Electric Car Ownership - Any Experiences?

[Ryujin]

More specifically, if you modify it to go that fast, it may be classified as a motorcycle, and then you can find yourself driving without a license...

Some people just take off the pedals which, depending on jurisdiction, can have the same result.

 

[Myrdin Potter]

PG&E did not require that. I just registered for the EV rate (cheaper after 11 PM to 3 PM and on weekends) and the invoice for the charger. It is not like I am going to use the charger for anything but an EV ...

My solar and battery combination has kept my bill below $20 (was often $800+) plus they will cut me a check at period end as I feed more to the grid thean I use. They have a minimum charge.

I have 2 chargers and each is scheduled via the app. If I need to charge during peak times, I just overide the smart charging in the app. In theory someone could just park in my driveway and steal my charge but it does send me alerts and I can turn it off remotely. I can also add app approval but not needed where I live.

 

[Umbran]

While I would have preferred they had better design, I'll give them a nod on the support end, at least.

To follow up on this - at the moment, if we charge during the off-peak hours, we get almost a 14% rebate on the power used to charge the vehicle, which is a nice perk.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

A friend of mine is currently going through a hybrid EV nightmare. His vehicle- under 2 years old- has had a complete failure of its hybrid battery (which is distinct from its starter battery). It cannot be driven with a dead hybrid battery.

The dealership has told him they won’t be able to get him a replacement for something like a month, because they are a single-sourced part.

I have to say, up until this point, it seemed like a pretty sweet ride.

 

[Thomas Shey]

A friend of mine is currently going through a hybrid EV nightmare. His vehicle- under 2 years old- has had a complete failure of its hybrid battery (which is distinct from its starter battery). It cannot be driven with a dead hybrid battery.

The dealership has told him they won’t be able to get him a replacement for something like a month, because they are a single-sourced part.

I have to say, up until this point, it seemed like a pretty sweet ride.

Single points of failure, whether in engineering, rpg scenarios or supply, are always a mistake.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Out of interest, how well do electric car batteries retain their charge if they are not used for, say, a couple of weeks?

 

[Umbran]

The dealership has told him they won’t be able to get him a replacement for something like a month, because they are a single-sourced part.

For the dealer, they may be single-sourced. But there are services that will come and install either a refurbished battery, or a third-party battery.

I have not used them, so I cannot personally vouch for any particular battery, but a search on "new hybrid battery" or "replacement hybrid battery" will turn up some.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

For the dealer, they may be single-sourced. But there are services that will come and install either a refurbished battery, or a third-party battery.

I have not used them, so I cannot personally vouch for any particular battery, but a search on "new hybrid battery" or "replacement hybrid battery" will turn up some.

That may vary from maker to maker or even model to model. All I know is that the dealer could only get it from the parent company.

 

[Kannik]

Out of interest, how well do electric car batteries retain their charge if they are not used for, say, a couple of weeks?

It depends. It's similar to putting your laptop into "sleep" mode, where there's a small drain to keep the electronics going, though obviously much, much less than driving. That will vary from car make to car make. The bigger variable is the temperature outside, as most cars maintain battery conditioning where they will cool the battery if it gets too hot, and warm it if it gets to cold, in order to maximize longevity. So if the temps hit either extreme, it will draw down power for that.

FWIW, I've left my car at an outdoor carpark (top floor, so no roof overhead) during a rainy December near SF for 10 days and came back to drive it away and back home with no issues (and no concern that the battery had drained too low).

 

[Umbran]

Out of interest, how well do electric car batteries retain their charge if they are not used for, say, a couple of weeks?

When I search around, I find that EV batteries will lose from 1% to 3% per month idle.