Help with information about electric cars?

Metallica_

I am thinking about one but had some questions I would like to know before going to the dealer:
1. How much does it cost to get the charging station in stalled in your house?
2. Can you not get a charging stations and use you 110 out?
3. What happes if you run out of charge while on the road?
4. I have seen a few electirc charging stations around, any idea what they cost?
5. How much are the batteries to replace?
6. Are they reliable?
7. Is there still oil (needing oil changes)?
8. Was the $7.5k tax credit good for 2013 (filingin 2014)?
9. Other things I need to know?

Please help even if you do not have all of the answers. I am very interested in one of these cars and would like some education before I go to the dealer.

Answer
I just recently went through this process, and after two months of driving an electric vehicle (EV), here's what I know:

1. How much does it cost to get the charging station in stalled in your house?
It can cost anywhere between $2000-5000 for a Level 2 charger at home, but you really don't need one. The advantage is that the Level 2 charger will add 10-20 miles to your battery per hour. I have been managing fine with my home charger and the ChargePoint network.

2. Can you not get a charging stations and use you 110 out?
Yes. The complimentary charger you get from the dealer is a Level 1 (or Trickle) Charger and adds 2-5 miles on the battery per hour. So at the end of a trip where you are spending an overnight stay or at the end of the day, plug in the car and let it charge overnight. you will be ready to go in the morning. I've been managing fine, as I mentioned earlier, with the home charger.

3. What happes if you run out of charge while on the road?
You usually get a warning before you reach this point once you dip under the "10 miles remaining" mark. CarWings (my on-board GPS and car monitoring system) offers me the option to find the closest charging station, but if I can't make it I can call AAA and ask for a tow to the nearest charging location.

4. I have seen a few electirc charging stations around, any idea what they cost?
As I mentioned before I am with ChargePoint which is like an ATM for EV chargers. So far, I've used $5 of it for when I spent an evening in Old Town Manassas, VA. Depending on the chargers, though, they may be free. For example, at my day job, there is an array of Level 2 charging stations and all of them are free. The stations are free as they are plugged into a solar array.

5. How much are the batteries to replace?
Battery cost varies from make, model, and range. Check with your dealer, but they should be covered in the car warranty.

6. Are they reliable?
Absolutely. After two months, I've been driving my EV without fail and it is a delight to drive. Smooth ride. Whisper quiet. And all the perks (entertainment center, rear view camera, passenger seat warmers, etc.) are all standard. It really is a great car and a fantastic ride.

7. Is there still oil (needing oil changes)?
Nope. The electric motor does not require any kind of oil change. The only regular maintenance you need to worry about is brake maintenance.

8. Was the $7.5k tax credit good for 2013 (filingin 2014)?
I leased so Nissan took the tax breaks on the car which brought the cost of the car down from $37K to $27K. The three year lease is $234/month which, for this car, is amazing.

9. Other things I need to know?
Travel along the Interstate will drain the barry faster so when you can, take U.S. routes that have a lot of hills. With the regenerative braking system you can recharge the battery as you drive. There is a learning curve when you drive an EV but it is a real delight when you get the knack for it. The biggest challenge is the infrastructure. We need more charging stations, preferably Level 3 Quick Charge stations. This was why I leased the Nissan LEAF. In three years, I will see what the infrastructure and charge station networks are like, and then decide what to do next.

I am also enjoying the experience so much that I'm blogging about it for APUS' green blog. Please, feel free to swing by and check it out.

Good luck.

Car, Electric or diesel?

Joe

For my next car, which won't be another 3 years at least, I want a sedan that is good on gas. I am getting my need for a sporty car out of me as I have a 2013 VW GTI mk6, and I was thinking. When I do get one, should I be looking for a diesel or an electric?

We all know diesel's last longer, and get great gas. That being said, electric and hybrid cars are becoming more and more out there. Considering gas is only going to get more expensive, what do you think is a smarter choice? I like the Jetta TDI and if I was going to go electric, well I haven't figured it out yet but hopefully something with a nice interior like Volkswagen has always been good for (for the most part)

What is your take?

What would you do?

Answer
Get a new Prius. 25K out the door where I live. Diesel fuel is too expensive. Electric cars have too small a range except for the expensive Tesla.

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What happened to the electric cars and why don't they make them anymore?

Searcher

I was a child in the 70s when the electric cars came about and it seems like you don't see them any more?

Does anyone know why, other than they would be 30 years old now?

Answer
Hopefully they will come back and be affordable in the near future as battery technology improves, but here is the run down on why they were only concepts or projects:

1 - Battery packs weigh 1000 pounds
2 - Batteries lose full capacity after only 2-3 years
3 - Even with 1000 pounds, range was either 40 miles at 80 mph, or 80 miles at 40 mph. Neither made anyone happy.
4 - "Filling up the tank" took 8-10 hours (recharging)
5 - Battery replacement cost every few years was hundreds of $$
6 - Car cost was twice that of a gas car
7 - Batteries took up the whole car's cargo space

However I am part of an EV club myself, and between lithium ion technology and ultra capacators, we should see an affordable one in about 10 years or so. Maybe sooner. The Tesla electric uses 6,000 lithium ion computer batteries and is already under a hundred thousand. $95,000.00 I think. $45,000 just for the replacement battery pack though. Give it time and it will come down.

In the meantime, get a diesel and run B100 biodiesel or get a used Hybrid. Hybrids fix all these problems because the battery pack (cost) can be very small, yet you still can go 300 miles without stopping.

Good luck, by asking this question, I can tell you are on the right direction to making a difference.

greencarcongress.com might interest you

Older child is bullying sibling -help!?

DiDi

My 5 year old has become very possessive of his space, toys, etc. and has increasingly been yelling at, pushing, and taunting his 2 yr. old brother. Today, he kicked him in the head. Time-outs, grounding, and sending him to his room just do not work as punishment for this and it keeps going on and seems to be getting worse. I prefer to use corporal punishment only for truly dangerous situations when other options have failed (child running into street, messing with electric outlets, etc.). I could use some advice here. Should I be spanking my older son for this behavior or would it make things worse (with him then thinking that hitting is "ok")? I need a solution from parents who have been through this. It is completely unacceptable for my older son to be treating my younger son this way but I don't want to escalate the situation -but clearly something needs to be done to protect the younger one.

Answer
If you spank your oldest son, he will not think that makes it okay for him to hit. Just because you take away a toy as punishment doesn't make him think he can do the same to his brother. I know, he already hits, pushes his brother around, and already takes toys away from him. If you don't put a stop to it, it could escalate. Children understand the difference between hitting and spanking. If they don't understand completely, they can learn really quick.

People are not allowed to hit, but a spanking is a disciplinary action used to stop/prevent the misbehavior of someone you are responsible for. Children know that responsible adults are allowed to drive cars, but they are not. Children need to learn that they can play catch outside, but can't throw balls at people's heads or inside the house at all.

Children need to learn that responsible adults will do whatever it takes to teach their children to behave and follow instruction, but that doesn't mean children can hit or mistreat people (especially their little brothers who they should treat with kindness and care). As it is, you are the only person who can stand up for your 2-year old. Truthfully, it sounds like your 5-year old needs his whole general attitude worked on.

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