EV charging example costs more than it would to fill up a premium fuel car

Electricity is a 12 cent/kw delivered price in my area.
My electric bill dropped significantly, to where including payments for the system, I am at net -$1300/year. If I had taken the tax credit and put it toward the loan instead of other investments, it would be net $0. Sure, I am still paying on the system, but it will be paid off in 20 years (from the start of the loan, more like 16, now), but then, electricity may well rise before then, too, and even if it doesn't, the next decade of warrantied performance (and into the beyond?) will more than pay for the system.

My panels are rated at 19% efficiency. They were "good panels" when I bought them, but not "Peak performance!". I think back then peak performance was a bit over 20%. Now we have 24-25% performance. The days of rapidly evolving panel performance are over unless we go to mono-wafers, but those are stoopid expensive and will likely remain NASA only.
The boules are cut lengthwise to get larger silicon plates? Is crystal orientation important? I guess I could go look up solar cells and how they are made.
 
The boules are cut lengthwise to get larger silicon plates? Is crystal orientation important? I guess I could go look up solar cells and how they are made.
I have monocrystalline wafer panels. The stuff for NASA is using selenium sandwiched multijunctional panels that near double efficiency. They are not available to consumers. Currently heterojunctional panels are the closest. One of the best is made by REC Group. It is a whopping 3-4% more efficient than what I bought in 2019, and carries a similar warranty.

https://www.recgroup.com/en/rec-alpha-pure-rx


What I bought in 2019:

https://silfabsolar.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Silfab-SLG-M-370-SF-0G-20191127-K-Final1.pdf
 
I found this to be the case years ago. We rented a Tesla for fun - the kids wanted to drive one as a birthday present. We took it on a little road trip and in the end the per mile cost was as much as driving our odyssey.

NJ is now implementing a $250 EV registration surcharge so the drivers pay their “fair share”. I don’t know that this is the absolute best way, since it really harms low miles/yr owners. But something had to be done.
 
I found this to be the case years ago. We rented a Tesla for fun - the kids wanted to drive one as a birthday present. We took it on a little road trip and in the end the per mile cost was as much as driving our odyssey.

NJ is now implementing a $250 EV registration surcharge so the drivers pay their “fair share”. I don’t know that this is the absolute best way, since it really harms low miles/yr owners. But something had to be done.
Those numbers assume driving 20k miles a year. $100 makes sense. I don’t get why so many states including my own are taking a punitive approach of charging $200+. I pay $260 currently.

I know some say because of weight, but I pay the same for my 3,800 lb EV as I would in a 6,000 lb one here. Here we only pay $20 extra for trucks even, so the tags on my GTI are $80 while my F150 was $100.
 
Those numbers assume driving 20k miles a year. $100 makes sense. I don’t get why so many states including my own are taking a punitive approach of charging $200+. I pay $260 currently.

I know some say because of weight, but I pay the same for my 3,800 lb EV as I would in a 6,000 lb one here. Here we only pay $20 extra for trucks even, so the tags on my GTI are $80 while my F150 was $100.
Because evs are expensive. You have to have means to use such an impractical vehicle. People with means must be punished to pay the sliding scale of their fair share.

Makes sense when you think about the sound bites you hear…
 
Because evs are expensive. You have to have means to use such an impractical vehicle. People with means must be punished to pay the sliding scale of their fair share.

Makes sense when you think about the sound bites you hear…
When you’re right you’re right. Plenty of uninformed hyperbole out there.
 
Because evs are expensive. You have to have means to use such an impractical vehicle. People with means must be punished to pay the sliding scale of their fair share.

Makes sense when you think about the sound bites you hear…

Somebody has to pay so everyone can drive half tons, seems only fair it's the new guys.
 
I do wonder who paid for the free access to the HOV lanes for electric vehicles, or free charging? I’m pretty sure California used some of the fuel tax to fund many of these initiatives.

HOV stickers are 22 bones a year and available for PHEV's as well as electrics, and of course 2-3 people in the car are exempt regardless - but Id say the prius drivers paid the freight for the most part especially early on. Im sure fuel tax funded this as well.

HOV works differently in the North than it does in the South.
In the South (defined as LA and San Diego) it's 24/7 and often a separated lane.
In the North - as in everything north of LA its time based with something like 7-10 AM and 3PM-6PM being HOV or sticker only,

There isn't much free charging left anywhere and what is left thats free is almost always level 1 or at most 2 "slow boat" charging paid for by the person that owns the space.
 
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Somebody has to pay so everyone can drive half tons, seems only fair it's the new guys.
The half tons are all pigs so they’re paying their tax.

Just because the EV is green doesn’t mean that “fair share” isn’t part of the zealots’ talking points…
 
The half tons are all pigs so they’re paying their tax.

Just because the EV is green doesn’t mean that “fair share” isn’t part of the zealots’ talking points…

They are paying for gasoline, but thats about it - they aren't paying a weight penalty people here talk about so often, and considering most half tons are taking the <6KGVWR 179 accelerated depreciation they are the most subsidized vehicle in the US by far - nothing even comes close to this. 179 is whats keeping the big 3 in business without this half ton sales would collapse instantly.

Im tired of the mouth music around "green."
They can be green - if one drives them long enough to beat the upfront penalty they all carry.
If one swaps it out every 3 years it's going to be less green than a phev or a hybrid.

To me green is tertiary - great if it's true, but nothing I care enough about to make it a priority for me.
I like EV's for the convenience of skipping 52 or more trips per year to the gas station and the performance they give.
 
They are paying for gasoline, but thats about it - they aren't paying a weight penalty people here talk about so often, and considering most half tons are taking the <6KGVWR 179 accelerated depreciation they are the most subsidized vehicle in the US by far - nothing even comes close to this. 179 is whats keeping the big 3 in business without this half ton sales would collapse instantly.

Im tired of the mouth music around "green."
They can be green - if one drives them long enough to beat the upfront penalty they all carry.
If one swaps it out every 3 years it's going to be less green than a phev or a hybrid.

To me green is tertiary - great if it's true, but nothing I care enough about to make it a priority for me.
I like EV's for the convenience of skipping 52 or more trips per year to the gas station and the performance they give.
Not sure how it is in the US, but in Canada, road tax is collected as part of the fuel tax:
1730225905263.webp
 
My wife and I are very pleased with our recent purchase of a Toyota Prius Prime SE plug in hybrid. It seems to be the best of both worlds - charging at home and cheap EV miles for 95% of our driving and fuel efficient hybrid operation for longer road trips. Zero range anxiety! And we don’t plan on visiting any charging stations anytime soon.

We are currently getting about 50 miles of range on a charge (11.7 kWH) which is costing about $1 USD. This range is enough for the majority of our local driving.

Our previous ICE car, BMW 323 cost about $10 USD in gasoline to do the same distance (I am located in BC, Canada with high fuel costs and low electricity rates).

I have also opted for time of day rates that will lower the charging cost even more! And the purchase price was reduced by significant government rebates.
 
They are paying for gasoline, but thats about it - they aren't paying a weight penalty people here talk about so often, and considering most half tons are taking the <6KGVWR 179 accelerated depreciation they are the most subsidized vehicle in the US by far - nothing even comes close to this. 179 is whats keeping the big 3 in business without this half ton sales would collapse instantly.

Im tired of the mouth music around "green."
They can be green - if one drives them long enough to beat the upfront penalty they all carry.
If one swaps it out every 3 years it's going to be less green than a phev or a hybrid.

To me green is tertiary - great if it's true, but nothing I care enough about to make it a priority for me.
I like EV's for the convenience of skipping 52 or more trips per year to the gas station and the performance they give.
This is what makes me wonder why I continue to daily my GTI. I'm not taking the Tesla because it's my wife's main mode of transport, but I've really thought of buying one. It would save me nearly 100 yearly fuel stops and that's not an exaggeration. I fill up every 3-4 days depending on workload. I have a 35 mile commute that sometimes has me taking a train somewhere that I stay in a hotel, but if I make it back to my home base same day I'm driving 70 miles a day. That's a 13.2 gallon tank getting 35mpg and I never let it get under 1/4 tank.
 
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