Electric Vehicle (EV) discussion thread

Just wondering where you can get your tesla serviced seeing as there's lots of things other than an engine that can go wrong with a car.

There's a Tesla service center in Vancouver, two others in Canada with more planned. Lots more on the US side. www.teslamotors.com/en_CA/findus/service

But they do service WAY different than the dealership model. They run a valet service, so when you make your appointment, they set you up with a loaner. On day of appointment, a guy drives to meet you with the loaner and takes your car back to the shop. When service is done, your car is brought back to you. There's a guy in Saskatchewan that has his service done in Vancouver just this way. This is great because there's no time wasted driving to the shop and dropping off car/picking up.

You seem to be arguing that the "engine" of an IC car is just one component, but it's actually several hundred. The entire drive train for a Tesla has 9 moving parts. How many does an IC engine have? There are other things on a car to fail, like wiper motors, lighting, steering/suspension, brake components, but they don't fail nearly as often as engine components. Most of these are just normal wear items.

No oil to change, no spark plugs, rad coolant. No timing to set, timing belts to replace every X,000 km, no water pump no … no … no …

I dunno. Gizmos plague expensive car offerings like those from BMW and Mercedes.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/08/consumer-reports-tesla-model-s-has-more-than-its-share-of-problems/index.htm

There's no denying that there have been some recurring issues, particularly around the gear reducer in the drivetrain. All have been replaced under warranty. All indications are that the majority of issues have been experienced in cars built in the first year of production. I'm watching the reports closely, and expect there will be a very quick drop in reported problems.

I'm cutting them some slack - it's a very new company and their first full production car. Customer service and warranty coverage has been well beyond anything I've experienced when I owned a BMW or Merc. There's some good with the bad, time will tell.

In the meantime, there's this;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbVEkh4AMqM

i only had to spend $5K to do sub 4sec 0-60 times

i only had to spend $5K to do sub 4sec 0-60 times

Can you do it with 5 adults and 2 kids on board? I mean, without driving off a cliff?

Can you do it with 5 adults and 2 kids on board? I mean, without driving off a cliff?

with 5 adults and 2 kids - nope. but there's no driving off a cliff required either.
i could do one additional adult, but no more and no kids either. mind you, even if i could i wouldn't, too irresponsible imo.

i was just pointing out one doesn't need to spend sixty to eighty thousand to have that kind of fun.

with 5 adults and 2 kids - nope. but there's no driving off a cliff required either.
i could do one additional adult, but no more and no kids either. mind you, even if i could i wouldn't, too irresponsible imo.

i was just pointing out one doesn't need to spend sixty to eighty thousand to have that kind of fun.

Come on it can almost be done.

You wear one of those front baby harness things, and your passenger wears kid carrier backpack.

2 adults (questionable sanity?)
2 kids (questionable lifespan?)

:)

Use of B.C.'s electric car charging stations doubles in past year
http://www.langleytimes.com/business/278550511.html

Eventually electricity used as a motor "fuel" will have to be taxed the same as gas and diesel to pay for roads. And, vehicle demand will drive up hydro costs (generation, transmission, distribution) for all users.

Still… these sexy new EV cars are very appealing, even without "free" fuel.

Eventually electricity used as a motor "fuel" will have to be taxed the same as gas and diesel to pay for roads. And, vehicle demand will drive up hydro costs (generation, transmission, distribution) for all users.

Still… these sexy new EV cars are very appealing, even without "free" fuel.

as much as i love the idea of ev's that right there is their biggest issue - not range.
our electricity grid is going to need major upgrades in order to be able to "fuel" the future of ev's.

imo that's why the bicycle still reigns as the potential king of single user urban transport.

Can you do it with 5 adults and 2 kids on board? I mean, without driving off a cliff?

I dont think you can either..

Eventually electricity used as a motor "fuel" will have to be taxed the same as gas and diesel to pay for roads. And, vehicle demand will drive up hydro costs (generation, transmission, distribution) for all users.

Still… these sexy new EV cars are very appealing, even without "free" fuel.

I doubt they'll tax electricity for EVs specifically (although I think they will eventually charge at most charging stations). It's too tied up with all sorts of non-transportation uses that would be unpalatable to tax. But you're right, there's going to be taxes to pay, especially with gas taxes on the decline. Keep the words "mobility taxes" in mind… they're going to come up in the near future!

I dont think you can either..

Not with the model I have now, but with the dual motor one … yes.

Meanwhile, the public are voting with their feet on the topic of Fuel (fool) cell vehicles …

Lottery to win a Toyota FCV can't even sell 200 tickets at $100/ticket;

https://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/item/b4gbuynow.action?id=223742660

Japanese aren't interested in buying the Toyota FCV, even with up to $30,000 in incentives. Now they're thinking about giving them away, along with free fuel;

http://www.autonews.com/article/20140804/OEM05/308049949/are-fuel-cell-cars-worth-40-plus-subsidies

Not with the model I have now, but with the dual motor one … yes.

fully loaded? wow.