A little question about electric cars

[Snowbound]

I'd rather focus on the positive instead of being a grouchy penny-pinching negative Nancy.

Electric cars are awesome. We need more infrastructure for them.

Being realistic is not being negative. They are a viable solution for urban centers, but not for rural people. Try to drive to Vancouver or Calgary in one in the winter time and let me know how that works out for you.

You gonna stop every 200km and recharge the batteries for up to 9 hours?

[tabanner]

I'd rather focus on the positive instead of being a grouchy penny-pinching negative Nancy.

Electric cars are awesome. We need more infrastructure for them.

Being realistic is not being negative. They are a viable solution for urban centers, but not for rural people. Try to drive to Vancouver or Calgary in one in the winter time and let me know how that works out for you.

You gonna stop every 200km and recharge the batteries for up to 9 hours?

It's unfortunate so few people know how far electric cars are going on a charge, how long it takes to recharge, that you can recharge during off peak hours, etc. Or that if you do go to the hospital, for example, the electric spot is 95% of the time taken up by a gas vehicle. lol

[Jlabute]

Special parking spots for electric vehicles? So not much difference between being handicapped and owning an electric car?

[GordonH]

Special parking spots for electric vehicles? So not much difference between being handicapped and owning an electric car?

I walk by KGH on many of my walks, there is a spot along Pandosy for EV to plug in. I don't recall a posted sign saying EV only parking (even so, there is no way of towing a vehicle away from that spot). I haven't looked at the spots in the parkade though.

Its the empty spot in the following link:
https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.8733129, ... 312!8i6656

[Even Steven]

They are a viable solution for urban centers, but not for rural people.

Here's a newsflash - nobody is forcing you to buy one.

If old grumpy people who complain about everything new (or rural people as you call them) want to stick to gas vehicles and shake fists at evil electric technology - they can.

[Urban Cowboy]

Special parking spots for electric vehicles? So not much difference between being handicapped and owning an electric car?

I walk by KGH on many of my walks, there is a spot along Pandosy for EV to plug in. I don't recall a posted sign saying EV only parking (even so, there is no way of towing a vehicle away from that spot). I haven't looked at the spots in the parkade though.

Its the empty spot in the following link:
https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.8733129, ... 312!8i6656

The spots in the parkade are marked for EV's only, not that doing so prevents some from disregarding such directive anyway.

[GordonH]

I walk by KGH on many of my walks, there is a spot along Pandosy for EV to plug in. I don't recall a posted sign saying EV only parking (even so, there is no way of towing a vehicle away from that spot). I haven't looked at the spots in the parkade though.

Its the empty spot in the following link:
https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.8733129, ... 312!8i6656

The spots in the parkade are marked for EV's only, not that doing so prevents some from disregarding such directive anyway.

Especially knowing at times the total lack of spaces to park, hence KGH parking problems.

[Urban Cowboy]

Yes indeed, I've had to go on a call there a few times, where I spent more time trying to find parking, than actually doing my work.

They could definitely use another parkade. Local homeowners would probably be happy about that too.

[lesliepaul]

Special parking spots for electric vehicles? So not much difference between being handicapped and owning an electric car?

COULD NOT HAVE IMPLIED THE OBVIOUS AS WELL AS THIS!

Every person I know who has an "all electric" car HAS a second NORMAL gas powered vehicle to ensure dependability in their lives.

[GordonH]

Special parking spots for electric vehicles? So not much difference between being handicapped and owning an electric car?

COULD NOT HAVE IMPLIED THE OBVIOUS AS WELL AS THIS!

Every person I know who has an "all electric" car HAS a second NORMAL gas powered vehicle to ensure dependability in their lives.

This is why I will not be purchasing EV, I have absolutely no need for 2 vehicles. When I do purchase it will be Fuel-cell (absolutely no need for charging), only once the hydrogen stations are in place.

[terb]

My wife and I own an electric Vehicle (not a fancy Tesla, though I would love one of those). My wife primarily uses it as her daily commuter, only needing to charge it once every 2 or 3 or 4 days. We have a lvl 2 charger installed at home, and it costs us in the neighborhood of $17 - $25 a month in electricity. We absolutely love it.

Yes it does use more energy in cold weather, but nothing that is not easily manageable.

Yes we do plug it in when we get home(when it needs a charge), and this may be a peek times, but when the electric company's implement time of use billing, both the car and the charger have options to delay or set a time to charge, so we will be able to easily avoid peek electrical times.

I have used public chargers, and currently many of them are free, but I certainly don't expect that to last. It's an added incentive currently to get an electric.

Our 2016 Nissan Leaf is rated for aprox 175km on a single charge. We have never been very close to running it to 0%. We do plan on taking out first trip to Vancouver with it soon, and it will take a bit longer to get there because we will have to stop a couple times to charge, but with public lvl 3 fast chargers out there, we can top up our charge from low percentages to close to 90% in relatively short period of time (20-30 min). Your talking about a extra coffee or lunch break.

We do currently still have a ICE (internal combustion engine) car, but are looking forward to changing that to an electric vehicle sometime in the near future. Who would not like to be able to just ignore the trials and tribulations of gas prices.

[Jflem1983]

My wife and I own an electric Vehicle (not a fancy Tesla, though I would love one of those). My wife primarily uses it as her daily commuter, only needing to charge it once every 2 or 3 or 4 days. We have a lvl 2 charger installed at home, and it costs us in the neighborhood of $17 - $25 a month in electricity. We absolutely love it.

Yes it does use more energy in cold weather, but nothing that is not easily manageable.

Yes we do plug it in when we get home(when it needs a charge), and this may be a peek times, but when the electric company's implement time of use billing, both the car and the charger have options to delay or set a time to charge, so we will be able to easily avoid peek electrical times.

I have used public chargers, and currently many of them are free, but I certainly don't expect that to last. It's an added incentive currently to get an electric.

Our 2016 Nissan Leaf is rated for aprox 175km on a single charge. We have never been very close to running it to 0%. We do plan on taking out first trip to Vancouver with it soon, and it will take a bit longer to get there because we will have to stop a couple times to charge, but with public lvl 3 fast chargers out there, we can top up our charge from low percentages to close to 90% in relatively short period of time (20-30 min). Your talking about a extra coffee or lunch break.

We do currently still have a ICE (internal combustion engine) car, but are looking forward to changing that to an electric vehicle sometime in the near future. Who would not like to be able to just ignore the trials and tribulations of gas prices.

175 km range is perfect if u stay in town. For a commuter car that is ideal. More than enough. Thats 110 miles . Plenty for daily use.

No good for out of town travel. However i think in 10 years they will be close

[AlienSoldier]

most developments in vehicles and fuels is based around the theory that one source of energy should not rule all forms of transportation. It’s how Gas companies have gotten to where they are and why people feel chained to them. Most major cities are testing multiple technologies at the same time and adopting different technologies for different areas of their service. Example, busses that are hybrid or run on CNG similar with certain trucks, cars that run on gas, diesel, hydrogen and electric. This allows flexibility for people to switch from one form to another that they prefer.

The same also goes for building infrastructure, currently the infrastructure demands are there but there is no incentive for gas companies to switch over and sell other fuels. Small businesses need support to set up and take the larger risk and that is what the government is pushing to do. In the end it will be good for the consumer and potentially disruptive for single energy source companies.

I have An electric vehicle. 90% of my driving is within 200km (work, groceries, entertainment, etc). For the other 10% you can easily rent a vehicle or use a secondary vehicle. It literally means I rent 3 or 4 times a year when I have to go far north or south. It also means less mileage on my own personal vehicle and less maintenance on it.

[Jlabute]

What's going to happen with the mountains of worn out batteries? How are electric cars going to keep passengers warm inside in the dead of winter without draining a the batteries?

I think most if not all electric vehicles these days have a battery temperature management system so in cold weather, battery capacity is used to keep the battery warmer, and in hot weather, the batteries are cooled. A hot lithium battery is explosive. This has the potential to drain your battery over time so you probably wouldn’t park your car at an airport parking lot for two weeks. Passenger heating certainly takes a chunk of power too, but perhaps around 3 or 4 kWh which is 10% of a full battery, per hour.

The 2018 leaf is better with a 243km range. The $5,000 incentive is paid for by everyone in the form of carbon tax. Without any incentive, I wouldn’t see myself getting one, since it is north of $40,000 for the base model with taxes, etc.
http://www.nissan.ca/content/dam/nissan/ca/request-brochure/en/2018/pdf/2018-nissan-nissan-leaf-en.pdf

In Ontario, or anywhere, Tesla buyers will not have their $14,000 incentive any longer. That’s like 9 years of free fuel if you have a gas vehicle.
https://electrek.co/2018/03/10/tesla-loses-ontario-electric-car-incentive/

Either way, the reason to buy an electric vehicle is what? They are green, or cheaper in the long run? All of which is debatable since a gas vehicle can be had for $10,000 new, and lithium battery production is equivalent to 4 to 8 years of driving a gas vehicle.



If battery temperature is not managed well, you can have issues.

“Battery capacity loss - Nissan Leaf
In May 2012, several U.S. owners reported seeing only 11 of 12 battery capacity bars on the in-car display which led them to believe they had lost some battery capacity. As time went on, more people reported seeing the issue, and some had lost two, three, and even in rare cases, four battery capacity bars. The battery capacity loss problem seems to be concentrated in regions with hot climate, and Phoenix, Arizona and the state of Texas in particular. In July 2012, Nissan responded by saying they were investigating the issue, and a carmaker spokesman also said that "the problem is isolated to maybe 0.3 percent of the 13,000 Leafs on U.S. roads, and the company reportedly has loaned cars to some Leaf owners in Arizona as it researches the issue." This is equivalent to around 40 vehicles have experienced a loss of any battery capacity bars.”

[AlienSoldier]

What's going to happen with the mountains of worn out batteries? How are electric cars going to keep passengers warm inside in the dead of winter without draining a the batteries?

I think most if not all electric vehicles these days have a battery temperature management system so in cold weather, battery capacity is used to keep the battery warmer, and in hot weather, the batteries are cooled. A hot lithium battery is explosive. This has the potential to drain your battery over time so you probably wouldn’t park your car at an airport parking lot for two weeks. Passenger heating certainly takes a chunk of power too, but perhaps around 3 or 4 kWh which is 10% of a full battery, per hour.

The 2018 leaf is better with a 243km range. The $5,000 incentive is paid for by everyone in the form of carbon tax. Without any incentive, I wouldn’t see myself getting one, since it is north of $40,000 for the base model with taxes, etc.
http://www.nissan.ca/content/dam/nissan/ca/request-brochure/en/2018/pdf/2018-nissan-nissan-leaf-en.pdf

In Ontario, or anywhere, Tesla buyers will not have their $14,000 incentive any longer. That’s like 9 years of free fuel if you have a gas vehicle.
https://electrek.co/2018/03/10/tesla-loses-ontario-electric-car-incentive/

Either way, the reason to buy an electric vehicle is what? They are green, or cheaper in the long run? All of which is debatable since a gas vehicle can be had for $10,000 new, and lithium battery production is equivalent to 4 to 8 years of driving a gas vehicle.



If battery temperature is not managed well, you can have issues.

“Battery capacity loss - Nissan Leaf
In May 2012, several U.S. owners reported seeing only 11 of 12 battery capacity bars on the in-car display which led them to believe they had lost some battery capacity. As time went on, more people reported seeing the issue, and some had lost two, three, and even in rare cases, four battery capacity bars. The battery capacity loss problem seems to be concentrated in regions with hot climate, and Phoenix, Arizona and the state of Texas in particular. In July 2012, Nissan responded by saying they were investigating the issue, and a carmaker spokesman also said that "the problem is isolated to maybe 0.3 percent of the 13,000 Leafs on U.S. roads, and the company reportedly has loaned cars to some Leaf owners in Arizona as it researches the issue." This is equivalent to around 40 vehicles have experienced a loss of any battery capacity bars.”

Electric vehicles are very competitive when you look at full life cycle costs. No more oil changes, fewer than 50 mincing parts compared to 1000+ on a regular moving parts. Yes battery issues are a thing but they are being worked out, 10 years from now it will not be an issue. On top of this level 3 charging stations can now charge your vehicle to over 80% in less than 30 minutes. Infrastructure costs for hydro companies are still an issue but those too will be dealt with eventually.