Electric Vehicles Thread (Bikes, Cars, Trucks, etc.)

budoslavic said:
Some guy drove an EV car from LA to San Francisco, which supposedly take about 6 hours if driving a gas vehicle. It took him at least 56 hours -- 14 of those hours were wasted on charging his stupid electric battery-operated vehicle.



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I love cars, i'm a massive car guy.... and I'm not fan of EV's at all, but it's helpful to remember certain EV's have different battery packs = charge rates and different charge networks available.

Here in NZ, Tesla is growing rapidly because of their supercharger network which means quick rapid charging. When that network is complete many will switch over.
A Tesla can use any charger for the most part, though it's not vice versa for cheaper EV's , which will probably also change in the future.

So many in NZ have purchased Tesla. We are a green country, at least that's what we portray.
t's crazy to me to see the madness of people spending 70k for a car just to save on gas long term. When they could easily have a 20k car and spend 10k on servicing in 5+ years and that would still be excessive. Not to mention if that 20k vehicle ran out of oil, timing chain broken etc...it would still be cheaper to repair than the 20k + you spent let alone 70k on an EV.

We are a small country that means for many people charging overnight at home is no hassle. Like flicking a switch at night. You wake up, you don't need to charge. Then you have incentives from local councils / local govt, meaning people can charge for free at certain times of night - for many people they will use that like getting a free tank of gas each night. This will happen more and more as will fines for regular vehicles like what we're seeing in the U.K.

So it's never as simple as driving from A to B and this took me 50+ hours etc.... This is what Elon talks about (again not an Elon fan) For the majority of people they don't need to do this, it's a daily driver.....and those that do take long trips use various apps and Facebook groups to plan their trip carefully, as they would booking a hotel etc. A charger that's down will be no different to a no vacancy sign in the future.


America is of course a different beast. Y'all are driving nation. To see if it works other than California (?!) remains to be seen and I can't comment on that, this is just to let you know what's coming.
 
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I have a Toyota Rav4 Prime. Plug-in hybrid.

It's really fast, basically a sports-car SUV. Has some offroad capability(nothing crazy though), Gets fantastic MPG, and has plug-in charging.

My weird town installed two free EV chargers. I plug in for a couple of hours and pick it up while I grab the mail.

The $7500 federal EV credit sealed the deal for me. Best vehicle you can currently buy as far as I can tell.
 
cosine said:
I have a Toyota Rav4 Prime. Plug-in hybrid.

It's really fast, basically a sports-car SUV. Has some offroad capability(nothing crazy though), Gets fantastic MPG, and has plug-in charging.

My weird town installed two free EV chargers. I plug in for a couple of hours and pick it up while I grab the mail.

The $7500 federal EV credit sealed the deal for me. Best vehicle you can currently buy as far as I can tell.
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Those Toyotas should be the stop-gap between gas commuters and electric commuters. If they build upon that technology and encouraged others to do the same, most people would be better off. Its a superior compromise.

Work vehicles need to be exempted from all this hysteria, though. The last thing we need is to spend trillions upgrading our infrastructure to accommodate electric rigs and their battery weights. Its bad enough if a whole parking structure is all EVs, imagine bridges with heavy tractor trailer traffic.
 
I bought a used segway g30p electric scooter for 300 bucks on ebay, I think it retails for 800 new. It only has 40 miles on it. I really like how sturdy it is, but also how it is not difficult at all to move around. Going up and down stairs with it is very easy compared to a bike.

I havent tested the range with me on it (220 lbs) but it apparently gets 40 miles a charge.

After using it on and off where I live, we have a fine bus system that I use here and there, I have concluded that for most people, electric scooters are more practical than electric or even regular bicycles if you do mixed modes of transport or you intend to haul your bike with a car.

The electric scooter can be carried with you and it stows in the backseat of any car or under a desk at work. The bicycle needs a rack or larger vehicle to stow, and has to be locked up outside (generally).

As far as fun, fun is subjective, but I find both electric bikes and electric scooters to be fun. 9 cents worth of electricity gets you very far with either mode of transport. I enjoy taking hiking and biking trails with either.

Granted, this is for people who view these things as a mode of transport. For a mode of exercise, yeah the bike wins of course.
 
DeWoken said:
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Helpful to remember this is not a China v America car maker debate, as most if not all the Asia Pacific market is coming out of Shanghai for Tesla. (MSM likes to spin this narrative frequently)

Tesla will probably continue to lose in China given the number of Chinese consumers, but in the rest of the global market it comes down to real product value - but this is what China does. Replicates and reproduces at a cheaper price point.

I haven't looked at other markets but in Aus / NZ, Tesla has won that battle already. Winning half of the EV share with two models in Australia and BYD are barely visible in NZ.
 
TruckDriver9 said:
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The problem wasn't really with their daily rental fleet electrics, but the partnership they have with Uber/Lyft to short-term rent these out for rideshare. So, consider the facts - you're putting a $40-60k high-tech automobile with bespoke components and known expensive physical repair costs for collision damage in the hands of someone who wants to do gig work but can't because their sled '98 Durango with three different colored body panels, 274k miles, and a valvetrain tap doesn't meet qualifications for Uber X.

Whodathunkit?
 
Nordwand said:
The shortcomings are beginning to show:

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The cold is not the problem - that's just an easy grab for the media. It's really about infrastructure.

In a small country like NZ, charging is really not an issue now.
Most people can charge overnight, and for free at certain times - encouraged by local councils in fact.
In a small country most consumers aren't driving 400kms a day, so it's fine.
You go to work and drive home and plug your car in. Done. Progress for the green movement it seems...

The issue clearly has to do with America, its scale of new vehicles and different climates vs what is reasonable for the average consumer. The point is even proven by the fact these problems are all at a specific Tesla Supercharger. Where are the other non-Tesla charging networks like we have here?

People that are relying on a Tesla Supercharger in the snow at all times have no idea what vehicle they've purchased. A little too naive, and too reliant on a single fast charger network. No home chargers?

Though it's not entirely their fault. Not sure why this concern should fall to a consumer that is purchasing a vehicle from an American factory for an American infrastructure? Especially when you're spending that much money when half of that could get you a car that would cold start.

Smaller "green countries" will allow Tesla a head start, but it's going to be a long time before it's America first with Electric vehicles. Elon has an uphill battle at home for sure.
 
Safe and Effective!!!!

E-Bikes Caused Record Fires, Injuries, & Deaths Last Year In NYC​



Electric bicycles were responsible for a record number of fires, injuries and deaths in New York City last year.
Photo via TheRealDeal
In total, e-bikes caused 267 fires, causing 18 deaths and 150 injuries in the city, the New York Fire Department (FDNY) told Fox News, which notes that the figures represent the highest levels of each statistic - with deaths jumping 200% and fires increasing 21% over last year.
"As we rely more and more on micromobility vehicles to earn a living in our daily lives, we increase the risk of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries. And as mentioned, we had over 100 deaths in this city alone on these batteries," said Mayor Eric Adams (D) during an e-bike safety event last year.

"And one of the problems that we've noticed, when you look at those taped-up batteries, you see that they are refurbished," he continued. "These shops are going inside attempting to refurbish the batteries and do it their own way. This is a safety issue."
Amid the uptick in e-bike fires and deaths, New York City leaders led by Adams and FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh — who said last year that e-bikes are "incredibly dangerous devices" and called for additional regulation — have spearheaded a public education campaign about the dangers of the device and pushed policies to ensure safety.
In March 2023, Adams unveiled the city's Charge Safe, Ride Safe plan to prevent further harmful e-bike incidents. Then, months later, he announced the city had been awarded $25 million in federal funding to install 173 outdoor e-bike charging stations. In December, Adams said his administration would soon launch a battery-charging pilot program for delivery workers. -Fox News
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"We know these fires can cause serious injury, and even death. We are grateful to our partners in city government for their out-of-the-box thinking on how we can embrace this new technology while also protecting lives," said Kavanaugh.
Meanwhile, NYC has passed several laws to regulate lithium-ion batteries sold within city limits, and has implemented a policy to expedite investigations into the dangers. Last June, NY AG Letitia James warned of "significant risks" associated with e-bikes.

Earlier this month, an e-bike battery exploded in a Queens bike store, resulting in a two-alarm fire. The incident came just days after another e-bike battery fire caused an explosion in a public housing complex in the Bronx, resulting in one death and injuring six others.
 
Rainy said:
What does everyone with EVs do when a major storm hits and the power goes out?

We had major storms here recently and many had their power out for 5-7 days. Didn't see any Teslas on the road while I happily cruised in my 4Runner.
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Some EV people think they're going to recharge using solar panels until they find out how much juice you need to charge one.
 
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