real world EVs review

privateTDIjet

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2022
Location
Montreal, Canada
TDI
2009 Jetta 2.0 TDI and 2014 Passat 2.0 TDI
So weird seeing people say they barely see EVs or hybrids. Here in Quebec, they're everywhere. I guarantee you'll see at least a model 3 within 30 minutes
 

ZippyNH

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2015
Location
Southern NH
TDI
2015 JETTA TDI SE
So weird seeing people say they barely see EVs or hybrids. Here in Quebec, they're everywhere. I guarantee you'll see at least a model 3 within 30 minutes
Sure you electric aka hydro prices are much cheaper and higher fuel taxes.....areas of the USA that have higher electricity prices (often the delivery surcharge can be 70% of the bill ((so the kwh quotes are misleading)), much of it used to help them recoup$$ for efficiency programs, though natural gas is getting just as bad), even heat pumps can cost more than natural gas to heat a house... similarly low gasoline tax areas keep ICE cars cheaper per mile unless you get rebates and tax credits.
 

tikal

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2001
Location
Southeast Texas
TDI
2004 Passat Wagon (chainless + 5 MT + GDE tune)

BYD on Monday unveiled a new platform for electric vehicles (EVs) that it said could charge EVs as quickly as it takes to pump gas and announced for the first time that it would build a charging network across China.

The so-called “super e-platform” will be capable of peak charging speeds of 1,000 kilowatts (kW), enabling cars that use it to travel 400 km (249 miles) on a 5-minute charge, founder Wang Chuanfu said at an event livestreamed from the company’s Shenzhen headquarters.
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Mountain Home, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2 x 2002 Golf, 1995 F450 7.3L
So weird seeing people say they barely see EVs or hybrids. Here in Quebec, they're everywhere. I guarantee you'll see at least a model 3 within 30 minutes
I've seen a few Cybertrucks in my rural area, but I have yet to see any actually hauling things or towing, like you do with diesel pickup trucks here.
 

El Dobro

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
NJ
TDI
2017 Bolt EV Premier, 2023 Bolt EUV Premier
I've seen a few Cybertrucks in my rural area, but I have yet to see any actually hauling things or towing, like you do with diesel pickup trucks here.
Unless it's a company owned vehicle, I rarely see any P/U trucks doing towing around here.
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Mountain Home, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2 x 2002 Golf, 1995 F450 7.3L
Unless it's a company owned vehicle, I rarely see any P/U trucks doing towing around here.
You're also in New Jersey. Here in Texas, it's pretty common - either a crapload of stuff in the bed (welder, fuel transfer tank, crane, service bed, flat bed), or they're towing. That'll be me tomorrow, bringing a 2002 Beetle here so I can dismantle anything worth selling and scrap the body.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Yep, loaded goosenecks, livestock trailers, hay haulers, farm implements, etc. are pretty common around here too. My Texas F-250 had a gooseneck stuck to it when it was new, and was there for most of its life before I got it, only being removed for service.

There are of course a bunch of empty trucks running around here, too.
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Mountain Home, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2 x 2002 Golf, 1995 F450 7.3L
Yep, loaded goosenecks, livestock trailers, hay haulers, farm implements, etc. are pretty common around here too. My Texas F-250 had a gooseneck stuck to it when it was new, and was there for most of its life before I got it, only being removed for service.

There are of course a bunch of empty trucks running around here, too.
Not all, but the vast majority of empty trucks out here are F150/1500 class trucks, or smaller. More often, you see F250/2500 class diesel trucks doing some kind of work, though I've known of a few people who get farm plates on their diesel trucks to save a paltry 25 bucks on registration, but never use it for any kind of farm-related hauling (and those are mostly dumb@ss young kids).
 

El Dobro

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Feb 21, 2006
Location
NJ
TDI
2017 Bolt EV Premier, 2023 Bolt EUV Premier
The P/Us around here are pulling landscaper trailers.
 

Tin Man

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2001
Location
Coastal Empire
TDI
Daughter's: 2004 NB TDI PD GLS DSG (gone to pasture)
Unless there is a back-and-forth with different categories of haul each way, I hope everyone realizes that pickup trucks when fully utilized normally are empty half the time.
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Mountain Home, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2 x 2002 Golf, 1995 F450 7.3L
Unless there is a back-and-forth with different categories of haul each way, I hope everyone realizes that pickup trucks when fully utilized normally are empty half the time.
Touche. Like mine. I had to leave my trailer at the ranch, because I ended up with this when I got to my gate. One reason I'm glad for two axles, and glad I missed the severe thunderstorm we got after I left. Bad enough I was doing 45 on the Interstate, because I couldn't see ahead of me.


 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Unless there is a back-and-forth with different categories of haul each way, I hope everyone realizes that pickup trucks when fully utilized normally are empty half the time.

You've never had a trade job, have you? I assure you, plenty of carpenters, painters, electricians, plumbers, etc. have their trucks or vans full of materials and tools at all times. They are not just for one-way deliveries of items. ;)

I've got a Transit on a lift right now, for a forklift/pallet truck company, that is chock full of stuff at all times. It is never "empty".

 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Mountain Home, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2 x 2002 Golf, 1995 F450 7.3L
You've never had a trade job, have you? I assure you, plenty of carpenters, painters, electricians, plumbers, etc. have their trucks or vans full of materials and tools at all times. They are not just for one-way deliveries of items. ;)
That's why I mentioned people having stuff in the bed - service bed, flat bed (like what I got), etc, usually with tools, welder, etc. My truck is registered as a farm truck, so I only use it when I have a need for a truck. I'd go broke using it as a daily, which is why I rotate through my trio of TDIs.

Total segue @oilhammer, but do you have any suggestions for improving headlight visibility in an OBS truck? We got a torrential downpour last night, and visibility was abolute sh!t beyond say 30 feet. The high beams helped a little, but they're not even remotely as efficient as that on my Golf.
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Mountain Home, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2 x 2002 Golf, 1995 F450 7.3L
Heh, I have been investing that same thing recently.... I do not want the fugly Chinabrights so many get cursed with.

I have gotten stuff from these guys:

Complete Performance
I replaced my headlight housings with genuine Motorcraft housings not long after I bought the truck from gov't auction in 2018, but they're still sh!tty. I'll check out that website. Like you, I refuse to do Chinesium aftermarket headlight assemblies. Even all my TDIs are VW OEM.
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Mountain Home, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2 x 2002 Golf, 1995 F450 7.3L
Heh, I have been investing that same thing recently.... I do not want the fugly Chinabrights so many get cursed with.

I have gotten stuff from these guys:

Complete Performance
Another question - did you upgrade yours to LED lights? I feel bad, because they usually blind me at night, but I need something for myself so I have better visibility at night. I looked at their headlight housings, but I don't think I need those, as mine are still pretty clear. The housings I installed 6 or 7 years ago were new.
 

jmodge

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Location
Greenville, MI the winter water wonderland
TDI
More than I need, less than I want
I replaced my headlight housings with genuine Motorcraft housings not long after I bought the truck from gov't auction in 2018, but they're still sh!tty. I'll check out that website. Like you, I refuse to do Chinesium aftermarket headlight assemblies. Even all my TDIs are VW OEM.
I had bought some Hella ecode conversions for K5 light buckets some years ago. I actually installed them in my Jetta for quite a few years until I found a set of stock MK4 Hella ecodes.

They came from NAPA via a shop discount. I think I had around $60 into them. I’m not sure they’re available anymore, they replaced the sealed beam and worked pretty well.
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Mountain Home, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2 x 2002 Golf, 1995 F450 7.3L
I had bought some Hella ecode conversions for K5 light buckets some years ago. I actually installed them in my Jetta for quite a few years until I found a set of stock MK4 Hella ecodes.

They came from NAPA via a shop discount. I think I had around $60 into them. I’m not sure they’re available anymore, they replaced the sealed beam and worked pretty well.
Thankfully, my OBS F-450 doesn't have sealed beam headlights in them. My GMC did, and I replaced those with halogen removable bulbs. Visibility was a lot better than the Ford, but the rest of the truck was a complete pile of sh!t (plus it had the cursed Detroit 6.5L diesel in it - GM should've stuck with 2 cycle motors, as all their 4 cycle diesels are utter trash).

And I have ecode OEMs in both Golfs, with headlight levelers (useful when towing).
 

CantWrite

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2021
Location
Placerville CO
TDI
2005 Passat Wagon (BHW/5-spd conv, 03T). I keep in touch with the (2) ALH's I sold.
@pkhoury not sure if the make the “work truck front” for those like they do for the E-350’s. But they make sealed beam housings that you put an H7 (I think) into. Made a world of difference on my van.
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Mountain Home, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2 x 2002 Golf, 1995 F450 7.3L
@pkhoury not sure if the make the “work truck front” for those like they do for the E-350’s. But they make sealed beam housings that you put an H7 (I think) into. Made a world of difference on my van.
I think that's what I did on my crappy ass GMC K3500, and it did make a world of difference. Kinda like how everyone says the only thing good about older Dodges is the 6BT in the engine compartment, it was like this with the truck. Only the 4L80E and headlights were decent, and all the other plastic and metal surrounding those components belonged in recycling facility.
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
Since Walmarts are about as pentiful as dollar stores, this actually makes sense.
 

gulfcoastguy

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2012
Location
MS Gulfcoast
TDI
TDI sold, Mazda 3 purchased
That would put one close to where I need one most. And across the street from Tesla only (permanently). Actually a lot of the EA stations are already at Walmarts.
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
Since Walmarts are about as plentiful as dollar stores, this actually makes sense.
 

gulfcoastguy

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2012
Location
MS Gulfcoast
TDI
TDI sold, Mazda 3 purchased
That would put one close to where I need one most. And across the street from Tesla only (permanently). Actually a lot of the EA stations are already at Walmarts.
 

tikal

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2001
Location
Southeast Texas
TDI
2004 Passat Wagon (chainless + 5 MT + GDE tune)
Plenty of walmarts but when will the US see plenty of electric cars? Once the slate truck is released with crank windows?
I would say we need an exponential growth of on-the-highway reliable EV charging stations to spur a similar exponential growth of EV sales in Continental USA.

The horse needs to go in front of the cart.
 
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