quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:
Heard that there is no new or redesigned internal combustion engine in the works from any manufacturer.

Do you have a source for this claim?

quote:

Originally posted by Veeper:
My coworker has a Volt that he'll be "saving money" with until he pays it off.

A Volt is not an electric vehicle, it's a hybrid. The BOLT is GM's all-electric car. I looked at them, but new EV's are about as pricey as a low-end Beemer, and not as sexy.

As for the engine sound, the BMW i8 has an engine sound built in, so if you really want to sound aggressive, you can pipe the sound out. As for me, if I get the satisfaction of smoking a Dodge Hellcat in a car that makes no noise, I can live with that.

quote:

Originally posted by fpuhan:

quote:

Originally posted by Veeper:
My coworker has a Volt that he'll be "saving money" with until he pays it off.

A Volt is not an electric vehicle, it's a hybrid. The BOLT is GM's all-electric car. I looked at them, but new EV's are about as pricey as a low-end Beemer, and not as sexy.

As for the engine sound, the BMW i8 has an engine sound built in, so if you really want to sound aggressive, you can pipe the sound out. As for me, if I get the satisfaction of smoking a Dodge Hellcat in a car that makes no noise, I can live with that.

What did you do to your car? I looked up i8 and it's a 12.6 sec 1/4 mile. A hell cat can smoke that. Heck my car, Fusion Sport (with larger intercooler and tune) can match that quarter mile. You would probably do real nice in an eighth though.

The way I view all of this increase in Electric Vehicles is that it leaves more gas for me and my trucks!

quote:

Originally posted by steve495:
I did not vote, but I think you'll find people who have EVs have a second - or even third - vehicle that runs on traditional fuel.

A family may have two cars, one EV and the other gas.

I do know people with EVs and they like them ... all of them have at least one other vehicle that is not EV.

This has been my experience as well. A good friend of mine has a Tesla and a Range Rover and depending on where he’s going will determine what vehicle they take.

Before I retired from construction about half the homes we built had provisions for future EV’s.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

quote:

Originally posted by fpuhan:

quote:

Originally posted by Veeper:
My coworker has a Volt that he'll be "saving money" with until he pays it off.

A Volt is not an electric vehicle, it's a hybrid. The BOLT is GM's all-electric car. I looked at them, but new EV's are about as pricey as a low-end Beemer, and not as sexy.

As for the engine sound, the BMW i8 has an engine sound built in, so if you really want to sound aggressive, you can pipe the sound out. As for me, if I get the satisfaction of smoking a Dodge Hellcat in a car that makes no noise, I can live with that.

What did you do to your car? I looked up i8 and it's a 12.6 sec 1/4 mile. A hell cat can smoke that. Heck my car, Fusion Sport (with larger intercooler and tune) can match that quarter mile. You would probably do real nice in an eighth though.

yes I love the i8 but, unless the Hellcat driver is terrible, it wouldn't be close.

As for electric cars, I would drive/own one for sure but there's no way I could ever afford it. If money wasn't an option there would be a Tesla S in my driveway without a doubt.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

quote:

Originally posted by fpuhan:
As for me, if I get the satisfaction of smoking a Dodge Hellcat in a car that makes no noise, I can live with that.

What did you do to your car? I looked up i8 and it's a 12.6 sec 1/4 mile. A hell cat can smoke that. Heck my car, Fusion Sport (with larger intercooler and tune) can match that quarter mile. You would probably do real nice in an eighth though.

Sorry, Jesse. I switched gears (and cars) in mid post. The car that smoked a Hellcat is a Tesla Model S in Ludicrous Mode.

Found this article this morning on the future of gas vs electric vehicles. (it's from NPR so be prepare yourself for the climate change narrative.)

An interesting quote from that article:

"The average age of a vehicle on the road today is almost 12 years old in the United States," says Abuelsamid, the Navigant analyst. "Even if ... 100 percent of vehicles sold were electric starting today, it would still take 20 to 25 years to replace the entire vehicle fleet with electric vehicles."

What about depreciation on electric cars? There are a number of articles that state higher depreciation for electric with the exception of Tesla.

Batteries concern me. I have not studied car battery life or replacement cost but it is a factor when choosing an electric vehicle.

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
Funny how people can't understand why some electric car designs aren't as safe as non-electric.

It's called the law of gross tonnage - if you driving the smallest MF-ing car around, odds are if you get hit it will be by a bigger to much bigger vehicle.

New crash systems / airbags / etc are great but physics and the laws of motion can be an unforgiving bitch.

The Smart car was originally designed as (and is still available as) a gas engine vehicle.

If it was within the budget, I would love to have a model S.

The model 3 isn’t bad, but I would want the performance one, so the price is up there pretty high again.

On top of the car's price, then there is getting an electrician to come over and install the charger at home as well. And the cost if the charger.

quote:

Originally posted by Vanwall:
What about depreciation on electric cars? There are a number of articles that state higher depreciation for electric with the exception of Tesla.

Batteries concern me. I have not studied car battery life or replacement cost but it is a factor when choosing an electric vehicle.

Definitely, but I envision future electric cars reflecting the prevailing societal norm of everything being "throwaway." Of course this is what companies like Tesla want.

I suspect, as the technology improves, you'll see a rise in reliability and longevity as the mainstream brands jump on board. What will be interesting is the future of the automotive maintenance field as EV's seem to require far less maintenance. They won't be able to screw the old ladies with $300 air filter changes anymore. I can't wait to see how the big brands make up for this as I am sure they will think of something like battery cap checks or vent tube cleanings or whatever. Some bs will surely be thrown in somewhere so those guys can keep their jobs.

It's crazy to imagine how different the automotive industry will be in just 10-20 years.

We've had some nasty Tesla crashes down here, couple that caught fire and killed some people and then this one yesterday. No one died by dang, that Tesla came apart!

https://www.local10.com/news/l...le-beach-blvd-crash/

I'm waiting for teleporters or fusion drive.

Seriously though, I currently own 5 vehicles. A V6 (Highlander), V8 (Corvette), V10 (Excursion), and two diesels (Excursion & Ram 2500).

I do see electric vehicles in my future. But hopefully a distant future.

I expect the technologies for both the electric powered and AI-autonomous will be sufficiently mature in about seven years.

By then, the green weenies will have decided that electric cars are Satan's spawn, and we should all walk.

I would love to get a Tesla, but the recharge time sucks. It would be fine around town, but long drives makes it an issue.

I'm currently driving a Tundra. When the 4WD tech for off-road EVs matures, I'll be in the market for one. One of my dealers is getting a Rivian so, I'll be closely watching how that goes. Meantime, my truck is fully paid and not in any hurry to add a large line-item to my monthly expenses.

quote:

Originally posted by Southflorida-law:
We've had some nasty Tesla crashes down here, couple that caught fire and killed some people and then this one yesterday. No one died by dang, that Tesla came apart!

https://www.local10.com/news/l...le-beach-blvd-crash/

Wow. Had there been passengers in any of the Tesla's rear seats, they'd be dead. The Nissan GTR that blew the red light must have been bookin'. It didn't fair well either.

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:

quote:

Originally posted by RHINOWSO:
Funny how people can't understand why some electric car designs aren't as safe as non-electric.

It's called the law of gross tonnage - if you driving the smallest MF-ing car around, odds are if you get hit it will be by a bigger to much bigger vehicle.

New crash systems / airbags / etc are great but physics and the laws of motion can be an unforgiving bitch.

The Smart car was originally designed as (and is still available as) a gas engine vehicle.

IIRC, the last gas engined Smart was MY18 or 19. Going forward Smart has gone electric only.
Also, RE Smart cars & safety. IIRC, telemetry show minor injuries in the Smart after a head-on with a 4000lb sedan, and no deformation of the 'safety cell' on the Smart.



Link to original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02eghIfyHP0

For me, The Rivian is the only attractive full-electric vehicle.

The 2nd gen Volt wasn't bad looking, but have no idea how they are for long-term ownership. But, it does do away with the range anxiety & recharge times. IIRC, a member here has/had a Volt.

I know a guy that commutes from just outside baltimore to Silver Spring daily, and drives down to southern MD on weekends,

he is jones for a CPO Tesla, but too tight to ever buy new

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder:
Ooo get a "Smart Car." Those things are terrifying.

^^^^^
I’d rather ride my Honda XR 250L to work than drive one of those. At least on my motorcycle I can maneuver quickly and have the power to do it fast.