By The Numbers

[frostbite51]

A couple of interesting articles on the net today about electric cars, and how soon they will take over the world. I didn't know that China had half the EVs in the world, or that there's a Tesla with 500,000 miles on the same battery.

They talked about the cost of owning a vehicle, and how in the future, many people will depend on stuff like Uber and Lyft, and not even own a vehicle. I suppose a generation brought up on XBox and Ipod could live like that, but I grew up taking old lawnmowers apart.

But it made me wonder just what I was paying each day for my vehicles. I have a car, a pickup, a trike, and a bike. I'm retired, so there's no commute. Insurance and tags come out to $5.96 a day. For gas I figured average mileage divided into $3 premium gas, times average miles per day for each vehicle. The Dyna gets driven the most, at 10.6 miles a day. It's also the best for mileage, costing 6.7 cents per mile. The trike is 9.5 x 8.5, the truck is 4.7 x 20.0, and the car is 8.2 x 16.7. Add it all up, and I average $3.83 a day for gas.

So I'm spending $9.79 a day, $3573.35 a year for my vehicles, and this doesn't include oil changes and repairs.

Of course, I don't need 4 vehicles, but they each have their use. But I can see how a young couple, living in a city with mass transit, trying to make ends meet, might decide to put off buying a car.

It's going to be a whole new world by 2040...

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2...ors_picks=true

https://qz.com/1059973/how-long-shou...car-worthless/

[Phu Cat]

No doubt 2040 will be much different Frostbite. Back when I graduated high school in '67 had someone told me I'd someday have a phone I'd carry in my pocket with my own number assigned with no long distance charges I'd have told them they were nuts. Then just a few years later when the EPA put a strangle hold on cars by making them run so lean they couldn't get out of their own way I thought the days of high performance were long gone. And now we can buy things with just a few taps on that same telephone we carry in our pockets. How much more things will change in another 20 years is anybodies guess, assuming we can put a stop to that little pip squeak in N. Korea.

PC

[Lee H. Mann]

I live in a rural community next to the I-81 interstate. We have a chain fuel station called Sheets. They had built a station on the north end of town about 15 years ago. Just recently they revamped the old station to include a car wash and 10 TESLA electric car service hubs.

OK, I see the future of the electric car but most of the people in our community commute at least 60 miles each way to their jobs in other large cities like Hagerstown, MD or Winchester, VA and then there are some that commute to Washington DC. Presuming that they can commute round trip to these locations on one charge of their batteries, how do they get home from where their electric car is being charged ? Do they stay in a hotel overnight or have another car to drive home and back from the Tesla Station ?

Let's suppose the Tesla gets 200 miles between charging, and you are traveling from Maine to Southern Florida. This would normally be a 2 1/2 to 3 day trip with 2 overnight stays. In your electric Tesla it becomes a 10 day trip with 9 overnight stays, either in the car or a Hotel. Not too good if you NEED to get somewhere but sounds like a good excuse on why you won't be in to work today.

"My car is sick !"



I copied the following from a Tesla Forum blog:

Mileage on one charge

Submitted by joel on January 30, 2017

I have a 90D and I have been disappointed in the mileage I am getting. On a full charge, which little green battery symbol says I am at 280 miles, I get if I am lucky 200 miles. I am not driving super speeds or doing anything crazy. I thought for sure I would get much closer. When I charge it to the 80% amount, it says 258 miles, but I never get more than 160. Have other people experienced this? Is something wrong with my car? When I supercharge it from 20% it takes over an hour.

Also, I was told at the time of my purchase that I would eventually be able to upgrade the battery to 100KW. Is that possible and if so how much?

[desertclassic]

I am sure there will be a lot of changes. I think of my grandmother. She was a child when the first airplane made flight, she was still alive when the first man landed on the moon. Jim

[Jack Klarich]

I do believe there is a future i lectric cars

I dont want to live long enough to have to buy a lectric motorcycle

Darn sure dont want no stinkin hover round

I had the dis pleasure of working on a Prius, and having to inform the customer WE could NOT get a battery for his hybrid @ the time

Further more when he called back to thank us and tell us how much Toyota was charging him I about fainted flat out