Electrify America (VW) Commercial

nwdiver · Aug 23, 2018

gearheadgrrrl said:
You 'lectric car fanboys have forgotten how little power a solar array puts out and how much it takes to charge an electric dependent car. Real cost of solar is around $15/watt after figuring capacity factor, so the typical "sized to the tax write off" home system will give you about a kilowatt. That means after a couple days of sunny weather you'll manage a recharge, assuming your solar array survived. Takes a TDI owner about 10 minutes to pour a couple of 5 gallon cans of diesel in the tank and we're good for another 400 miles!

With a good pro install that's ~$0.065/kWh over 20 years on average. Since an EV gets >3 miles/kWh that's <$0.022/mile. If you're crafty you can DIY your solar array and save >60% lowering the cost per mile to <$0.01/mile; An ICE getting ~50mpg with diesel at $3/gal is ~$0.06/mile. Pretty much no matter how you slice it a solar powered EV is significantly cheaper to fuel than a diesel powered TDI...

For daily charging speed is irrelevant. I've only pulled into my driveway with <20% battery a handful of times. Plug in daily and don't worry

My 10.7kW array produces ~45kWh/day so I'll be set for whatever I need...

compu_85 · Aug 24, 2018

nwdiver said:
...Since an EV gets >3 miles/kWh that's <$0.022/mile.... An ICE getting ~50mpg with diesel at $3/gal is ~$0.06/mile. Pretty much no matter how you slice it a solar powered EV is significantly cheaper to fuel than a diesel powered TDI...

Our Passat cost about $0.08/mile. Because our super cheap off peak electricity it costs about $0.02/mile to drive the Fiat and $0.03 to drive the ELR.

And like you said... the electron tank fills up while we sleep, and is ready when we leave in the morning

The ELR has a "be charged by" feature, so it will finish about 45 minutes before I head out for work.

-J

VeeDubTDI · Aug 24, 2018

turbobrick240 said:
You're really just revealing your ignorance regarding photovoltaic systems. They come in all sizes and capacities. Their up front costs get amortized over a useful life of 25+ years. The og tdi crowd was all about efficiency. Hard to beat the efficiency of photovoltaics and EV's. Like it or not, it's the future.

I couldn't agree more. Well said.

Jetta SS · Aug 30, 2018

My TDI cost me $4000 back in 2003. If I can get an EV and a solar array for around that price, I'd be up for it. Maybe tack on an extra $2000 for inflation.

turbobrick240 · Aug 30, 2018

Jetta SS said:
My TDI cost me $4000 back in 2003. If I can get an EV and a solar array for around that price, I'd be up for it. Maybe tack on an extra $2000 for inflation.

That's not a very fair way to think of cost of ownership unless all of the fuel you've burned was free. Plus oil changes, timing belts, etc..

nwdiver · Aug 31, 2018

turbobrick240 said:
That's not a very fair way to think of cost of ownership unless all of the fuel you've burned was free. Plus oil changes, timing belts, etc..

Yep... O&M would have cost me ~$12k with my Jetta over the last ~5 years especially since it was due for another EGR cooler / valve

But I guess if you never drive your car his point is valid... but then what's the point of having a car?

tikal · Sep 1, 2018

I can envision TDIClub members (and non-members) in the next few years having both an EV and a light duty diesel vehicle in their garages. Problem solved for city driving, highway driving and emergency evacuation driving

nwdiver · Sep 1, 2018

tikal said:
Problem solved for city driving, highway driving and emergency evacuation driving

What's the light duty diesel for?

turbocharged798 · Sep 2, 2018

For when your sitting on the side of the road with a dead EV battery....

john.jackson9213 · Sep 2, 2018

turbocharged798 said:
For when your sitting on the side of the road with a dead EV battery....

That is one of the reasons I leased a 2018 Chevrolet Volt, extended range of the on board generator.

nwdiver · Sep 2, 2018

turbocharged798 said:
For when your sitting on the side of the road with a dead EV battery....

The car does an incredible job of preventing that now. The car calculates how much charge you need to make it where you're going; If you're not gonna make your destination the car will tell you to slow down. Anyone that depletes their battery these days pretty much did it intentionally...

gearheadgrrrl · Sep 2, 2018

The efficiency is there, the problem is the cost.

oldhifi · Sep 2, 2018

Where I work there are several cars plugged in....pretty cool

tikal · Sep 2, 2018

nwdiver said:
What's the light duty diesel for?

In my field of work I consider it 'unlike redundancy' form of transportation.

nwdiver · Sep 3, 2018

tikal said:
In my field of work I consider it 'unlike redundancy' form of transportation.

Do you own an EV for 'unlike redundancy'?

El Dobro · Sep 4, 2018

The commercial is now being played on the radio, too.

compu_85 · Sep 4, 2018

turbocharged798 said:
For when your sitting on the side of the road with a dead EV battery....

We put 2000 miles on our Telsa over the weekend, didn't run out of electrons once

kjclow · Sep 4, 2018

How many times and how long did it take you to recharge in those 2000 miles? When it's time to replace the JSW, we might go electric. That should be in another 4 years or so. Should be a lot more options out there by then.

I keep having the Audi Etron ads pop up in my facebook.

turbobrick240 · Sep 4, 2018

compu_85 said:
We put 2000 miles on our Telsa over the weekend, didn't run out of electrons once

Congrats! I see you guys took delivery of your model 3. Seems like an amazing vehicle from all of the reviews I've read.

tikal · Sep 4, 2018

nwdiver said:
Do you own an EV for 'unlike redundancy'?

When will be the time to retire our 2006 gasoline powered Mazda 5, then our family will definitively consider an EV as a replacement. Probably a used one and preferably with a battery thermal management system.

Rob Mayercik · Sep 5, 2018

nwdiver said:
The car does an incredible job of preventing that now. The car calculates how much charge you need to make it where you're going; If you're not gonna make your destination the car will tell you to slow down. Anyone that depletes their battery these days pretty much did it intentionally...

And how exactly does the car know where you are going? Are you making the assumption that the NAV system (if the car even has one) is programmed for a destination?

GoFaster · Sep 5, 2018

Rob Mayercik said:
And how exactly does the car know where you are going? Are you making the assumption that the NAV system (if the car even has one) is programmed for a destination?

The design intent is that you program your destination. All Teslas have navigation systems built in. It isn't an option - it's standard.

Obviously you don't have to program a destination. If you are going on a familiar trip, or a short trip, and you are starting off with a full charge that will be enough for the trip, or if you know where charging locations are, you can wing it just like you do now.

If you are venturing into unfamiliar territory ... you program your final destination and the car figures out where you need to be charging up. The tech works well ... if you let it.

This isn't unique to Tesla, either.

El Dobro · Sep 6, 2018

The MyChevrolet app keeps track of where you are and shows charging stations in the area.

kjclow · Sep 6, 2018

GoFaster said:
The design intent is that you program your destination. All Teslas have navigation systems built in. It isn't an option - it's standard.

Obviously you don't have to program a destination. If you are going on a familiar trip, or a short trip, and you are starting off with a full charge that will be enough for the trip, or if you know where charging locations are, you can wing it just like you do now.

If you are venturing into unfamiliar territory ... you program your final destination and the car figures out where you need to be charging up. The tech works well ... if you let it.

This isn't unique to Tesla, either.

The nav system in my Ram works similarly. Even for familiar longer trips, I use it to warn me of traffic issues and reroute, if necessary. It also helps find diesel prices. One of the things I really like is that I can look up an address on my phone and then send it to the truck's gps.

nwdiver · Sep 6, 2018

GoFaster said:
The design intent is that you program your destination. All Teslas have navigation systems built in. It isn't an option - it's standard.
Obviously you don't have to program a destination. If you are going on a familiar trip, or a short trip, and you are starting off with a full charge that will be enough for the trip, or if you know where charging locations are, you can wing it just like you do now.
If you are venturing into unfamiliar territory ... you program your final destination and the car figures out where you need to be charging up. The tech works well ... if you let it.
This isn't unique to Tesla, either.

It's even a little more sophisticated than that; I took a trip to South Dakota a few years ago. I had never been and there weren't any superchargers near the border with North Dakota where I was headed. Once I no longer had enough range to reach the last known charging point I got a warning message from the car.

But yes, you do need to tell the car where you're going for it to work properly.

Rob Mayercik · Sep 6, 2018

Ok, so there was an underlying assumption of NAV being programmed. Makes sense when that's in the equation. I have begun using Google Maps on my phone as a traffic monitor myself, so I get that.

nwdiver said:
It's even a little more sophisticated than that; I took a trip to South Dakota a few years ago. I had never been and there weren't any superchargers near the border with North Dakota where I was headed. Once I no longer had enough range to reach the last known charging point I got a warning message from the car.

Um, that warning message seems badly timed - if the nearest charge point is 100 miles away, you don't get a warning until you have only 99 miles or less of range left? Isn't that a bit like not turning on the check engine light until after you throw the rod through the block?

GoFaster · Sep 6, 2018

That's far from the only warning you get ... that's just the "last" one.

The moment you program a destination that is beyond the range of any known charging location, it will complain at you right at that moment before you even begin the trip.

The system does not necessarily know that your brother's house where you are staying overnight has a private Level 2 charger in the garage ...

turbobrick240 · Sep 6, 2018

And those warnings should be a cue to either stop at a charger, or slow down to extend the range.

nwdiver · Sep 6, 2018

Rob Mayercik said:
Um, that warning message seems badly timed - if the nearest charge point is 100 miles away, you don't get a warning until you have only 99 miles or less of range left? Isn't that a bit like not turning on the check engine light until after you throw the rod through the block?

Clumsy phrasing... 'Just enough range to make it to the nearest known charger'. Not nearly as relevant now that there are A LOT more places to charge.

Rob Mayercik · Sep 7, 2018

Ok, thanks for clarifying.

Electrify America (VW) Commercial

Veteran Member

Gadget Guy

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast

Veteran Member

Top Post Dawg

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Top Post Dawg

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Top Post Dawg

Gadget Guy

Top Post Dawg

Top Post Dawg

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Moderator at Large

Top Post Dawg

Top Post Dawg

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Moderator at Large

Top Post Dawg

Veteran Member

Veteran Member