So it seems after reading maybe 15 pages in this thread you folks who buy EVs do it for the convince of charging at home and use it to run errands in the city?
BTW, that dash controls stuff looks horrible to me. Then again, I don't even like my smart phone.
Cheers
Replying to give you my two cents worth because I have much respect for you as a member of the upper-echelon of cruiserheads
Yes, that is generally speaking the use case for most current EV owners. Although you can replace "in the city" with "anywhere within a couple hundred miles round trip." I have driven my car from Denver to Cheyenne and back, for example, and I also take it up skiiing.
Other benefits include:
1) basically zero maintenance (tires and windshield wipers). I've had no mechanical issues in 70k+ so far *knocking on wood*
2) If you're self employed or a contractor and write off your work mileage, EV is a very effective tax hack (at least until the IRS invents a work-around).
3) If you live in a city like Denver, we have Ozone alert days in the summer where we are encouraged to minimize driving, not mow the lawn, etc. It is genuinely dangerous for people with breathing issues. Zero emissions from the vehicle help alleviate that problem, or at the very least, relocate the air pollution to a natural gas powerplant (in my area, your grid may vary) somewhere away from where millions of people are trying to breath.
The use case I describe (~200 mile trips and daily commuting) is the way most EV's are currently used and MUST be used because the only EV's available on the market have been commuter cars or sport/luxury cars. The Rivian is the first example of a widely-available EV designed with camping and 4wheeling in mind. In theory, it can fill the same niche as a land cruiser because it has a 300 mile range, has 4WD, has adequate clearance and cargo space, etc. My 80, by comparison, would be hard pressed to go 240 miles on a single fill-up and that has worked just fine for me to drive to Montana, Wyoming, Utah, wheel and camp all weekend, and do the things one generally does with a LC because there are plenty of gas stations. Once there are plenty of charging stations, an EV like the Rivian can be used in a similar way.
Not saying the Rivian is my cup of tea, it's not really. But if someone like your landlord swapped an E motor and enough batteries into a 60 or 80 to go 250 miles, that is something I would spend good money on.
I also get what you're saying about the visceral experience of a traditional car. I've owned lots of fun cars and like your mustang, my 2nd car as a teenager was a supra turbo
But as I get older, I don't mind a quiet, tame (boring) driving experience as much, with the ability to blow that supra out of the water if the mood strikes.
People who love their cars get defensive about this topic and I guess in California they have good reason. I'm not one of those brainwashed people that think EV's are going to save the world and that I'm doing everyone a favor. I love my gas cars too. If you looked at my house a couple months ago, you would have seen 2 80's and a 200 in the garage, my wife's lexus in the driveway and a tesla on the curb. I have my priorities
Point is, as more and better EV options come out, I think they should have their place among enthusiasts and weekend warriors alongside the traditional cars.
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