Feasability of going from gas to only electric

[freebeard]

Welcome. Whence the name triangles?

[triangles]

I'm an engineer. The triangle is the simplest and strongest structure.

[Isaac Zackary]

It looks like going all electric is feasible. But not that practical for long trips unless I do some sort of a pusher trailer I think. I'm still very interested in what you, teknomage2012, have to say about getting 600 miles in a Leaf in a day. But still, in my circumstances 90% of my driving would be perfect for an EV. The leaf has heated seats front and back and a great pump. I had to use my heater in my van today. It's snowing as I type this actually. My drive to work 1.6 miles. Then 1.6 miles back. Then a lot of 1 mile here and there delivery type driving. I need to do some actual measuring but I don't think I usually ever go much over 10 miles per day. I do plan on using my bicycle as much as possible this summer. It's just the 9 months of winter that a car would be nice. And I got to think about the whole family.

Occasionally I do need to go out of town. I think I'll keep an ICE vehicle until I can find a way to comfortably do those trips. My mother-in-law who lives 600 miles away actually lives out of country so a rental car wouldn't work.

Originally Posted by triangles

I'm an engineer. The triangle is the simplest and strongest structure.

I would have guessed a dot. But I guess a one-dimensional object isn't very structural.

Originally Posted by teknomage2012

Check my blog and mileage charts, the leaf responds very well to aeromodding.

I figured out how to look at your mileage charts. But I couldn't figure out how to look at your blog. A link would be nice. Or a lesson on how to look up blogs.

[thingstodo]

Originally Posted by triangles

I'm an engineer. The triangle is the simplest and strongest structure.

That's as good a reason as any!

Welcome from a fellow engineer!

[freebeard]

Tetrahedrons rule. Cartesian coordinates are a human imposition on Mother Nature. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synergetics_(Fuller)

[triangles]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zackary

It looks like going all electric is feasible. But not that practical for long trips unless I do some sort of a pusher trailer I think. I'm still very interested in what you, teknomage2012, have to say about getting 600 miles in a Leaf in a day.

The ONLY way 600mi/day is feasible is with the CHAdeMO (dc fast charging)! I took my FFE on a ~150mi journey basically driving with 1 charge stop and it was a 5.5+ hour ordeal. Yes that was just one way. Toledo, OH to Cleveland, OH. I'm toying with the idea of a pusher myself but I probably wouldn't use it enough to be worth the hassle. I also would love to hear from teknomage2012 about 600 miles in one day!

[Isaac Zackary]

It looks like it is totally possible with quick charging.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sZsZgGqZrSQ

But I don't have that option until 300 miles from my home.

[Bazzetta]

So what are your objectives?

One car only or one gas car and one electric?

Are you going for the highest MPG or the lowest overall operating costs over the life of the car?


When I was a young man I worked a few summers at a print shop. Above the order desk was a sign:

You can have it:
- Good
- Fast
- Cheap
(pick two)

[Isaac Zackary]

Originally Posted by Bazzetta

So what are your objectives?

One car only or one gas car and one electric?

Are you going for the highest MPG or the lowest overall operating costs over the life of the car?


When I was a young man I worked a few summers at a print shop. Above the order desk was a sign:

You can have it:
- Good
- Fast
- Cheap
(pick two)

Thanks! It's always good to sit down and think, "why am I doing this?"

I'm kind of sick of having two cars. The wife isn't really able to drive. So right now having a total of three vehicles is ridiculous. I can't keep up fixing all three. Really I don't want to repair and maintain anymore. Well maybe a little. But not on three completely different vehicles with their +200,000 mile problems. So if I could sell all and go with one car, that would be great. And on top of that an electric car would seem like a good low maintenance option. No oil changes, no sparkplugs.

I'm not going after just the lowest operating cost nor the best fuel mileage. I need a car that fits the needs of a regular family of four to get around town, in a cold area. Short distances mainly, but an occasional long trip. The Leaf seems great as far as heaters go. Heated seats all the way around. I wonder what other vehicles have that. And for the occasional long trip we could either rent, or with the limited distance of an EV have a good reason to convince the wife we should just take the plane or bus to visit her mom who lives 600 miles away.

[ME_Andy]

So pull the trigger!