Really hard to pay for gas after 8 years of EVs.

[PandaBear]

But for our daily driving, we're addicted to EVs. Electricity is only 7.5 cents per mile where we live and we do a lot of local non-highway driving. Our average cost is only 1.5 cents per mile without factoring in the free two-hour Level 2 charger that's just a few miles from our home.

Did you factor in the battery depreciation (the additional depreciation over a gas car over the same time) over the time you kept all the EVs?

 

[Dave Hess]

I will maybe own a Tesla in the future.

For now I’m 100% in favor of gasoline engines.

 

[PandaBear]

We can't keep the power grid stable enough for all of our data centers ... I don't know how we'd manage that if everyone was also mandated to have an EV.

Peak load at least in CA is 4pm-9pm. During the day time with sun shining it is the lowest, and during 12-7am it is also the second lowest. Those time have much lower demand and perfect for office and home charging.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Toyota Hybrid is the best of both worlds.

I own one; it's pretty nice. I service 2 others, and they are pretty nice. Well, one is the other is pretty beat...
Owners flat-out love 'em; there's a reason for it.

I doubt I will ever buy anything but an EV going forward, unless it is a pickup. But that's just me.

 

[JeffKeryk]

I will maybe own a Tesla in the future.

For now I’m 100% in favor of gasoline engines.

I used to say Teslas were only for rich CA granola heads... C'mon over to the dark side.

 

[RhondaHonda]

So are you replacing the 6.2 with a Tesla? Are you under recall? I've never heard a 400+ HP V8 engine described as a lawnmower. Granted we don't even have ours yet, but if that's how it feels, I'll be very disappointed. The test drive vehicle was a 5.3, but I assumed they are similar. If they are not, I've made a huge and costly mistake that I'll be living with the next 15 years or more.

No, not replacing. My wife drives the Yukon, I primarily drive the Tesla now. It’s probably just relative but the 6.2 in 6,000 pounds feels so much slower than 600 hp or whatever it is in 4,000 pounds. You’ll enjoy the 6.2, it’s definitely better than the 5.3. The Z71 wasn’t available in 2021 with a 6.2 when my wife got her Suburban (RIP) and even she commented on how she wanted a 6.2 again like she had in the 2017 Yukon XL.

I just confirmed she runs 89 octane in hers, not 93. It’s under recall but I haven’t taken it in yet, just changed the oil myself a couple times and it’s 0W-40.

 

[John105]

I used to say Teslas were only for rich CA granola heads... C'mon over to the dark side.

Next thing we'll all be dancing at a Dead show lol

 

[JeffKeryk]

Next thing we'll all be dancing at a Dead show lol

The weekend shows were phenomenal. Not sure how long the remaining 2 guys can do it.

 

[OVERKILL]

OK - the marginal cost includes fees that are associated with each kWh, but you would not include the “connection” fee that is fixed, for example.

So, what does each additional kWh cost? That’s the marginal cost.

Not the total bill/total use - or “all in” - that’s not an accurate measure.

All-in before/after is an easy way to do it, but as you note, the most accurate way is to look at what components are consumption-oriented and use those to determine the cost. In Ontario, we pay a baseline delivery cost, but then the overall delivery charge also has a consumption component as well, so it's base + use, and this is on top of what you pay for the electricity itself. Tax is of course also on use. So the EV cost would be the per kWh rate + however the variable side of the delivery calculates, + the tax.

Ultimately however, I typically end up paying about $0.14/kWh all-in, whether that's 900kWh or 1,300kWh, so in this instance, just due to how the fees stack, using "all-in" gets you really close on the "real cost" without doing all the gymnastics (and I don't have a decent set of tights, so it'd be a speedo banana hammock situation or grape smuggling in my wife's Lulus, looking like David Bowie in Labyrinth).

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Curious... What do you consider a short trip? How often do you or anyone you know drive more than, say 200 - 250 miles in one day?
I recently drove to Sac, then to Oakland Int Airport to drop someone off, then back to Los Gatos. I did stop after OAK for a quick top off while grabbing a Starbucks Chai. I charged for almost 15 minutes, but that was only because the gal in front of us couldn't make up her mind for coffee.

So that's one charge in over one year of this car's ownership; less than 1%. It added zero time to the trip, if you accept I would have stopped for a snack anyways. The amount of time and $$ saved over the past year as compared to, say our GS350, is a lot. Time is a big deal, at least to me.

IMO, living with these cars is not than what people think; it's better. Now, it certainly depends on each use case, but I have learned a lot. It is not what many seem to think it is. That's my experience.

Although Jeff, just like Astro’s use case, your regional area is both small enough and has the infrastructure to support it. I’ve said before that there are places and use cases that are nearly optimal for EVs, and I’m fine with anyone who wants an EV to have their choice of doing so.

What I’ve never been ok with is somebody who’s removed from their constituents by nearly 3k miles (and never really has to deal with the challenges of their constituents lives) making arbitrary decisions that they CAN’T buy something that may be their only opportunity at that time in their circumstances to forge their own future. I.e., not everyone can afford a shiny new EV, or they may live someplace where the infrastructure may not support them owning an EV, and it’s either a janky old ICE vehicle to get them around, or they can only travel where and when public transportation enables them to.

BTW, I’m actually happy that EVs have worked out for you and Astro as you hoped they would. ICE having to actually compete with EV in a free market means both industries actually have to compete for customers, and therefore must actually make better products to keep customers buying their vehicles.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Although Jeff, just like Astro’s use case, your regional area is both small enough and has the infrastructure to support it. I’ve said before that there are places and use cases that are nearly optimal for EVs, and I’m fine with anyone who wants an EV to have their choice of doing so.

What I’ve never been ok with is somebody who’s removed from their constituents by nearly 3k miles (and never really has to deal with the challenges of their constituents lives) making arbitrary decisions that they CAN’T buy something that may be their only opportunity at that time in their circumstances to forge their own future. I.e., not everyone can afford a shiny new EV, or they may live someplace where the infrastructure may not support them owning an EV, and it’s either a janky old ICE vehicle to get them around, or they can only travel where and when public transportation enables them to.

BTW, I’m actually happy that EVs have worked out for you and Astro as you hoped they would. ICE having to actually compete with EV in a free market means both industries actually have to compete for customers, and therefore must actually make better products to keep customers buying their vehicles.

Sure thing on the constituents point.
My point is, living with an EV is a lot better than I imagined when I bought the 1st one in Dec 2018. And I believe there are a lot of misconceptions, just like I had.

Of course stupid high gas prices coupled with a solar array on the roof does a lot for my point of view, so there's that. Ha!
All good Subie.