NonDawg Any here make the jump to an EV?

[Ice Cold Beer]

Looking at a Tesla Model Y for the family. Seems like a good deal currently as they are unloading the existing stock ahead of the new release + EV tax credit. Hardly any maintenance cost, low charging cost if you charge at home, not having to hit a gas station again. Seems like a good choice for driving around town or short trips. Honestly just a hesitation at this point because of the different-ness of leaving an ICE vehicle.

Anyone here have one? How has it been?

Leased a M-Y last march to dip my toe. No regrets and best car I have ever had. I still have my truck for longer distances/towing. I drove all the way to Savannah on a single charge (from Athens area); had about 15% left. My truck just sits in garage now; for local driving there is nothing better. Fast and fun to drive. I spend around $30/ month charging it. Ask your power company about a time of use plan. Did I mention it has full self drive and drives itself? I would not pay for the FSD; just pay the $100 a month. No regrets and its a great car.

 

[Lurk Russell]

How much do those mobile service appointments run you? Do they charge mileage for coming out? We're in Oconee County, so our closest service center is probably a good 50 miles away in Duluth.

I’ve only done the tire rotation so far, but it was $65 flat. I live about 20 miles outside of the closest “big city” (Lexington, KY). There’s no Tesla dealer or service center, just a company-employed mobile tech. He covers the area and said he can do most maintenance and repairs right on site. Anything major would be sent to the closest Tesla dealer/service center, which is Louisville or Cincy up here.

 

[Herrisman35]

We got a Rivian R1S about 1.5 year ago and it’s honestly been my favorite car I’ve owned. i won’t pretend I got it for it to save the environment or for it to be super efficient. I got it because I loved the tech, loved that it had auto pilot, and most importantly that now our family hauler also has 835 hp.

We moved from suburban Atlanta to Oconee county last year and that’s where an unexpected benefit came which is by ability to ride HOV/peach pass all the way to Atlanta when I commute to work. Honestly, it shaves so much time off I am not sure I can leave the EV life until they kick evs out of the fast lane.

It’s nice being able to make a round trip of 140 miles without any concern on range and just power up at home. My old truck would live in the gas station.

Now, full transparency, we did buy another ICE vehicle for the wife once our 2nd was born simply because the Rivian was a little tight for 2 kids and 2 dogs. But other than that I love it.

 

[JZIDawg]

No, I haven’t gotten testicular removal surgery done, so I’ll be sticking with gas/Diesel until the real alien tech hits the streets.

 

[SanDiegoDawg1]

Looking at a Tesla Model Y for the family. Seems like a good deal currently as they are unloading the existing stock ahead of the new release + EV tax credit. Hardly any maintenance cost, low charging cost if you charge at home, not having to hit a gas station again. Seems like a good choice for driving around town or short trips. Honestly just a hesitation at this point because of the different-ness of leaving an ICE vehicle.

Anyone here have one? How has it been?

I bought a 2023 model 3 last year as a commuter car. My SUV gets 14 MPG. Gas was killing me.

It has been great. It averages out to the equivalent of about 55-60 MPG. It is very fast, quiet, and smooth. I have no idea what the person above was complaining about with feeling every bump in the road. My experience is the opposite.

The technology is great. It has so many helpful settings with the brakes, lane assist, etc. The app is all you need. I do not even carry a key card. It starts itself when you sit down and shuts down and locks itself when you leave.

I charge at home and I have solar. The cost has been minimal. However, even if you go to a supercharger, it is not bad especially if you go before 8 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m. it is something like $.31 per KWh, which means you can charge your car for about $15. My commute is 40 miles round trip, so that lasts about 5 days with extra daily errands adding to the mileage.

I bought bottom of the line to see if I liked it and my car still gets 250 miles per charge.

 

[MCinATL]

Holding value part is not super important to me as I tend to keep vehicles for a while. At 44 I've only ever had 2 vehicles, both new with the first one lasting 12 years and the second one now going 15 years.

Then you should factor in a battery replacement after 8-9 years. Afterall, how much battery life doesn’t an iPhone 4 have right now?

Would you have kept those long-life cars if you had a $20k engine replacement midway thru.

Absolutely no way would I hold an EV that long….

 

[MCinATL]

If you keep an EV for 12-15 years, you should plan on spending $15,000 - $40,000 for battery replacement. The batteries go down a certain percent each year. You will also have to replace a lot of tires during this time period. I’m sure that the state and federal governments will come up with a road tax on EV cars since they will need the road tax revenue that they are losing from the loss of gasoline sales tax. Insurance rates will go up for EV cars, it’s just a matter of time. I recommend that everyone do their research before they purchase any car and especially an EV vehicle.

Georgia currently has an additional “alternative fuel vehicle fee” is about $220 annually, above and beyond the normal tag tax. This is an attempt to offset gas sales tax. https://dor.georgia.gov/document/do...-fuel-vehicles-annual-licensing-fees/download

 

[Suthrngadawg]

Looking at a Tesla Model Y for the family. Seems like a good deal currently as they are unloading the existing stock ahead of the new release + EV tax credit. Hardly any maintenance cost, low charging cost if you charge at home, not having to hit a gas station again. Seems like a good choice for driving around town or short trips. Honestly just a hesitation at this point because of the different-ness of leaving an ICE vehicle.

Anyone here have one? How has it been?

Not no, but Hell No...

 

[MUSMDawgs]

Anyone have an electric truck? Not liking options at the moment. Wish they wouldn’t have made the Cybertruck to ugly

 

[K_Walt32]

Then you should factor in a battery replacement after 8-9 years. Afterall, how much battery life doesn’t an iPhone 4 have right now?

Would you have kept those long-life cars if you had a $20k engine replacement midway thru.

Absolutely no way would I hold an EV that long….

For the record, we have several tesla's that are around 9-10 years old with well over 300k miles on them and the battery degradation is something like 10-12%.
While an ICE vehicle may not have degradation like that, most are not lasting 300k miles either.

No option is the perfect one, especially in modern cars. The more tech we put in cars, the more that can go wrong. So for every story you find of a tesla needing a battery 5 years in, I can find you an ICE that blew up 5k miles in.

Ideally my wife and I would have one EV for daily use and one bigger ICE for roadtrips.

 

[HuskerDawg1005]

Looking at a Tesla Model Y for the family. Seems like a good deal currently as they are unloading the existing stock ahead of the new release + EV tax credit. Hardly any maintenance cost, low charging cost if you charge at home, not having to hit a gas station again. Seems like a good choice for driving around town or short trips. Honestly just a hesitation at this point because of the different-ness of leaving an ICE vehicle.

Anyone here have one? How has it been?

Just bought a Mach-eX and love it. Had a first gen Nissan Leaf for a decade. Still have a family trucker (Highlander) but the Mach-eX is super fun.

 

[Herrisman35]

Anyone have an electric truck? Not liking options at the moment. Wish they wouldn’t have made the Cybertruck to ugly

When the warranty runs out on the Rivian I may look for a used F150 lightning. They depreciate like crazy so would be nice to grab one anfter that hits. It’s just an F150 with a sweet frunk and shitload of power.

I like the R1T too but I need to see how Rivian does if/when the R2 comes out.

Have you checked out Scout? Those trucks look sweet and they are owned by VW/using Rivian tech so could be a good option

 

[K_Walt32]

Anyone have an electric truck? Not liking options at the moment. Wish they wouldn’t have made the Cybertruck to ugly

Guy at church has the electric F-150 and he says it is the best truck he has had since the 90's. Plus it looks like a normal truck.

 

[MUSMDawgs]

When the warranty runs out on the Rivian I may look for a used F150 lightning. They depreciate like crazy so would be nice to grab one anfter that hits. It’s just an F150 with a sweet frunk and shitload of power.

I like the R1T too but I need to see how Rivian does if/when the R2 comes out.

Have you checked out Scout? Those trucks look sweet and they are owned by VW/using Rivian tech so could be a good option

Rivian is probably the best looking EV truck. I’d probably have one already if they had a full sized one

I’ll check out Scout. I think I looked before and it seemed small

 

[Herrisman35]

Rivian is probably the best looking EV truck. I’d probably have one already if they had a full sized one

I’ll check out Scout. I think I looked before and it seemed small

Probably is if you want the full sized. I’d stellantis wasn’t in the crapper I’d recommend checking the Ram Charger. It’s an EREV which means its power train is electric and there is a battery but it also has a V6 which acts as a generator. It’s gonna have some absurd range like 600-700 miles I think?

 

[roykemper]

I've got a 2018 Tesla Model S that I bought new. Love the ride. Absolutely my favorite car to drive that I've owned. Have a charger in my garage which I use to do most of my charging. Gone on a few long trips in the car. As long as you can plan out your day you can usually plan charging stops around when you need to eat or take an extended break. Wish I had one of he newer ones that has 400 mile range as I drive from Greenville, SC to Atlanta pretty often and would be nice to be able to do that without having to charge. I think I'm on my 2nd set of tires in 6 years.

 

[MUSMDawgs]

Probably is if you want the full sized. I’d stellantis wasn’t in the crapper I’d recommend checking the Ram Charger. It’s an EREV which means its power train is electric and there is a battery but it also has a V6 which acts as a generator. It’s gonna have some absurd range like 600-700 miles I think?

Just checked out the Scout Terra, that thing does look really good. I think it’s a full sized too. Probably have to check that one out if my truck makes it another 2 years haha

 

[brimur]

Looking at a Tesla Model Y for the family. Seems like a good deal currently as they are unloading the existing stock ahead of the new release + EV tax credit. Hardly any maintenance cost, low charging cost if you charge at home, not having to hit a gas station again. Seems like a good choice for driving around town or short trips. Honestly just a hesitation at this point because of the different-ness of leaving an ICE vehicle.

Anyone here have one? How has it been?

Yes, as long as you have a class 2 charger at home, it’s a game changer. And EVs drive amazing generally. When you go back to driving a gas car, it feels like driving a lawn mower.

 

[Herrisman35]

Just checked out the Scout Terra, that thing does look really good. I think it’s a full sized too. Probably have to check that one out if my truck makes it another 2 years haha

They’re sick. I almost out a deposit down on one. I love the Rivian but the anxiety of being an early adopter has me wanting to let Scout establish itself first. I think they’re gonna be just fine though.

If I had my druthers I’d drive this R1S until end of warranty, get a slightly used Lightning, then into a Scout.

 

[MUSMDawgs]

They’re sick. I almost out a deposit down on one. I love the Rivian but the anxiety of being an early adopter has me wanting to let Scout establish itself first. I think they’re gonna be just fine though.

If I had my druthers I’d drive this R1S until end of warranty, get a slightly used Lightning, then into a Scout.

My only hold out now is making sure I find the right one and none of the options excite me now, don’t want to take a chance with the depreciation on them so I’d have to hold onto it for 6 years at least I’m thinking

 

[MichiganDawg]

Then you should factor in a battery replacement after 8-9 years. Afterall, how much battery life doesn’t an iPhone 4 have right now?

Would you have kept those long-life cars if you had a $20k engine replacement midway thru.

Absolutely no way would I hold an EV that long….

It's 10 to 13k for the battery replacement, and that's about the only thing you're going to have to do. There are no oil changes, nor any of the million other things you have to do with the combustion engine. Most combustion engines these days require repairs, even after warranty, including all the services you have to do to them to prevent breakdowns, so you're gonna spend half that if you're lucky on a combustion engine. And oh yeah, that's 10 years of not buying gas, which is worth 15-20k by itself.

 

[MichiganDawg]

Yes, as long as you have a class 2 charger at home, it’s a game changer. And EVs drive amazing generally. When you go back to driving a gas car, it feels like driving a lawn mower.

Yeah, I bought the class two charger and it really is a game changer. It wasn't cheap, but it was worth the investment.

 

[SchittyDawg]

Anyone have an electric truck? Not liking options at the moment. Wish they wouldn’t have made the Cybertruck to ugly

I’ve had a Lightning Lariat for a year and it has 20k miles. It is the best truck I’ve had and it’s not close. Had two F150’s before this, a 17’ Lariat and 19’ Limited. The ride is so smooth. The only issue I’ve had is the powered tailgate motor burnt out which happens to the ICE trucks too.

Like a poster before said it’s worth it to get to use the express lane if you often travel through ATL, not to mention the responsiveness and convenience. I have used it 3 times to power the house when we have lost power.

There’s a lot of misinformation out there, & they are not for everyone. It fits my use case b/c I rarely drive over 300 miles round trip and if I do, fast chargers are not hard to find with 2 minutes of research.

 

[ugahairydawgs]

Yeah, I bought the class two charger and it really is a game changer. It wasn't cheap, but it was worth the investment.

Is that this one? Or is the mobile charger also included in that?

 

[Lurk Russell]

Is that this one? Or is the mobile charger also included in that?

I forgot to mention I had a level 2 charger installed at home. The unit was ~$450 + installation. Standard install in my area is about $800 depending on how far your panel is from the charger mount location.

We have a level 1 cable for emergencies that plugs into a standard outlet, but it only gains you 2-4 miles of range per hour. Our level 2 charges at 32 miles per hour. We run it at off peak hours to save $$, so we schedule it to start charging at 10pm and it’s done by 6am or sooner depending on how far we ran the battery down.

 

[MichiganDawg]

Is that this one? Or is the mobile charger also included in that?

Yes, but the real expense is having an electrician out to install it, and that can sometimes require a lot of line fishing depending on where the charger is located relative to your circuit box.

 

[ATLJDawg]

There are a ton of EV options in the market now. Don’t limit what you’re considering as deals can be had everywhere. Checkout https://www.kbb.com/electric-car/

 

[Dawg4Evr]

I bought a 2023 Model Y two years ago and it's an absolutely fantastic vehicle. Some of the naysayers with the negative comments are false and agenda driven. The ride is smooth, incredible acceleration. No oil changes, no transmission fluid checks, no antifreeze, no water pumps or alternator to replace and with regenative braking, brake pads last 10 years. I charge in my garage with a 240 volt outlet. I'm almost at 24K miles. My savings versus gas is close to $2400. My maintenance so far has been $195 which consists of 3 service calls @ $65 each where Tesla comes to my home to rotate tires, inspect and top off the windshield wiper fluid. I typically charge mine to 80% and haven't noticed any battery degradation. I'll probably get 40,000 miles on the tires before changing. For road trips, Tesla has more charging stations than the the all the other types combined. I also bought an adapter so I can charge at the other fast charging stations if needed. The overall engineering and manufacturing process of Tesla is superior. For reference, look at reviews on YouTube from Munro and Associates auto engineering group by Sandy Munro. The Tesla Model Y for the past 2 years has been the number 1 vehicle sold in the world. That's been accomplished without any TV, radio, printed or other media advertising. From a safety standpoint, the NHTSA gives the Tesla Model Y a five star safety rating.

 

[rondawg]

I have been driving electric cars for almost 10 years, and could not be happier. I lease them - they are like iPhones with wheels. The batteries and tech keep evolving and improving, so why invest to purchase the car? They depreciate quickly, and leasing means you also don't have to worry about long-term battery degradation. I had three Telsa Model S's -- loved them all. Moved to the 2nd generation Rivian R1S two months ago and it is already my favorite car that I have ever owned. Super comfortable, incredibly fast and holds a 370 mile charge with ease (and can increase to over 400 miles in "conserve" mode for highway driving).

 

[bakermb]

Looking at a Tesla Model Y for the family. Seems like a good deal currently as they are unloading the existing stock ahead of the new release + EV tax credit. Hardly any maintenance cost, low charging cost if you charge at home, not having to hit a gas station again. Seems like a good choice for driving around town or short trips. Honestly just a hesitation at this point because of the different-ness of leaving an ICE vehicle.

Anyone here have one? How has it been?

Bought a Ford Lightning about 18 months ago & love it. My commute is only about 15 miles so I can go several days on a charge, and got a 240V outlet put into the garage so I just plug it in overnight every few days & it’s fully charged by morning. The cost increase to my power bill is pennies to what I used to pay for gas with my old Dodge.

 

[WestchesterDAWG]

Looking at a Tesla Model Y for the family. Seems like a good deal currently as they are unloading the existing stock ahead of the new release + EV tax credit. Hardly any maintenance cost, low charging cost if you charge at home, not having to hit a gas station again. Seems like a good choice for driving around town or short trips. Honestly just a hesitation at this point because of the different-ness of leaving an ICE vehicle.

Anyone here have one? How has it been?

Tesla, been great, Tesla Model Y is made in Austin too. Just make sure you have the charger and home otherwise you will always be looking for a charger.

 

[bakermb]

Anyone have an electric truck? Not liking options at the moment. Wish they wouldn’t have made the Cybertruck to ugly

The Ford Lightning is fantastic. I've got the XLT with the standard battery which gets around 240 miles on a full charge. You can also get the extended battery which is north of 300 miles, so just depends on your situation but the 240 mile does me fine. Like I mentioned above, I had a Dodge Ram for 15 years & the Lightning is by far the best truck I've ever owned. I almost exclusively charge at home, but on trips I've been able to find fast charging stations in network fairly easy, but a month ago Ford sent me an adapter to charge at Tesla stations which definitely opens up more options as those are more widespread. Haven't had the need to use it yet, though.

 

[RedNBlackNtheDay]

Looking at a Tesla Model Y for the family. Seems like a good deal currently as they are unloading the existing stock ahead of the new release + EV tax credit. Hardly any maintenance cost, low charging cost if you charge at home, not having to hit a gas station again. Seems like a good choice for driving around town or short trips. Honestly just a hesitation at this point because of the different-ness of leaving an ICE vehicle.

Anyone here have one? How has it been?

Just be sure to check your range. In fact, multiply whatever is published by 80%.

It becomes highly impractical to stop and charge for an extra hour (each way) if you get too close on the range.

 

[uga9kelsy]

For some reason there's some kind of stereotype that some folks seem to have with associating EV's with one political party, but for me it's about simple economics & ease. Never having to worry about gas prices, oil changes, radiator blowing out, etc. is my main reason. It's also a heck of a lot cheaper to charge one vs. filling up your gas tank. I have always loved trucks, so being able to drive one but not be at the gas pump once a week has been amazing.

And this propaganda about needing a new battery after 8-10 years when most people get new cars around that time period anyway. The battery degradation has been way over estimated for the most part too.

 

[bakermb]

And this propaganda about needing a new battery after 8-10 years when most people get new cars around that time period anyway. The battery degradation has been way over estimated for the most part too.

Indeed. I'm 18 months into owning mine, but personally haven't noticed any degradation thus far. In fact, Ford has a nice feature on their app to set your departure time the next morning so if you plug it in overnight, it conditions the battery & cabin temperature, and I've actually seen my battery life perform even better since I started doing so a few months ago, particularly when it is cold outside. But yeah, if it came to replacing a battery after 8-10 years as some are claiming, if the cost being reported here doesn't come down I would just be buying another car anyway, not replacing the battery.

 

[MUSMDawgs]

The Ford Lightning is fantastic. I've got the XLT with the standard battery which gets around 240 miles on a full charge. You can also get the extended battery which is north of 300 miles, so just depends on your situation but the 240 mile does me fine. Like I mentioned above, I had a Dodge Ram for 15 years & the Lightning is by far the best truck I've ever owned. I almost exclusively charge at home, but on trips I've been able to find fast charging stations in network fairly easy, but a month ago Ford sent me an adapter to charge at Tesla stations which definitely opens up more options as those are more widespread. Haven't had the need to use it yet, though.

I wish they had an extended battery option that would get 400+ like the others. I just need something that will get me to the beach without a charge haha. That 300 mile range scares me a bit

 

[bakermb]

I wish they had an extended battery option that would get 400+ like the others. I just need something that will get me to the beach without a charge haha. That 300 mile range scares me a bit

It's not a big deal to stop along the way & get a charge. Takes about 20-30 minutes for a full charge at a fast charging station. How often do you drive straight to the beach without stopping typically? You can scout your location ahead of time to charge ahead of time, but the best case scenario for us has been stopping at a Bucees, letting it charge while getting a bite to eat, and by the time we're done there it's got a full charge.

 

[uga9kelsy]

It's not a big deal to stop along the way & get a charge. Takes about 20-30 minutes for a full charge at a fast charging station. How often do you drive straight to the beach without stopping typically? You can scout your location ahead of time to charge ahead of time, but the best case scenario for us has been stopping at a Bucees, letting it charge while getting a bite to eat, and by the time we're done there it's got a full charge.

Wife and I have an EV9 we got in September and have already put 10K miles on it driving all over the southeast. More and more chargers are being built and infrastructure on interstates is mostly easy enough to plan trips for. Most of driving is commuting and around town and level 2 charger at home makes charging not really a thing to worry about.

Like you said, it’s just a little bit of planning ahead of time when you do go on road trips.

 

[Herrisman35]

My only hold out now is making sure I find the right one and none of the options excite me now, don’t want to take a chance with the depreciation on them so I’d have to hold onto it for 6 years at least I’m thinking

Smart way to look at it. The all depreciate like a rock. Leasing isn’t the worst idea but honestly thr best seems to be trying to grab a gently used one. That’s always the case with any car but especially evs. Easy to take advantage of the nerves and lack of comfort on evs in the used market.

 

[SchittyDawg]

Indeed. I'm 18 months into owning mine, but personally haven't noticed any degradation thus far. In fact, Ford has a nice feature on their app to set your departure time the next morning so if you plug it in overnight, it conditions the battery & cabin temperature, and I've actually seen my battery life perform even better since I started doing so a few months ago, particularly when it is cold outside. But yeah, if it came to replacing a battery after 8-10 years as some are claiming, if the cost being reported here doesn't come down I would just be buying another car anyway, not replacing the battery.

I have the extended range and ford actually only gives you 90% of the batteries full capacity. That’s why they tell you to charge to 90% and not 80%. This allows the user to not notice any battery degradation until after 10%. Some nut put 100k on his lightning in one year and the battery tested out at 98%, so they’re reliable.