FAIL- Electric Car Sales Plunge To 4 Year Lows

[WinterBorn]

It is now possible to drive coast to coast by using Tesla super charging stations. Which, if you buy a Tesla, is free.

But are they near a decent motel and restaurant because the recharge is 8 hours and nobody is going to spend the better part of a day sitting around staring at each other. With the VOLT, you have a gas engine charging the electric-traction motor producing a 400 mile range on dry pavement....the recharge is intended to happen while your sleep.

The Super Charging stations take 75 to 90 minutes for a full charge on the Tesla. You can get half a charge in between 20 & 30 mins. That will get you 150 miles or so. So you stop for 30 mins every 100 to 150 miles.

 

[WinterBorn]

So far they have done what they said they would do. And the technology is there.

Probably all true.
However, the market still prefers gas-powered cars, for any number of perfectly legitimate reasons; this will remain the case until those legitimate reasons swing in favor of the EV.
Until then, the EV will struggle.

Yes, the market still favors the gas cars. But eventually that will change. The advantages of EVs is very real. Tere are still some things to be worked out. But it is coming.

 

[M14 Shooter]

It is now possible to drive coast to coast by using Tesla super charging stations. Which, if you buy a Tesla, is free.

But are they near a decent motel and restaurant because the recharge is 8 hours and nobody is going to spend the better part of a day sitting around staring at each other. With the VOLT, you have a gas engine charging the electric-traction motor producing a 400 mile range on dry pavement....the recharge is intended to happen while your sleep.

The Super Charging stations take 75 to 90 minutes for a full charge on the Tesla. You can get half a charge in between 20 & 30 mins. That will get you 150 miles or so. So you stop for 30 mins every 100 to 150 miles.

This is, of course, part of the reason the market does not favor EVs.

 

[WinterBorn]

It is now possible to drive coast to coast by using Tesla super charging stations. Which, if you buy a Tesla, is free.

But are they near a decent motel and restaurant because the recharge is 8 hours and nobody is going to spend the better part of a day sitting around staring at each other. With the VOLT, you have a gas engine charging the electric-traction motor producing a 400 mile range on dry pavement....the recharge is intended to happen while your sleep.

The Super Charging stations take 75 to 90 minutes for a full charge on the Tesla. You can get half a charge in between 20 & 30 mins. That will get you 150 miles or so. So you stop for 30 mins every 100 to 150 miles.

This is, of course, part of the reason the market does not favor EVs.

Considering the average American drives only 12k miles per year, the Tesla is perfectly capable of handling the driving needs of a good portion of the country. Even at 3 times that mileage, you are still driving a paltry 700 miles per week. If noneof that mileage is on the weekend (to maximize what is driven daily) that means only 138 miles per day is needed. Easy peasy.

 

[M14 Shooter]

It is now possible to drive coast to coast by using Tesla super charging stations. Which, if you buy a Tesla, is free.

But are they near a decent motel and restaurant because the recharge is 8 hours and nobody is going to spend the better part of a day sitting around staring at each other. With the VOLT, you have a gas engine charging the electric-traction motor producing a 400 mile range on dry pavement....the recharge is intended to happen while your sleep.

The Super Charging stations take 75 to 90 minutes for a full charge on the Tesla. You can get half a charge in between 20 & 30 mins. That will get you 150 miles or so. So you stop for 30 mins every 100 to 150 miles.

This is, of course, part of the reason the market does not favor EVs.

Considering the average American drives only 12k miles per year, the Tesla is perfectly capable of handling the driving needs of a good portion of the country. Even at 3 times that mileage, you are still driving a paltry 700 miles per week. If noneof that mileage is on the weekend (to maximize what is driven daily) that means only 138 miles per day is needed. Easy peasy.

Sure - for commuting.
I believe, however, you brought up the possibility of coast to coast driving.
Stopping for 30 minutes every 150 miles / 2 hours?

 

[WinterBorn]

It is now possible to drive coast to coast by using Tesla super charging stations. Which, if you buy a Tesla, is free.

But are they near a decent motel and restaurant because the recharge is 8 hours and nobody is going to spend the better part of a day sitting around staring at each other. With the VOLT, you have a gas engine charging the electric-traction motor producing a 400 mile range on dry pavement....the recharge is intended to happen while your sleep.

The Super Charging stations take 75 to 90 minutes for a full charge on the Tesla. You can get half a charge in between 20 & 30 mins. That will get you 150 miles or so. So you stop for 30 mins every 100 to 150 miles.

This is, of course, part of the reason the market does not favor EVs.

Considering the average American drives only 12k miles per year, the Tesla is perfectly capable of handling the driving needs of a good portion of the country. Even at 3 times that mileage, you are still driving a paltry 700 miles per week. If noneof that mileage is on the weekend (to maximize what is driven daily) that means only 138 miles per day is needed. Easy peasy.

Sure - for commuting.
I believe, however, you brought up the possibility of coast to coast driving.
Stopping for 30 minutes every 150 miles / 2 hours?

I drove from Tuscaloosa to Baltimore with my kids and we stopped between 100 and 200 miles. Yeah, that is pretty much what I am saying.

Lets say I stop every 150 miles for 30 mins. You, driving a gas powered car, stop every 300 miles (you can probably go 400 or more, but I never liked to run the car below 1/4 tank). To drive 3,000 miles, averaging 75 mph, you would stop every 4 hours. In the Tesla I would average 75 mph and stop every 2 hours. We each spend about 30 minutes per stop. Fuel, snacks, bathroom, stretching legs ect ect.

Driving 3,000 miles, you will drive 40 hrs and make 10 hrs fuel stops (totaling 5 hrs) and so you would take 45 hrs to get there.

Driving the same 3,000 miles, I will drive 40 hrs and make 20 fuel stops (totaling 10 hrs) and would get there in 50 hrs.

If we both drive 10 hrs a day, you would get there in 4.5 days and I would get there in 5.

According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of gas is $2.65. If your car gets 30 mpg, you would spend $265.00 on fuel for the trip. If it gets 25mpg, you would spend $318.00.

Since I am hitting the Tesla charging stations, I wouldn't pay a dime for fuel.

Do you think the market will prefer getting there a little faster? Or driving there for free?

Commuters is one group. But general population could enjoy the same technology.

 

[WinterBorn]

And the example above is for an extremely long driving trip. Most trips I take for vacation are within 500 to 600 miles. The difference in drive time gets smaller as the trips are smaller.

 

[M14 Shooter]

But are they near a decent motel and restaurant because the recharge is 8 hours and nobody is going to spend the better part of a day sitting around staring at each other. With the VOLT, you have a gas engine charging the electric-traction motor producing a 400 mile range on dry pavement....the recharge is intended to happen while your sleep.

The Super Charging stations take 75 to 90 minutes for a full charge on the Tesla. You can get half a charge in between 20 & 30 mins. That will get you 150 miles or so. So you stop for 30 mins every 100 to 150 miles.

This is, of course, part of the reason the market does not favor EVs.

Considering the average American drives only 12k miles per year, the Tesla is perfectly capable of handling the driving needs of a good portion of the country. Even at 3 times that mileage, you are still driving a paltry 700 miles per week. If noneof that mileage is on the weekend (to maximize what is driven daily) that means only 138 miles per day is needed. Easy peasy.

Sure - for commuting.
I believe, however, you brought up the possibility of coast to coast driving.
Stopping for 30 minutes every 150 miles / 2 hours?

Do you think the market will prefer getting there a little faster? Or driving there for free?

Honestly? I think most people+ do not want to stop every 2 hours on a cross-country trip, spending 20% of their travel time charging their car.

Also, your time comparison is at least little off; pit stops with a gas powered car that do not involve an eat-in meal or a prolonged trip to the bathroom might take 10 minutes; with the electric car, you're committed to 20% downtime while traveling.
I recently drove from Cape Canaveral to Toledo, ~1175 miles, in 16 hours, plus an hour for 2 gas stops and a meal; 17 hours total
That same 1175 miles requires 8 stops and 4 hours down time for the EV.

 

[WinterBorn]

The Super Charging stations take 75 to 90 minutes for a full charge on the Tesla. You can get half a charge in between 20 & 30 mins. That will get you 150 miles or so. So you stop for 30 mins every 100 to 150 miles.

This is, of course, part of the reason the market does not favor EVs.

Considering the average American drives only 12k miles per year, the Tesla is perfectly capable of handling the driving needs of a good portion of the country. Even at 3 times that mileage, you are still driving a paltry 700 miles per week. If noneof that mileage is on the weekend (to maximize what is driven daily) that means only 138 miles per day is needed. Easy peasy.

Sure - for commuting.
I believe, however, you brought up the possibility of coast to coast driving.
Stopping for 30 minutes every 150 miles / 2 hours?

Do you think the market will prefer getting there a little faster? Or driving there for free?

Honestly? I think most people+ do not want to stop every 2 hours on a cross-country trip, spending 20% of their travel time charging their car.

Also, your time comparison is at least little off; pit stops with a gas powered car that do not involve an eat-in meal or a prolonged trip to the bathroom might take 10 minutes; with the electric car, you're committed to 20% downtime while traveling.
I recently drove from Cape Canaveral to Toledo, ~1175 miles, in 16 hours, plus an hour for 2 gas stops and a meal; 17 hours total
That same 1175 miles requires 8 stops and 4 hours down time for the EV.

Once I had kids the stops became more frequent and a bit longer. It makes for a much more enjoyable trip.

And I think there are plenty of families that will trade the 1175 miles trip taking 3 hrs longer in exchange for not buying gas. If you get 30 mpg, your 1175 mile trip cost $103. The Tesla takes 3 hrs longer and saves that $103. So each of the 3 hrs is worth $34 and some change.


Also, how often do you take long trips? Once a year? Maybe twice? I doubt most families do it more than twice a year.

 

[M14 Shooter]

Once I had kids the stops became more frequent and a bit longer. It makes for a much more enjoyable trip.

True, but you stopped because you had to, not because you wanted to. Sans kids, you might find the down time less enjoyable.

And I think there are plenty of families that will trade the 1175 miles trip taking 3 hrs longer in exchange for not buying gas. If you get 30 mpg, your 1175 mile trip cost $103. The Tesla takes 3 hrs longer and saves that $103. So each of the 3 hrs is worth $34 and some change.

But, time is money; the three hours I did not lose, if it were wages, significantly exceeds that $103.

Also, how often do you take long trips? Once a year? Maybe twice? I doubt most families do it more than twice a year.

True, but then again, the discussion is long-distance travel.

I'm not saying that EVs aren't a good choice for some people or that they will never replace standard cars, I'm simply supporting the reasons why they aren't the market choice right now as the tech is not to the point where the have comparative all-around performance.]

 

[WinterBorn]

Once I had kids the stops became more frequent and a bit longer. It makes for a much more enjoyable trip.

True, but you stopped because you had to, not because you wanted to. Sans kids, you might find the down time less enjoyable.

And I think there are plenty of families that will trade the 1175 miles trip taking 3 hrs longer in exchange for not buying gas. If you get 30 mpg, your 1175 mile trip cost $103. The Tesla takes 3 hrs longer and saves that $103. So each of the 3 hrs is worth $34 and some change.

But, time is money; the three hours I did not lose, if it were wages, significantly exceeds that $103.

Also, how often do you take long trips? Once a year? Maybe twice? I doubt most families do it more than twice a year.

True, but then again, the discussion is long-distance travel.

I'm not saying that EVs aren't a good choice for some people or that they will never replace standard cars, I'm simply supporting the reasons why they aren't the market choice right now as the tech is not to the point where the have comparative all-around performance.]

No, I am prone to the same driving schedule when I take trips now. If I am traveling for work, I don't make the stops. But on my own time? Why hurry. Every 2 hours or so I stop and stretch ect.

 

[BullKurtz]

I'd never heard of these super-charger stations for Telsa....pretty cool.

Supercharger Tesla Motors

 

[Jarlaxle]

No but it'll do 0-60 faster 300 miles down the road than the now discharged Tesla. And no, my car is by far cheaper to operate per mile than this monstrosity.

For 75K I can get a 'Vette that will smoke this thing.

Oh, and 300 miles down the road I will have stopped and recharged for free, and then be able to do 0-60 in 3.2 seconds.

And by the time it's done charging me and my car will be hundreds of miles away.

And 15 years from now my car will need, oh thats right, nothing. That thing will need an $8500 battery, if its not more than that by then.

What special training and special tools do rescue workers need for my car? Nothing, jaws of life only. Tesla? A lot of training and special tools because its a VERY dangerous car once wrecked. You ever saw what happens to a li-po battery in a crash?

I add a little time to a trip and don't pay for fuel. Works for me.

15 years from now you will have spent how much on oil changes?? Lets say you average 25k miles a year. In 15 years you will have paid for 125 oil changes. If you have it done, and pay an average of $25 per oil change, you're spending $3,125 on oil changes. How about coolant? Flushing your radiator and adding coolant every year? Transmission fluid and servicing the transmission??

You will be spending as much, if not more.


There have been 5 Teslas that caught fire. Not one single injury.

There was a Tesla that crashed into a tree after going thru a brick wall. That car is one of the 5 that caught fire. The driver was fine, and got out of the car and watched as emergency personnel handled the fire.
"...the vehicle impacted a roundabout at 110 mph, shearing off 15 feet of concrete curbwall and tearing off the left front wheel, then smashing through an eight foot tall buttressed concrete wall on the other side of the road and tearing off the right front wheel, before crashing into a tree. The driver stepped out and walked away with no permanent injuries and a fire, again limited to the front section of the vehicle, started several minutes later." from: Tesla Reveals Details on Last Year s Fiery Model S Wreck in Mexico

Going 110 mph, hit with enough force to shear off a wheel, then crashing thru a wall and shearing another wheel off, before crashing into a tree. The driver walked away?? I'll take that kind of hazard.

Find Us Tesla Motors

Perhaps off topic but I'm referring to the supercharger stations currently available...............Not many on the Tesla site.............The only way to get the 20 recharge is with one of these stations or install one at your home for $2500 dollars parts only at your home...............other than that the vehicle would need 12 to 16 hours to charge on a standard plug..............

Seems the range is about 240 miles for the Tesla vehicles.............

Not meaning to butt in to the discussion, but needed a place to bump the thread to look into later.................without a network of these supercharger stations you are gonna run on gas...........in my area their is only 1 station...............others are hundreds of miles away..............

There is one in my STATE...and it will only charge 6 cars at a time. It';s also 30 miles from where I live, in the OPPOSITE direction from where I work.

 

[Jarlaxle]

That video is such crap! LOL

1. They include the time the guy has to use his credit card. That's hilarious.
2. He's pumping enough gas into that Audi to go 3 times as far as that Tesla will go
3. That Audi will smoke that Tesla in a top speed run

That video is such crap! LOL

1. They include the time the guy has to use his credit card. That's hilarious.
2. He's pumping enough gas into that Audi to go 3 times as far as that Tesla will go
3. That Audi will smoke that Tesla in a top speed run

1. I watched the video again. The first 0:33 are getting ready to pump the gas, so take that off. The Tesla finishes a complete battery swap in 1:33. The car is filled up in 2:45 (that is with the 0:33 taken off). So you CAN do a battery swap faster than you can fill up a regular car.

2. I didn't see exactly how many gallons of gas he pumped. It was over 20 gals. Yes, the range is greater.

That's a hell of a trick, and PROVES the whole thing is bullshit! The Audi A5 only holds 16 gallons of fuel!

 

[Politico]

Hey Politico..........you wanna laugh?

I just bought a new car a couple of months ago.....Focus ST with eco-boost engine..........and just ordered a new license plate...............

ECO - FAIL

My 1969 Chevy gets the same mileage as your new Ford. Eco fail.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Bullshit.

 

[WinterBorn]

That video is such crap! LOL

1. They include the time the guy has to use his credit card. That's hilarious.
2. He's pumping enough gas into that Audi to go 3 times as far as that Tesla will go
3. That Audi will smoke that Tesla in a top speed run

That video is such crap! LOL

1. They include the time the guy has to use his credit card. That's hilarious.
2. He's pumping enough gas into that Audi to go 3 times as far as that Tesla will go
3. That Audi will smoke that Tesla in a top speed run

1. I watched the video again. The first 0:33 are getting ready to pump the gas, so take that off. The Tesla finishes a complete battery swap in 1:33. The car is filled up in 2:45 (that is with the 0:33 taken off). So you CAN do a battery swap faster than you can fill up a regular car.

2. I didn't see exactly how many gallons of gas he pumped. It was over 20 gals. Yes, the range is greater.

That's a hell of a trick, and PROVES the whole thing is bullshit! The Audi A5 only holds 16 gallons of fuel!

Is it an A5? I never saw for sure what model of Audi it was.

 

[WinterBorn]

No but it'll do 0-60 faster 300 miles down the road than the now discharged Tesla. And no, my car is by far cheaper to operate per mile than this monstrosity.

For 75K I can get a 'Vette that will smoke this thing.

Oh, and 300 miles down the road I will have stopped and recharged for free, and then be able to do 0-60 in 3.2 seconds.

And by the time it's done charging me and my car will be hundreds of miles away.

And 15 years from now my car will need, oh thats right, nothing. That thing will need an $8500 battery, if its not more than that by then.

What special training and special tools do rescue workers need for my car? Nothing, jaws of life only. Tesla? A lot of training and special tools because its a VERY dangerous car once wrecked. You ever saw what happens to a li-po battery in a crash?

I add a little time to a trip and don't pay for fuel. Works for me.

15 years from now you will have spent how much on oil changes?? Lets say you average 25k miles a year. In 15 years you will have paid for 125 oil changes. If you have it done, and pay an average of $25 per oil change, you're spending $3,125 on oil changes. How about coolant? Flushing your radiator and adding coolant every year? Transmission fluid and servicing the transmission??

You will be spending as much, if not more.


There have been 5 Teslas that caught fire. Not one single injury.

There was a Tesla that crashed into a tree after going thru a brick wall. That car is one of the 5 that caught fire. The driver was fine, and got out of the car and watched as emergency personnel handled the fire.
"...the vehicle impacted a roundabout at 110 mph, shearing off 15 feet of concrete curbwall and tearing off the left front wheel, then smashing through an eight foot tall buttressed concrete wall on the other side of the road and tearing off the right front wheel, before crashing into a tree. The driver stepped out and walked away with no permanent injuries and a fire, again limited to the front section of the vehicle, started several minutes later." from: Tesla Reveals Details on Last Year s Fiery Model S Wreck in Mexico

Going 110 mph, hit with enough force to shear off a wheel, then crashing thru a wall and shearing another wheel off, before crashing into a tree. The driver walked away?? I'll take that kind of hazard.

Find Us Tesla Motors

Perhaps off topic but I'm referring to the supercharger stations currently available...............Not many on the Tesla site.............The only way to get the 20 recharge is with one of these stations or install one at your home for $2500 dollars parts only at your home...............other than that the vehicle would need 12 to 16 hours to charge on a standard plug..............

Seems the range is about 240 miles for the Tesla vehicles.............

Not meaning to butt in to the discussion, but needed a place to bump the thread to look into later.................without a network of these supercharger stations you are gonna run on gas...........in my area their is only 1 station...............others are hundreds of miles away..............

There is one in my STATE...and it will only charge 6 cars at a time. It';s also 30 miles from where I live, in the OPPOSITE direction from where I work.

The you access will be limited. But then, the fact that there are as many charging stations as there are, with the limited time they have been building them. It won't be long before there are a lot more.

The less expensive Tesla Model III will be out in late 2017. By then there should be more.

 

[BullKurtz]

Maybe but you could buy two VOLTS for what a Tesla costs and not have to worry about finding a charging station.....it'll run forever without the batteries being recharged.

 

[BullKurtz]

Chevrolet said this week the fully redesigned 2016 Volt plug-in hybrid will start at $33,995, including $825 for destination. The 2016 Chevrolet Volt is $1,175 less expensive than the 2015 model, and Chevrolet says that Volt buyers are eligible for up to $7,500 in federal tax credit.

The 2016 Volt debuted in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It can drive 12 more miles on electricity than the 2015 model and is more fuel-efficient. According to Chevrolet, the 2016 Volt gets 102 mpg-equivalent (mpg-e) on electricity and 41 mpg combined city/highway with gas and electric power, whereas the 2015 model is rated at 98 mpg-e and 37 mpg combined, respectively.

[See Rankings of the Best Hybrid and Electric Cars]

The Volt's lower price is reflective of current trends in the market for electric and hybrid vehicles. As we reported last month, car buyers aren't currently as interested in fuel-efficient vehicles as they have been because of low gas prices. The AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report shows that the current average national price for regular gasoline is $2.66, which is $1 less per gallon than it was a year ago.

(General Motors)
Sales of the 2015 Volt have taken a hit in recent months. Chevrolet sold almost 42 percent fewer Volts in April 2015 compared with April 2014.

[See the 2015 Chevrolet Volt review]

Although the redesigned Volt is less expensive than the 2015 model, it still costs slightly more than some rivals. For example, the 2015 Toyota Prius Plug-in starts at $30,815 and the 2015 Ford C-Max Energi costs $32,595. Both prices include destination fees.

Redesigned 2016 Chevy Volt 1 175 Less than Outgoing Model U.S. News Best Cars