Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5
You can go beltless if the vehicle is a hybrid with a traction battery, and a MG instead of an alternator. The Prius uses a DC/DC converter to charge the 12v battery from the high voltage battery.
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Yes you can. Again, I was talking about conventional ICE cars going from 12V to 48V and how 48V is soon be the new standard.
Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5
EV range isn't much of an issue to me, or most other rational people, but the typical consumer still has anxiety about the 2% of times they would drive beyond the EV 1-charge range. Range anxiety is real regardless of the extent of the problem.
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Range anxiety is real. The best way to kill it is for people to experience EVs first hand. My EV has opened up the eyes of quite a few people. There is nothing better than hearing first hand from someone that you know and trust.
I estimate about 1/3 of cars could be EVs even if we were only talking couples, with multiple cars, that live in major cities, in single family homes, with a garage. It is much easy to buy an EV as a second car than a first car.
Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5
I just ran some numbers through my spreadsheet comparing a $20k Honda Fit to a $30k Chevy Bolt. The 5 year cost for the Fit was $22,500 compared to the Bolt at 27,300. EVs are cost competitive if you buy them used and keep them a while, but they aren't cost competitive for the typical new car buyer who keeps a vehicle for 5 years.
Click my signature and look at the figures I used and criticize my methods.
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You are comparing the wrong cars. The Fit is an economy car. The Bolt is a hot hatch that runs the 1/4 mile 0.3 seconds slower than a Golf GTI even handicapped with crappy LLR economy tires. That is the beauty of EVs, you can have great performance and still get 100 MPGe. If we compare hot hatch's the cars start out costing the same.
If we are talking about economy hatchbacks then we can compare the 2018 Fit to a 2018 Leaf ($30K - $10K tax credits) The EV starts out cheaper than gas car and is still quicker.
Some nitpicks.
- EVs are exempt from DEQ
- Your gas car maintenance is low. (I averaged $160 a year for my Prius and did all the work myself. If a shop does the work you can double it at least)
- Your EV maintenance is high. My Spark (and the Bolt) only require the coolant to be changed at 120K miles and a cabin air filter every 30K. In 5 years we are looking at 1 set of tires and a cabin filter or about $80 a year.
Either way, the EV purchase price is the same as a comparable gas car and the running costs much lower.