Plug-In owner gift suggestions

Domenick

Domenick

Well-Known Member
Hey all. I've been asked to write up a piece like, "10 Gifts For The EV Lover In Your Life."

I figure a bunch of you may have some suggestions, so let's go: what would you like to see under the tree this year (besides, of course, a new car)?

Looking for all sorts of prices, maybe EV accessories or maybe some other electric vehicle like a bike.

Heck, maybe you can show the article to your significant other as a hint. :)

Let 'er rip!
 
I'll throw out a start...

Pretty much anything solar or wind powered (toy/novelty/camping/whatever)
Model or ornament of the EV owned
Level 2 charger if anyone really wants more than Level 1
 
One of these Kill-A-Watt electricity usage monitors would be a nice low-end gift.

Amazon has a variety of Charging Station Accessories.

Ebay is a good place to look for scale models, but the only PHEV I could find there was this Chevy Volt. There are lots of diecast Teslas on ebay.

A higher-end scale model (one I bought for myself) is DNA Collectibles' really nice 1:18 scale model of the Honda Urban EV Concept.

Here's a cheap, yet impressive for those who know electricity, gag gift for a Clarity owner: The big 175-amp fuse that protects the charging system/battery. I had to order one for about $15 from my local Honda dealer just so I could see it without removing it from my Clarity.

175-amp_fuse.jpg
 
Last edited:
Those are some excellent suggestions! Am adding to my little list.

That Honda, though...OMG it's beautiful!
 
You might like a rechargeable solar flashlight for the car. You could charge itnfrom the USB port or by laying it on the dasboard on a sunny day. I particularly recommend it for parents of young children. Kids love to play with flashlights and then leave them on so that when they are needed the battery is dead or they just run through batteries faster than a Clarity on ECON going up Mount Washington. https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/114...at=flashlight-SR0&csp=a&searchTerm=flashlight
 
My wish:
  1. Service department level, OBD software built into each vehicle and service manuals.
  2. Recording to USB stick of owner specified, OBD-like metrics, GPS stamped, and/or camera/sensors.
  3. Open technical specs on battery and management system so 3d parties can build battery replacement and upgrade systems.
    • physical dimensions
    • electrical and cooling interfaces
    • management interfaces following ISO 7-layers
I am OK if these are released to the owner's car after the warranty ends.

Bob Wilson
 
Dash cam. I guess that's for any car owner. In the first month owning my Clarity. Someone backed into the front end of my new car! Because I had no dash cam installed, my insurance adjuster warned me that if the other party lies, and she said lying is sadly common in her experience, it could be ruled my fault for rear-ending them. Luckily, the other party was honest but I still installed dash cams in all my cars immediately after that experience.
 
PHEV Newbie said:
Dash cam. I guess that's for any car owner. In the first month owning my Clarity. Someone backed into the front end of my new car! Because I had no dash cam installed, my insurance adjuster warned me that if the other party lies, and she said lying is sadly common in her experience, it could be ruled my fault for rear-ending them. Luckily, the other party was honest but I still installed dash cams in all my cars immediately after that experience.
Click to expand...

Yup, dash cam is an awesome gift.
 
Domenick said:
A know a lot of electric cars have lead-acid batteries, though I'm a bit fuzzy on if this would work for them. It's got so many other features, though, it's a neat idea.
Click to expand...

The small 12 volt lead-acid battery in most EVs and PHEVs energizes the main battery when the starter button is pushed. The main battery actually "starts" the vehicle, but it's off for safety reasons when the car is off. If the small lead-acid battery goes dead, this NOCO Genius hooked up to that battery is all you need to get going.
 
1 A super warm pair of winter gloves to extend their range by not having to run the heater as much.
2 An accurate tire pressure gauge for their low rolling resistance tires. I recommend the Longacre brand
3 A link (if your a cheapskate) or better yet, a subscription to insideevforum.
 
KentuckyKen said:
1 A super warm pair of winter gloves to extend their range by not having to run the heater as much.
2 An accurate tire pressure gauge for their low rolling resistance tires. I recommend the Longacre brand
3 A link (if your a cheapskate) or better yet, a subscription to insideevforum.
Click to expand...

The glove idea is great. Though, a lot of people have heated steering wheels, which is a suggested range saver over blasting more warm air in the cabin.

Quality tire pressure gauge is a solid idea.

We are hoping the list will be picked up by a larger kind of site so, as much as I like the subscription idea, I worry it will be too self-serving. Will discuss with the other editors, though.
 
We have some really great relatively affordable choices here. Just want to mention a few more upscale ideas are fine too. I'm already thinking about an electric bicycle or scooter (something much better than the ones littering the streets of so many cities right now).
 
One of my useful purchases is a magnetic USB cable (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076Z724G3/) which makes it very quick and easy to link and unlink when getting in and out of the car. Two inconveniences is the length is way too long, so I leave it with the original tie in place, which keeps it tucked out of the way. Also the link only seems to work in one direction (not reversible), so I just have to link the same way every time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top