What will it take to make you seriously consider an EV?

It's here!



Ford really did a good job with the metallic red color.

The car drives really well. Cabin is quiet and comfy. Power is not great, but adequate. In pure EV mode, the electric motor feel good from 0-45mph. So going around town is no problem at all. However, going full out from 0-75 is quite slow in EV mode. So if I am trying to merge onto the highway from the shoulder or really short on-ramp, I would absolutely need to use the gas engine to assist. According to reviews, 0-60 in EV mode is about 14 seconds in EV mode and 8.5 seconds in hybrid mode.

I am really glad we went with getting a 2022 instead of gambling on the 2023 qualifying for the tax rebate. A bird in hand is worth two in the bush after all.

 

If affordability is an issue for you then you might want to look into State based income based programs for Solar. Several states have those. And as someone mentioned, you can sign up for community based programs.

While Tesla has cut its prices, 40-45k range after tax is still not cheap. But there are other affordable EV options. Chevy Bolt and Nissan Leaf are very affordable and very good value for the money. Options are there but not as varied right now.

However, the two good news is that 1) Tesla price slash is going to force others to slash their prices and 2) A lot of EV options are headed our way. Almost every single manufacturer is shifting towards EV and some (like Hyundai) have already stopped their ICE R&D and shifting towards full EV.

Shift to EV is inevitable. The earlier you switch the quicker you start realizing the savings with EV and solar.

 

Speaking of state incentives, might be worth reviewing all the state programs available in your area for clean energy.

Here in Massachusetts we have several great programs.

If you have gone Solar or are considering Solar, you might want to consider Heat Pump next to heat/cool your home. This is what I am looking into next. Both Federal and state incentives available in terms of cost, tax rebates, as well as 0% interest financing!!!

 

Congrats! I'm a believer in PHEV cars over EVs. Frankly, there's a strong environmental argument to favor PHEVs over EVs. I think more people need to consider PHEVs. I have a PHEV with a 50 mile range and I more or less never use gasoline (especially in the summer) but on roadtrips I never have to worry about range. Also, from a practical/environmental standpoint, I'm doing 95% electric driving with a battery that is a fraction of the size of an EV battery. Effectively, you could take a single Tesla battery and create 3-5 Ford Escape PHEVs. If we want mass adoption of EVs in a sustainable fashion, it has to be done using cars like yours. Most EVs have overbuilt range that has little practical purpose since no one needs all of that range except for long road trips.

 

Reminder. You should be using your gas engine here and there even if you can always get away in electric alone. Not doing so will damage your system.

As for PHEV, I had them and liked them but eventually moved onto EV for three or four reasons:

1) PHEV engines have a lot more moving parts and a more complex system compared to either ICE or EV. Their repair can get expensive especially because you have to take them to the dealer. You don’t want some random mechanic playing with them. My PHEV was coming out of warranty and after hearing of some experiences of Prius engines giving up at 80k miles and the repair cost, I decided it was the right time to move on. And Prius is pretty much the benchmark when it comes to PHEV systems.

2) Maintenance. PHEVs still need to be serviced and maintained like ICE cars. I wanted to get rid of the maintenance trips or at the very least minimize it.

3) Performance. Most PHEVs are dogs when compared to EVs. The instant torque and on demand power/acceleration of an EV is a game changer for most people. It is difficult to go back to an ICE or PHEV and have to ideal with its lag once you are spoilt by the EV torque. For me personally, besides the fun factor and the driving experience with regards to torque, is also a safety upgrade. I have that instant acceleration to get out of trouble if I need it.

4) Complete Energy independence. I am going for Solar to meet all my energy requirements, in house and on the road. Going full EV and Solar lets me do that without ever having to worry about trips to gas stations.

Lastly, I disagree with your range built in comment about EVs that they have too much battery capacity. There is actual range of EV and actual consumption range that you should be using it for daily purposes. For long term health of the battery, ideally, you don’t want to let your battery drop below 20% and not daily charge it over 80%. The closer you ho we around 50%, the better it is for your battery. Your daily usable battery consumption should occur between 20% to 80% capacity, which equates to roughly 60% of your battery capacity. In winter you will lose some of that so your usable range falls even more.

A 300 mi range battery at full capacity is right about ideal for now in terms of daily consumption and occasional long range consumption where you can charge to 100%.

 

You end up using gas in enough instances to avoid this. In my case, I end up driving into town at least once every two weeks which covers my ICE usage. Also my car does automatically turn on the ICE if it hasn't been used recently so the system does monitor its usage.

As for PHEV, I had them and liked them but eventually moved onto EV for three or four reasons:

Sure but this applies to EVs as well. Most mechanics can't mess with EVs either. At least in my case, my Chevy Volt has been a tank. I've only been into the shop one time in three years (outside of a yearly oil change that I do). This is a broader problem with the transition to EVs. You need certified techs nowadays.

But again, I've had to do so little maintenance that it hasn't been an issue. Like most cars, you'll get some that are reliable and some that aren't.

I change my oil once a year and that's been it thus far (other than an issue around my shifter that was covered by the warranty). But yes, you do have to deal with other little things that come with ICE.

Fair enough. Most PHEV cars aren't going to give you strong 0-60 times. You'll get nice 0-30 times because of the EV torque but the lack of horsepower on the electric motors means that acceleration beyond that will stink. In my case, my PHEV was designed to get reasonable 0-60 time (around 7 seconds) but that's a function of how GM designed the car. But the point is that it is possible to design a PHEV that has reasonable acceleration. Chevy proved that with the Gen 2 Volt which came out years ago.

I fill up gas once a month at most (I can go multiple months between fill ups if I dont go on road trips). The reality is that most people don't drive enough to regularly fill up gas when owning a PHEV. Most driving can be done on EV mode which negates the regular fill ups you get today. In the summer, I can get around 60 miles of range when driving conservatively which more than covers daily commutes. I don't really worry about gas stations because fill ups are so infrequent.

Can't speak for other PHEVs, but GM blocked 20% of the battery. My battery is around 96% of the original capacity (and that 4% is variable as there is natural fluctuation on available kwH capacity). My battery has held its range capacity far better than my parents' Model 3. And I live in a cold weather climate so I deal with sub zero temperatures.

I think the fundamental point is that you can design a PHEV that avoids most of your pitfalls. At least in my experience, I've had zero issue with the design of GM's Voltec platform (which they unfortunately stopped developing). And the point still stands. We could take a single Tesla and create multiple PHEVs. If we want to create access to EVs for the masses, PHEVs are the way to do it.

 

15.5 miles of EV range and you can kick on the twin turbo V8 to merge... PHEV = Future.

 

I was not trying to pit one against other. Like you said, you will always get lemons in any brand.

What I meant was that given where I was with my PHEV and out of warranty, and after hearing some PHEV repair stories, I thought it was the right time for me to get into an EV with full warranty.

The other point I wanted to make is that a EV has significantly fewer number of components, and the system itself is a lot simpler than an PHEV or even an ICE. Because of the complexity of the system, with all things being equal, your odds are worse in a non EV when it comes to needing repairs.

Personally, I don’t drive any car beyond 80k so I don’t stray too far away from the warranty period, and so it shouldn’t matter for me anyways. The battery warranty on Tesla is longer than most ICE cars so that could keep me at bay longer, however I will most likely be trading one of my Teslas for the Cybertruck that I have on order.

Again, personally, I wanted to totally get away from maintenance. No oil change, or regular scheduled service at 15k, 30k etc miles. If everything goes well the only thing I really should be doing is refilling washer fluid when needed and change tires. That’s time, hassle, and $$ saved.

I also wanted to totally get away from gas station. Last year I put in roughly 23,000 miles between the two cars. Based on that number, even with a Prius Prime into consideration, I saved quite a bit of trips to the gas station. For other cars, that number would be higher. That’s time, hassle, and $$ saved for me. That limited EV range of PHEV would not be sufficient for me. With Solar, and those mileage, I go from $$$ to 0$ at home while I am sleeping and never having to make a trip anywhere for my car.

Those are the reasons I went full EV. For my needs and priorities, and after crunching the numbers, it made sense to go EV. My second choice was going to be PHEV if I wasn’t going to be happy with the EV experience. However, so far I have been completely satisfied with the transition to full EV.

The only non EV I am currently considering is the CT5-V Blackwing, but for collectors reasons.

 

Glorified Prius Prime.

The worst part is that it will hog the fast lane just like any other Prius.

True story: I beat a Mustang (ICE) in my Prius on the off ramp exit (long and curvy). He was in my rear view mirror. It went off the road and crashed. Lol @ Mustang drivers.

 

No one has ever beat Mustang Ice.

 

Looks like we found the driver behind that Mustang.

 

My parents got a 2022 Ford Escape plug in hybrid last year. One of the first things my dad did was replace the small lead acid battery with a Group 48 AGM battery.

https://www.fordescape.org/threads/...volt-battery-with-larger-group-48-agm.117248/

They're getting a 2023 Bolt EUV on Friday. I'll be borrowing it sometime to see how I like it.

 

That's a good trip about the AGM battery. I checked the car and apparently Ford went back to the smaller, non-AGM battery in 2022 after putting in the bigger AGM ones for 2021 model year.

I will keep an eye out for any deep sleep notifications from the Ford app and switch it to AGM as soon as I see it.

 

I don’t know the details but you’ll also need to use an app to update the vehicle to know that the larger battery is installed. The dealer might be able to do it for you.

 

Does it come with your choice of red political message, Corvette or armed service you served in baseball cap?

 

All of those come with the stage 2 boomer pack -- you have to go stage 3 to get the chrome dipped wheels.

 

Carvana is sitting on 400+ Model 3.
Cheapest one is $35990 (2018, 60,000 miles).
New one is $43990.

It will be a buyers market for all cars..EVs or not soon. I hope people who ran and bought a car the last 2 years love theirs because forget about trade in values..

 

competition no making money.. ruh oh!

dont make me buy a tesla pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee