I did not want to get more into the Tesla vs pickup conversation. But I have been driving an electric car for a couple of years and I figured I would add my experience.
I drive a bmw i3. The car has a battery and a gas powered generator. The gas engine does not power the drive train The gas engine will power the car but pretty much to the next place to charge. If you run the battery to 0, the generator will still run the car. But not at 100%. Max speed might be 50 mph or so.
The electric range of the car depends on how you drive. Bat out of hell HOUSTON driver you get about 60 miles on electricity. Put put around small roads at 40mph and you get 90 miles on electricity.
I bought the car for the doors. I am a paraplegic and the doors open outwards which gives me a lot of room to get in and out of the car. The steel beam that protects you in case of a T-Bone type of accident, is built into the back door. They call the door a coach door, but back in the day it was called a suicide door.
Last year I bought 15.00 of gas. So far this year (2017) I bought $4.50 of gas.
The cost of electricity is a bit harder to figure. It depends on your contract, and how you use electricity at home. My estimate is about 250.00 per year in additional electricity costs.
Yes I can charge at places for free. Some places. Whole Foods, and a few places. But the idea of a public charge for at least 4 hours is a real PITA. Who hangs out at Whole Foods for 4 hours? There is a bar next to WF and I will have a few drinks there. $50.00 bar tab later and my car is charged.
Whoops.
I got flooded during Harvey and have had to rely on public charging. I am living in hotels till December or even January. But when I am at home, I rarely use public charging places. The i3 is very much a city car. Go to work and come home - charge car. Repeat.
Is an electric car cheaper - yes.
You will have to learn how to deal with the range anxiety.
Are you solving global warming, cooling, change - no.
Are you putting a lot less carbon monoxide into the atmosphere - yes.
EV car is cool. But you need a ICE in the family. (Internal Compustion Engine)
I bought the 2014 Bmw i3 for about 45k.
Texas will give you 2500.00 for purchasing an electric car.
Federal government will give you 7500.00 for purchasing an electric car.
I personally hope this ends. No one should get a subsidy for purchasing a car. But I am not going to say no to 10k.
Installed a 240 volt charger in my garage. I maxed out my breaker box and had to get a new one installed. 6k? Don’t remember the price. But the 240 volt charger was about 450 dollars or so.
The 240 is called a level 2 charger. It will charge my car 20 miles in 1 hour.
The car has a charger that you can plug into a wall outlet (120 volt) will charge the car 3 miles in 1 hour.
When you do the drive to work, home and back the EV has been fantastic. This car has given me a lot of independence that I did not anticipate that I would really love.
I don’t have to get gas often. As a paraplegic, you go to gas station, get out of car - put gas in car - get back in car. The wheels pickup all the gas that was on the ground. Which also gets on your hands. By the time your back in your car - you smell like regular gasoline. A few places (costco) will pump gas for you. This is because they have attendants monitoring the pumps. But most places don’t have to do this.
I suggest you purchase an EV if you are close to your job and are able to do a small circle of driving around your house. Distance driving takes some learning and preparation. Just do some reasearch and have fun learning how this all works.
Love to all on the green screen.
4wheels.
I drive a bmw i3. The car has a battery and a gas powered generator. The gas engine does not power the drive train The gas engine will power the car but pretty much to the next place to charge. If you run the battery to 0, the generator will still run the car. But not at 100%. Max speed might be 50 mph or so.
The electric range of the car depends on how you drive. Bat out of hell HOUSTON driver you get about 60 miles on electricity. Put put around small roads at 40mph and you get 90 miles on electricity.
I bought the car for the doors. I am a paraplegic and the doors open outwards which gives me a lot of room to get in and out of the car. The steel beam that protects you in case of a T-Bone type of accident, is built into the back door. They call the door a coach door, but back in the day it was called a suicide door.
Last year I bought 15.00 of gas. So far this year (2017) I bought $4.50 of gas.
The cost of electricity is a bit harder to figure. It depends on your contract, and how you use electricity at home. My estimate is about 250.00 per year in additional electricity costs.
Yes I can charge at places for free. Some places. Whole Foods, and a few places. But the idea of a public charge for at least 4 hours is a real PITA. Who hangs out at Whole Foods for 4 hours? There is a bar next to WF and I will have a few drinks there. $50.00 bar tab later and my car is charged.
Whoops.
I got flooded during Harvey and have had to rely on public charging. I am living in hotels till December or even January. But when I am at home, I rarely use public charging places. The i3 is very much a city car. Go to work and come home - charge car. Repeat.
Is an electric car cheaper - yes.
You will have to learn how to deal with the range anxiety.
Are you solving global warming, cooling, change - no.
Are you putting a lot less carbon monoxide into the atmosphere - yes.
EV car is cool. But you need a ICE in the family. (Internal Compustion Engine)
I bought the 2014 Bmw i3 for about 45k.
Texas will give you 2500.00 for purchasing an electric car.
Federal government will give you 7500.00 for purchasing an electric car.
I personally hope this ends. No one should get a subsidy for purchasing a car. But I am not going to say no to 10k.
Installed a 240 volt charger in my garage. I maxed out my breaker box and had to get a new one installed. 6k? Don’t remember the price. But the 240 volt charger was about 450 dollars or so.
The 240 is called a level 2 charger. It will charge my car 20 miles in 1 hour.
The car has a charger that you can plug into a wall outlet (120 volt) will charge the car 3 miles in 1 hour.
When you do the drive to work, home and back the EV has been fantastic. This car has given me a lot of independence that I did not anticipate that I would really love.
I don’t have to get gas often. As a paraplegic, you go to gas station, get out of car - put gas in car - get back in car. The wheels pickup all the gas that was on the ground. Which also gets on your hands. By the time your back in your car - you smell like regular gasoline. A few places (costco) will pump gas for you. This is because they have attendants monitoring the pumps. But most places don’t have to do this.
I suggest you purchase an EV if you are close to your job and are able to do a small circle of driving around your house. Distance driving takes some learning and preparation. Just do some reasearch and have fun learning how this all works.
Love to all on the green screen.
4wheels.
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