So I bought an Electric Car...

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66Lincoupe
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Re: So I bought an Electric Car...

Post by 66Lincoupe »

I have to admit I am a bit jealous but more intrigued Dan! I have built a few "Voltswagens" and enjoyed them thoroughly but the range with the lead/acid batteries when I was young only worked out to about 30 miles with no heater, 20 with the heater (Washington State) - and of course no warranty and it's still an old car.

I test most of these out here and am impressed. I had one of our Focuses (Focii??) for a month and it was perfect for my commute but really nothing more - AC kills these pretty quickly and, although I could have usable range within an hour or two with a quick charger, my realistic range was about 100 miles. The Teslas are way out of my reach and I'm not impressed with the build quality for the price - panel gaps and interior finish aren't to my liking.

We have a Mazda Demio right now and it will be awesome (and cheap if it is imported) but very small. A coworker has a Leaf and it is good but fugly.

What is your realistic range with the Bolt? Not giving up any comforts or hypermiling? I just got one in to do some benchmark testing and I like it but test driving and actual driving are completely different animals. So I'm kind of torn between the Focus and the Bolt. Buying a Bolt is kind of like biting the hand that feeds you but I'm still a consumer after the biggest bang-for-the-buck...
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Re: So I bought an Electric Car...

Post by Dan Szwarc »

I've clocked about 2700 miles and I'm still loving it. I love the silence. The instant torque. The lack of vibration or hesitation. Trust me, this is the future of cars.

The range is great. It's dropping with the weather, but probably is still over 270 miles per charge. I expect it to be about 170 miles per charge in the winter, but I seldom need more than 30 per day. The garge charger it came with can put 8 miles per hour into the battery and I'm considering a 32A charger that will take it to 24 miles per hour for those days I need a faster charge.
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Re: So I bought an Electric Car...

Post by ContiFan »

Now at three years, what is your overall assessment of the Chevrolet Bolt and EV ownership in general?
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Re: So I bought an Electric Car...

Post by papawayne »

Why do I think he decided that he no longer liked it, or was that Stu? My wife still loves her second Prius, and will probably get a third, but she doesn't have to plug it in. I'm sticking with my Town Car. After a hour in the Prius, I want out. Wayne
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Re: So I bought an Electric Car...

Post by Stuart M. Cohen »

Dan likes his Bolt (as do I after he let me take a drive) and I had the issues with the Tesla.
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Re: So I bought an Electric Car...

Post by Dan Szwarc »

ContiFan wrote:Now at three years, what is your overall assessment of the Chevrolet Bolt and EV ownership in general?
That's a great question. 3 years and 33,000 miles later, it is still a joy to drive, summer or winter. It has had no problems with the drivetrain. The only gripes I have (which I knew going in) is the quality of the interior materials and the occasional lockups and bugginess of the infotainment.
papawayne wrote:Why do I think he decided that he no longer liked it, or was that Stu? My wife still loves her second Prius, and will probably get a third, but she doesn't have to plug it in. I'm sticking with my Town Car. After a hour in the Prius, I want out. Wayne
Wayne, Wayne, Wayne. I understand your feelings towards the Prius. My wife has a Prius C, which she loves. It's slow, underpowered, but small and super efficient. It has had zero problems. It's a Toyota.

However... Driving my 200hp electric Bolt EV buggy is an absolute pleasure to behold. The body style is the polar opposite of my 66 convertible, but it's perfectly suitable as a daily driver. My daily drivers have been a Fiero, MINI Cooper, and a Honda del Sol because the Lincoln is a cruiser and work is just work.

My next major auto purchases will be a Tesla Model Y and then a Cybertruck (love it or hate it, I happen to love it). I'm in love with the EV platform. They have vastly superior driving characteristics than any gas powered car that isn't a supercar (which I will never own) for reasons I won't elaborate unless you ask. :D

I will be selling my 66 eventually. I'm not tired of it as a collector, I am tired of fixing it. It's a great car, but my driving joy is flattened by the constant repairs and leaks and everything gas-powered about it.

Ask me about my Bolt. I have turned on email notification.
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Re: So I bought an Electric Car...

Post by papawayne »

I know, I know, Dan, I'm an old fart, and sometimes I gladly admit it. We probably spend less that 4 weeks a year on actual road trips, but when we go I want to be in a touring car. It may be my imagination, but even my 63 qualifies as a touring car as it is exponentially more comfortable than the Prius. And we do go touring in the 63. My SUV knowledge is very limited, but I rode with my daughter a bit a go in her Nissan Rogue, and I found it quite comfortable. The last time we owned a small car that we both used was a 1984 Escort. I don't remember that as being very comfortable, although it was a long, long time ago, and the poor thing died an ignoble death rather prematurely. 10 year old Lincolns are (or at least have been) very easy to buy around here and often come with low mileage. The Lie-O-Meter on my Town Car says I get 22 MPG, less than 1/2 what the Prius gets, but it is a joy to drive, even to the grocery store. But even I can see that 10 year old Lincoln sedans are going to disappear sooner than later. So, does this old fart need to adapt, or can I keep griping? I've probably got less than 20 years before I have to surrender my license anyway. G-d forbid, before he died, my father was driving a Subaru. Wayne
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Re: So I bought an Electric Car...

Post by CaptainDave »

Do you plug it in after each drive or do you try to draw the batteries down to 10-20% before you recharge? In other words, do you have to plan and plot your charges to maximize battery life; do the batteries have "memory"?
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Re: So I bought an Electric Car...

Post by Dan Szwarc »

papawayne wrote:I know, I know, Dan, I'm an old fart, and sometimes I gladly admit it. We probably spend less that 4 weeks a year on actual road trips, but when we go I want to be in a touring car. Wayne
Test drive a model S. Ignore the price. Just have fun.
CaptainDave wrote:Do you plug it in after each drive or do you try to draw the batteries down to 10-20% before you recharge? In other words, do you have to plan and plot your charges to maximize battery life; do the batteries have "memory"?
I don’t overthink the battery. I usually charge it to 90% every night even though I use than than 10-20% on most days.

The batteries do not have memory. That’s NiCad batteries and who really uses those, anymore? There’s lots of “battery advice” out there for modern electrics, but it’s all so unnecessary. The batteries have great life and an 8-year warranty. Tesla battery life has been coming in with very little loss of capacity due to use and age since 2012. GM is very conservative with the way it manages the pack so you don’t have to think.

Remember these cars are designs these cars For people of average intelligence which means I’m way too smart to be a customer. :D
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Re: So I bought an Electric Car...

Post by ContiFan »

Dan Szwarc wrote:Test drive a model S. Ignore the price. Just have fun.
Yes, and pricing (although still not "cheap") has come down a good amount while the car's acceleration and range have gotten even better. A couple of years ago, a Model S with 100 kWh battery would've had a starting price of around $98,000 (or $90,500 with federal tax credit). Today, a new, better Model S Long Range Plus starts at $76,190 and its EPA rated range is now over 400 miles.
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Re: So I bought an Electric Car...

Post by Dan Szwarc »

I can't afford the S. I probably shouldn't spend $54K buying the Y, either. But I'm sold on the tech and the experience. Afterwards, the wife gets the Bolt, the 66 gets sold, and all our dailies are EVs. I'll finish the Mercury before I die, and then probably sell it. But that's a future a long way off.
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Re: So I bought an Electric Car...

Post by Stuart M. Cohen »

"My daily drivers have been a Fiero"

Didn't know you had a Fiero. I had an 84 that went up in flames twice. Second time was the charm. Got some stories I can't tell you about the car and some that I can....
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Re: So I bought an Electric Car...

Post by Dan Szwarc »

Lol. My Fiero’s did not burn anything but oil.

Had them from 1995 to 2002. An 84 and an 87. Both 4-cylinder sticks. Good on gas. Fun to drive.
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Re: So I bought an Electric Car...

Post by papawayne »

My nephew still has one. Haven't seen it since his wedding. I'll have to ask him about it. If I see him. Wayne
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