David Towle
Well-Known Member
Our $800 NG fired generator has 240 volts, just not enough to run a big AC. For a well it should be fine.
PHEVs to Rule Trucks?
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David Towle
Well-Known Member
No word on the Ramcharger, but after their other PHEV debacles my guess is the Ramcharger is toast.
Fuel efficiency only matters if it is a significant part of one's daily expense. So diesels dominate semi-trailer trucks because of the fuel savings (even with current diesel prices.)
Bob Wilson
Bob Wilson
Indeed. We should all be driving a Honda Clarity with their reliable air conditioning components, durable wheel bearings and dependable fuel pumps. Did I forget to mention the long lasting 12V battery. All of which are innovative ideas that Honda has managed to perfect at this early stage of development. Wait, did Honda scrap that car?
It should be obvious why automakers are scaling back or discontinuing production of electrified vehicles. Let me know if you’d like some more information on that subject.
Who started this conversation about how the Ramcharger was going to revolutionize the PHEV market? Wasn’t it an “amazing idea”?
Truck buyers want gas or diesel. Ford and GM/Chevy, combined, sold about 2,000,000 conventional trucks last year compared to about 60,000 electric trucks. Now Ford has stopped making the electric F-150 and is taking a $20B loss on the project, so those numbers will be considerably less this year.
Ford also set the record for most recalls last year.
BEV’s and PHEV’s aren’t profitable, conventional trucks and SUV’s are. All the hype from manufacturers about wanting to develop and make electrified vehicles is just PRBS. The only reason any of them did was because they were compelled by outside forces to do so. The products were rushed to market, so those of us who bought in had to deal with the teething problems. Lesson learned.
For manufacturers, Tesla is still in business as are a number of Chinese EV makers.
For this owner of a 2019 Tesla Model 3 and 2017 BMW i3-REx, have been way more affordable than my previous Prius and ICE vehicles:
- Purchase prices
- $24,000 - 2019 Tesla Model 3 with the $18,300 trade-in of my former 2017 Prius Prime
- $15,000 - 2017 BMW i3-REx from a Toyota dealer in Florida
- Operational costs
- free local miles - my solar roof charges one car while I run errands in the other
- parity in Tesla SuperCharger and Prius Prime gas costs on out of town trips
- BMW i3-REx gets ~37 MPG on out of town trips so it is used for local driving
- Maintenance
- 171,000 miles on Tesla - battery replacement, $9k, about the same as an engine/transmission replacement
- 80,000 miles on BMW - just tires every 30,000 miles
The Tesla cost you $42,300. Have you calculated the depreciation on it yet?
What was the cost of your solar system? Ours was over $20K. It takes years for it to make $20K worth of electricity. It’s “free” after that.
Modern cars rarely need an engine/transmission replacement at 171K miles. You’re comparing an actual cost of operating an EV with a hypothetical cost of operating a conventional vehicle. If the math works for you then you’re doing great.
With solar reducing our actual cost of electricity in Oregon from $.12/kWh to about $.07/kWh, it cost about $1.00 to charge the Clarity which provided the range of a gallon of gas. Gas was around $3.50-4.00/gal at the time so it was less expensive to operate on electricity. Winters were mild but range was reduced from roughly 44 to 36 miles. Now in Michigan, we have electricity at $.20/kWh and gas from $2.50-3.00/gal. It’s basically a wash on fuel costs. In winter however, the EV range on our Jeep 4xe is reduced from 24 to 14 miles for at least 4-5 months. That makes the fuel costs to operate it in EV nearly double that of operating it as an ICE vehicle. In the big picture, the difference is insignificant, maybe $40 every 1000 miles, but that’s enough to put another bottle of bourbon on the shelf in winter.
On a side note, 80% of our electricity is generated from burning gas and coal. So, I’m burning it one way or another.
They took the Prius Prime for $18,300 which saved me from having to dispose of it. My out of pocket cost, $24,000. In Alabama, I was not charged sales tax on that $18,300 trade-in so registration was cheaper.
As for depreciation:
The solar roof cost all of my remaining TSLA stock, ~$65k. But unlike no dividend TSLA, I get about a $1,000/year, untaxed, cost savings. The solar roof tax credit wiped out the stock sale capital gains.
Bad luck, it turns out the battery failure was probably triggered by a failed coolant valve. After replacing the valve, the battery was already cooked and needed to be replaced.
As for my experience, I've rebuilt a 1500 cc VW engine, replaced clutches in a Chevette, and had a Plymouth Fury transmission go bad. So I kinda have a clue as to what they cost with modern vehicles. Here is what I found on eBay:
And transmission:
The battery:
Not included, labor and tools.
- $65k sale of TSLA and purchase of solar roof
- $0 TSLA dividends and ~$1,000 untaxed, cost savings from solar roof
- 30% capital gains = 30% solar roof tax credit
Per the App:
I don't get bent out of shape by how TVA generates their electricity. I just wanted to not give TVA any of my solar cell generated electricity. They can buy their own solar cells.
Bob Wilson