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Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

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821–830 of 834 posts

Re: Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

#821

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a good idea. Why carry round all that weight 100% of the time when you can only take it when you need it.

One of the issues with that idea is you need very heavy duty connectors, EVs are hundreds of amps coming out.

A trailer mounted auxiliary battery doesn't need to supply hundreds of amps of current.

It can supply energy slowly, perhaps at dozens-of-amps.

The only time when an EV gets into hundreds of amps territory is when it is doing real work: Work like accelerating, or going uphill (or both).

Maintaining a speed on a straight stretch of highway is not a huge burden in terms of work, and that is where I think that a trailer-mounted battery might shine brightest.

The car's internal battery can take the brunt of rapid acceleration tasks and get filled back up over time, just like it already does in normal charge-daily EV use.

So to put some of this into real terms:

20A at 355V is 7,100 Watts, or about 9.5 horsepower. That's a ton of real work.

100A at 355V is 35,500 Watts, or about 47 horsepower. Way more than plenty to keep a portly EV heading down the highway.

The connection for the trailer APU doesn't need to handle the peak current draw of hundreds of amps. It just needs to be able to (slowly) pick up some slack and thus provide greater range.

Like the BMW i3 with the gas-fired range extender: The EV drivetrain could consume a ton more peak power than the built-in genset could produce, and that's OK.

It's not like people are using these in endurance racing or something. Most real-world driving is pretty mundane, with only occasional instances of rapid acceleration.

Re: Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

#823

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It really is a shame that Musk has tarnished the Tesla brand so much, because this looks like a great car.

I think outside of the "is speech good or evil"-osphere, most people would still aspire to have a Tesla.

Branding matters, as people do tend to buy the image almost as much as the capabilities.

Musk is inextricably tied to Teslas brand.

All good when he was ‘space Howard Hughes (pre-hypochondriac shut-in)’, since that brand resonated with people with money who were going for the ‘better future’ image.

Now his antics remind everyone of their asshole racist uncle that they can’t stand. Not a good brand association, as asshole racists uncles aren’t as popular with those with a lot of money.

Re: Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

#824
post #639

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you really wanted you could order diesel delivered to your home. And then fill your car in your own home. Nothing stops people from installing their own tanks. It is just that it is not needed as filling occasionally is minimal inconvenience. Much less than having to stick cable in your car each time you park it.

I am pretty sure zoning and environmental laws prevent that. A gas can maybe max 3 gallons

Nope. Most farmers keep a 50gal tank in their truck bed replete with nozzle for fueling tractors etc. And a larger one on the farm, usually 50 to 400gal.

Re: Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

#825

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Parity means you can charge your car in 5 minutes and then drive 3-400 miles, as you can in a gas car, access to repair facilities, and an average lifetime equivalent to regular cars. We're not there yet, we will be, but it's going to take some time. The people who say 'electric cars suck' are the same sorts of people who leave negative reviews of a beta product, missing the forest for the trees in my book. Same goes…

> Parity means you can charge your car in 5 minutes and then drive 3-400 miles, as you can in a gas car, access to repair facilities, and an average lifetime equivalent to regular cars. So yes, it sounds like your definition of "parity" means it can do everything a gas car can and more. If electric cars were first, would you demand that gas cars need to be able to power your house to reach "parity"? I don't think you…

Electric cars have been around 150 years. Yes, parity means... parity in practicaluty to the end user.

Re: Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

#826
post #412

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t see how that’s different than needing to figure out gas station locations and not knowing how much you’ll use between points since you don’t know traffic or efficiency of that vehicle.

Efficiency is mostly irrelevant - unless you're going into the wilderness, you have a gas station within minutes of driving, and unless you are extremely careless, the chance you may end up in a place where you can't drive to a gas station is pretty much non-existent. Gas station locations are available on any phone that has internet connection, which again unless you are into extreme roughing it, is everywhere. I do…

This is a hopelessly urban take, and factually incorrect.

Re: Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

#827

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What do Teslas do? Teslas do aggressive regen braking when you lift your foot. And it's not possible to disable that behavior, unlike other EVs. So-called single pedal driving isn't very familiar to most drivers, making it unsuitable for rentals where users would prefer not having a learning curve. Also if you ask the community how to disable regen braking you'll be told that you're driving it wrong, see: https://w…

How strong is regent braking compared to engine braking in a manual? Does it feel like just staying in the same gear? Downshifting one?

Much stronger than even downshifting imho.

Re: Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

#828

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh, you could just have used a Tesla Supercharger

Polestar 2s can't be charged at a supercharger, can they? At least they can't in the US.

They can for most of them in the EU. In Switzerland it's also the only vaguely non-ridiculously expensive option.

Re: Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

#829
post #816

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never have trouble telling it what street I'm going to. And no. I never go into the menus for the AC. I do it though voice.

Is this why I have to ask my Uber driver to turn the rear seat heater on? How do I even interact with the voice control as a passenger? Am I supposed to say "Hey Elon, warm my ass"?

Hey! There's plenty to be critical about. It just isn't the BS being brought up in this thread so far from people who just don't know how to use the car.

But you're spot on! The fact that people in the rear have no amenities is one of the big downsides of Tesla. And that rear seat heater? You need to pay extra to unlock it! I hope they choke on their $200

Re: Hertz to sell 20k EVs in shift back to gas-powered cars

#830
post #412

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Efficiency is mostly irrelevant - unless you're going into the wilderness, you have a gas station within minutes of driving, and unless you are extremely careless, the chance you may end up in a place where you can't drive to a gas station is pretty much non-existent. Gas station locations are available on any phone that has internet connection, which again unless you are into extreme roughing it, is everywhere. I do…

This is a hopelessly urban take, and factually incorrect.

That comment would be much more valuable if it contained something beyond unsupported statement and something that I assume was meant to be an ad hominem attack.
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