[davefin]

I can't for the life of me understand why this Government of ours didn't put all its money into a greater development of hybrid autos. This would have been an easier way to wean off gasoline and buy us 10 or 15 years to develop an electric grid for the US that makes sense!

[Bay Kid]

Maybe I'll consider one when all government agencies have electric cars? Nope. Close as I will get is my Hybrid Avalon at 50mpg or my 550i at 28mpg. I can drive either one over 500 miles on a tank and fill up along the way in less than 5 minutes.

[HawkinsGuy]

Originally Posted by jswirs

We have the perfect hybrid which works for us, a Chrysler Pacifica plug in hybrid. It has a range of about 30 miles on full battery. Great for local driving which is about 99% of our drive time. Seamlessly switches to gasoline when battery is depleted, range of over 500 miles on gasoline. I have gone for several months driving on battery only, as I say, for local driving. LOVE IT.

I agree. We have a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) with an all electric range of about 33 miles. We never use gas during our daily trips within The Villages and when it switches over to a hybrid on long trips , we get very good MPG. On top of it, the SUV has 362 horsepower so it’s pretty zippy on open roads. It also has a towing capacity of 2,000 lbs if needed. It charges on the level 2 charger in our garage from 0 -33 in about 2 1/2 hours so it never is left charging overnight. As an added bonus, the car is very comfortable, is all-wheel drive so it handles well and for an SUV, it’s fun to drive. For our lifestyle, an EV is not practical since the range of an EV is not good - our PHEV checks all of our boxes. If the range of an EV gets to 450 - 500 miles per charge or can get down to about 5 minutes to fully charge we will consider an EV.

[Blackbird45]

Competition will force companies to make improvements and bring down the cost. States and entrepreneurs will invest in charging stations. I personally would buy an EV for the convenience. I don't drive 250 miles a day, the mere fact that I would have a car sitting in my garage ready to go and never have to go to a gas station is a dream.

[Villages Kahuna]

Very likely.

[TheWarriors]

Let’s see: No dirty gas stations and no oil changes ever, almost no maintenance.

Tesla Model 3 Performance: 0-60 in 3.1 seconds, AWD, seats 4 and room for real luggage.

Chevrolet Corvette: 0-60 in 2.9 seconds, rear wheel drive, seats 2 and room for an overnight bag.

If you are into performance, there is no question electric is the choice. Yes, some drawbacks w charging on a long trip but most people take a plane for extended travel or just plan accordingly, especially if you’re retired w no clocks to dictate life.

Most Villagers are likely not EV future customers as old people generally are resistant to change of any type. It’s hard for them to leave the “I remember when a Hershey bar was a nickel” mode of thinking. Regardless of green thinking, once you drive one you understand clearly the future has arrived and it is electric.

[Keefelane66]

Originally Posted by davefin

I can't for the life of me understand why this Government of ours didn't put all its money into a greater development of hybrid autos. This would have been an easier way to wean off gasoline and buy us 10 or 15 years to develop an electric grid for the US that makes sense!

It costs about $16 for one kilogram of hydrogen gas. However, Toyota gives all Mirai owners a hydrogen gas card that has $15,000 on it. That’s about three years of hydrogen gas covered by Toyota that you don’t have to pay for!
Now the infrastructure each fueling station would need a pressurised tank and pump. Much like propane stations aren't on every street corner. Distribution of electricity for charging is virtually on every street.
Driving the Toyota Mirai: My Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car Experience!

[threeonemiles@outlook.com]

Uhmmmm. Never?

[srswans]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

For us to consider one, the following would need to apply:

- it would have to be economical relative to other options, including initial cost, fuel, and long term expenses including battery replacement, and expected service life
- it would need to have both the range and refueling speed of a gas vehicle as well as widespread availability of refueling locations when traveling
- it would need to have significant ground clearance, either 4WD or AWD capability, and the ability to tow a heavy load
- in the event the vehicle got stuck In traffic/congestion for extended periods of time, it would need to have the ability to run the HVAC system (heat or A/C) for extended periods of time without rapidly exhausting the fuel source
- any vehicle would never be considered with self driving features, electronic tracking devices, or other obnoxious electronic features that take control away from the vehicle operator
- it would have to be made by someone other than the Muskrat of Elon

So in conclusion, it appears there is a zero chance in my lifetime.

All new cars have obnoxious electronics - gas and electric. I’m thinking of buying a good, 20 year old vehicle and fixing it up.

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by davefin

I can't for the life of me understand why this Government of ours didn't put all its money into a greater development of hybrid autos. This would have been an easier way to wean off gasoline and buy us 10 or 15 years to develop an electric grid for the US that makes sense!

They should have done more to encourage this as it gave us 50 mpg.

[irishwonone]

Originally Posted by Tvflguy

With all the news re Electric vehicles, how likely are YOU to purchase one? If not, why not?

For me, our 5 year old gas vehicle is perfectly fine for many many years. And at our tax rate cannot use any Tax Credit to lower price. But if our situation changed I would consider.

Not in my lifetime. Yet for those who do I’m happy for them.

[Ptmckiou]

We just bought a Lexus 450h (hybrid). Absolutely love it. Sometimes it’s full time electric and others it’s a combination of gas and electric. We will never go back to just gas.

[rsmurano]

If I drive to the villages, where am I going to charge an EV? None of the major hotels have chargers! My lifestyle rental won’t have a charger! I have friends with EV’s and they have stopped at a charging station on trips and they were the 3rd in line for a charger. So if each person takes 40-60 mins to charge and then it takes you 40 mins a charge, you are sitting at a charger for 3-4 hours. Read the automobile magazines that took an EV across the country, all they did was to stare at the computer to make sure they are going the route where a charger will be located. I couldn’t travel like that. I get upset if I’m 3rd in line to get gas and it takes a few mins for each person to fill up their tank.
Who will work on your EV? If you break down in a smaller city while traveling across country, who will touch your EV? You will have to tow it to a larger city.
When you can charge an EV in the same time it takes to fill up your car, when chargers are accessible as gas stations, when all mechanics will work on the EV, and when an EV will cost the same as a gas car, then I will look at one

[Two Bills]

Posters keep banging on about the size, number, range etc. of present electric car batteries.
The whole setup is still practically in its research stage.
Doesn't anyone remember the size and life expectancy of the old battery torches, phones, radios etc?
Great big things, lucky to last a day or a night.
Now I have a torch that will burn you eyes out powered by a battery the size of a pea, and good for a year!
Car power packs will evolve just the same way.
Same old argument being used like the "It will never replace horses" opponents of steam engines, and ICE.

[srswans]

Originally Posted by Tvflguy

With all the news re Electric vehicles, how likely are YOU to purchase one? If not, why not?

For me, our 5 year old gas vehicle is perfectly fine for many many years. And at our tax rate cannot use any Tax Credit to lower price. But if our situation changed I would consider.

I just bought a new gas vehicle so it will be awhile but my next car will be electric. EVs are fast, quiet and zero emissions. True, fossil fuels will be used (partially) to charge it but still a lower net carbon footprint than gas.

I don’t tow and I will have a gas vehicle for road trips.

I leased an EV in 2014 for commuting and only had three range anxiety events in those two years. Note that this EV had a range of 85 miles (35 in winter). I saved $100/month in gas and had a 220v charger in my garage. Yes, it was a fast and fun car.

I leased back then because the tech was so new. I am not worried about the price of battery replacement - for me, even $10K at the 10 year point is reasonable. EVs need very little maintenance (i.e., no oil changes) so I’ll be saving money those 10 years.

The industry needs to work on a comprehensive plan for battery reuse (which will probably be as storage for solar panels) and build out the charging infrastructure. We’ll get there.