I avoided looking at this thread until now because it upset me so to think of a classic Cord being butchered by installing an EV drivetrain.
But I guess it has veered back into the usual rant about EVs and alternative power in general so I will add my two bit.
On 10/2/2024 at 2:58 AM, Gtjoey said:Someone must be listening
Ford just announced they are Paying for your charger and Installing in or outside the house as well!
Wonder why?
Call me in 100 years we might get 300 miles on a charge by then…..
and remember it’s not 300
If you go 150…..you need 150 to get back🤣
Bahaaaaaa
Gtjoey
Funny. I was able to drive my 1933 Plymouth from Maryland to California via Wisconsin and Texas (not exactly the shortest route) and at highway speeds I can’t count on more than 150 miles on a tank. I don’t recall ever owning a car that could get 300 miles on a tank until the 1980s so I guess gas powered cars were not practical until then.
The real issue is that you need to be able to refill at convenient intervals and it shouldn’t take too much time to refill.
That has been an issue with EVs, not the range per se, but the combination of range, available locations to recharge, and the time to recharge. There have been and continue to be improvements in all of those areas. Newer EVs often get over 300 miles per charge. New and expanded EV charging is coming on line every week. And at least some newer EVs charge several times faster than those of a few years ago.
On 10/2/2024 at 5:24 AM, alsancle said:Kerry, I have multiple friends with Tesla's and all the reviews are positive. You really need to look at what you are paying for electricity and do some math. Buying new there are a number of incentives (paid for by you and I) that really bring the costs down.
A solar roof system will also bring the costs way down but it will make your house look like a piece of crap. Although some people like to virtue signal and don't car or are happy about it. I'm waiting for Elon to perfect his solar roof system that looks like regular shingles.
One bad thing about the current state of electric cars is that there is higher depreciation than for gas or hybrid cars, possibly because the technology is improving rapidly. You can get a couple year old EV at a very attractive price. Stay away from the Nissan Leaf, very poor battery temperature management means these are about the only EVs with batteries that fail. Tesla had a reputation for poor build quality, I am not sure how that would affect used prices but I’d look at any with close attention to fit, finish, rattles, etc. I’ve only ridden in one Tesla, a Model X that is at least a year newer than my car, and was not impressed by the noise level, etc. But there are lots of brands and models of EVs that have been on the market for enough years that you can check out their long term issues on various review sites.
I can’t help you on the appearance issue with roof top solar other than to say a lot of it depends on the house and roof design and how and when the solar system was installed.
Solar shingles, from Tesla or from others, have traditionally had much lower efficiency and much higher costs than traditional solar panels. I don’t see that changing in the near future.
On 10/2/2024 at 5:34 AM, TAKerry said:I do as well AJ, know of a few people with Teslas that is. All the people I talk to love them. I have talked briefly with a member on here whose son works for them and he gave me some good pointers. I am not seriously looking right now and if I get the urge to 'go green' I think I can muster up enough info to be dangerous, LOL.
When I built my barn/shop a few years ago I was seriously considering solar. I was planning on buying the system outright. I took the cost of the installation, what it was supposed to save on electric, and compared to my current electric bill. I figured it would take something along the lines of 20 years to break even, and the panels deteriorate so who knows how effective/efficient they would be by the time they actually started making money? If I were 30 yrs old I may have considered it but at 60 there is very little that I long term plan for 20 yrs ahead.
We were pricing a job a few years when the solar panel shingles had come out. That was most def. cost prohibitive!!
How long ago did you build your barn/shop? How high are your local electrical rates? How sunny is your climate?
When we checked out roof top solar electric over 20 years ago it made no financial sense. When we checked again a few years ago, it did. We have had our current system for several years now. Depending on weather, it provides between 80% and 95% of our yearly electrical power. That power is for both our house and well over 80% of our driving. We bought our solar system, basically taking a loan from ourselves (I track the capital and interest based on lost opportunity cost). With savings on our electrical bill, we are on track to pay back that loan to ourselves in the next year, pay off about 4.5 years after installation on a system warranted for 25 years. So we should be good for about 20 years of free power from it. In the meantime our power is dirt cheap and powering our CUV EV costs about $0.03/mile. We are insulated from gasoline price hikes and utilities price hikes which is a pretty good feeling.