The accuracy of the information here, for one. Different strokes for different folks.
This is not an easy decision, but it is very clear that essentially all automobile manufacturers are moving to EVs over the next few years (0-10 years).
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Chevy has announced the 2023 Bolt MSRP starts at $26,595. The dealer may mark them up, though, of course. They are a hot commodity.
E-bikes are cool, but please be careful and always wear a helmet. We have had a couple of deaths here recently from car/bike run ins. One was a guy on an e-bike not wearing a helmet who got doored.
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No doubt about it: all auto manufacturers are moving away from gas-powered vehicles:
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Wow, I just could not live like that. How can you run a business or work? Someone else mentioned if things are sustainable and some are talking about fires and using an EV to evacuate. I hope everyone realizes that there are places in the US where there are no such problems and you can chose an EV or not. And your life will not depend on it.
We had a business that was in agri-tech and part of it was in CA. I just could not believe the farming stories. Low water tables, some real issues with lots of things that just aren’t a problem elsewhere. Perhaps part of the reason folks like EV’s is they need them in CA. Just drove by a gas station on the way home. It’s $4.09, not cheap but at least 25% less. I know in parts of CA it was over $6.00 recently.
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We had a tankless hot water heater and hated it- on demand is a misnomer. It took forever to get hot water. We have hybrid hot water heater in NC and I love it, and I did see a difference in our electric bill. You might want to look into it.
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Our lives do not depend on it, much like hurricanes and tornadoes in other parts of the country. It’s called preparedness, not paranoia.
Cool. I’ll check 'em out. Our old one is still good for now, but probably need to replace it at some point before too long.
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Ah, they lowered the MSRP for the 2023 model because they no longer qualify for the tax credit.
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Riding a bicycle too close to parked cars risks this. Stay out of the door range.
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Just out of curiosity, do you live in a low humidity area? If so I can see your pov on A/C use. If you live in a high humidity area your tolerance is significantly better than most people I know including mine. I routinely have my A/C when it’s 75 degrees and 90- 95% humidity outside.
Back to the topic at hand: I don’t own any EV or hybrid cars. Not in the market for a new car but would definitely look at a hybrid or EV when the time comes. My electric bill almost doubled this month for the same usage as last month so I’m also waiting to see where things shake out as far as whether gas or electricity ends up cheaper in a few years.
Very interesting to hear from people who own EVs. I don’t know anyone who does and it’s great to hear how much you like them.
Bikes here have the same rights as cars to the driving lane, so I won’t have to ride close to parked cars. There are quite a few streets where a lane is dedicated to bikes only (and that’s made the homeowners pretty mad because they can’t park there anymore). Electric bikes are not supposed to ride on the bike paths and they aren’t allowed on the front of buses or on the light rail.
On my ride to work, I do have to cut through another county so I’ll have to see what the rules are on those roads.
I’ve appreciated this thread and the info on the EV/Hybrids. I didn’t know there were some that went only 30 miles on a charge and I can’t imagine that working for me as I have friends who live more than 20 some miles away. Nothing like going to dinner and saying “Can I use your electricity?”
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The cars that have 30 mile electric range or in that neighborhood are plug in hybrids, so electric for 30-40 miles or so and then the ice engine takes over.
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If it wasn’t for the fact that both kids have purchased homes, created families and are settled within a one hour drive…we’d be long gone.
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umm i wouldn’t even drive, like bro hello??? gas is to expensive and i’m not waiting a day to charge my electric car. i’d rather take the bus lol 
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I have a friend in Canada that recently leased a Tesla. He absolutely loves it and mentioned that there is no planning needed at all. When he goes on a trip and puts in his destination, it automatically tells him when and where he will need to go during the trip to recharge. The system knows how much battery you start with and can predict where you will be when the battery is low and it knows where all the charging stations are located. No planning at all it seems.
Do you need to fully recharge a Tesla rental car before you return it?
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The elephant in the room for EVs is whether our power grid can support a significant EV market penetration increase. In 2020, the EV market penetration was around two percent (1). I have seen predictions of EV market penetration as high as 20% by 2030 (sorry, I could not find un-firewalled articles to link). If we are already experiencing brownouts in CA and TX how will the US powergrid handle charging tens of millions additional EVs every night?
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The power grid has plenty of excess capacity at night. Overloading the power grid is most likely in the late afternoon and evening, which is why utilities have time of use rates that cost more during that time.
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Agreed that’s a nice feature – and one mirrored on competing EV cars – but it still is an experience only compatible with certain types of travelers.
Many people like to minimize their stop times during road trips – 5 minutes for a refill is all they use, with the idea to instead cover the maximum distance in the minimum time. Waiting longer for a charge, even with fast charging, would be an adjustment they may not want to make. Others already have specific agendas and destinations in mind for for their stops and wouldn’t want to compromise those to instead accommodate where Tesla wants them to stop for charging.
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