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Electric Vehicle Sales Are Up in California, but there's a catch...

VanceMack said:
How far do you have to commute and what is the range of your electronic vehicle? Does your employer have adequate charging stations?
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I’ve taken into account an especially long commute in my neck of the woods...80 miles...which the average EV these days can handle. Keep in mind that that’s an unusually long haul for a work-home commute. More typical long commutes are about 40 miles each way, which the average EV can handle without breaking a sweat.

Personally, I have a commute of 10 miles, so that’s obviously a non-issue.

Regardless, if your purpose is commuting and errands, an EV can do it for you.
 
Cardinal said:
The lack of enthusiasm seems to be due to an irrational fear of range. Better messaging about recharging availability as well as other perks would probably lead to a change in consumer choices.
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It depends on what you do with the vehicle. EV's are not as flexible as IC's PHEV's or HEV's. Most people buy a vehicle that is multi purpose because they on only have one or two. People like me have over 5 vehicles. I can afford a EV for bebopping around town. It also depends on your electric rates. You have to run the numbers for each vehicle and its proposed usage. For instance diesel vehicles dont really pay unless you put seriously high miles on them and diesel prices are near what gasoline prices are. The is simply because a premium is paid for diesel power and it is steep enough for a ROI to be years or never. EV's or HEV's are similar. California power gets up to 20 cents a kilowatt or better. If you live in the valley your electric bill could get very pricy. For instance I can get a 13,500 Chevy Spark, vs. a Chevy Bolt priced at 36,000. Even with subsidies the Bolt is substantially more expensive than the Spark even though they are the same size and type vehicle, small subcompact hatchbacks.
 
Cardinal said:
I’ve taken into account an especially long commute in my neck of the woods...80 miles...which the average EV these days can handle. Keep in mind that that’s an unusually long haul for a work-home commute. More typical long commutes are about 40 miles each way, which the average EV can handle without breaking a sweat.

Personally, I have a commute of 10 miles, so that’s obviously a non-issue.

Regardless, if your purpose is commuting and errands, an EV can do it for you.
Click to expand...
Whch is great if you have the luxury of two cars...one for convenience runs and one to handle a 'real' workload. I have motorcycles for my local travel. I have an abnormal commute to a fairly remote location.There are no charging stations there.

I havent seen the EV yet that can pull my boat a few hundred miles and spend time in the mountains and make it back safely. Im not opposed to electric cars once they get all those things conquered...but until then...
 
VanceMack said:
Whch is great if you have the luxury of two cars...one for convenience runs and one to handle a 'real' workload. I have motorcycles for my local travel. I have an abnormal commute to a fairly remote location.There are no charging stations there.

I havent seen the EV yet that can pull my boat a few hundred miles and spend time in the mountains and make it back safely. Im not opposed to electric cars once they get all those things conquered...but until then...
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No car is all purpose. Even gas powered cars are made with different functions. My hybrid Prius *can* be used in the country, but obviously its primary function is a commute/city car. A pickup truck *can* be used for the city, but obviously its primary function is a haul/country vehicle ideal for larger, open spaces. Insisting that an EV be all things is placing a unique burden on it not placed on gas powered cars.

Not all households have two cars, but if you do then it’s perfectly reasonable and a good idea that one of them be an EV.
 
PoS said:
Electric vehicle sales rise in California. It'''s mostly due to Tesla - Los Angeles Times





Yup, so it seems if you take Tesla out of the equation, then electric car sales really arent what they are hyped up to be. And as the quotes suggests, people dont buy Tesla because they are EVs, but because they are fans of the company.

Reality hurts. ;)
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I don't understand. You sound like you are celebrating this. Why is this a good thing? Would you be sad if if EV sales were higher?
 
Cardinal said:
No car is all purpose. Even gas powered cars are made with different functions. My hybrid Prius *can* be used in the country, but obviously its primary function is a commute/city car. A pickup truck *can* be used for the city, but obviously its primary function is a haul/country vehicle ideal for larger, open spaces. Insisting that an EV be all things is placing a unique burden on it not placed on gas powered cars.

Not all households have two cars, but if you do then it’s perfectly reasonable and a good idea that one of them be an EV.
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Actually, we have a Honda dealership next to where I work. I check it out once in a while after work to see what new stuff they have. I have been very impressed with the new Honda Clarity, a plug-in hybrid. It CAN be all-electric, or it can be hybrid which works on gas only if need be. And they have been able to keep down to a reasonable range. It's some pretty impressive engineering. I am seriously considering it for my next car. A truly all-purpose electric car!
 
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VanceMack said:
Whch is great if you have the luxury of two cars...one for convenience runs and one to handle a 'real' workload. I have motorcycles for my local travel. I have an abnormal commute to a fairly remote location.There are no charging stations there.

I havent seen the EV yet that can pull my boat a few hundred miles and spend time in the mountains and make it back safely. Im not opposed to electric cars once they get all those things conquered...but until then...
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You should check out the Honda Clarity, a plug-in hybrid. I am sure other manufacturers have, or will soon have, something similar.
 
ataraxia said:
You should check out the Honda Clarity, a plug-in hybrid. I am sure other manufacturers have, or will soon have, something similar.
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How do you like yours? I find that real owners tend to be a lot more believable than reviewers.
 
VanceMack said:
How do you like yours? I find that real owners tend to be a lot more believable than reviewers.
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I have not bought one yet. I am seriously thinking about it for my next car, though. That should be in the next year or two.
 
PirateMk1 said:
It depends on what you do with the vehicle. EV's are not as flexible as IC's PHEV's or HEV's. Most people buy a vehicle that is multi purpose because they on only have one or two. People like me have over 5 vehicles. I can afford a EV for bebopping around town. It also depends on your electric rates. You have to run the numbers for each vehicle and its proposed usage. For instance diesel vehicles dont really pay unless you put seriously high miles on them and diesel prices are near what gasoline prices are. The is simply because a premium is paid for diesel power and it is steep enough for a ROI to be years or never. EV's or HEV's are similar. California power gets up to 20 cents a kilowatt or better. If you live in the valley your electric bill could get very pricy. For instance I can get a 13,500 Chevy Spark, vs. a Chevy Bolt priced at 36,000. Even with subsidies the Bolt is substantially more expensive than the Spark even though they are the same size and type vehicle, small subcompact hatchbacks.
Click to expand...


That price difference is the reason the Bolt has not sold well. The interiors are roughly the same but person is paying double for one. Tesla Model 3 starts about 15% higher than the Bolt, but is faster, has a good range, and a much better interior. That is why it sells well, while most other EV's are not. Premium car price for economy car performance, style and image
 
ataraxia said:
I don't understand. You sound like you are celebrating this. Why is this a good thing? Would you be sad if if EV sales were higher?
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No, I am pro-truth and anti-propaganda. This thread is a reality check to all the other threads in this forum we've been having lately that proclaim EVs and other green tech are taking over the market, and this proves that they are not.
 
PoS said:
No, I am pro-truth and anti-propaganda. This thread is a reality check to all the other threads in this forum we've been having lately that proclaim EVs and other green tech are taking over the market, and this proves that they are not.
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So why is that a good thing for you? You really seem to be celebrating it and shouting it from the rooftops. What are you the CEO of Exxon or something?
 
ataraxia said:
So why is that a good thing for you? You really seem to be celebrating it and shouting it from the rooftops. What are you the CEO of Exxon or something?
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Ah so you hate the truth and now its back to ad hom and strawman fallacies. Your kind are so predictable.
 
PoS said:
Ah so you hate the truth and now its back to ad hom and strawman fallacies. Your kind are so predictable.
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So you're not happy about this? Am I mistaken in having that impression? If it's not something to shout from the rooftops and celebrate, why post it and gloat?

If true, I find it kinda sad, really. It means we still have a lot of work to do, not something to celebrate and gloat about.
 
ataraxia said:
So you're not happy about this? Am I mistaken in having that impression? If it's not something to shout from the rooftops and celebrate, why post it?
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What makes you think Im on a rooftop and celebrating? Maybe you ought to stop fantasizing about me.
 
PoS said:
Electric vehicle sales rise in California. It'''s mostly due to Tesla - Los Angeles Times





Yup, so it seems if you take Tesla out of the equation, then electric car sales really arent what they are hyped up to be. And as the quotes suggests, people dont buy Tesla because they are EVs, but because they are fans of the company.

Reality hurts. ;)
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I have no problem with using any means to power a vehicle. If they want to buy a vehicle that runs on electric, methane, hydrogen, gasoline, or any other fuel source why should it be anyone's concern? With regard to more electric vehicles being purchased in California, more than half the population lives in southern California where they have perpetual Summers year-round. Solar and electric power makes much more sense in that kind of environment than say in Alaska where the sun only shines for a few hours by Winter Solstice and the extreme cold sucks the energy out of your batteries. So even without factoring in Tesla, on a per capita basis you are still going to see more electric vehicles sold in California than in places like Alaska. The environment being the contributing factor in this case.
 
PoS said:
What makes you think Im on a rooftop and celebrating? Maybe you ought to stop fantasizing about me.
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So what was your motivation in posting it?

Are you "owning the libs" now because they have been proven wrong yet again and are getting repeatedly frustrated in their attempts to clean up the environment through advancing technology?

Yaaaay! We are stuck dependent on environment-destroying fossil fuels forever! Showed those libtards! Right? Drill baby drill!
 
ataraxia said:
So what was your motivation in posting it?
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My motivation has already been stated: show the truth and cut the BS. Reality sucks for you, but thats what it is, so deal with it.


Are you "owning the libs" now because they have been proven wrong yet again and are getting repeatedly frustrated in their attempts to clean up the environment through advancing technology?

Yaaaay! We are stuck dependent on environment-destroying fossil fuels forever! Showed those libtards! Right? Drill baby drill!
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More strawmen. My, youre out of excuses now.
 
Cardinal said:
The lack of enthusiasm seems to be due to an irrational fear of range. Better messaging about recharging availability as well as other perks would probably lead to a change in consumer choices.
Click to expand...

That's why the volt was one of my favorites. I don't think our infrastructure is ready. Not sure.
 
Lovebug said:
That's why the volt was one of my favorites. I don't think our infrastructure is ready. Not sure.
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Not just the infrastructure, the technology is not there either. Battery life, battery disposal, battery costs are all big problems. My brother bought a Tesla and loved it until some moron rear ended him. The damage was not that great but he literally could not find a body shop that would work on it. They said they are dangerous to work on. It ended up costing over $30K to repair something that would have been under $5K on a gas car.
 
PoS said:
Electric vehicle sales rise in California. It'''s mostly due to Tesla - Los Angeles Times





Yup, so it seems if you take Tesla out of the equation, then electric car sales really arent what they are hyped up to be. And as the quotes suggests, people dont buy Tesla because they are EVs, but because they are fans of the company.

Reality hurts. ;)
Click to expand...

Nothing really interesting here. Tesla is the only company making an relatively affordable EV that doesn't look like a toaster, and the Model 3 isn't really all that affordable anyway. That will change soon.
 
Cardinal said:
No car is all purpose. Even gas powered cars are made with different functions. My hybrid Prius *can* be used in the country, but obviously its primary function is a commute/city car. A pickup truck *can* be used for the city, but obviously its primary function is a haul/country vehicle ideal for larger, open spaces. Insisting that an EV be all things is placing a unique burden on it not placed on gas powered cars.

Not all households have two cars, but if you do then it’s perfectly reasonable and a good idea that one of them be an EV.
Click to expand...
Agree, and....
There all all kinds of options available to most of us.
I suspect that most of the cars on the road aren't in motion 2/3 of time. Back in the old days, for long trips, we rented a mini-van. For short trips to the market, most of the year and in most places, we could walk or ride a bike. We carpooled to work.

Lots of stores now deliver. When cars start being taxed like in Sweden, we will find a way. Say, is anyone else getting the same idea I am getting? More taxes for our benevolent government is always a good idea, right?
 
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