Hybrids and E-vehicles

[neonzx]

Meh. Imma gonna hold off for a few more years longer before taking the EV or Hybrid leap. Just seems like more crap to go wrong... and pricey to fix.

[W. Kevin Vicklund]

Meh. Imma gonna hold off for a few more years longer before taking the EV or Hybrid leap. Just seems like more crap to go wrong... and pricey to fix.

Hybrids have more crap to go wrong, but EVs have a lot fewer things that can go wrong. It's the infrastructure issues for me. We do a lot of long distance trips with destinations that have little or no power on site. And for the big events, we have to take both cars (I'm responsible for hauling most of the group communal gear) to fit everything.

[Shizzle Popped]

Meh. Imma gonna hold off for a few more years longer before taking the EV or Hybrid leap. Just seems like more crap to go wrong... and pricey to fix.

Hybrids have more crap to go wrong, but EVs have a lot fewer things that can go wrong. It's the infrastructure issues for me. We do a lot of long distance trips with destinations that have little or no power on site. And for the big events, we have to take both cars (I'm responsible for hauling most of the group communal gear) to fit everything.

Yeah, this is my concern. I make a 240-ish mile one-way trip to check in on my father every 3 to 4 weeks and the bulk of the trip is across rural Indiana and Illinois. 240 miles is beyond the realistic single charge range of all but a few EVs right now and charging stations are a rare commodity along this route. The handful you find are the slowest variety so I'll be stuck cooling my jets for a half hour or longer in order to complete the trip. I think this may start to change over the next few years though.

Technically, electric cars should be much more reliable than gas powered cars, but there's a whole lot of new technology involved and a large number of the components are brand new designs. Gas powered cars have evolved over the last century and the years of knowledge and experience have made those components about as reliable as they can be. I expect teething issues and the odd long term reliability hiccup with some of these new systems. Remember, it''s not just the drivetrain that's been redesigned since everything that was once powered in some way off the engine is also a completely new system. The fact that Tesla is perpetually in the cellar on reliability surveys would seem to bear this out. (OK, I will acknowledge that at least some of the reliability issues may have more to do with Tesla simply being lousy at building cars. What I've seen of the early designs certainly points to a lack of knowledge about how to design a car for mass production, so I wouldn't expect them to know any more about reliability.)

[Maybenaut]

I just took delivery of my 2022 Mustang Mach E GT. When I placed my order the Select and Premium models were sold out; I would have bought the Premium otherwise. It’s supposed to get about 280 miles to the charge, but right now it’s showing around 250. That number will change as I figure out how to disable certain power-hungry features that come on automatically (I went through the same thing with the Nissan Leaf).

We already had a place to install a 240v charger for the Leaf, and we installed a Grizzl-e home charging station. It supposedly takes about 10 hours to charge from 10% to 100%, but I think it’s unlikely we’d get that low with the kind of driving that we do.

I’ve already spent a lot of time customizing the settings, and I’m not quite done.

Anyhoo, I’m really, really happy with it. There’s a photo under the spoiler.

► Show Spoiler

45DCF1E1-3240-417D-B9DE-2C046395B817.jpeg (145.16 KiB) Viewed 460 times

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

Niiiiice! Mustang Maybenaut, you better slow your mustang down

[SuzieC]

That is a gorgeous car! Did you buy it new?

[Maybenaut]

That is a gorgeous car! Did you buy it new?

I did! I ordered it back in February. It was supposed to be ready by June, but with the chip shortage and the battery recall I had to wait a little longer.

[AndyinPA]

Nice!

[humblescribe]

Congrats, Maybenaut!

Once you drive fully electric, there is no going back to ICE vehicles. My wife was excited about our Model S in 2014, but wasn't convinced that driving would be exhilarating. Then she drove it one day to the foothills. Another convert. What is so cool about BEVs is that often you can drive with only the accelerator (one-pedal driving.) The regeneration from deceleration can bring the car to a compete stop once you get your electric legs.

Anyway, if you don't know already, there is a federal income tax credit for the installation of EVSE (electric vehicle service equipment.) The credit is 30% of the cost (both equipment and labor, if any.) This is in addition to the $7,500 credit for buying a BEV.

That said, the bad news is that this credit is subject to the dread alternative minimum tax, while the $7,500 credit is not. So, if your total tax is $20,000, the vehicle credit will reduce that to $12,500. If your "tentative minimum tax" is $14,000, you are SOL on the Section 30C EVSE credit. On the other hand, if your "tentative minimum tax" is $12,000, then you could claim up to $500 off your tax bill from the Section 30C EVSE credit.

There is no carryover to next year for the Section 30C EVSE credit. Use it or lose it.

Enjoy cruising through the Appalachians!

[Maybenaut]

Congrats, Maybenaut!

Once you drive fully electric, there is no going back to ICE vehicles. My wife was excited about our Model S in 2014, but wasn't convinced that driving would be exhilarating. Then she drove it one day to the foothills. Another convert. What is so cool about BEVs is that often you can drive with only the accelerator (one-pedal driving.) The regeneration from deceleration can bring the car to a compete stop once you get your electric legs.

Anyway, if you don't know already, there is a federal income tax credit for the installation of EVSE (electric vehicle service equipment.) The credit is 30% of the cost (both equipment and labor, if any.) This is in addition to the $7,500 credit for buying a BEV.

That said, the bad news is that this credit is subject to the dread alternative minimum tax, while the $7,500 credit is not. So, if your total tax is $20,000, the vehicle credit will reduce that to $12,500. If your "tentative minimum tax" is $14,000, you are SOL on the Section 30C EVSE credit. On the other hand, if your "tentative minimum tax" is $12,000, then you could claim up to $500 off your tax bill from the Section 30C EVSE credit.

There is no carryover to next year for the Section 30C EVSE credit. Use it or lose it.

Enjoy cruising through the Appalachians!

We won’t get the tax credit on the ESVE. Our son had a Mustang Mach E, and bought the ESVE. But he hardly ever drove the car, so he decided to sell the Mach E, and gave us his ESVE unit.

[Kriselda Gray]

Nice car - have fun with it, but be safe!

[northland10]

Wonderful car.

Here is an interesting thought I have had on electric vehicles. Beyond price issues, it is not an available option for some, including myself, right now. Granted, I don't drive very much so it is not the charge that would be an issue but the fact that I am a renter in a house (second floor). There is no outdoor electrical service (especially to the service for my place as we pay our own), I have an outdoor parking spot, and a charger requires and install on a property I do not own.

I was reflecting that an electric pickup and/or van might work well for places like camps. Camps can be really tough on trucks because they are always driving slow and very short distances. Internal combustion engines don't do well in that type of world. With one camp I was involved with, despite the occasional complaints from volunteers if they saw one of the trucks around town, it was standard practice to take a camp truck around town if only to give it some longer driving time. Electrics may handle that type of driving much better and also, fewer emissions and noise in the camp, which is always good.

I was reflecting on that after seeing a Rivian for the first time. Odd looking vehicle though I think some of why it looks odd is the lack of a grill (and the funky lights). Cars have smaller grills, so they look a little less odd when it is gone, but on a truck or large SUV, it is more noticeable.

► Show Spoiler

[Maybenaut]

They had an F-150 Lightning in the showroom. It looked almostlike a regular F-150. The grill isn’t really a grill; it’s just a bumpy panel designed to look like a grill, which it does, sort of, if you squint, and don’t look too long.

It was a nice-looking truck, though. Maybe one day. We sold my Honda Pilot and kept my husband’s Honda Ridgeline. It’s only a few years old, so we’re not looking to get rid of that for quite a while.

[raison de arizona]

Here is an interesting thought I have had on electric vehicles. Beyond price issues, it is not an available option for some, including myself, right now. Granted, I don't drive very much so it is not the charge that would be an issue but the fact that I am a renter in a house (second floor). There is no outdoor electrical service (especially to the service for my place as we pay our own), I have an outdoor parking spot, and a charger requires and install on a property I do not own.

I’m not encouraging you to go electric, that is your decision and I likely wouldn’t in your position, but! I know people who live in apartments without charging options with electric vehicles. They charge them at public charging stations while they are at work or at supermarket plug ins, etc. I believe as these charging options being more ubiquitous, so will electric cars. Fwiw

[Maybenaut]

I’m not encouraging you to go electric, that is your decision and I likely wouldn’t in your position, but! I know people who live in apartments without charging options with electric vehicles. They charge them at public charging stations while they are at work or at supermarket plug ins, etc. I believe as these charging options being more ubiquitous, so will electric cars. Fwiw

Some of these public charging stations are free, although most of the free ones only offer a trickle charge, but free is free.

Most urban areas have a lot of charging stations available. There are charging networks like EV-Go and Electrify America where you pay by the kWh. Some have a monthly subscription fee (Electrify America charges me $4 per month), but I just show up, plug in my car, and it automatically bills my credit card.

There are also a number of apps to help find a place to charge up. I use PlugShare, which helps to plan routes and makes suggestions about when and where to charge.

[humblescribe]

Yes, PlugShare is quite good.

At least here out in the Wild West, about the only reliable charging network is ChargePoint. There is no monthly fee; you just place a deposit with a credit card on your account and the deposit is charged when you utilize a station that charges a fee. Many are free gratis.

Charging stations are ranked by level. Level 1 is a 120V (wall plug) that provides either 15 or 20-amp service. The electrical code requires that continuous loads only rate 80% of maximum load; hence charging at 15 amps provides only 12 amps of current while a 20-amp plug provides 16 amps of current. Physics 101 sez (Volts)(Amps) = Watts. So, Level 1 charging is either 1,440 watts or 1,920 watts (1.44 and 1.92 kilowatts respectively).

Even with these trickle charging rates, a 10-hour overnight charge will provide 14.4kWh or 19.2kWh of additional storage. A car with a 70kWh battery can receive 20+% increase overnight.

Level 2 charging is at 240 volts (208 volts if on three phase service, like commercial). Most level 2 public chargers are set up for 30 amp service. So, anywhere from 6+kW to 7.2kW.

Since Levels 1 and 2 charging is on AC, the car has an onboard charger to rectify the AC watts to DC. Most cars have 32A chargers, so any current greater than 32A is superfluous because the car will only accept up to 32 A.

Level 3 charging is direct DC charging. You get a whole lot more bang for your buck with Level 3. Recent Tesla models can receive up to 250kW if the battery level is low enough and the battery temperature is in the sweet spot. I am not up on the latest EVGo and other networks, but I recall that those public charging stations can deliver 50-80kW.

[RTH10260]

Ford to invest $3.5 billion in new Michigan EV battery plant that Virginia's governor rejected

Byron Hurd
Mon, February 13, 2023 at 7:45 PM GMT+1

Ford will build a new Lithium Ion Phosphate (LFP) battery plant in Marshall, Michigan. The multi-billion-dollar EV battery plant originally slated for construction in the Commonwealth of Virginia was shut out by its newly elected governor, Glenn Youngkin. Virginia's loss — $3.5 billion in initial investment and at least 2,500 high-tech jobs — is Michigan's gain.

The MI facility will come online in 2026 under the same conditions previously stipulated in Virginia, including Ford's announced partnership with China's Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) — the component that soured the deal for the Virginia governor. Youngkin called the plant a Chinese "Trojan horse."

"Ford’s $3.5 billion investment creating 2,500 good-paying jobs in Marshall building electric vehicle batteries will build on Michigan’s economic momentum," said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. "Today’s generational investment by an American icon will uplift local families, small businesses, and the entire community and help our state continue leading the future of mobility and electrification. Let’s continue bringing the supply chain of electric vehicles, chips, and batteries home while creating thousands of good-paying jobs and revitalizing every region of our state. Since I took office, we’ve secured over 30,000 auto jobs and landed multiple electric vehicle and chip-making factories. We’re on the move, so let’s keep our foot on the accelerator."




https://www.yahoo.com/autos/ford-invest ... 00976.html

(original: Autoblog)

[jcolvin2]

Yes, PlugShare is quite good.

At least here out in the Wild West, about the only reliable charging network is ChargePoint. There is no monthly fee; you just place a deposit with a credit card on your account and the deposit is charged when you utilize a station that charges a fee.

Semaconnect is also a pretty good option in West Coast cities. (They may be elsewhere as well.)