EV thread

I've always said an EV will never be practical for me, and many others, until battery technology improves and there is a around a 4X increase in energy density. Why? Check out this article about the Hummer EV. To push that barn door down the road for over 300 miles the battery weighs 2,800 lbs!
https://www.roadandtrack.com/news/a43978114/gmc-hummer-ev-battery-teardown-proves-our-fears/That kind of improvement in batteries may not happen in our lifetimes so there will always be plenty of gas and diesel vehicles around.
 
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Our hybrid has settled in and we get 30.5 mpg highway and 35-38 city.

That's good for an SUV. It's 5-7 mpg better highway then our old van but almost double the gas mileage in the city.

We drove it 320 miles, 370 miles, and 180 miles to see family. Two were day trips.

I think it's a good balance between battery weight and efficiency. I could get better mpg with a regular Toyota Camry though.
 
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InOmaha said:
Our hybrid has settled in and we get 30.5 mpg highway and 35-38 city.

That's good for an SUV. It's 5-7 mpg better highway then our old van but almost double the gas mileage in the city.

We drove it 320 miles, 370 miles, and 180 miles to see family. Two were day trips.

I think it's a good balance between battery weight and efficiency. I could get better mpg with a regular Toyota Camry though.
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Hybrids arethe perfect balance

Thats the same my Hybrid SUV DD for work gets
It was only $2,000 more when I got it new, for 50% increased MPG performance = no brainer IMO. The little motor with a turbo and the electric motors gives this thing a waaaaay faster acceleration too

I debated trading for a Hybrid XSE Camry also but the fact is its a car VS an AWD SUV which is apples to oranges in the snow. This is strictly a work vehicle as I have 5 other vehicles to drive besides my wifes, and 3 motorcycles

If I didnt live in the midwest snow country, Id have bought the Camry XSE hybrid for work. I love the Honda Accords also personally, you get alot for the $$$ and our last one we got new was insanely reliable
 
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@InOmaha what is the projected life expectancy of those batteries, and what is the current replacement cost?
 
The car has a 10 year/100,000 mile warranty. I expect the in town mpg to start dropping in 8-10 years. And every winter from late Nov. to late Feb. when it cools down here.

The hybrids seem to last better than the EVs. I think they've been around longer and the battery management is better because they get recharged as they go. I can't fully drain the batteries because it won't run EV only.

Hyundai has had some past engine issues where they give out at 60-70,000 miles, but it's been resolved and, if not, I wouldn't mind them tossing in a new engine in 7 years.
 
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I did ask about that before purchasing
They expect the batteries to last to 150,000 plus miles

So I planned on selling near the end of my warranty
That should be 5 years from date of purchase at the rate Im goin

In other words, not a big concern
If an owner did plan in driving it past 150K and buyin new batteries, it was ~$4,000
 
CreepinDeth said:
I did ask about that before purchasing
They expect the batteries to last to 150,000 plus miles

So I planned on selling near the end of my warranty
That should be 5 years from date of purchase at the rate Im goin

In other words, not a big concern
If an owner did plan in driving it past 150K and buyin new batteries, it was ~$4,000
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That more or less aligns with what I’ve seen from the older hybrids. I won't buy new vehicles, so stuff like that will continue to be somewhat of a concern for me.
 
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Zorba said:
I'm too old to take on a project like that. :(
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1696369706499.png
 
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He goes into typical liberal mode. No analysis, don't know why, it must be insurance company greed or collusion with gas companies.

The cars weigh more so they incur more damage, they are newer, they total easier because the EV battery systems are a single piece that's very flammable, tons of electronics, etc.

To bring down costs Teslas are giga stamped or whatever they call that. Basically the more unibody the more likely to total after an accident. See TJ tub repairs after a fender bender accident near the tail lights.

These all drive up costs over cars that can have independent sections repared, the drive train taken apart, engines, transmissions, fuel systems worked on without special shops, etc.

Tesla is not in the insurance business because it takes huge capital to be an insurer. Musk may eventually, but I wouldn't expect it to be cheaper. The guy is good at math.

Read up on how Tesla won't let people do repairs or modifications. There's no real aftermarket or independent shop options to help drive down repair costs and repair options.

I see a few here and their that use salvaged Teslas for experiments, but they are a groups of modders and programmers. Not repair shops.
 
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InOmaha said:
Tesla is not in the insurance business because it takes huge capital to be an insurer. Musk may eventually, but I wouldn't expect it to be cheaper. The guy is good at math.
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Actually they've been in the insurance business for years.

https://www.marketwatch.com/guides/insurance-services/tesla-reducing-car-insurance-rates/

InOmaha said:
He goes into typical liberal mode. No analysis, don't know why, it must be insurance company greed ir collusion with gas companies.
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the Electric Viking (EV :ROFLMAO: ) is a bit of a self-appointed shill for the EV industry, but he will regularly report on news that's not all that favorable to the industry. I think this video is a good example, it's not exactly the kind of news the green crowd wants to hear. There are certainly valid reasons for the higher rates compared to ICE vehicles, the question is how much higher is objectively warranted vs. gouging or other related chicanery. Time, and more data, will answer those questions.
 
From the article, basically it's higher initial car costs and repair costs. Like I mentioned. Aftermarket parts and more repair shops would help bring repair costs down.

I couldn't use Tesla insurance because it's not nation wide. Like you guys in Florida and California trying to get homeowners insurance. Sometimes it costs more because of the math. Sometimes it's not offered for the same reason.

"While lower prices for Tesla models could lead to reduced car insurance premiums, it may be tougher for the automaker to address its steep average repair cost. According to RepairPal, the average annual repair cost for a Tesla is $832, which is significantly higher than the national average of $652. Note, however, that this is cheaper than the yearly repair-cost average for other luxury brands such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

In January 2023, Musk noted changes to the vehicle design and software used in Tesla models. He said, “We want to minimize the cost of repairing a Tesla if it’s in a collision … It’s remarkable how small changes in the design of the bumper (and) providing spare parts needed for collision repair have an enormous effect on the repair cost.”
 
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InOmaha said:
From the article, basically it's higher initial car costs and repair costs. Like I mentioned. Aftermarket parts and more repair shops would help bring repair costs down.
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Those are the obvious reasons of course, and they make sense, it's always more expensive to insure more expensive cars that have more expensive parts so this much was predictable... once there's more data for the insurance companies to factor in they'll be able to tweak the numbers (up or down) depending on the longer term costs associated with this technology.

One of the more interesting takeaways for me is the idea that 'Musk' will be able to lower insurance premiums for certain drivers because he has far more specific information about each individual's driving habits.

Traditionally carriers look at the demographic you fit into, your zip code, and your past driving record then quote your coverage based upon their prediction of your future behavior & loss potential.

Now, Teslas are rolling tracking devices that send lots of very specific data back to the mother ship in real time, most likely things like speed, acceleration/braking, stopping or rolling through stop signs even, locations where you drive, locations where you park and a lot more. Those pieces of information can certainly be helpful in premium adjustments for a given drivers which can be good or bad for the wallet, but certainly bad on the big brother element.

I know guys like @Zorba are ok with driving what amounts to a four-wheel Iphone, but it's not for me.
 
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Parking inside should be a factor. Here it helps with storm damage, other places potential breakins and theft.

I know I don't want that tech level, but it's coming to pay for roads as gas taxes decrease. They need to know which state to charge yours miles to.
 
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