Your next car?

What fuel will your next car run on?


  • Total voters
    31

Chris_TDI_98

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2012
Location
Hartford, CT
TDI
1998 Jetta TDI 1.9L mk3 1Z AHU
My mk3 might last me til 300K miles. I hope I can get it to last til 500K.

I think we is all pretty much into rides that is easy on the wallet when it comes to fueling up at the pump.

After 2015 Dieselgate, VW is no longer selling diesel vehicles in the US. VW has invested $1 Billion in factories to manufacture the next chapter in transportation starting with the MEB platform a super efficient way to bring 27 EV models to market in 4 years from now. In 2 years you can buy these four VW EVs: the crossover SUV, the sedan, the hatchback, and the mini bus.

Read more here:
https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1118857_vw-plans-27-electric-cars-by-2022-on-new-platform

Has you all taken a minute to think about what your next car will be fueled by?
 
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IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Kind of a no-brainer for me. However, since I currently have six diesel powered cars, the newest with only 10K miles on it, I may never have to buy another car. Doesn't mean I won't.

My big disappointment is the disappearance of manual transmissions.
 

tbones

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2005
Location
Annapolis, Maryland
TDI
1996 Passat wagon tdi, 1991 Corrado TDI (sold)1983 Vanagon 7pass.GL 1.6td 1982 Westy;THE PHOENIX 1.6na(NOW JX/5speed) my partner's 2014 Jetta Sportwagon 6spd manual AND MY NEW TOY/PROJECT... Sunny, a bright yellow 87 syncro Westy with 1Z TDI motor
Agreed! I love to drive my vehicles... NOT have them drive ME! manual sticks are the way to go!
 

My_name_is_Rob

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2012
Location
Mexico 🇲🇽
TDI
2013 A4 Quattro
I voted for Diesel and Gasoline. The electric cars just don't work for me in North America, because I do a lot of road trips, and I like to drive them in a reasonable amount of time. Planning for overnight stops at charging stations can be a hassle. Also the hybrid vehicles do nothing to appeal to me. The ones that I consider reasonable are out of my toy budget.
 

Steve Addy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Location
Iowa
TDI
97 Mk3
VW is no longer selling diesel vehicles in the US....yet. This is unfortunate but maybe not the end of the story. I think they may yet test another diesel in the US, but it won't be badged a TDI, that name is now tainted to some consumers.

They may well return...who knows, but I'm not sure I'm up for that honestly. I'm used to my simple (yet polluting) diesel that does not have a bunch of complicated crap or a bunch of tech that I don't find conducive to car ownership.

Anyway, I'm hoping that I don't have to invest in another car. I have the Mk3 and the wagon and both I think can go at least two to three hundred thousand miles more each. I should be able to get these to the finish line, I hope that's the case anyway.

Steve
 

Matt-98AHU

Loose Nut Behind the Wheel Vendor
Joined
Apr 23, 2006
Location
Gresham, OR
TDI
2001 Golf TDI, 2005 Passat wagon, 2004 Touareg V10.
There's some interesting developments in the hybrid world, that's for sure. I could definitely see some cars with great performance that can also drive reasonable distances on electric-only power, and haul ass in hybrid mode if need be. Kind of get the best of both worlds with range, performance and the ability to do 95% of your driving needs with electricity only.

The current economics make the cost per mile of driving an electric (talking "fuel" cost only) far cheaper than anything else. What liquid fuels have going for them still is their energy density on a per weight basis, but for your average driver, that doesn't mean much.

So, will be interesting to see what develops in the near future. Seeing the technology being developed in F1 and Le Mans prototypes that has very realistic implications for future road cars, things could be pretty exciting in the hybrid realm. And if you were to only have a single vehicle, it would be the one that makes the most sense to be able to do the cheap, electric only driving for the vast majority of your needs, but have diesel-like MPGs at highway speeds as well.

In the more immediate future, I've considered buying a cheap EV like a 500e to cover most of my daily driving needs while keeping a trusty old TDI around for the long distance drives, as there's a huge convenience factor with the range they have, especially if you like driving to relatively remote destinations. Which I have and do.

That all having been said, I will likely at some point have a low cost, second hand full battery electric while maintaining the fleet of diesels for longer trip use.
 

RabbitGTI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 20, 1997
Location
Wisconsin
TDI
B4 Passat Sedan
Golf R for me and Tiguan for the wife. After that whatever ICE hybrid VW ends up selling.
 

El Dobro

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
NJ
TDI
2017 Bolt EV Premier, 2023 Bolt EUV Premier
I went with the Volt, it's the best of both worlds for me. Most of my running around is on the battery and when I take a longer trip, it's on gas.
 

boettj-tdi

Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2010
Location
Wakefield, RI
TDI
2006 VW Jetta
We bought my wife a 2018 Tiguan and the sticker has 27 MPG highway. Our all around average is 31.55 mpg. Just over 7500 miles on it and really love the ride, the mileage, and the overall the vehicle.

For me I don't plan on getting rid of my 06 Jetta TDI. Rather I am considering adding a 19 Ford Ranger 2.3L 4 cylinder EcoBoost to the roster. I have need from time to time for a truck. Not a full size mind you. The EcoBoost paired with their 10 spd automatic should prove to get good gas mileage. Plus heavier loads could be handled with a 1 ton trailer.

This would give me my 45mpg 06 Jetta to run back and forth to work and for softball tournaments on weekends.
 

Abacus

That helpful B4 guy
Joined
Nov 10, 2007
Location
Relocated from Maine to Dewey, AZ
TDI
Only the B4V left
EV's won't work for my lifestyle, and I refuse to modify my lifestyle to fit my car. That's not how it works.

I drove 800 miles over the last 24 hours picking up a new bicycle from 3 states away and then attended the birth of our 5th grandchild in the other direction. I need a car that can refuel in minutes, not hours or days.

I'll always have a TDI, but for the non-hassle factor bought a non-turbocharged Kia Optima. It's a good daily commuter and fits my needs, which includes not having to wrench on it.
 

RabbitGTI

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 20, 1997
Location
Wisconsin
TDI
B4 Passat Sedan
We bought my wife a 2018 Tiguan and the sticker has 27 MPG highway. Our all around average is 31.55 mpg. Just over 7500 miles on it and really love the ride, the mileage, and the overall the vehicle.
For me I don't plan on getting rid of my 06 Jetta TDI. Rather I am considering adding a 19 Ford Ranger 2.3L 4 cylinder EcoBoost to the roster. I have need from time to time for a truck. Not a full size mind you. The EcoBoost paired with their 10 spd automatic should prove to get good gas mileage. Plus heavier loads could be handled with a 1 ton trailer.
This would give me my 45mpg 06 Jetta to run back and forth to work and for softball tournaments on weekends.
Which Tiguan, FWD or AWD? S, SE... Your fuel economy confirms this Car and Driver test https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2018-volkswagen-tiguan-4motion-test-review I'm leaning toward an AWD SE without third row.
 

Chris_TDI_98

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2012
Location
Hartford, CT
TDI
1998 Jetta TDI 1.9L mk3 1Z AHU
I drove 800 miles over the last 24 hours picking up a new bicycle from 3 states away and then attended the birth of our 5th grandchild in the other direction. I need a car that can refuel in minutes, not hours or days.
In case you missed it, VW is installing it 350 kW fast charging networks in the US and Europe, to provide 14 minute full recharge time for all vehicles model year 2020 and newer.
Charge time will be a non-issue.
Stretch your legs, use the bathroom, get a snack, and you’re 100% charged and ready to hit the road again for another 250-300 miles.
References: https://youtu.be/08QxX-4l6J4
https://www.autoblog.com/2018/10/01/audi-e-tron-gt-350-kw-charging/
 

Steve Addy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Location
Iowa
TDI
97 Mk3
In case you missed it, VW is installing it 350 kW fast charging networks in the US and Europe, to provide 14 minute full recharge time for all vehicles model year 2020 and newer.
Charge time will be a non-issue.
Stretch your legs, use the bathroom, get a snack, and you’re 100% charged and ready to hit the road again for another 250-300 miles.
References: https://youtu.be/08QxX-4l6J4
https://www.autoblog.com/2018/10/01/audi-e-tron-gt-350-kw-charging/
That may be but I'm still unwilling to risk the fueling to someone else. About the time you need a recharge is about the time the charging station is broken or out of service for some reason. Or even worse the weather has taken the charging stations down and you're stuck in Indiana with nowhere to go.

Since I don't pay much attention to these, since they're really not suitable for what I want I have no idea what the costs are for a recharge, but you can be sure that at some point it will cost something for you to recharge your car.

My whole problem is that these are only viable in the market right now because the govt is subsidizing their purchase. In fact Tesla as a viable concern is inexorably linked to the govt continuing the subsidy, and in Canada that subsidy was eliminated a short time back. Tesla promptly sued the govt and we have yet to see how that works out. To me it's rather laughable but hey what do I know.

The time for EV's may yet come, I certainly think it's not unreasonable to think they will eventually be in demand, but right now that demand is being generated by a subsidy, that if the subsidy was eliminated would certainly affect sales levels.

I'm not interested in one because, as Abacus said, I'm not willing to modify how I live to accommodate the characteristics of an EV. I need to be able to drive and not have to recharge and sometimes drive all day. I don't want to have to stop for recharge when I'm still 600 miles from home.

And this doesn't even touch on the environmental pollution issue, which I won't bring up here nor does it address repairs and parts costs. Just ask a Prius owner how they like having to buy a completely new battery pack for their car.

With oil prices are where they are right now, and not expected to rise significantly over the next 12 months, I fail to see the EV sales standing on their own two feet. Especially when the most popular vehicles right now are trucks, SUV's and CUV's. In fact Ford announced not long ago that they're discontinuing some sedan manufacturing. It would appear that the only thing people have an appetite for is the truck, so how does that square with the need for us to all drive an EV?

At any rate, when the EV sales can stand on their own without a subsidy then I'll agree that the market has responded appropriately, but until that time I'll just keep driving what I have, besides, I'm really hoping that I won't have to 'invest' (used loosely here) in another car for a long time. And when I read above about someone buying a new Ranger, out of curiosity I went and looked to see what they now cost, and I found that the most expensive Ranger is in excess of $47,000 dollars. To me that's just outrageous.

I can think of a lot better ways of spending $47k (or even $30k) than buying a new truck that does nothing but depreciate...and do so pretty quickly.

rant over...

Steve
 

Chris_TDI_98

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2012
Location
Hartford, CT
TDI
1998 Jetta TDI 1.9L mk3 1Z AHU
That may be but I'm still unwilling to risk the fueling to someone else. About the time you need a recharge is about the time the charging station is broken or out of service for some reason. Or even worse the weather has taken the charging stations down and you're stuck in Indiana with nowhere to go.
1. Get the app “PlugShare” or jump on https://plugshare.com it navigates you to a vast number of free/paid public charging stations, as well as individual residences these people offer you their home charger or outlet to help you get a bit of a charge say 10-20 miles of charge in case you are low and need some juice to make it to a proper public charging station.
2. All gas stations will be adding replacing some of their current fuel pumps, with amazing fast chargers and make income by charging more than the electricity costs them. 15 minutes zero to full 100% battery 250-300 miles range. Already installed in London UK at Royal Dutch Shell stations. Coming to America.

Since I don't pay much attention to these, since they're really not suitable for what I want I have no idea what the costs are for a recharge, but you can be sure that at some point it will cost something for you to recharge your car.
1. Tesla X, S owners get free supercharging for life (this deal is ending real soon).
2. Huge number or free public Level 2 chargers compatible with 99.999% of EV and PHEV. Get the PlugShare app to see where these are around you! Malls hospitals city centers Parking garages hospitals strip malls etc.
3. Cost of electricity varies widely based on which state you’re buying in. Let’s compare a gas car that gets 300 miles per tank of 14 gallons, times $3.50 per gallon, equals $49.00 for your 300 miles on gas.
Our EV gets 300 miles on 64 kWh (Hyundai KONA EV) to 100 kWh (Tesla X or S) “tank” (battery), times between $.06 to $0.20 per kWh, equals $3.84 to $20.00 for 300 miles.
You can also charge your EV overnight for FREE on the stored solar power that your home solar PV panels collected for FREE from the sun during the day, and stored in your house battery (eg PowerWall 2 or DIY PowerWall).

My whole problem is that these are only viable in the market right now because the govt is subsidizing their purchase. In fact Tesla as a viable concern is inexorably linked to the govt continuing the subsidy, and in Canada that subsidy was eliminated a short time back. Tesla promptly sued the govt and we have yet to see how that works out. To me it's rather laughable but hey what do I know.
Read this page it debunks the false claim put forth by the oil industry: “EV needs subsidies and oil doesn’t”.
https://cleantechnica.com/2018/01/2...s-fossil-nuclear-sources-gotten-continue-get/
“In sum, global fossil fuel subsidies reportedly total approximately $5 trillion per year.”
It will be a fair competition when EV industry receives the equal subsidy as the oil and gas industry.
The time for EV's may yet come, I certainly think it's not unreasonable to think they will eventually be in demand, but right now that demand is being generated by a subsidy, that if the subsidy was eliminated would certainly affect sales levels.

I'm not interested in one because, as Abacus said, I'm not willing to modify how I live to accommodate the characteristics of an EV. I need to be able to drive and not have to recharge and sometimes drive all day. I don't want to have to stop for recharge when I'm still 600 miles from home.

And this doesn't even touch on the environmental pollution issue, which I won't bring up here nor does it address repairs and parts costs. Just ask a Prius owner how they like having to buy a completely new battery pack for their car.

With oil prices are where they are right now, and not expected to rise significantly over the next 12 months, I fail to see the EV sales standing on their own two feet. Especially when the most popular vehicles right now are trucks, SUV's and CUV's. In fact Ford announced not long ago that they're discontinuing some sedan manufacturing. It would appear that the only thing people have an appetite for is the truck, so how does that square with the need for us to all drive an EV?

At any rate, when the EV sales can stand on their own without a subsidy then I'll agree that the market has responded appropriately, but until that time I'll just keep driving what I have, besides, I'm really hoping that I won't have to 'invest' (used loosely here) in another car for a long time. And when I read above about someone buying a new Ranger, out of curiosity I went and looked to see what they now cost, and I found that the most expensive Ranger is in excess of $47,000 dollars. To me that's just outrageous.

I can think of a lot better ways of spending $47k (or even $30k) than buying a new truck that does nothing but depreciate...and do so pretty quickly.
1. Batteries in an EV are warrantied and when well engineered with thermal management for heating and cooling the pack, are easily lasting 10 years 100,000 miles.
2. Wholesale cost of a new EV battery pack (75-100 kWh) is about $7,500 to $10,000. Depreciation on the battery is only $750 to $1000 per year. That’s awesome. This is why EVs hold value much better than internal combustion engine (ICE) cars/trucks.
3. SUV EVs and CUV EVs, are already here available to buy now and in high demand. Hybrid Pickup trucks are easy to buy, and more models of every class are coming soon from every automaker.
4. Most major cities and countries are banning the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles by 2020, 2021, 2025, 2030 and 2040.
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_banning_fossil_fuel_vehicles
5. Some huge cities in China and elsewhere already have banned ICE (gas/diesel) vehicles. Why? Pollution from diesel etc causes over 300,000 early death in China alone.
 
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compu_85

Gadget Guy
Joined
Sep 29, 2003
Location
La Conner, WA
TDI
... None :S
I drove 800 miles over the last 24 hours...
We drove 1300 miles last weekend. Only having 110v at my parents place wasn't great, it meant we needed to spend another 45 min or so at the superchargers across a few days driving around Michigan.

-J
 

Steve Addy

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Location
Iowa
TDI
97 Mk3
1. Get the app “PlugShare” or jump on https://plugshare.com it navigates you to a vast number of free/paid public charging stations, as well as individual residences these people offer you their home charger or outlet to help you get a bit of a charge say 10-20 miles of charge in case you are low and need some juice to make it to a proper public charging station.
2. All gas stations will be adding replacing some of their current fuel pumps, with amazing fast chargers and make income by charging more than the electricity costs them. 15 minutes zero to full 100% battery 250-300 miles range. Already installed in London UK at Royal Dutch Shell stations. Coming to America.


1. Tesla X, S owners get free supercharging for life (this deal is ending real soon).
2. Huge number or free public Level 2 chargers compatible with 99.999% of EV and PHEV. Get the PlugShare app to see where these are around you! Malls hospitals city centers Parking garages hospitals strip malls etc.
3. Cost of electricity varies widely based on which state you’re buying in. Let’s compare a gas car that gets 300 miles per tank of 14 gallons, times $3.50 per gallon, equals $49.00 for your 300 miles on gas.
Our EV gets 300 miles on 64 kWh (Hyundai KONA EV) to 100 kWh (Tesla X or S) “tank” (battery), times between $.06 to $0.20 per kWh, equals $3.84 to $20.00 for 300 miles.
You can also charge your EV overnight for FREE on the stored solar power that your home solar PV panels collected for FREE from the sun during the day, and stored in your house battery (eg PowerWall 2 or DIY PowerWall).


Read this page it debunks the false claim put forth by the oil industry: “EV needs subsidies and oil doesn’t”.
https://cleantechnica.com/2018/01/2...s-fossil-nuclear-sources-gotten-continue-get/
“In sum, global fossil fuel subsidies reportedly total approximately $5 trillion per year.”
It will be a fair competition when EV industry receives the equal subsidy as the oil and gas industry.


1. Batteries in an EV are warrantied and when well engineered with thermal management for heating and cooling the pack, are easily lasting 10 years 100,000 miles.
2. Wholesale cost of a new EV battery pack (75-100 kWh) is about $7,500 to $10,000. Depreciation on the battery is only $750 to $1000 per year. That’s awesome. This is why EVs hold value much better than internal combustion engine (ICE) cars/trucks.
3. SUV EVs and CUV EVs, are already here available to buy now and in high demand. Hybrid Pickup trucks are easy to buy, and more models of every class are coming soon from every automaker.
4. Most major cities and countries are banning the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles by 2020, 2021, 2025, 2030 and 2040.
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_banning_fossil_fuel_vehicles
5. Some huge cities in China and elsewhere already have banned ICE (gas/diesel) vehicles. Why? Pollution from diesel etc causes over 300,000 early death in China alone.

I'm not going to go through and debunk every one of your claims, that's a waste of my time, but a lot of that you've written is just industry cheerleading and people carrying water for EV's.

Or, with reference to 4 & 5 just speculation or political trends at the moment. With regard to 5 diesel emissions have never been cleaner, that is unless the country (in this case China) fails to actually have emissions standards for diesel vehicles.

I will say though that it sounds like you're already on the bandwagon so that begs the question as to why you didn't buy one instead of your diesel?

Further, that when you read posts that use the words most, a lot, some, many say that, or some such statements that the origin of the claim tends to be dubious at best.

Honestly, why are you even on tdiclub if you are this much of a fanatic? Your post above is so over the top EV I would tend to think at this point that you're a troll for EV and just joined, like those who joined after the diesel emissions scandal just to ***** and moan, to pump EV's here.

This forum is tdiclub, not EVcentral or some such place.

And finally, I'm not buying one, I wouldn't have one if it was given to me, I'd turn around and sell the damn thing. I don't want to ride around on a 400v battery pack (Tesla) that can explode and / or catch fire and / or turn me in to fried chicken.

Steve
 

Chris_TDI_98

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2012
Location
Hartford, CT
TDI
1998 Jetta TDI 1.9L mk3 1Z AHU
Steve,
Everyone’s free to make a choice about what form of energy - diesel gas EV or PHEV - your next vehicle going to be powered by.
Just sharing information so you can make the best choices for you.
I love my TDI and am sad it might not make it to 500K miles unless I get a welding machine and start replacing the hidden rusted areas.
I’m guided by VW’s and Geemany’s very carefully considered decisions (they’re German and they invented diesel) to dump Diesel engine cars and replace all plans for new TDI cars entirely with the new lower cost clean safe smart MEB EV platform, giving us the ID (golf), ID Crozz (Tiguan crossover suv), ID Buzz (bus/Kombi), and of course the new ID EV names for jetta and passat.
Even if I wanted to buy a TDI in the USA in 2020 I won’t be able to, TDI won’t be available on the dealer lot anywhere anymore.
VW is making its new EV line the low cost affordable 250-300 mile solution for the everyday person, replacing its fuel sipping TDI with these new triple efficient EV.
Pretty much all auto makers are making the switch over.
Because they see how EV is cleaner greener smarter and safer.
I love my TDI and plan to keep my tough reliable TDI (rust scars patched with fresh steel and all) well after I get my VW EV in 2020 or after.
 
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IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
When did you buy your TDI? It doesn't sound like it was in 1998. In 2020 there will still be plenty of used TDIs out there that you'll be able to choose from.

Despite what I do for a living (sell parts for diesel vehicles) I'm not dead set against EVs. My commute may be much shorter in the not-too-distant future, 1.7 miles. I've considered a used Fiat 500 or Mitsubishi EV for that use, as I don't like to make such short trips in a diesel, especially in winter. But I drive lots of other places, too, and there are many circumstances where an EV won't work for me.

And despite what VW or others may say about making EVs "affordable" I don't think any EV product line is profitable right now. They're all subsidized by the government and by the manufacturers. Profitable and reasonably priced are a long ways off. It'll be interesting to see what happens to Tesla sales once the tax credits to purchasers start to go away. https://www.theverge.com/2018/7/12/17563908/tesla-federal-tax-credit-ending-date

A friend of mine recently took delivery on his Model 3. $47K for a small(ish) car with limited utility isn't any bargain, at least not in my world.
 

Chris_TDI_98

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2012
Location
Hartford, CT
TDI
1998 Jetta TDI 1.9L mk3 1Z AHU
For a Model 3 at $47K you pay more up front, from then on your running and maintenance costs are close to zero, and it’s pretty much the safest and overall best rated car out there. And you get all the best brains in the business so you get fully automatic self driving in a few years after regulatory testing and approval.

VW in 2 years is offering ID EV at or below the average new car selling price which is around $35K right now. Minus fed and state incentives equals $24.5K. Why would you ever not get an ID EV. I’m big on 4x lower or zero (when you recharge car off your home solar array) running (fuel/energy) costs and 10x lower maintenance and on this and practically all aspects except refueling time (15 min vs 5 min), EV has ICE beat soundly.
 
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IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
How much would you pay on maintenance on a new car in the first 50K miles? Not a lot. And EVs will wear out suspension, tires, tie rods, etc. just like any car. Not to mention battery life, which seems somewhat variable depending on the EV design.

Not everyone can use the entire federal tax credit, so its value varies. State rebates also vary, if any. And why I wouldn't buy an EV as primary transportation? I regularly drive farther than the best EV's range without stopping for anything. And even more often drive 3x the best EV's range in a day with only rest stops. An EV would, at best, impede my ability to do that. I recently drove to Syracuse to attend a funeral, and back the same day. 340 miles each way from my house. I had driven my Wagon about 100 miles on the fill it had in it when I left, and got there and back without buying fuel. Not having to worry about where or for how long I have to stop is a great freedom to me. I'll stick with ICE, thanks.
 

Matt-98AHU

Loose Nut Behind the Wheel Vendor
Joined
Apr 23, 2006
Location
Gresham, OR
TDI
2001 Golf TDI, 2005 Passat wagon, 2004 Touareg V10.
How much would you pay on maintenance on a new car in the first 50K miles? Not a lot. And EVs will wear out suspension, tires, tie rods, etc. just like any car. Not to mention battery life, which seems somewhat variable depending on the EV design.

Not everyone can use the entire federal tax credit, so its value varies. State rebates also vary, if any. And why I wouldn't buy an EV as primary transportation? I regularly drive farther than the best EV's range without stopping for anything. And even more often drive 3x the best EV's range in a day with only rest stops. An EV would, at best, impede my ability to do that. I recently drove to Syracuse to attend a funeral, and back the same day. 340 miles each way from my house. I had driven my Wagon about 100 miles on the fill it had in it when I left, and got there and back without buying fuel. Not having to worry about where or for how long I have to stop is a great freedom to me. I'll stick with ICE, thanks.
Pretty much how I feel. Until EVs get to the point of being as convenient on long trips as a TDI, they will never be able to fully supplant having one in the fleet.

But for daily driving/short trip duties, the lack of maintenance and overal low cost of operation of an EV are certainly attractive.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
As Mark Twain said, "Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated." First, the article says that Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Nissan, and Toyota say they "will" halt European sales of diesel cars. They're still building them for other markets. And BMW and VW still build many, many diesel cars. There's a rumor that BMW may not sell diesels in NA in 2019, but that's not yet confirmed. It's common knowledge that Porsche never wanted to sell diesels, so their exit is no surprise.

Japanese automakers have never had great success with their diesel cars in Europe, so halting sales there isn't a huge deal. And meantime US automakers are introducing new diesels in NA, including Ford F150, Chevy Silverado 1500, and the Ford Transit Connect.
 
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Chris_TDI_98

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2012
Location
Hartford, CT
TDI
1998 Jetta TDI 1.9L mk3 1Z AHU
Dont get me wrong, I love my TDI and plan to get an arc welder, replace the rusty bits with nice new rustproofed steel, and keep running it to 500K miles or maybe a million.
All the same, sometimes I think, we should be really grateful we have more and more electric cars SUVs and even Semi trucks to choose from, because they don’t have oil changes and don’t use gas and don’t spew any CO2 nor NOx nor other junk. And if a person has zero common sense, they’ll still question which is best, EVs or fossil fuel burning ICE engine vehicles. Just picture a huge pile of oil and gas that one car uses over 10-20 years and belches out into the atmosphere, times a billion gas burning ICE vehicles on the roads of our home planet. Come on people, let’s try harder to keep things more sensible, shouldn’t we? (Differing opinions welcome of course.)
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
You need to do a little more research on the environmental impact of electric and hybrid cars. They're far from squeaky clean. And part of their current low cost per mile is because of tax incentives at purchase and avoiding fuel taxes because electricity isn't subject to road use taxes.

Perhaps we should buy electric, since we're all subsidizing them now with our federal and state tax dollars. Tesla's incentives start winding down soon as they're only allowed for the first 200K cars a company makes. Wonder what that will do to their sales figures.
 

greenskeeper

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 10, 2003
Location
USA
TDI
1998 Jetta TDI
In case you missed it, VW is installing it 350 kW fast charging networks in the US and Europe, to provide 14 minute full recharge time for all vehicles model year 2020 and newer.
Charge time will be a non-issue.
Stretch your legs, use the bathroom, get a snack, and you’re 100% charged and ready to hit the road again for another 250-300 miles.
References: https://youtu.be/08QxX-4l6J4
https://www.autoblog.com/2018/10/01/audi-e-tron-gt-350-kw-charging/
I'm sure Maine is a hotspot for the fast chargers
 
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