Made the Move to Tesla

beeeerock said:

After 15 years of driving diesel - 2 Jettas, a Passat, two A3's and a M-B E-Class - I packed it all in three months ago to try driving carbon-free. The list of reasons why I bought my Tesla is long, but it really boils down to one thing - doing the right thing for my kids. Yes, 'climate change'. Believe it or deny it as you will, the transition to renewable will have to come eventually. I've chosen to do it now.
Happily, the transition has been painless and in fact, enjoyable.
When I moved from gasoline to diesel, I realized I could never go back (and I didn't). The move to pure electric has been the same sort of revelation. I couldn't go back to the ICE now either. My Alfa is up for sale now too.
I'm not posting this to be a dick. If you're reading this, it's because you're a car person and can likely appreciate almost every car at one level or another. That's me as well. I'm posting, because as car people you all deserve to take a drive in a Tesla to see what is possible. I thought they were just for tree-huggers - turns out, they're pretty frickin' awesome too.

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That's cool. I made a change of careers into manufacturing of solar mirrors for CSP/CST/CPV. As soon as Tesla builds a car that we can afford, I'll shop for one. What with paying off our current home, saving to buy our next home, and saving for our retirement, we can't spare $90K for ONE vehicle. I'm currently eyeing a used Chevy Volt ($9,900 with 54K miles) or an E320 CDI or a 335D to replace my car. But even that's hard to justify, as it is a paid-for, still running, perfectly fine commuter car. Not very comfortable for highway trips, but PAID FOR.

Anyhow, motor on and have fun. I'm working hard with colleagues to deliver you even more clean solar power. Don't believe all the canard arguments tossed out. Coal is on it's way out. It's a lot less than 50% of power generation in US. That notion changed a lot in just the past five years. Solar is now the cheapest form of electric energy for new installations.

I stopped at the supermarket this morning and when I was walking in a black Audi A6 TDI rolled by. I'd buy that over a Tesla in a heartbeat. Price difference would allow me to include an extended service plan if I felt the need. What a beautiful car.

On my 96 B4 I had to replace an injection pump, clutch, injector nozzles, and fix the blend doors around the 300k mile mark. It was expensive, but not as expensive as replacing a battery pac in an EV. I was planning to drive the car to at least 500k miles. I sold my trusty B4 at around 375k miles, not because of lack of parts but because of recurring rust. The car is enjoying its new home in AZ where it will enjoy out its years in a rust free environment.

Will an EV last 300k miles before one has to spend money on major repairs?

john.jackson9213 said:

It is true, the B4V does not need any of those expensive fixes. But keeping a near 20 year old VW in decent condition is not cheap. Especially when so many parts have been discontinued and are out of production. I quit tracking what it was costing me to keep the car running years ago. But July was a $495 wheel bearing gone bad repair. This month (early) it is a steering rack leak repair (Firestone wanted $1K - but they are incompetent thieves). Will still cost me $375 for a rebuilt rack and installation. Want to guess what it will cost me to replace the pealing factory clear coat? About the same as a battery pack.

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john.jackson9213 said:

Solar is fine. And it is fueled by tax policy. But you/we still need the grid to act as your storage battery.

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So far this is true, but if Tesla gets traction with its battery packs it could change. Right now domestic solar won't work without net metering. It doesn't matter when you charge the car, you're always taking power from the grid, you're just putting it back sometimes, too.

I'm not a carbon footprint guy or a hyper mileage guy and lord knows I'm not cheap/frugal when it comes to spending money on my VW

I'm a technology guy. I love it. But, I'd like to stop paying for diesel as well.

Here and on the documentary "Revenge of the Electric Car" 2011 they basically say as the grid gets cleaner so does the electric car. And that's the only vehicle that can make that claim.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=424&v=aAI2vyzroLI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkRIu5a6Sb0

JSWTDI09 said:

How much of the electric power in BC comes from coal? I know in the US about half of all electricity is generated by burning coal (more in some areas). I know much electricity in eastern Canada comes from Hydro in Quebec. Does all that Hydro power make it to BC or are you powered by other sources?

....


Have Fun!

Don

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In BC (where the OP lives) 95% of the power is from hydroelectric sources:
https://www.bchydro.com/energy-in-bc/our_system.html

BKmetz said:

Will an EV last 300k miles before one has to spend money on major repairs?

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the systems are a lot simpler, and a few of these cars are over-engineered.

it sounds like there are plenty of used, functional battery pack parts from early hybrids, and a market for them , so the same logic should apply for BEVs.

but a BEV is a better match for daily driving around town, not for the long road trips which I suspect are a larger part of the life of a 300k mile car.

I have driven a 2015 Tesla Model S P85. It is an amazing car and an absolute blast to drive. I have not had a chance to drive the P85+ version or the "insane mode" dual-motor P85D version yet. Now Tesla offers an upgraded version of the P85D version which offers "ludicrous mode" that blows insane mode away. 0-60 in 2.8 seconds in ludicrous mode.

A friend of mine in VT owns a Tesla Model S P85 and drives almost as much as I do. It is by far the best car he has ever owned. I've been a passenger in it several times. He went straight from guzzling gasoline to BEV and swears he is never going back to anything running on fossil fuels.

Regular long trips are not a problem. Range on a full charge is around 265 miles and is a bit on the conservative side. YMMV. A day trip from VT to Boston and back is not a problem either. He has driven it from VT to FL and back several times over the past 2 years. He finds more charging stations have come online each time he does the trip. Usage is FREE. Charge time to 80% at one of these stations takes 20 minutes. Another 20 minutes will top it off to 100%. Charging voltage IIRC is around 400V DC and charge current peaks at close to 400 Amps. The fast charger connects directly to the car's 375V battery bus. There are restaurants and other businesses located nearby so it's a good time to take a break from driving and grab some dinner and take care of some shopping while tanking up on electrons.

He has solar capability at his house and feeds electricity he doesn't use back into the grid. With all the power he uses for his home and business at home and charging his Tesla, his electric bill for last month was a whopping $-46.

I'm not ready to own a Tesla yet but agree it's an amazing car. I'm holding onto my Tesla stock (TSLA) for the long term. I was actually the catalyst for my friend to get the Tesla Model S because my ordering my 535d in July 2013 got him also interested in a BMW diesel but then he also looked around and checked out Tesla. The Tesla fits his particular usage better than it does for me right now.

If you get an opportunity to test drive a Tesla, all I can say is DO IT!!!!

Hey beeeerock, would you still consider a Tesla if it was not possible to charge it at home?

Here in Vancouver a house costs two million dollars, so I just live in a condo. Can't install a charging station here.

That's one of the main things stopping me from ever considering an electric car. If I can't charge it at home, I don't want it.

Also, when too many people start driving them, our greedy politicians will have their grubby paws in our pockets with new road tolls and things to make up for the loss of fuel tax revenue. Electric cars may save a few bucks in the short term but one way or another they'll end up costing the same to drive. If you don't buy fuel and pay tax then they'll just take it right out of your pocket.

S2000_guy said:

So, can I assume that you are showing leadership by advocating for wind turbines in your own back yard? Or are you one of those who want to do unto others as you would never allow others to do unto you? What kind of person are you?

Inquiring minds want to know.

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My urban lot that I actually own is FAR too small for this to ever happen. But if I lived in a rural area, having a wind turbine in my back yard would not trouble me in the slightest.

Here is the thing I would like to ask those who are against renewable energy. You complain about how electricity is being generated ... Fine. Off goes the main disconnect switch. No more electricity magically coming from someplace else. You want the light in your house to come on when you flick the switch then select the means of generation that you wish to have in your back yard. No matter where we put it, it is always going to be in SOMEONE's back yard. Might as well be yours.

Do you want:
- A wind turbine that might make a little bit of sound. You can still use the land around it to grow your food.
- Solar photovoltaic - but you've covered up the land area that you were using to grow your food.
- Hydroelectric. Your back yard just got flooded completely.
- A natural gas fired plant. The cooling tower fans make more noise than the wind turbine, you have to breathe a bit of whatever comes out the stack ... but the natural gas is coming from "fracking" underneath your property, and it is alleged that this might contaminate your drinking water or do whatever other manner of ails that the "greenies" say it does and are against. If "fracking" gets banned for environmental reasons then your lights go out - permanently.
- A nuclear plant. Everyone entering or leaving your property is wearing a funny little badge, and there's a big procedure manual with big scary words about what might happen if something goes wrong inside that big concrete building over there with the big funny symbols on signs all around it.
- A coal fired plant. The cooling tower fans make more noise than the wind turbine, you have to breathe a bit of whatever comes out the stack. The coal is being mined underneath your property by people who come out covered in black, there's a huge black pile with heavy equipment driving around all the time, and, at least according to some people, the weather keeps getting hotter - and hotter - and hotter - year after year.

There is no free lunch.

I'll take the wind turbine.

From Daimler.
http://www.autoblog.com/2015/07/30/daimler-emerge2-test-proves-ignorance-breeds-dislike-of-evs/

GoFaster,

I think you missed my point.

Would you want a wind farm, with many turbines generating electricity for the grid, next door?

Oh, wait, you already said that your city lot means that wind farms belong in someone else's back yard. You consume it, someone else has to live with it...

S2000_guy said:

GoFaster,

I think you missed my point.

Would you want a wind farm, with many turbines generating electricity for the grid, next door?

Oh, wait, you already said that your city lot means that wind farms belong in someone else's back yard. You consume it, someone else has to live with it...

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I did not miss your point. I already said that IF I lived in a rural area, it would not trouble me one bit to have windmills in the vicinity.

Do I have to apologize for being a city dweller ... ? ? ?

Brian:

The solar photovoltaic and solar thermal power plants are build where no houses are and it's too hot and usually arid to grow food either. Largely useless land.

Oh, and to the others bringing up the whole tax canard: now tell me how much federal aid, direct and indirect subsidies coal and petroleum have received?

Trillions! Our military is 10X larger than a nation our size needs, largely to project power to countries where the oil is. If you paid at the pump instead of the tax man, you'd be outraged.

Gibby said:

Congrats on a sweet ride, but carbon free. If you plug her on chances are some coal was burnt along the way.

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If you sign up for http://www.bullfrogpower.com/ you can pay a little extra for your electricity and have it come from 100% renewable sources.

nicklockard said:

Brian:

The solar photovoltaic and solar thermal power plants are build where no houses are and it's too hot and usually arid to grow food either. Largely useless land.

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Perhaps in Arizona the solar plants are built in arid areas, but here in Ontario, what few solar plants there are, are built on farmland!

Wind turbines are more viable here. There is almost constant wind near the shorelines of the Great Lakes, and for that matter, offshore in the Great Lakes themselves. Farmland in southwestern Ontario is dotted with them. The farms continue to operate around them.

Due to transmission costs, it is not viable to generate electricity in the Nevada desert that is going to be used in the eastern seaboard.

john.jackson9213 said:

He used a 55 gallon drum filled with rocks as the muffler.

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That is cool. I wonder if it worked as a particulate filter also?

Sure, you can talk about managing your electrical needs to fit capacity, but try that in New England in February for two weeks when the average daily high temperature is in the 20s and it gets dark at 4:30 PM.

I've considered reconfiguring my system so that we have battery backup, and use the generator (already have it) for periods when battery power is depleted. Problem is the generator (propane) is crazy expensive to run. Grid as backup is much more cost-effective right now.

The electric grid has made a massive difference in how we live over the last 100 years. It is not going away any time soon.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

I think the Tesla is a beautiful car. It's just that it's about twice the car I'd like to own. And what do you do if you want to drive more than the car's range in a day? My son lives about 130 miles away, and I couldn't make a round trip to visit him in a day (which I frequently do), especially in winter. What I'd really like is half a Tesla for daily driving, and a nice diesel Mercedes for long trips.

And with all due respect, the environmental impact of building and generating power for your Tesla probably far outweighs the impact of continuing to drive what you have.

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If the Lithium-Air battery can be successful, (alleged 500 mile driving range) the internal combustion engine will finally be displaced. I'm content to drive my diesels in the meantime!

http://www.technologyreview.com/new...gevity-of-high-energy-electric-car-batteries/

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...=Lithium-Air+battery&btnG=Google+Search&gbv=2

I have been completely off-grid for three years now. New house built with all LED lighting, propane fridge and on-demand hot water heating, wood stove heat. I have an 800 litre propane tank and have not yet had to refill it (still 1/4 full). Well water source.

I have a battery/inverter system run on micro hydro turbine with diesel generator back up. Once the micro hydro froze and I was on the genny for about three months. I have to charge the batteries about once every ten days (~20litres of diesel) when I have no micro hydro input.

I am now getting hooked up to the grid and using it like I did my generator. My charge controller will automatically kick in the grid to charge the batteries at a pre-defined voltage of the batteries. I hope to get solar panels soon too and then I should rarely if ever need the grid but it is nice to have as a back up.

This power system cost me about $10,000 - EDIT plus about $3000 for the generator that I will now sell for about $2000 hopefully.

Interesting. But after all that planning and expense, why are you hooking up to the grid?

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Interesting. But after all that planning and expense, why are you hooking up to the grid?

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Basically to replace the generator as the backup power source. I hate that loud smelly thing!

Solar panels on the roof are ugly.

d2305 said:

Solar panels on the roof are ugly.

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You either are very tall, are a pilot, can jump very high, or otherwise spend lots of time 20-40 feet in the air for unknown reasons. Solar can be fairly invisible at street level, but obviously that depends on the shape of the roof and direction of the house also.

Huge power plants are pretty ugly, too. Tar sands are ugly. Oil rigs and oil spills are ugly. Fracking is ugly. Nuclear waste is ugly. Many don't like wind turbines either. Rooftop solar is about as discrete as it gets for energy production.

Nah. They're ugly. I don't like them to be visible from the street. They especially don't fit in with the architecture of houses here in New England. I build a second garage 8 years ago, and I sited it for solar production. The building faces the street, which is west, so the panels are on the south side (duh) and not visible from the street. And they face our neighbors, so you can't see them from anywhere on our property. In fact, the building is close enough to the neighbor's house and driveway that they can't see them easily, either. But that's not always easy to achieve.

I bought this lot because of its exposure, and sited the house for maximum passive solar gain. That was 20 years ago, so solar wasn't on my mind. But it was when I had the garage built, and siting that on this lot was easy: I kind of got lucky.



You can just see the edge of the solar panels. And yes, I need to get the weeds out of that driveway. Haven't been using it much, empty right now.

IndigoBlueWagon said:

Nah. They're ugly. I don't like them to be visible from the street. They especially don't fit in with the architecture of houses here in New England. I build a second garage 8 years ago, and I sited it for solar production. The building faces the street, which is west, so the panels are on the south side (duh) and not visible from the street. And they face our neighbors, so you can't see them from anywhere on our property. In fact, the building is close enough to the neighbor's house and driveway that they can't see them easily, either. But that's not always easy to achieve.

I bought this lot because of its exposure, and sited the house for maximum passive solar gain. That was 20 years ago, so solar wasn't on my mind. But it was when I had the garage built, and siting that on this lot was easy: I kind of got lucky.

You can just see the edge of the solar panels. And yes, I need to get the weeds out of that driveway. Haven't been using it much, empty right now.

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Sweet looking lot, Pete! My point is, compared to the "ugliness" impact of various other energy technologies, solar is like flowers. I agree solar panels don't go well with some architectural aesthetics if they're overly obvious, but given the options, I'd take solar over any of the others. Would you want a fracking or oil well back in that pretty grass? I wouldn't!

Now, the Nissan Leaf, that's ugly.

eGolf = pretty
Tesla = muy bonita

And in LA you certainly know what oil wells look like. I often drive from LAX to Pasadena by taking La Cienega Blvd to the 10. The oil wells are still there, and a few of them are working. Not lovely for a residential area.