The past. The future.

[thunder550]

Off peak is great on the plan I'm on, but we have a $17.50/kw demand charge during the 3-8pm peak period. I've seen as high at 9.5kw, so it adds up quick. Different plans available with higher kwh charges and smaller or no demand charge.

I'm currently waiting for utility approval to turn on the 11.4kw solar with 2 Powerwalls that got installed last month, hoping to have my cheap kwh rates and zero out my monthly demand charges by running on solar+battery from 3-8pm each day.

Back to original topic, I've thought a few times how awesome it would be to start an electric boat conversion company. The performance and range would have to be there...none of this cruise at 20mph for 30 min crap. I'd say 45 mph minimum, 55-60 ideal, and be able to run as long as an equivalent boat with at least a 40 gallon tank could run.

Trickle charging on 120v would be ok for 99% of the recreational boats out there that sit for days or weeks at a time, so no worries about charging for the most part. Could be a fun business to be in.

[Krob1114]

I have a friend with an electric car, great around town commuter car, but I laugh when he has to plan his trips around charging stations. Dont also forget these are not just pull up and 5 minutes later your off and running its 4 hours minimum. What happens on Grapevine hill when a snowstorm closes the pass for 4-6 hours and you have all these cars at lower elevation with dead batteries from running the air conditioner?
Secondly these greenies think this electric is scot-free environmental wise.... maybe thats for another forum

LOL.

Here's what I just heard you say:

"These people and their new-fangled automobiles! What are they going to do when they run out of gasoline in the middle of a trip?! My horse can just wander off the side of the road and eat some grass and then I'll be good to go again! And air in the tires?! That's a flat waiting to happen! I'll take my wooden wagon wheels every time, man."

- Mark

I expected that to be signed, Mark Twain

Good humor.

[Krob1114]

I had a customer with a Tesla who would drive from Biringham to a Tunica, Mississippi casino, park and recharge. One day he missed a turn, went out of his way a little, and car stopped one mile away. Cost him a lot...but I don't know what his "a lot" is. It's all relative.

[thunder550]

I had a customer with a Tesla who would drive from Biringham to a Tunica, Mississippi casino, park and recharge. One day he missed a turn, went out of his way a little, and car stopped one mile away. Cost him a lot...but I don't know what his "a lot" is. It's all relative.

Wind direction, driving speed, temperature, moisture on pavement, etc all impact range. Planning to show up with so little reserve that you can't miss a turn is just bad planning.

[Big Block Power]

Off peak is great on the plan I'm on, but we have a $17.50/kw demand charge during the 3-8pm peak period. I've seen as high at 9.5kw, so it adds up quick. Different plans available with higher kwh charges and smaller or no demand charge.

I'm currently waiting for utility approval to turn on the 11.4kw solar with 2 Powerwalls that got installed last month, hoping to have my cheap kwh rates and zero out my monthly demand charges by running on solar+battery from 3-8pm each day.

Back to original topic, I've thought a few times how awesome it would be to start an electric boat conversion company. The performance and range would have to be there...none of this cruise at 20mph for 30 min crap. I'd say 45 mph minimum, 55-60 ideal, and be able to run as long as an equivalent boat with at least a 40 gallon tank could run.

Trickle charging on 120v would be ok for 99% of the recreational boats out there that sit for days or weeks at a time, so no worries about charging for the most part. Could be a fun business to be in.

I'm in. You have the T5billion to put down on it.

[thunder550]

I'm in. You have the T5billion to put down on it.

We don't need a loan! Just need to intercept a container full of AA batteries and make it disappear

We can start the business up at TRL and work through the summer (as long as it's inside with A/C), then come back to Phx in the winter and work here

[Big Block Power]

I'm in. You have the T5billion to put down on it.

We don't need a loan! Just need to intercept a container full of AA batteries and make it disappear

We can start the business up at TRL and work through the summer (as long as it's inside with A/C), then come back to Phx in the winter and work here

Sounds like you've been thinking a bit about this. I think they're container ships on there side somewhere over by beruit. Lol
Never know what you can find in those ships or warehouses.

[mdadgar]

I'm currently waiting for utility approval to turn on the 11.4kw solar with 2 Powerwalls that got installed last month, hoping to have my cheap kwh rates and zero out my monthly demand charges by running on solar+battery from 3-8pm each day.

I ordered a PowerWall from Tesla last October. Still waiting. I need to go find a 3rd-party installer and just get it done before PG&E starts turning off the power again this fall.

- Mark

[MnLakeBum]

I have a friend with an electric car, great around town commuter car, but I laugh when he has to plan his trips around charging stations. Dont also forget these are not just pull up and 5 minutes later your off and running its 4 hours minimum. What happens on Grapevine hill when a snowstorm closes the pass for 4-6 hours and you have all these cars at lower elevation with dead batteries from running the air conditioner?
Secondly these greenies think this electric is scot-free environmental wise.... maybe thats for another forum

Most of us who own an electric car have another ICE vehicle or two. In our case a gas powered Audi and a diesel Range Rover with 580 miles of highway range. I have 107,000 miles on our 2015 Tesla Model S and have so far only had $400 in repair and maintenance costs along with about $14,000 in fuel savings. If I drove an ICE sport sedan with similar performance such an M5 or AMG Mercedes, I’m sure my cost of ownership over the last 5 years would have been at least $35,000 higher than the Tesla. I haven’t driven over more than 150 miles in a day more than once or twice in the last year and only once where range on the Tesla forced me to take the Range Rover. The new Model S is rated at 402 miles of range which for speed demons like me who often set the cruise control at 15+ mph over the limit, works out to 335 miles of actual range, about the same as our Audi. I’ll likely buy another electric car when it’s time to get rid of my Model S as the instant torque and sub 4 second 0-60 time is something I now can’t live without. It’s like have twin big block V8’s on a a 28 foot Cobalt!

[dustinm]

I have a friend with an electric car, great around town commuter car, but I laugh when he has to plan his trips around charging stations. Dont also forget these are not just pull up and 5 minutes later your off and running its 4 hours minimum. What happens on Grapevine hill when a snowstorm closes the pass for 4-6 hours and you have all these cars at lower elevation with dead batteries from running the air conditioner?
Secondly these greenies think this electric is scot-free environmental wise.... maybe thats for another forum

Most of us who own an electric car have another ICE vehicle or two. In our case a gas powered Audi and a diesel Range Rover with 580 miles of highway range. I have 107,000 miles on our 2015 Tesla Model S and have so far only had $400 in repair and maintenance costs along with about $14,000 in fuel savings. If I drove an ICE sport sedan with similar performance such an M5 or AMG Mercedes, I’m sure my cost of ownership over the last 5 years would have been at least $35,000 higher than the Tesla. I haven’t driven over more than 150 miles in a day more than once or twice in the last year and only once where range on the Tesla forced me to take the Range Rover. The new Model S is rated at 402 miles of range which for speed demons like me who often set the cruise control at 15+ mph over the limit, works out to 335 miles of actual range, about the same as our Audi. I’ll likely buy another electric car when it’s time to get rid of my Model S as the instant torque and sub 4 second 0-60 time is something I now can’t live without. It’s like have twin big block V8’s on a a 28 foot Cobalt!

Or if you chose a Chevy SS or Charger RT of the same year you would be sitting at $30k less right now (wife has a 15 and zero extra besides gas and oil changes). We dont live in a metro area so our trips are either 20 miles round trip or around 300 and I dont like to drive on the bottom side of the tank/battery. And whats holding up the electric car market right now? Tax breaks and without them the cars would not be viable. How much would those add back to the price and not just the one you got at purchase. I dont mind new venues for fuels but when the government is holding up two of the three legs its never good.

The Tesla S are quick no doubt about that. I ran against on on family fun day at the track a few years ago. It was just gone at green and if I remember ran an 11.6 on super hot and high humidity day, everyone else was probably running a .5 sec slower than their normal. That was the first time I had ever seen one.

[thunder550]

Tax breaks and without them the cars would not be viable.

Tax breaks are long gone for Tesla. Still selling everything they can build.

I used to hot rod GM trucks (turbo 408 stroker in an extended cab 4wd that ran low 11s on the strip, and a Duramax swapped 1500), had some of the fun late model Pontiacs/Holdens, and a 2016 BMW 340i that I took to the track several times. Took a test drive in a Model 3 Performance and was hooked...most fun car I've ever driven. As long as they keep building EVs like this I'll never go back.

[thunder550]

I ordered a PowerWall from Tesla last October. Still waiting. I need to go find a 3rd-party installer and just get it done before PG&E starts turning off the power again this fall.

- Mark

That's frustrating. I ordered end of April, they did installation mid July, passed inspection 2 weeks ago and now just waiting for PTO. I wonder what the hold up is on yours?