Quote:
Originally Posted by blownb310
I don't understand why people think that these investments have to pay for themselves. What about Corvettes? Children? A nice steak dinner? Do those investments and expenses pay for themselves? More than likely, no.
It's important to understand that buying an Aptera is a unique, positive and enjoyable experience to me. Comparatively, I'd much rather be out a few bucks on that than say, scratch off lotto tickets.
If you will only consider the solar package based on cost, it probably isn't for you. Did I have to buy a new long range EV three years ago? No. It would have been cheaper to keep my 3 cylinder Geo Metro running for another 10 years? Yes, but I chose to upgrade.
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There doesn't have to be a payback period, but it does help justify the cost.
@redpoint5 keeps saying that $1,500 worth of solar panels on a car are nothing more than a bragging right. If that's the case, most everything that costs money must be a bragging right. A $30,000 vehicle is in itself an oportunity cost.
In a city a bus pass costs what? some $100 per month. So $1,200 per year. Over 10 years that's $12,000. A new car will lose some $25,000 of worth in that same time period, if not more. That also doesn't include what was spent on interest, insurance, fuel, maintenance and taxes/tags.
But if you own your own car you don't have to wait at a bus stop for several minutes every day. With solar panels that could potentially keep you from having to also purchase and install an EVSE or be stuck waiting at charging stations as often.
Although I could plug my Leaf into a 120V outlet at work during the winter, I often would plug in to a public charging station which was 13 minutes walking one way during the summer. My job at the time didn't require more than some 10 miles of driving per day at the very most. The place I rented did not have any sort of plug on the outside of the freakin building until I eventually installed an EVSE myself (without an electrician and without landlord permission, in a place where she couldn't see it). If I remember correctly, the EVSE cost me some $600. I no longer have the EVSE and did not make any money from losing it. A solar panel would have made so much more sense in my opinion.
But no, driving an ICE that hardly ever gets to running temperature every single day because the town is only 5 miles wide is apparently my best option unless I want to pay $2,000 or more per month in rent or move to another part of the country.
What would work best in my opinion and circumstances is a cheap solar powered EV of some sort that does not need a plug and an ICE for long distance travel, or a plug-in hybrid with solar panels. I'm am very tempted to put solar panels on the Prius and add a bigger battery and do an EV only button mod and drive around town with that.