Today, would you buy an EV vehicle.

[California]

In addition to the manufacturers building mostly high-margin versions, presently dealers are going nuts selling at far over the manufacturers MSRP.

I knew car prices are insane due to availability. But I didn't realize its this bad!

https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/v9a22l

Summary - $20k over MSRP for a Toyota RAV4. After a non-refundable deposit.

The comments following speak of $100k markup over MSRP for a Corvette and similar, total = double MSRP, on a Ford truck.

Many comments from owners offered considerably more than they paid new, by their dealer who now has a customer desperate for that model.

Think I'll keep driving what I have for a while more.

 

[ultrarunner]

I will keep driving my $1000 Samurai if it comes to that or the Corolla at 41 mpg.

What I am seeing is people making nice money as their lease vehicle is up because value is more than buy out.

Also new cars that arrive after many months can be sold for thousands more... sometimes 15k or more.

It's not like this is new but for it to apply across the board has not happened since the end of WWII.

 

[Pixguy]

 

[cqaigy2]

I'd like to check out those $15-18K for sale, but apparently can't get in the states. I'd be temped at that price. It only takes me 45 to 60 minutes to get to most places i purchase from. Of course if i was to pick up lumber or something like, i'd probably be driving my pick anyway, but it's 20+ years old and i want to hold on to as long as i can. So an electric grocery getter might just be the trick. Especially considering we get most our electric power from dams and renewables.

 

[Oaktree]

One simple storage is pumping water back to hydro plants for peak demand release…

For production a series of turbines as elevation falls has been used in smaller projects.

Doesn't it take as much energy to pump that water back uphill as it generates coming down?

Can't at least one company, breakout from the bean counters, and give us what we want. Are we so small a population that it doesn't matter? A modular 125 HP truck that we can fix easily and inexpensively with NO creature comfort, no bells and whistles at all? Is there no money in this?

They build them, at least some of the foreign manufacturers do, but they're mostly sold in third world countries. I just don't think there's enough demand here to make it worthwhile to sell them in the U.S. While I have little use for a lot of the bells and whistles modern trucks have neither do I want something as bare bones as you. 125 hp?? That's as bad as the Japanese trucks of the 70s & 80s...those things couldn't get out of their own way.
Keep in mind also that there are federal emissions and safety requirements manufacturers must meet, that's gonna put the kibosh on a lot of ease of repair.

 

[California]

Doesn't it take as much energy to pump that water back uphill as it generates coming down?

It's an application to absorb excess capacity. Nuclear in particular runs at constant output 24/7. Coal or gas, similar.

An adequately-sized grid occasionally has to pay a neighboring system to push their excess there.

My neighbor in town told me charging his Tesla overnight occasionally shows a negative cost for a few hours on his monthly bill, same thing, excess capacity pushed to him.

It's a load-balancing mechanism.

 

[ultrarunner]

Doesn't it take as much energy to pump that water back uphill as it generates coming down?


They build them, at least some of the foreign manufacturers do, but they're mostly sold in third world countries. I just don't think there's enough demand here to make it worthwhile to sell them in the U.S. While I have little use for a lot of the bells and whistles modern trucks have neither do I want something as bare bones as you. 125 hp?? That's as bad as the Japanese trucks of the 70s & 80s...those things couldn't get out of their own way.
Keep in mind also that there are federal emissions and safety requirements manufacturers must meet, that's gonna put the kibosh on a lot of ease of repair.

It takes more but depending on price structure it can be viable…

Pump at night when kW cost is low and release at peak demand when highest rate charged.

A very large Server Farm saved a lot of money playing peek and off peek power cost.

When rates lowest the ICE plant made ice cubes floating in a slurry of very cold water and the cold water buffer provided all the cooling in the heat of the day…

 

[buckeyefarmer]

But solar puts that hydro dam out of business. The days of cheaper rates at night will come to an end, that cheaper rate isn’t solar.

 

[ultrarunner]

Hydro isn't dependent on sunshine or wind...

One engineer told me it is like a battery storing energy until needed.

 

[Oaktree]

President Trump made us made proud, confident...he is a true leader despite all his foibles.
Biden is a hack politician...and progressives are, IMHO, completely un-American

On what planet did this happen? Not this one.
Most politicians are hacks, regardless of party.
Don't want to get this thread locked so that's all I'll say on the matter.

 

[ultrarunner]

Hoping more EV owners share ownership experience.

Curious as to the percentage of EV owners also have home grown power?

 

[Jstpssng]

Hoping more EV owners share ownership experience.

Curious as to the percentage of EV owners also have home grown power?

I agree. I previously mentioned, either here or in another thread, how it would be nice to hear from Bolt owners. That car seems more geared toward the average Joe. I can easily see myself picking one up next spring, after the winter ice has mostly gone.
I'm leaning toward a hybrid Maverick, but have 9 months to look around.

 

[Paystar]

Ran into this image of (supposedly) a Ford Lightning with a "removable extended range package." Looks like a toolbox. Also interesting. Wonder how much added range and added charge time needed.

View attachment 749423

Oh look! A truck with no room in the box to be a truck. LOL

Why wouldn't they put it in that front "frunk" as they call it. I'm sorry but anything without at least an 8 foot box is useless to me.

 

[K5lwq]

What will the guys that like the loud exhaust do to make racket with the EVs? EV Manufacturers should at least provide a loud speaker and some digital recordings of loud IC exhaust systems for them.

 

[Jstpssng]

Oh look! A truck with no room in the box to be a truck. LOL

Why wouldn't they put it in that front "frunk" as they call it. I'm sorry but anything without at least an 8 foot box is useless to me.

Oh, yes. You’ve harped that point to death. Not everybody needs what you do.
I have (2) 2018 4wd pickups parked in the yard. The Maverick base price is 1/2 of either of those. It also will go more than twice as far on a gallon of gas. At this time it’s possibly the most economical vehicle out there to buy and drive… which is why they are so popular. I don’t feel the need to buy something, just to keep up with the Joneses.


An 8foot bed is just a waste. If you want a truck, it should be able to haul enough 16 foot 2x6s, shingles, OSB and tools to build a house. It also needs a dump body, and the ability to pull a 10 ton trailer.

 

[California]

... it would be nice to hear from Bolt owners. That car seems more geared toward the average Joe.

I thought long and hard about buying a Bolt. Five years ago I started a thread here to learn more.

Post #295 has my conclusions at that time. Summary - we drive 100 miles between home and ranch nearly weekly and Bolt just doesn't have the cargo volume for all the luggage, groceries, harvested fruit, etc etc that fill our vehicle every trip.

It does seem that Bolt's range, over 200 miles, is suitable. We would charge at each end.

This was before the battery replacement problems. But after owning a disaster Chevy Citation long ago, I was a little concerned about reliability too. I decided Bolt wasn't useful for my intended application.

Today, Bolt prices have been reduced some $6,000 from back then, and there is a new EUV version that is a few inches longer. I think either version would be great for someone who also has a SUV/truck when they need to haul stuff.

Updated: A link to post #295 that worked earlier, now goes to a different post for some reason. So I revised the link to show post #1.

 

[California]

What will the guys that like the loud exhaust do to make racket with the EVs? EV Manufacturers should at least provide a loud speaker and some digital recordings of loud IC exhaust systems for them.

My neighbor in town has a Mustang modified for Track Weekend - quick, deafeningly loud, not really street legal. Recently when gas prices jumped up he bought a Tesla Model 3 to use in place of the huge Ford pickup he usually commutes in.

I asked him "How do you like the Tesla? it's quicker than the Mustang, no?" He looked sick then said "well the Mustang has its advantages too."

 

[cqaigy2]

What will the guys that like the loud exhaust do to make racket with the EVs? EV Manufacturers should at least provide a loud speaker and some digital recordings of loud IC exhaust systems for them.

They already have that. Watching old episodes of Top Gear, those cars had different sound setting for the car.

 

[Doughknob]

My neighbor in town has a Mustang modified for Track Weekend - quick, deafeningly loud, not really street legal. Recently when gas prices jumped up he bought a Tesla Model 3 to use in place of the huge Ford pickup he usually commutes in.

I asked him "How do you like the Tesla? it's quicker than the Mustang, no?" He looked sick then said "well the Mustang has its advantages too."

A big pickup, Tesla, and modified Mustang!?!? It’s true - everybody in CA must be a gazillionaire…..

 

[Jstpssng]

I thought long and hard about buying a Bolt. Five years ago I started a thread here to learn more.

The post linked below has my conclusions at the time. Summary - we drive 100 miles between home and ranch nearly week and Bolt just doesn't have the cargo capacity for all the luggage, groceries, harvested fruit, etc etc that fills our vehicles every trip.

This was before the battery replacement problems. But after owning a disaster Chevy Citation long ago, I was a little concerned about reliability too. I decided Bolt wasn't useful for my intended application.

Hmm this link lands on the first post of the page. Click it to make it jump down to what I intended to link.

Electric Cars: Chev Bolt seems to be the first practical one.

Oh please, if that were the case with Tesla these things would be all over the news. We've owned ours for over two years and it's been flawless. All the owners I know are also pretty happy with theirs as well. I can speak from actual owner experience, what can you speak to? Two-Thirds of...

www.tractorbynet.com

Today, Bolt prices have been reduced some $6,000 from back then, and there is a new EUV version that is a few inches longer. I think either version would be great for someone who also has a SUV/truck when they need to haul stuff.

Thank you. Base price on both is about 50% more than that of a Maverick. On paper at least, the latter seems best suited for a second third vehicle, which is what I’m looking for.