Who’s going to Tesla after their current TDI?

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
Cooler climates can tolerate power outages in summer better I'd say. And they seem better equipped to deal with it in winter as many will already have some form of non-electric heat (wood, oil, natural gas, etc.).

If you drive anywhere, pay attention to the power poles along the roads. It is amazing the system works as well as it does, to be honest. We really have just strung a bunch of extension cords on wooden poles all over the place. It becomes the visual equal of white noise since we are used to it, but it is really a mess in many places.
 

gulfcoastguy

Veteran Member
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Nov 25, 2012
Location
MS Gulfcoast
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TDI sold, Mazda 3 purchased
One advantage to being in a hurricane zone, our power poles get replaced at least every 20 years. No arguments about clear cutting under power lines either.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Cooler climates can tolerate power outages in summer better I'd say. And they seem better equipped to deal with it in winter as many will already have some form of non-electric heat (wood, oil, natural gas, etc.).

If you drive anywhere, pay attention to the power poles along the roads. It is amazing the system works as well as it does, to be honest. We really have just strung a bunch of extension cords on wooden poles all over the place. It becomes the visual equal of white noise since we are used to it, but it is really a mess in many places.
The problem with oil or gas heat is the boilers/furnaces etc. won't work without power. So you still need a generator when the power fails.

And you're right about the extension cord comparison. Every once in a while we get situations like this one from a few years ago. Took 4 days to bring power back to our street.
 

Mozambiquer

Vendor , w/Business number
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Mar 21, 2015
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Versailles Missouri
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2004 VW Touareg V10 TDI, 2012 Audi Q7 V6 TDI, 1998 VW Jetta TDI. 1982 VW Rabbit pickup, 2001 VW Jetta TDI, 2005 VW Passat wagon TDI X3, 2001 VW golf TDI, 1980 VW rabbit pickup,
Right on the money about pay back on pv systems. It would probably be a 20 year pay back for me, though I've never bothered to get a quote. My peak electric bill is just under $100, for a total of less than $1200 per year. Also I very seldom have an outage, due to being on a main line. I think since I moved in where I am 5 years ago, the longest I've ever had an outage was less than 30 minutes.
Pv systems aren't for everyone, neither are Tesla's, or electric cars as @nwdiver seems to think. I'll keep driving my Tdis and other diesels and let him drive his Tesla and think he's saving the environment, while science shows that the majority of the carbon emissions are from natural sources and the majority of the carbon emissions that are man made are from China, where they don't even care at all about the environment. If we really care about the environment we'll put pressure on china and India.
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
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2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
The outage numbers were pretty drastic: roughly 5 million for the winter incident at Texas and 6,000+ in here on the east coast a few weeks ago. It clearly indicates that the grid is not ready for climate change. I like the take on this Twitter account because priorities...

Probably not, but most of our county fared pretty well. There were still some outages, but I've found our co-op to be top notch. Case in point - I was in Houston earlier today when we got hit with a severe thunderstorm. The power flickered and went out the first time for 5 seconds, then the second time for 30 minutes. Our rural co-op, from a lightning-induced event - a flicker or a sag for 2-3 seconds and that's it, if that (everything I value is either on a quality TrippLite surge protector or APC backup).

I'm finding I can do a little bit better now on 73 degrees inside. But right after my accident, oh no, it had to be 69-71 , or I was burning up. Thankfully, temps a few months ago weren't what they are now!
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
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Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
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2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
Your uncle is probably fantastic Paul, but you ought to set up an acct with Ameritrade, E-trade, Interactive Brokers, etc. The user interface on those first two are really intuitive, and the third has dirt cheap margin rates on borrowed money- like under 1%. You'd love it, I've turned on several friends and family members, and we're all addicted to it now, lol. Just don't get caught up with the WallstreetBets crowd and start out conservative until you find your comfort zone.
Yeah, I've done margin trading before and learned my lesson. I have an account with both Webull and Ameritrade, but my mutual funds, averaged out, are putting out 8-12% annual returns, so I have no complaints. My go-to before were oil & gas stocks, but they took a beating last year...
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
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2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
Your electric rates are almost double what ours are, Peter. Mine is currently only 11 cents/kWh, down from 13 due to some regulatory changes instituted a few years ago. I suspect it might go back up, but I doubt it will ever be that high. Which is good, because my house is all electric. We have no other utilities, used for everything, including pumping water out of the ground and through the filtering system.

Even with the A/C cranking, our last month bill was only $127.
Same situation here, and our power is like 8-9 cents a kwh. Everything here is electric too. No natural gas, no propane (thank God), and I have both a well and rainwater collection, which both require power for the three 1.5HP motors involved. My bill is a bit more than yours., but that also accounts for two houses, a swim spa, and a rack full of enterprise grade servers/networking.
 

Poor King

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Joined
May 20, 2020
Location
NY
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'91 Jetta, '91 GTI, '04 Touareg
The monthly electric bill for the rental (1100sq ft) my family and I reside in has always been $110-120 mark and we almost never use our AC. Mostly because they are 70 yo old like the building. We've called management a few times to upgrade it to a energy-saver unit but these asshats insist they don't have to as long as the old one "works".
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
Our power used to go out a LOT, maybe once a month. Sometimes for hours at a time. The guy we bought the house from told us about this, and told me a small generator and backup heat source would be a good idea. The first winter we were here, on a nice 9 F night, I woke up at around 2am and I was shivering.... even snuggled up next to my very pregnant wife, LOL. No idea how long the electric had been down, but long enough it was about 45 in the house.

Fast forward many years later, and when my younger son was finally able to come home after an 18 month hospital stay, he was tethered to equipment that required electricity... and while it all had battery backup, the backup was really just to allow you to move from one outlet to another. When the home health care coordinator asked us about our home's electrical reliability, my wife and I both literally winced. She gave us a number to call the local power company, to get our house placed on a special priority list. I was dubious that this would work, didn't even know it was a thing, but guess what? THAT WEEK, a bunch of bucket trucks were swarming around our area, and amazingly our electric reliability improved from that point on. But just recently we've had some issues, and it looks like they are installing all new poles and maybe they'll tie the 28 of us older homes into the newer run. We'll see.
Our co-op ditched most of the creosote polls and went to something that looks more like fiber of some kind. They stay on top of infrastructure maintenance like you wouldn't believe, and then you look at a joke of a power company like PG&E, that starts fires in California, because it can't maintain its infrastructure.

It was suggested that the reason we didn't lose power in February is because the VFD is supposedly on the same circuit we're on, even though they're a mile away from us. I can't speak highly enough about the quality of service from our co-op, especially after seeing how publically traded utility companies' quality of service and infrastructure are.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
My cousin in Austin never lost power in Feb. either. I think because she's a quarter mile from Austin-Bergstrom airport and likely on that same run. Austin must be doing something right, because a lot of the new construction (and there's a bunch) has PV panels installed.
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
Yeah, construction and PV panels are CRAZY in Austin. I've driven there a few times last year. We call that place Texifornia, especially with the number of California license plates in the area. It's good money doing Uber, but I honestly avoid it like the plague, especially if there's an accident or something. I-35 is the pits.

Ironically, very few of those California transplants seem to be bringing their Prii and Teslas, though a few are.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
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Nov 18, 2014
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maine
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2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
Understandable- there's definitely some crazy driving on I-35 around Austin. I've noticed the same thing in Memphis. Must be a lot of musicians late for gigs, lol.
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
Understandable- there's definitely some crazy driving on I-35 around Austin. I've noticed the same thing in Memphis. Must be a lot of musicians late for gigs, lol.
Memphis just has chit roads, but Nashville driving is something else. The stereotype about New Yorkers honking and cussing on the road - no, that's Nashville!
 

Poor King

Veteran Member
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May 20, 2020
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NY
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'91 Jetta, '91 GTI, '04 Touareg
Jersey. That's all you have to say to send shivers down my spine. Oh how I despise their driving antics. Ughh and their highways are just as confusing as their drivers.
 

turbobrick240

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 18, 2014
Location
maine
TDI
2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
Memphis just has chit roads, but Nashville driving is something else. The stereotype about New Yorkers honking and cussing on the road - no, that's Nashville!
That's right, I meant Nashville, not Memphis- thanks for the correction. Tennessee is one of my favorite states to drive through too, but Nashville any time remotely close to rush hour is a nightmare.
 

pkhoury

That guy with the goats
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Location
Medina, TX
TDI
2013 JSW, 2003 Jetta Ute, 2 x 2002 Golf, 2000 Golf
I love Tennessee and Kentucky as well, but I'll try and avoid Nashville like I'd try to avoid Los Angeles.
 

Diesel Fumes

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Joined
Dec 30, 2008
Location
Creston, bc
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2003 alh tdi 5 speed
I haven't heard much good about tesla other than they are fast and have a good range. The good points end there.

I'm eyeballing Toyota plug in hybrids next. But fuel prices will need to increase a lot before I go for that. 35k Canadian VS 2000 bucks per tdi
 

nicklockard

Torque Dorque
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Location
Arizona
TDI
SOLD 2010 Touareg Tdi w/factory Tow PCKG
I'm surprised that paybacks are so long on the system quotes people are describing here. The 6 kW system I had installed 8 years ago paid back the investment in about 4 years. I received an $8K tax credit, a $2K rebate from Massachusetts, have net metering, and received about $2K/year in carbon credit payments for the first few years (those are down to about $1,400 now). Electric rates are pretty high hear, over $.20/kWh, so that helps. But I would think the cost of systems should be lower now than 8 years ago, even if install costs are higher.

Your payback is fast because of those fat rebates. The sunny states are terrified of solar (or rather, the utility companies that have their hands up the politician's butts like puppeteers do). So, there's pretty much disincentives. Plus, having a leased system on your roof complicates selling your house.
 
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IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
What I learned while shopping is that people who lease systems tend to lowball production projections. Since they rebate you based on a fixed amount and get to keep the rest, it makes sense. My system makes about 20% more power than the leasing companies quoted.

I think power companies here are more positive about alternative generation because of the high costs, and more important, difficult permissions required to build new generating capacity. Basically building a power plant here in eastern MA is a no go. And our state's only nuclear plant shut down a couple years ago.
 

Daemon64

Veteran Member
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Location
Tyngsborough, Massachusetts
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2022 Polestar 2 BEV - Current, 2021 Q5 55e PHEV - Retired, 2015 Q5 3.0 TDI - Retired, 2013 Golf TDI - Retired
What I learned while shopping is that people who lease systems tend to lowball production projections. Since they rebate you based on a fixed amount and get to keep the rest, it makes sense. My system makes about 20% more power than the leasing companies quoted.

I think power companies here are more positive about alternative generation because of the high costs, and more important, difficult permissions required to build new generating capacity. Basically building a power plant here in eastern MA is a no go. And our state's only nuclear plant shut down a couple years ago.
100%. Sunrun was trying to screw me over with it. Why I found was https://sunroof.withgoogle.com/ which is pretty accurate for the number of sun hours on your roof, take the system size, and multiply it by those hours. Indigo, could you do that for your address and array size, and let me know if this works out fairly accurate for you as well?
 

gulfcoastguy

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Joined
Nov 25, 2012
Location
MS Gulfcoast
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TDI sold, Mazda 3 purchased
Thanks for that link. It verified what I had been telling some jarhead earlier in the thread. An estimated time 1551 hours of sun light. An estimated $300 a month after incentives in order to cover an existing $125 estimated utility bill.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
100%. Sunrun was trying to screw me over with it. Why I found was https://sunroof.withgoogle.com/ which is pretty accurate for the number of sun hours on your roof, take the system size, and multiply it by those hours. Indigo, could you do that for your address and array size, and let me know if this works out fairly accurate for you as well?
Doesn't support my address.
 

Daemon64

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2019
Location
Tyngsborough, Massachusetts
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2022 Polestar 2 BEV - Current, 2021 Q5 55e PHEV - Retired, 2015 Q5 3.0 TDI - Retired, 2013 Golf TDI - Retired
Gulf - Yeah it depends on where you are in the country and such, and sometimes it doesn't make sense sadly. I mean for me for example since my electricity all in is .256 / kwh.... With all the incentives and etc...etc... basically system would be $417 /mo loan, but after incentives, tax credits, SEI, smart storage adder etc...etc... it would be $130 / mo for 10 yrs @ .99%... that system on my roof @ 17kwh, and 1112 hrs would produce approx 18904 kwh / yr.... which is more than i currently use by a little, but i am adding another electric vehicle soon. ( that system also comes with 2 powerwalls for backup power )..... and my current electric bill is around $300 / mo avg.

Indigo - Thats too bad, would have loved to have seen if it was accurate for your setup as well.
 

kjclow

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Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
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2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
I've never said solar is for everyone. If your house is nestled in a forest then obviously the panels won't work. But what relevance is a $170 or $127 electric bill to the fact your house is in perpetual shade? If you have sun exposure it doesn't matter how much your electric bill is. You can buy panels and it will pay for itself in ~10 years. Not 18.
You're arguing yourself in circles. I have the numbers. Payback based on current usage and electricity rates in NC was 18 years. I'm not going up on a ladder to put them on myself. My cardioligist would have me locked up.
 

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.
The outage numbers were pretty drastic: roughly 5 million for the winter incident at Texas and 6,000+ in here on the east coast a few weeks ago. It clearly indicates that the grid is not ready for climate change. I like the take on this Twitter account because priorities...

The chemical industry is still suffering from the Texas freeze. We will probably still be feeling the effects through the end of the year.
 

Poor King

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NY
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'91 Jetta, '91 GTI, '04 Touareg
I haven't heard much good about tesla other than they are fast and have a good range. The good points end there.

I'm eyeballing Toyota plug in hybrids next. But fuel prices will need to increase a lot before I go for that. 35k Canadian VS 2000 bucks per tdi
Also the software updates. Thats the one aspect which will take other manufacturers some time to experiment. Even after VW's $50B EV initiate theyve struggled to present an interface well rounded as Tesla's
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
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South of Boston
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'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Recent Tesla tests also show that their range at steady highway speeds is far lower than claimed, and they suffer a greater drop in claimed range than other EVs under those conditions. A model 3 performance at 80 MPH, for example, has about 170 miles of range instead of the 330 Tesla claims for mixed driving.
 

Poor King

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NY
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'91 Jetta, '91 GTI, '04 Touareg
Must be the new batt technology which does not require the use of cobalt slave babies. Also for whatever oddball reason they they no longer offer their best model for long range, the 2WD T3. It's open for speculation yet the only reason I can think of is that they were going through tires significantly over an AWD variant. Kinda backwards for the amount of tires your EV burns to save the OZ (thas slang for ozone. Hope it catches lol).
 

ezshift5

Veteran Member
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Sep 2, 2003
Location
West Coast
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2013 JSW TDI (Enroute BB).......2017 Jetta 1.4 turbo 5M ....................
My VW 1.4 was under $14.5 - out the door on our left coast. A Tesla costs a LOT of American money (but the instant torque - I will say - impresses.)


ez
 
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