have cost us. Honestly, I was dreading the trip but it turned our to be just fine. The trip was further enjoyable due to the reduced wind noise, no engine noice, and no tire hum. Must less fatiguing than any of the Jeeps I own.

The Y is basically a bulbous sedan, why would anyone bother trying to compare a long road trip in a lux sedan to that in a Wrangler or Gladiator? Any similar vehicle of the same price as your Y would've been better. $75k for a Y?

Go do that trip in an A7 or X5 or Macan and it will be equally as more enjoyable than the Jeep, with fewer stops.

 

[Reasoner]

I have no issues with EVs. In fact I would love a hybrid like the Wrangler 4xe.

The problem for me is that they are too expensive. I can barely afford my Sport model. EV systems in general are more expensive than ICE, and the 4xe is only available for the Rubicon/Sahara trims, which add even more to the overall cost.

If a hybrid system was available at the Sport trim level, I’d definitely consider it depending on how much it would add to the initial purchase cost. For now, it’s still much cheaper (even in the long run) to buy the Sport model and pay for normal gas.

I also do go wheeling, so having the simple V6 is very reassuring from a durability and reliability standpoint. The 4xe complicates the heck out of things by not only making it a hybrid, but also using the 2.0 turbo.

If I was in the market for a Rubicon, I would still consider the 4xe.

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