Last week I paid $3.85 p gal for mid-grade fuel. Today I paid $4.10, it was $4.00 last night. CA fuel prices really suck the cash out of your wallet. Can you imagine using a credit card and driving a big P.U. truck? Not me.
Average SoCal Gas Prices Rise to Highest Amount Since 2015
https://www.sacbee.com/news/business/article235624657.html
Could it be that California is tired of the brown, grey and blue haze over their cities? How about the various lung diseases and higher cancer rates. I just got finished with my latest electric trike. I am almost ready to park the Gas Guzzler (for the most part) and start driving my electric. Not for the same reasons that California is using but for economic reasons. While our fuel is almost half what California pays at the pump, I am on a fixed budget and my gas hog gets 11mpg. Yes, folks, it's one of those big P.U. Trucks. Even a new "Big" P.U. Truck will only get about 15 or 16 no matter what the sticker says. After you drive it and approach or exceed 100k miles, it's going to settle to about 11 mpg. The problem is, if you want real high mileage, you are going to have to go with one of those skateboards with all the bells and whistles. I like being able to actually have a vehicle I can get some use out of. But I don't care to feed it just for that 1 or 2 mile trip for groceries and other short trips.
The way around it is to dump all the bells and whistles and run a bare bones electric that gets the equiv of 800 mpg. NO radio, no heater, no AC, no Power Anything. Pretty much a seat, handlebars and a storage compartment with 3 wheels. And legal lights and brakes. Cost of insurance, 75 bucks a year. Cost of Registration, 5 bucks for 5 years. Top speed of 30 mph. Do I get rid of my Gas Guzzler? Nope. But I also don't put a tank and a half a month into it either. I fill it up every 6 months.
People on Fixed Incomes should look seriously at the 50cc and low speed electric 3 wheelers as second vehicles. Let's face it, most of our driving is within less than a 5 mile range. Meaning, the electric trike makes even more sense economically. It's thought to be a rich mans idea but in reality it should be thought to be a poor mans transportation. If you live close to where you work, that trike makes much more sense than the car does even as a first vehicle. If you need to make long trips once a month, rent a car. If you have a wife, get a 2 seater electric trike. IF you have kids, well, you may have to get that gas rig but have the trike as the 2nd vehicle for short hops. Own a Mini Van and that electric trike. Use commons sense.
Or, do like I do and own that big Gas Guzzler that is parked most of the time and that electric trike for most day to day driving. I can get anywhere I need to go for 20 miles around here without going onto the Interstate. And I get there just as fast. When I do need to go further or haul something, fire up the Gas Guzzler but that's not very often. Chances are, the Trike is going to be used more for support for the Gas Guzzler for parts than the Gas Guzzler is going to be used for the electric trike.
