Electric Car Ownership - Any Experiences?

[Meech17]

I've never owned an EV, but I sold cars for a while. Home charging is the make or break moment for most people. If you don't own your home, and are unable to install at least a level 2 charger, you're probably going to be miserable. The most common reason I heard from people trading in EVs to go back to ICE vehicles was ease of charging. They assumed it would be easier to charge at work/their apartment... They tried to have a charger installed at home, and found they'd need to have a lot of additional electrical work done to make it happen... things like that. One poor kid told me he had his charging cable stolen while his car was plugged into an outdoor outlet at his apartment complex overnight.

It sounds like your situation is pretty good however. If you do end up buying from a dealer, ask them about charging. Many dealerships are partnering with companies that sell and install chargers, and you might be able to get a deal that way. Of course shop around before accepting that deal.. Some of them are just preying on folks they hope are looking for a one-stop solution and too lazy to do their research.

The Bolt is a great choice. This is purely anecdotal from my experience getting to drive about half a dozen examples of each in my time selling.. But I really liked all the Bolts I got to drive. On the other hand, while they seem more ubiquitous, all of the Teslas I dealt with seemed to have aged really poorly in comparison.

What I've read is that they typically wear about 20% faster, not 100% faster. My wife winds up blowing tires at a high pace anyway, so I don't know if we'd notice.

I think the folks who burn tires in electric vehicles are probably indulging in the high acceleration EVs can offer. That's not our typical driving style. This is going to be mostly for a suburban veterinarian making house calls. Tearing out of the driveway after tending to Fluffy's arthritis isn't appropriate

While burning rubber from that instant torque delivery can be a factor, I think the bigger issue is just the added weight of the vehicles. It's a lot of mass to slow down and the tires are the ones taking most of the beating.

With that said, there's the flip side of no oil changes, and brakes tend to last much longer.

 

[Ryujin]

I think the folks who burn tires in electric vehicles are probably indulging in the high acceleration EVs can offer. That's not our typical driving style. This is going to be mostly for a suburban veterinarian making house calls. Tearing out of the driveway after tending to Fluffy's arthritis isn't appropriate

The instant torque that's available on an EV is definitely part of it, as you can break traction without even trying, but weight is a massive part of it too. For example that Bolt you are considering is something like 400-500 pounds heavier than your Prius. Batteries are HEAVY.

 

[Parmandur]

In an unfortunate turn of events, my wife's car just got totaled. She absolutely needs one for work, so we are buying a car post-haste, and we are planning to go electric if at all possible.

In her line of work, a hatchback is absolutely essential, and being smaller is also pretty important - this car will be replacing a Prius c, to give you an idea of what we are looking for.

The leading contender is to find a 2020-2023 Chevy Bolt EV. The EUV is possible, but since it is a little bit bigger, it is less attractive.

I am most interested in people's experiences owning EVs, in general, and your experiences or information on home charging stations, specifically, as we'll need one of those as well....

My sister loves her Bolt! Depending somewhat on where you live, charging is pretty easy these days, though it does require a change of habit in car management: have to plan out charging more in advance than filling up.

 

[tomBitonti]

US Tesla owner. Having a charging station outlet is almost a requirement. Here, that is either a 240v outlet, or a 240v outlet plus charging unit. You will also need to have an electrician calculate the total load — you may need an upgrade of the feed to your dwelling. Here that would be upgraded for free, if necessary.

Tire wear would only be higher if you use very high accelerations. On the flip side, brake wear is a lot less.

Do a few test drives! Electrical vehicles are very different, especially with how braking works.

For maintenance, you would have tire and brakes, plus wiper fluid. Not having to stop regularly for gas/petrol or various maintenance is rather nice. Inspection fees are less — no emissions test!

Daily, plugging in at home works for me. Trips are a problem — the total time is about 50% higher, and that is using superchargers.

Doing full discharge and recharge cycles is not recommended for daily usage. That reduces battery charge capacity. This is one big reason to have an at home charging option, besides the hassle of using a public charging station. Also, those can be pricy, at least here.

Don’t count on having the full theoretical range available. Charging above 90% takes a lot longer, and dropping below 10-20% is frightful. You can’t have a friend drive by with a can of petrol to get you to a filling station.

Range is decreased in very cold weather.

The environmental factors rather depend on the fueling of the power plant that provides your electricity. The carbon footprint would be similar, for example, if the power plant is coal fired.

TomB

 

[TwoSix]

I've owned a Chevy Bolt EUV since November. Extremely happy with the car. A few details I've noticed/picked up.

1) You absolutely want to put in a Level 2 charger. Getting a full charge from a 110V can take multiple days, it's just not feasible for everyday use. The charger ran about $600, and the install was about $2000. To our benefit, our electrical panel was extremely close to the wall adjacent to the driveway; if the panel is situated away from where you need the charger, it might be more complex/more expensive. IIRC, you're in MA; I'm in NJ, so I would expect roughly similar pricing. There were plenty of electricians available able to do the work around here, I would expect MA to not be dissimilar.

2) Double check with your state for all the rebates you can find, and work with the dealership (assuming you're buying new). In NJ, sales tax was waived for the car, and there was a $4000 rebate on top of that. The $7500 federal credit is still running on the Bolt, I believe; that rebate will come off the top when you file your federal tax next year.

3) Watch out for potholes. The extra weight of the battery of the tires blew one of my tires apart when I hit a nasty pothole. It was deep, but I don't think my tire would have blown in my previous cars.

4) Electric acceleration is amazing and seductive, especially once you get into the higher speeds. It's a major drain on the battery, though, so don't get carried away. My son chugs through way more charge than I do because he drives like a 17 year old chucklehead and I don't.

5) Try to charge in large, public places with multiple chargers if you're away. If you google for chargers and see a single standalone one in an out-of-the-way spot, it's extremely hit-or-miss if it will be functioning or accessible. Large shopping plazas, malls, and big convenience stores with gas stations are your friends.

6) ChaDEMO/Class 3 chargers are very convenient and fast, but can damage your battery if overused, so don't rely on them.

7) Remember to keep the car at 80% charge max for normal use, bump it up to 100% for longer trips and charge the night before you leave. Try to avoid driving at sub-20% charge and over 80% charge for extended periods. But, max out the battery every 3 months or so and then use up the excess charge relatively quickly, this allows the car to calibrate the battery usage.

8) One pedal mode. It takes a few hours to get used to and feels awkward as hell at first, but it saves a crazy amount of charge, at least 20%.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

2. there is a lot less noise with EVs

This is a negative. They are involved in a lot more accidents with pedestrians because you can’t here them coming.

 

[Meech17]

This is a negative. They are involved in a lot more accidents with pedestrians because you can’t here them coming.

I'm pretty sure it's now legally required (at least in the US) for EVs/Hybrids to have outbound speakers to emit noise at low speeds because of this.

A guy in my apartment complex has a Rav4 Hybrid and it does this cool alien spaceship "Whompwhompwhompwhompwhomp" noise as it cruises by.

 

[The Soloist]

never mind.

 

[Myrdin Potter]

Smaller hatchback I would recommend the Nissan Leaf. A big step up is the Tesla Model 3. I would look at the tax incentive for each and the final net cost.

Level 2 charger at home is the easiest way to make sure the car is ready and charged. Tesla has the best charging network.

For the Leaf I would probably go with extended battery version unless you are not going to use it much more than 100M a day.

(I have one of each and my daughter uses the Leaf as her at school car - commuted to work in it. Can drive from Monterrey to East Bay on one charge but always stops for 20-30 minutes and tops up for the extra margin of safety - that is about a 100 mile drive with traffic and some hills.)

 

[Ryujin]

never mind.

Seems that both Hyundai and Kia offer a 70% battery charge guarantee for 10 years.