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itskyle
Samba Member
Joined: October 04, 2013
Posts: 634
Location: Plainfield, IN
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 Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2015 4:09 pm Post subject: |
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| vwnut1 wrote: |
| Zundfolge1432 wrote: |
| Buy a prius . Our first one has over 250k miles all original. Make the wife happy |
I ran into a guy at the body shop who buys and sells nothing but 2nd generation Prius cars. He claims the cars are bulletproof and they sell quickly due to Toyota's reputation and high gas mileage. A co-worker has 230K on his and has never had a problem with it. I think a brand new Prius with even better mileage is coming out at the end of the year. |
To be fair,
Mine was a first generation Prius, and before that I had loved having it a lot. I had it reshot with paint, fixed after a pretty decent sized wreck, and tried to take it to several places including the dealership, to get it fixed after it had overheated on me.
Sometime I do miss that car, it was like a stealth Prius, it didn't look like one (looke more like a Toyota echo) but it was a decent car until the overheating. I had it for three years, and put at least 60,000 on it.
That being said, if my wife would let me put down the amunt of $$ on herbie that I put into the Prius, it'd be a pretty decent ride, maybe even pure electric.
Kyle
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69 or 72 Autostick Bug current
66 Bug (We both miss it)
74 SuperBeetle Auto Stick (I miss that car)
73 SquareBack, Straight Stick (Wife misses this one.) |
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Zundfolge1432 
Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2004
Posts: 12467
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| Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2015 7:58 pm Post subject: |
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| itskyle wrote: |
| vwnut1 wrote: |
| Zundfolge1432 wrote: |
| Buy a prius . Our first one has over 250k miles all original. Make the wife happy |
I ran into a guy at the body shop who buys and sells nothing but 2nd generation Prius cars. He claims the cars are bulletproof and they sell quickly due to Toyota's reputation and high gas mileage. A co-worker has 230K on his and has never had a problem with it. I think a brand new Prius with even better mileage is coming out at the end of the year. |
To be fair,
Mine was a first generation Prius, and before that I had loved having it a lot. I had it reshot with paint, fixed after a pretty decent sized wreck, and tried to take it to several places including the dealership, to get it fixed after it had overheated on me.
Sometime I do miss that car, it was like a stealth Prius, it didn't look like one (looke more like a Toyota echo) but it was a decent car until the overheating. I had it for three years, and put at least 60,000 on it.
That being said, if my wife would let me put down the amunt of $$ on herbie that I put into the Prius, it'd be a pretty decent ride, maybe even pure electric.
Kyle |
VWs after WW2 got off to a slow start as well, but as you know they built quite a reputation. The public has been slow to embrace electric cars and hybrid technology because of a not so subtle effort from big oil. I recommend a documentary called "who killed the electric car" it takes well over two hours to tell the story but if you sit through you'd be amazed and more than a little pissed off. My favorite part is the clip of the car doing a burn out and the rave revues from the owners including jay Leno. GM gathered up all the EV1s and crushed them watch to find out why. Personally I like not be dependent on gasoline. |
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Q-Dog
Samba Member
Joined: April 05, 2010
Posts: 8700
Location: Sunset, Louisiana
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| Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 8:38 am Post subject: |
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I looked at the VW eGolf online. I wish they offered the 2 door as an electric. I don't believe any makers currently offer a 2 door electric. Tesla's first car was a roadster, but they are no longer making it. But ...
Tesla made some announcements this week. Basically, battery improvements, a $70,000 entry level Model S, and a hint at a new roadster model in a few years. We aren't really into "luxury" cars, but Tesla's 200-300+ mile range is impressive and means driving their cars isn't really that different that a gas engine car 90% of the time. If their mid range car has similar range I would certainly consider it an option.
(To be honest, if I decided to spend $70,000+ on a car, the new Jaguar F-Type convertible would probably end up in my driveway. That is one sexy beast.)
Electric Beetle is sounding better every day.
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Brian
'69 Dune Buggy
'69 Beetle Convertible
'70 Beetle |
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pb_foots
Samba Member
Joined: April 15, 2010
Posts: 1089
Location: Ben Lomond, CA
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| Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 4:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Zundfolge1432 wrote: |
The public has been slow to embrace electric cars and hybrid technology because of a not so subtle effort from big oil. |
Not entirely. The bigger issue is that until Tesla, there has been no visceral reaction to electric or Hybrid cars, and the only real draw has been that magic car pool sticker.
Consider your Prius. it gets good mileage, but not exceptionally better than a diesel Jetta. It's new-ish, so people are naturally cautious. It's not fast, sexy, or remotely sporty. I don't mean that as an insult, I only mean that aside from it's practical value, it has no attraction to most people.
Counter that with a completely impractical electric green Lotus that goes past you at 100MPH without making a sound. Which one makes little boys go 'Oooooh'? Don't kid yourself, 90% of cars are sold on the sizzle, not the steak. Model S doesn't sell well because of the number of tree it saves, it sells well because it's a f'ing hot car that just happens to save whales as a bonus.
That has nothing to do with big oil, and everything to do with car companies deciding that the only people who will want these cars are those that buy for rational reasons instead of emotional ones.
We'll see buzz around hybrids when they go around the Nurburgring at something faster than a glacier and stop looking like appliances. it's coming, but not yet. |
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Zundfolge1432
Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2004
Posts: 12467
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| Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 7:50 pm Post subject: |
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It has everything to do with big oil, don't be naive. As for public acceptance I live in a decidedly red state where most of the people's idea of transportation is a one ton dually diesel truck. Garth brooks passes for entertainment and BBQ bologna is gourmet food.  |
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herbie1200
Samba Member
Joined: April 27, 2006
Posts: 833
Location: Rome - Italy
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| Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 2:24 am Post subject: |
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From an energetic point of view, EV and traditional oil veichles are exactly the same.
The energy to move a veichle is the same.
If the energy you use to recharge an EV is from oil generators or nuclear generators, your impact on the environment is exactly the same.
The only difference is if the electic energy you use is a result of re-newable sources (eolic, hydro-electric, etc.) only in this case an EV can be considered an help to the Planet. |
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pb_foots
Samba Member
Joined: April 15, 2010
Posts: 1089
Location: Ben Lomond, CA
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| Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 9:35 am Post subject: |
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| herbie1200 wrote: |
| If the energy you use to recharge an EV is from oil generators or nuclear generators, your impact on the environment is exactly the same. |
I see your point, but there's a huge difference between Oil and a nuke. There's little to no environmental impact from a nuke, and re processing the waste makes it even cleaner. Our visceral reaction to nuclear power plants is based on fear and ignorance.
How many people have died from Fukushima? There is a slightly elevated risk of certain cancers in people closest to the accident. Compare that to the tons and tons of crap that's being put into the air every day from Oil and coal. There's just no comparison. We ought to be dumping money into research on better nukes instead of closing them.
I agree with you 100% on renewables though. I have panels on my roof, and my electricity use is down over 80% from this time last year. I'm loving my solar panels. When they're efficient enough to allow us to all generate locally, there will be no need for nukes. |
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Zundfolge1432
Samba Member
Joined: June 13, 2004
Posts: 12467
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| Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 9:52 am Post subject: |
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| I'm am with you guys if we could break away from coal and petroleum we'd be better off. Unfortunately they have deeper pockets and more lobbyists than me. Just for entertainment purposes Google auto maker buys street cars and buses. See what these rotten bastards were doing in the 1930s. Follow the money. |
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pb_foots
Samba Member
Joined: April 15, 2010
Posts: 1089
Location: Ben Lomond, CA
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| Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 1:02 pm Post subject: |
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I live in Southern Cal and suffer the effects of Standard Oil shutting down the red line every day. I can't take my kid to the tar pits or the museum without signing up to an hour in traffic.
Sadly, that's not going to change until we decide to change our habits. I ride the metrolink trains occasionally and they're half empty. No way the govt is going to invest in more transit until we start riding it, and no way we can ride it until it goes more places. What are you gonna do? |
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vwnut1
Samba Member
Joined: May 16, 2012
Posts: 495
Location: So Cal
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| Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2015 6:14 pm Post subject: |
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I am on Tesla's e-mail subscriber list and occasionally get invited for free test drives. My wife and I finally decided to take them up on the offer last Sunday because it was so close to our house, what an experience! I can now see why Tesla owners owners are so passionate and why Consumer Reports claims it the best car they have ever tested, bar none. They had everything from the super fast 85D down to the fairly new 70D. We ended up driving a black 70D for about 15 minutes each, so I had a good 30-minutes in the car. The minute you sit behind the wheel you fall in love. Perfect size, roomy, excellent visibility, comfortable seats, and a huge iPad-like control screen.
After a brief explanation regarding the controls, using the built in app to find free charging stations, etc. it was finally time to drive. We now walk up to the locked car that we will be driving that is roughly 50 feet away (we have a baby 3" Model S key fob in our pocket) and the door handles silently extend out as we approach the car. I sit down and place my foot on the brake and engage a button on a stalk to the right of the steering wheel, the car is now "on". No starter noises, no engine noise, the car is completely silent. I slowly accelerate out of the busy test drive area and can't help but notice a black and yellow Lambo exiting the area to my right. I enjoy the engine noise as they accelerate out of the parking lot right after each other.
I finally make a right turn onto the main street out out of the parking lot and the car is totally silent (I purposely turned off the radio at the start of the test drive). Now I stop for a red light that intersects with a busy 3 lane street with a 65 mph speed limit. While waiting for the light to turn green the Tesla rep encourages me to "give it some pepper" once I finish completing the left turn that goes uphill. As soon as I straighten out I mash the accelerator pedal to the floor. Holy %#it!!!!!!! The 514hp all wheel drive 70D accelerated faster than any ICE vehicle I have ever driven and shoved me back in my seat. And that was uphill!!! The 70D was a BLAST to drive and stealth-mode silent to avoid attracting attention and a possible speeding ticket. The Tesla can "read" speed limits and warns me visually as soon as I hit 65 mph, I get up to 85 mph in a heartbeat before letting off the gas.
We return to the Tesla test drive station with smiles on our faces. I would never spend $80k on ANY car, but we will seriously consider the more affordable Model III AWD sedan when it starts production in early 2018. The HUGE Tesla battery Gigafactory in Nevada can't be built soon enough. I now see why competing auto executives are nervous about Tesla. They did tons of R&D and hired some of the best engineers in the country and absolutely nailed it right out of the box. The car is light years ahead of the competition and the electric motor has only 1 moving part, the rotor ( a typical gas engine has around 800). Apple, who has roughly $200 billion in cash reserves, is supposedely hiring automotive experts so they can produce their own electric car for the masses. Is an Apple iCar far away?
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herbie1200
Samba Member
Joined: April 27, 2006
Posts: 833
Location: Rome - Italy
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| Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2015 10:53 am Post subject: |
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| pb_foots wrote: |
| herbie1200 wrote: |
| If the energy you use to recharge an EV is from oil generators or nuclear generators, your impact on the environment is exactly the same. |
I see your point, but there's a huge difference between Oil and a nuke. There's little to no environmental impact from a nuke, and re processing the waste makes it even cleaner. Our visceral reaction to nuclear power plants is based on fear and ignorance.
How many people have died from Fukushima? There is a slightly elevated risk of certain cancers in people closest to the accident. Compare that to the tons and tons of crap that's being put into the air every day from Oil and coal. There's just no comparison. We ought to be dumping money into research on better nukes instead of closing them.
I agree with you 100% on renewables though. I have panels on my roof, and my electricity use is down over 80% from this time last year. I'm loving my solar panels. When they're efficient enough to allow us to all generate locally, there will be no need for nukes. |
The problem with nuclear power plant is not for accidents, the problem is where residual are buried.
You should trust into human integrity and correctness for thousand years... you do? I think no one can guarantee deposits of nuclear waste against: terrorism, mafia, earthquakes, volcano, etc.
Anyway, the future into EV veichles I think is into a sort of standardization of batteries.
Batteries grouped into standard modules, the same for all cars, exchangeable into 5 mins at a gas station.
This is the firs goal for EV diffusion.
Here in Italy we use two kind of gas: metane and LPG. Metane is better more economic, cleaner, but time for recharge is 3 times longer than LPG, this light difference made the success of LPG. 10 mins of difference on refill time. |
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Wayne S. Johnson
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Joined: April 12, 2006
Posts: 1265
Location: GILROY, CA
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