Just for fun I looked up electric SUVs, and found the new Hyundai Ioniq. Base price in the low 40s so ok. The nearest compatible charging station is 20 minutes away. It has to be a compatible charging station. There is ZERO chance that I would find it better to go all the way down there, wait for a station (since they have a few terminals only), sit there and charge, then drive back home. ESPECIALLY in winter. Tesla SUVs are six figures?? No chance for someone like me. I live in a townhouse and have one basic house plug in the garage. I absolutely need AWD up here & would never go back to a compact or sedan unless I move away. Just not feasible for a lot of Americans. I'll just drive mine for 7-10 years like normal. I have a 2017 & it has 23000 miles on it anyway so it should be good for a while.
That’s the X. It’s a high end model. Look at the Y, which is the CSUV. It is more mass market. AWD is dual motor. Run that option to get a more realistic price. And installing a dryer outlet isn’t really that big of a deal as long as there’s room in your panel. I actually parked outside the garage and ran the cord under the door for a long time.
We're not allowed to do so. It's a detached garage-- washer/dryer in the basement. The plug in the garage is where the garage door opener plugs in in the ceiling. I have an extension cord there in case I have to use the shop vac in there to clean. There are closer charging stations but the one I quoted is the network the Hyundai plugs into. I've seen Volts charging on the college campus, though. There's 3 stalls there. So that would be 10 minutes if same station. But 3 stalls? These are parking spots so folks put them to charge & go to work/class. I'd have to sit and wait for one. By the time I get another car, though, hopefully there will be improvements & then I'd look closer. If I'm lucky enough to leave Buffalo then it would be more likely that I jump, though.
Also took your advice and looked at the Tesla Y. I paid 40k for my Edge loaded. A base of nearly 57,000 is not feasible when you don't have a great job, or a spouse. *shrug*
I'm nearly certain there's only two different charging connection types, Tesla and everyone else. You can charge on any of them indiscriminately with a simple adapter that affixes onto the end of the plug and comes standard with the Tesla (which is what I have, I don't know if Volts/Hyundais come with Tesla adapters). So if you have a Tesla you can charge on any of those chargers that pop up. Like the other poster said, as well, installing the 220 outlet is VERY simple for an electrician. If there are outlets at all in that garage and you pull your car into it an electrician will be able to do this for you. And because the batteries are so reliable, they recommend you charge it regularly and not solely when you run the battery down to zero. The only time I charge at a charging station is on road trips, and it ultimately amounts to the time it takes to stop to a get bite to eat and use the bathroom on the turnpike because off a super charger you can pick up 200 miles charge in about 25 minutes depending.
This is the Model I have, the Y. I looked at the X, which is definitely nicer but preferred this one because of the regular doors =) It's 57K yes but it JUST launched. So used versions of this will be hitting the market soon AND because Tesla priced it at 57k, a competitor will absolutely come along soonish with a similar form factor at a much more budget friendly price. So maybe not today, but the market is definitely expanding and once it does there will be EV options for all budgets.
I’m sorry that it doesn’t work for you. Obviously, not ideal for everyone. The second motor comes with an expanded battery, so it does add a cost premium. Hopefully, the infrastructure and cost will improve in the future and make it more realistic as an option. They really are great to drive.
Like I mentioned, the one plug is in the ceiling & we're not allowed to make modifications like that (rental). There's 1 resident here with an electric but that's their 2nd car, and he charges it at work. The reason I know we're not allowed is the management sent a letter addressing the issue because it had been asked. But like I said, I wouldn't rule it out in the future.
I wouldn’t encourage you to buy an electric with your current vehicle. It has a lot of years/miles left and you barely drive so the cost of fuel isn’t a big driver. I would note that a basic 120 outlet would likely serve you just fine. You’re driving on average under 16 miles a day and the 120 outlet will add around 3 miles of range per hour so 10 hours at home would add 30 miles of range.
It's already impacting the poor. Not everyone has the funds to afford solar panels and electric cars. Inflation is eating away at any disposable income these people have. The cost of food, gas, electricity etc... (basics) leave little to no room for other purchases let alone a major purchase. The reasons we are not pumping more oil are too many to list. The following podcast was posted in previous a thread and I'll post it here again. @G8R92 posted the information about Barron's Streetwise Podcast with Jack Hough. It is just shy of 26 minutes and Jack Hough discusses the issue with Helima Croft. Helima is a Managing Director and the Head of Global Commodity Strategy and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Research at RBC Capital Markets. She specializes in geopolitics and energy, leading a team of commodity strategists that cover energy, metals and cross-commodity investor activity. Helima is a member of the National Petroleum Council, a select group of individuals who advise, inform and make recommendations to the Secretary of Energy with respect to any matter relating to oil and natural gas. Gasoline? Where Russia's War Could Take Oil A top commodities strategist lays out the prospects for new supply--and demand destruction. And an oil CEO doubles down on his pledge to limit new drilling.
Need to get rid of the "Jones" act right now-- The Jones Act History of the Jones Act The Jones Act was enacted by the United States Congress in order to stimulate the shipping industry in the wake of the World War I. The requirement about shipping cargo between American ports only on American ships benefited the constituents of Wesley Jones, the U.S. Senator from the state of Washington who introduced the act. Washington had a large shipping industry, and the act was designed to give the state a monopoly on shipping to Alaska. While the act benefited Jones’ constituents, it increased the shipping costs of other states and U.S. territories.4 On several occasions, the U.S. government has granted temporary waivers on Jones Act requirements. This is typically done in the wake of a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, in order to increase the number of ships that can legally supply goods to an affected area.4 Criticism of the Jones Act The act has been criticized for restricting who can conduct trade with Puerto Rico, and it has been cited as a factor leading to the island’s economic and budgetary troubles. A study released by the New York Federal Reserve in 2012 found that the cost of transporting a shipping container to Puerto Rico from the mainland was twice as high as shipping the same container from a foreign port.5
Been begging for that for years in PR and like most things in one ear & out the other. The pro statehood folks like to use that as a weapon that if PR becomes a state the Jones Act would "get removed".
I read an article by an electrical engineer talking about the practicality of EV right now. Now I am not an engineer and consider electricity a form of magic, but he had some interesting points. He said on his street there were 23 houses. With the current electric system, only 4 houses could have EV before the capacity of his transformer would be met. He also said many houses would need to upgrade their fuse boxes to handle the additional load. Then there is the issue of the US electrical grid. It is a patchwork without much uniformity and would also need a major upgrade. I am told there are huge boneyards of broken down Teslas because it is cheaper to buy a new one than replace the batteries, so there is a looming environmental issue coming with how to dispose of the batteries, which currently cannot be reused. Of course, when I meet someone with an EV I ask them is a "coaled fired, natural gas fired or nuclear fired" EV, since that is where 90 percent of our electricity comes from. Not against EV at all. I understand they are fun to drive. We will get to a majority EV nation some day. But not in 5 years or even 10 years with all the upgrades to the grid that will be necessary. Just the environmental permitting to do the upgrades will take years.
Addressing the bolded part: I'd be interested in seeing this boneyard. In terms of nothing to do with used batteries, that is absolutely not true. There is a burgeoning battery recycling industry already working with scrap from battery manufacturing process and ready to take old EV batts. A pretty nice place to invest, in fact!
I would also add that adding a 220 outlet to most houses is really no big deal and most houses already have the capability to add it. Some don’t, that is true. But anything built in the last 20-30 years likely would. It’s not like most houses have knob and tube wiring or something. We are talking clothes dryer electrical demands. And if you have a house that can’t handle more than one 220, there are switches that you can purchase to share your 220 between your car and dryer.
EVs will be adopted over time so I see this a pointless argument. We didn’t have gas stations on every corner when ICE vehicles started selling and yet adoption worked out just fine. My brother is responsible for a power company’s equipment, upgrades, and expansion. They know about increased demand and aren’t simply sitting on their thumbs. Link or I’m going to say this is BS. Tesla batteries have proven very reliable to date, and Teslas total from impacts quite often and I’ve seen working salvaged Tesla batteries for sale. They’re popular for people doing aftermarket EV mods on their ICE vehicles. Actually it’s 80% but nuclear is not in the same category as the fossil fuel based energy sources so it’s 60%, if you don’t have home solar charging or you don’t pay for renewables like you can do with my power company. That 60% is still better than the 100% ICE powered vehicles. 50% in five years, unlikely. 50% of new sales in ten years? I think 40-50% of new sales is likely in a decade. The number of new EV models coming out will blow your mind and a couple manufactures are committing to switch completely over. Last quarter almost 5% of sales were plug in vehicles and tech adoption curves are staggeringly steep. Vehicles have a long service life and are expensive which will provide headwinds and not as steep as these but adoption will come quickly.
