31–40 of 66 posts
I'm impressed that the American car companies have embraced electric technology so quickly. I'm also disappointed that the Japanese companies are falling behind. The Prius was a very innovative car when it was first released 20 years ago (that's right, the first Prius was a 1997 model!), but it is falling behind. The Nissan Leaf is just not competitive anymore, and I see no sign of a newer version of it with better r…
I don't see how this can work in anything but a commuter-centric car. Want to drive from LA to SF or from Austin to Tulsa? Too bad. Want to drive an electric, loaded pickup from Austin to Dallas? Also not going to happen. Unless they make some significant technological strides, nations larger than Norway are going to take a serious economic hit.
And that's the great part. Things are improving, and the rate of improvement is quickening too.
Though I don't own a Tesla, they're to be commended for bringing long-range EV travel to reality.
With my driving pattern, I end up driving on pre-charged electric 50% of the time and gas about 50% of the time. On gas, the car gets the advertised 42mpg.
I'm impressed that the American car companies have embraced electric technology so quickly. I'm also disappointed that the Japanese companies are falling behind. The Prius was a very innovative car when it was first released 20 years ago (that's right, the first Prius was a 1997 model!), but it is falling behind. The Nissan Leaf is just not competitive anymore, and I see no sign of a newer version of it with better r…
> People who park on the street have no realistic way to charge their cars at their homes Perhaps there could be combined parking meters and charging stations. You would pay a certain amount of money if you just wanted to park and you would pay more if you wanted to charge your car too.
Something I find interesting: There are cities investigating adding chargers that blend in to lamp posts (especially historic lamp posts where adding meters would be unwanted in a historic neighborhood).
I'm impressed that the American car companies have embraced electric technology so quickly. I'm also disappointed that the Japanese companies are falling behind. The Prius was a very innovative car when it was first released 20 years ago (that's right, the first Prius was a 1997 model!), but it is falling behind. The Nissan Leaf is just not competitive anymore, and I see no sign of a newer version of it with better r…
> The Nissan Leaf is just not competitive anymore, and I see no sign of a newer version of it with better range. Depends on your needs. My Leaf has been incredible. I paid $5k for an older one off lease and it gets me round trip to work/school/running errands for essentially zero marginal cost. People are stuck in an ICE mindset where they can't imagine a car being useful with less than 400 miles range. But the reali…
I don't see how this can work in anything but a commuter-centric car. Want to drive from LA to SF or from Austin to Tulsa? Too bad. Want to drive an electric, loaded pickup from Austin to Dallas? Also not going to happen. Unless they make some significant technological strides, nations larger than Norway are going to take a serious economic hit.
If fully electric cars don't quite work for your needs because of the range or the charge times, I recommend looking at the Chevy Volt. I think the Voltec drivetrain is a great design. It drives like an EV, even when the engine is active, but eliminates range anxiety. The integration of the electric motors and gas engine is really good. With my driving pattern, I end up driving on pre-charged electric 50% of the time…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
They are embracing it now, that's mostly because Tesla has been testing the grounds for the rest. Don't forget that GM had not only terminated all leases then went out of their way to crush all their EV1s[1]. Like a public execution to show that electric cars are bad. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Killed_the_Electric_Car%3F
The Chevy Volt has been around for as long as Tesla (Roadster) has been available to the public. Revenge of the Electric Car [2] is a great follow-up to Who Killed the Electric Car. [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenge_of_the_Electric_Car
I'm impressed that the American car companies have embraced electric technology so quickly. I'm also disappointed that the Japanese companies are falling behind. The Prius was a very innovative car when it was first released 20 years ago (that's right, the first Prius was a 1997 model!), but it is falling behind. The Nissan Leaf is just not competitive anymore, and I see no sign of a newer version of it with better r…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The Nissan Leaf is just not competitive anymore, and I see no sign of a newer version of it with better range. Depends on your needs. My Leaf has been incredible. I paid $5k for an older one off lease and it gets me round trip to work/school/running errands for essentially zero marginal cost. People are stuck in an ICE mindset where they can't imagine a car being useful with less than 400 miles range. But the reali…
This is all well and good if you're in a two-car household, but we only have one car and we do pretty regularly do longer road trips, e.g. to go skiing. Even with a 240mi Bolt those trips could be awkward.