Don Terrill’s Speed-Talk

The title of this thread is "Who here actually drives an EV/HYBRID?"

Those who don't own a BEV, maybe don't bother the OP with uninformed negative comments?

gruntguru wrote: ↑Thu Aug 08, 2019 9:08 pm

gmrocket wrote: ↑Thu Aug 08, 2019 1:54 pm

peejay wrote: ↑Thu Aug 08, 2019 7:07 am

And? You don't need to go to a specific PLACE to charge like you do with a gasoline engine. You can do it at home. Most people spend at least eight hours a day at home sleeping or something, they can charge then.

EVs take a shift in thinking... you recharge when you can. But at the same time, you don't have to be there while it is happening. So you don't drive for 200 miles and then find a place that sells gasoline, you drive 50 miles to work and back and plug the car in after you shut the garage door.

The biggest problem for EVs for me is that I have on street parking. But, I might be able to convince the boss to let me plug in at work. I'm there every day anyway.

The Volt combines the best of both worlds, but I have blood pumping through my veins, I want SPEED, and you need a Tesla for that. (Hmm... the accountant we share a building with owns a Volt and a highly modified New Beetle, I should ask him for a compare and contrast...)

So you don't need to go to a specific place to plug in an EV? It doesn't have special socket ?

When you say gas vehicle need to go to specific places , you mean a gas station ,right? Like the stations on every main intersection on every street?

I can also put gas in my own vehicle at anytime, anywhere, pull over to the side of the road, get out my gas can and dump it in. Hahahaha. Sooo inconvenient

And it won't take me an hour to put in enough gas to drive only 26 miles

That's 1890's technology Hahahaha

I think you have the "specific " backwards

Yes there are obvious disadvantages regarding EV charging. What you are missing, is that there are advantages - especially if the vehicle is used for a daily commute.
1. If you are able to charge nightly (or at work) you can actually save the time spent pulling into a gas station, filling, paying etc.
2. If you charge nightly (or at work) you start out every day with a "full tank".

Of course there remains the option of fast charging at the ever expanding network of fast charging sites. And no, 26 miles/hr is not what you should expect. Way faster options already exist and this area is being improved rapidly. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a1534 ... ticipated/

Charge at your work, really? Is that something a virtue signaling company would let you do everyday for free out front, in a special spot, with a big sign that says "FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES ONLY" where they paint the spot green with toxic paint ? Hahaha.

They are good for short drives around a busy city, that's about it. You can't wonder off on some road trip without knowing exactly where you can recharge and spent the hour or hours there doing squat.

Today, I'll drive about 300 miles..I have six trips in all packed into one day. My last one is at the furthest distance to my house. I can stay the nihgbrhere , or go home in the morning.

I doubt I could even get through that day in an EV if there is no charging option at my last stop?

Very very few, I mean almost no one has an EV as their primary and only vehicle at this point...unless your a city only person and can be sure your days are filled with short jaunts where you always return to home base

gruntguru wrote: ↑Thu Aug 08, 2019 9:08 pmYes there are obvious disadvantages regarding EV charging. What you are missing, is that there are advantages - especially if the vehicle is used for a daily commute.
1. If you are able to charge nightly (or at work) you can actually save the time spent pulling into a gas station, filling, paying etc.
2. If you charge nightly (or at work) you start out every day with a "full tank".

Place where I was working was looking into doing CNG conversions for fleets or anybody else who wanted one. Of course fleets would have been preferable because it's best to convert 5 or 10 identical vehicles in a row.

But.... one of the advantages of CNG is that you could fill up at home, or at your service depot. At the time, gasoline was around $4/gallon and natural gas was around 80 cents per gallon equivalent.

The conversions would have been expensive, a 16 gallon equivalent tank took up a quarter of the bed of a pickup, and an expected tax credit for people who converted didn't make it through the legislature, so all we ever did was convert the shop truck.

gmrocket wrote: ↑Fri Aug 09, 2019 11:11 am Charge at your work, really? Is that something a virtue signaling company would let you do everyday for free out front, in a special spot, with a big sign that says "FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES ONLY" where they paint the spot green with toxic paint ? Hahaha.

I've brought it to the attention at my last employer and he was all on board with it, with the only downside that he'd see my Volt (no way could I afford a Tesla!) and want to buy Tesla, and then he'd be installing two charging stations Haven't spoken about it with my current employer, but I don't see why not. The cost of charging would have a minimal effect on the electric bill, and in the grand scheme of things it's effectively nothing. Just another employee perk, and a drop in the bucket compared to the vacation time I get (that I never take...).

Your assumption that EV drivers expect special treatment is telling.

I've already mapped out my drives... it's about 17 miles to work, from there it is 25 miles to my "toy garage", then from there about 13 miles home. Some evenings I'll run up to Summit Racing instead of my toy garage to see if they have any good deals in their clearance racks, this makes my daily drive about 80-90mi instead of 55.

I take long trips sometimes, but I have a specific car for that anyway, so who cares?

Nobody is saying EVs are for everyone. In fact, everyone is saying EVs are not for everyone. That doesn't mean that they make sense for nobody.

peejay wrote: ↑Sun Aug 11, 2019 12:51 pm

gruntguru wrote: ↑Thu Aug 08, 2019 9:08 pmYes there are obvious disadvantages regarding EV charging. What you are missing, is that there are advantages - especially if the vehicle is used for a daily commute.
1. If you are able to charge nightly (or at work) you can actually save the time spent pulling into a gas station, filling, paying etc.
2. If you charge nightly (or at work) you start out every day with a "full tank".

Place where I was working was looking into doing CNG conversions for fleets or anybody else who wanted one. Of course fleets would have been preferable because it's best to convert 5 or 10 identical vehicles in a row.

But.... one of the advantages of CNG is that you could fill up at home, or at your service depot. At the time, gasoline was around $4/gallon and natural gas was around 80 cents per gallon equivalent.

The conversions would have been expensive, a 16 gallon equivalent tank took up a quarter of the bed of a pickup, and an expected tax credit for people who converted didn't make it through the legislature, so all we ever did was convert the shop truck.

Your right about the CNG being ideal for fleets, especially ones that do the same specific routes every day.

I had a CNG vehicle back in the 90's. I was working for the natural gas utility so all our trucks were CNG as well. After every shift they plugged into the company slow fill station and were good to go for the next day

It's popular again here with city buses and garbage trucks.

Back in the 90's when they converted the diesel buses to gas there was a big power increase and cool sound,, the drivers loved it

gmrocket wrote: ↑Sun Aug 11, 2019 3:56 pm

peejay wrote: ↑Sun Aug 11, 2019 12:51 pm

gruntguru wrote: ↑Thu Aug 08, 2019 9:08 pmYes there are obvious disadvantages regarding EV charging. What you are missing, is that there are advantages - especially if the vehicle is used for a daily commute.
1. If you are able to charge nightly (or at work) you can actually save the time spent pulling into a gas station, filling, paying etc.
2. If you charge nightly (or at work) you start out every day with a "full tank".

Place where I was working was looking into doing CNG conversions for fleets or anybody else who wanted one. Of course fleets would have been preferable because it's best to convert 5 or 10 identical vehicles in a row.

But.... one of the advantages of CNG is that you could fill up at home, or at your service depot. At the time, gasoline was around $4/gallon and natural gas was around 80 cents per gallon equivalent.

The conversions would have been expensive, a 16 gallon equivalent tank took up a quarter of the bed of a pickup, and an expected tax credit for people who converted didn't make it through the legislature, so all we ever did was convert the shop truck.

Your right about the CNG being ideal for fleets, especially ones that do the same specific routes every day.

I had a CNG vehicle back in the 90's. I was working for the natural gas utility so all our trucks were CNG as well. After every shift they plugged into the company slow fill station and were good to go for the next day

Sounds familiar.

gruntguru wrote: ↑Sun Aug 11, 2019 9:24 pm

gmrocket wrote: ↑Sun Aug 11, 2019 3:56 pm

peejay wrote: ↑Sun Aug 11, 2019 12:51 pm
Place where I was working was looking into doing CNG conversions for fleets or anybody else who wanted one. Of course fleets would have been preferable because it's best to convert 5 or 10 identical vehicles in a row.

But.... one of the advantages of CNG is that you could fill up at home, or at your service depot. At the time, gasoline was around $4/gallon and natural gas was around 80 cents per gallon equivalent.

The conversions would have been expensive, a 16 gallon equivalent tank took up a quarter of the bed of a pickup, and an expected tax credit for people who converted didn't make it through the legislature, so all we ever did was convert the shop truck.

Your right about the CNG being ideal for fleets, especially ones that do the same specific routes every day.

I had a CNG vehicle back in the 90's. I was working for the natural gas utility so all our trucks were CNG as well. After every shift they plugged into the company slow fill station and were good to go for the next day

Sounds familiar.

But totally different. We had a fast fill station also where we could gas up in the same time from empty to full as a gasoline vehicle.

There were also enough fast fill stations around the area to do the same

the slow fill is the same, fast charge is nothing like a fast fill CNG

The only option the EV has right now is a battery swap out to get anywhere near the fast fill of any other fuel

That's what they resorted to back about 100 years ago with the electric deal. .. haha, still stuck in the 1920's

The wife drives a 2014 camry hybrid, ait is a little boring, but Very smooth and quite surprisingly, goes quite well when putting the boot into it.
Gets 5.5L / 100Km or around 50MPG? The thing I really like about it is that it is virtually maintenance free.
We have 102000km on the clock with about 80% brake pads left front and rear.
For the price of these vehicles I find it hard to believe that there aren't more on the road here in Oz.

I drive a Chevy Volt. But have a Duramax to tow or do work with. The volt gets me to Seattle and back, 50 miles, using only .18g gas. Charge overnight costs under a dollar fifty. Even on gas, no battery, the car gets 44mpg. It is no powerhouse but I certainly can't afford a Tesla.

Agree; the '16-up Volt is one of the best cars GM ever built. When the Bolts finally were available in Washington, we were first in line to get one. While looking around the Chevrolet dealership, I was struck by how many employee parking slots were filled with the Volt. I asked the paperwork manager and she said they had sold more Volts to employees than anything else. Those around everything every day are a good judge of relative quality and utility.

jack vines

Our BMW charges at home from a 240v outlet. It is standard Voltage here in Iceland, takes 6 to 8 hours to fully charge from being pretty much drained out.
If we stop at a fast charger in town, available at many of the bigger stores or malls, it can pick up charge for 60miles plus in fifteen minutes.

Iave to ask is all???

Is it illegal to remove the electric equipment in a 1st Gen. Honda Infinity and drive it using only its gasoline powertrain???

If I can even find a good one to modify??

pdq67

pdq67 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 13, 2020 7:11 pm Iave to ask is all???

Is it illegal to remove the electric equipment in a 1st Gen. Honda Infinity and drive it using only its gasoline powertrain???

If I can even find a good one to modify??

pdq67

AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just to know is all.......................

pdq67

xanadu wrote: ↑Thu Aug 15, 2019 6:35 pm The wife drives a 2014 camry hybrid, ait is a little boring, but Very smooth and quite surprisingly, goes quite well when putting the boot into it.
Gets 5.5L / 100Km or around 50MPG? The thing I really like about it is that it is virtually maintenance free.
We have 102000km on the clock with about 80% brake pads left front and rear.
For the price of these vehicles I find it hard to believe that there aren't more on the road here in Oz.

"similar" Lexus ct200h here.
Slow as what, but takes me to work and back at city traffic and consumes what you stated.
Its not fun at all, but costs are low and I could not use ever the 5.0s 0-60mph that I had with my previous Audi S3.

I drive a 2011 Volt, my 2011 Camaro SS Convt, cost me $55.00 per week for gas (40 miles round trip, 6 days) my Volt cost $20.00 per month for charging and $20.00 in gas per month, I'm going to sell my Camaro 2SS with a ZL1 front end, red loaded right at 100,000 miles (had it since 32,000 miles) want to buy it? $16,000.00 in Long Beach, CA.