Morning Cup Of Coffee And Weather

I wonder if the organizers and volunteers will go back and help with the cleanup.

 

A Rivian would look nice towing my CI.
https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2022-rivian-r1t-launch-edition-yearlong-review-update-13-towing/

I volunteer to road test it on extended boondocking trips and small highways and rural gravel roads, say to Alaska, then Costa Rica.

Or just the intermountain west's great cathedral parks and the far flung BLM and USFS mountain and desert lands in between. See how it does on the playa.

Any Rivian owner donors or product managers needing a real world test?

I'm your huckleberry!

 

There's still that aching question....cost of battery replacement, and proprietary nature --- will you even able to buy them.

At least according to Scotty Kilmer, Ford is backing away from its pure electric vision and shifting more to hybrid and apparently in China they are having a hard time selling them in their own country (for a lot less money that we'd pay BTW)

I'm not against electric cars in principal -- lots of torque, theoretically simpler, and easy to maintain -- its the battery that is the problem. Wether they are using hydrogen, or some other technology, I just am not sold on E yet.

 

There is a guy in the Airstream forum towing his with a Rivian. I believe he said he is good for 140 miles??? Can’t remember which model of Airstream he tows, but any of them are much heavier than a Teardrop. Interesting read following his travels and the planning he puts into it. I think a hybrid would be a better solution for me at the moment than all electric, but technology continues to evolve and close the gap.

 

I just wish they would close the gap before the cut off our options. I'm not a Luddite who resist change, just whatever I'm changing to needs to be objectively better. Want to fix the 'problem' --- instead of mandating and leading with a stick, give 'em a carrot...

 

It’s not just the batteries. It’s also where the electricity is sourced.

 

"Rules for thee, not for me"

Not So Easy Being Green: Jennifer Granholm Encounters Charging Woes, Angry Families On Electric Vehicle Promotion Tour

 

I'm waiting for a true 4x4 with hybrid, tech.
At the $30-40k price point.

Paying $75-100k for a battery powered toy is a narrow market segment and true cost of ownership depends on unproven assumptions on battery life, replacement, disposal costs, not to mention risk of garage going up in flames.

Not trusting Ford or VW to be around long, actually...betting the farm doesnt work so good when the weather rules...

Noticing EV inventories on dealer lots passing 90 days, and noting the dealers pay for that...should be some good deals come end of year.

 

Scotty cracks me up.
He's not wrong...

 

He's not the only blogger that talks about it --- another guy (I'm not subscribed) was walking around his ford lot after business hours...the 'lectrics were stacked deep...the customer is talking, the question is will they listen.

 

I viewed a YouTube Video today by Holy Schmidt regarding his experiences with 2 Teslas. I didn’t realize the frame is Aluminum which can result in the vehicle being totaled easier verses other vehicles. He also stated that insurance is more costly. Personally I have nothing against EVs; they just don’t meet my needs for now. Did you see a mother lode of lithium may have been discovered on the Nevada/Oregon border?

 

I didn't know they were aluminum either. I kind of assumed carbon fiber. Which is arguably just as bad.

When Model 3 first came out, I examined it. Up front cost was higher than ICE or hybrid, by quite a bit. However, the insurance cost was extremely high. I can't recall the exact amount, but I remember thinking, "That's a payment!" Insuring this one vehicle was more than my whole fleet at that time.

Of course now, Scottie Kilmer who is an outspoken opponent of E has noted the charging prices are going up. As 'fuel' cost is concerned, the tesla costs just as much to drive as gasoline --- so the myth of "saving on gas" has evaporated.

The cause of this is that per KWH, the cost of electricity has gone up. Also, if you go to a charging station those have become profit centers for people who installed them -- As they should be. Many are now charging by the hour - not by the KWH. So, if your battery is cold and needs 30 minutes to 'warm' then you'll pay for that even though the number of watts is significantly lower.

I don't fundamentally oppose EVs either. Lithium though has major shortcomings that have not been adequately addressed. If they were, people may be buying them. The market will race towards a good idea at a good price. An expensive experimental solution with perceived (or real) shortcomings will be dismissed resulting in poor sales.

What problems?

• higher initial costs
• battery lifespan (number of cycles)
• battery replacement expense
• Range and Range Anxiety
• "running out of gas" -- you can't buy 5 gallons to get you to the next exit.
• long term availability of proprietary batteries
• fickle nature of batteries (they can be affected by extreme temperatures)
• long charge time
• Range
• Environmental impact of getting required chemicals
• impact on the 'grid' if widely accepted - California already has blackouts/brownouts...
• bursting into flames, turning into an unquenchable fire (My pastors brother was incinerated this way)
• Safety of charging at home (bolts - do not charge while in or near your home issue)

Get the bugs worked out...THEN mainstream. Until then, let the early adopters who don't mind being a guinea pig take the hit. Personally, I can't afford it.

 

They are perfect for inncer city commuters who travel just a few miles. I have no problem if that's what you want. It just doesn't work for everyone, because it works for a few.

Minor "celebration" coming --- Tonight its night 99!!! @Betsey - do you still have the 100 night pins? Not sure if you still do that....I'll be at 101...my 102'nd night will be at CICO

 

As a 2021 Tesla Model Y owner, I’d be happy to share my experience. There is a LOT of misinformation especially as there are strong antibodies out there that don’t want to see EVs succeed (oil industry, dealerships, UAW, etc.). I’m such a nerd that I’ve created a PowePoint presenting the data if you’re interested that I think covers most of these concerns.

Btw, our insurance is $78 per month for very good coverage. And we had $1,700 in gas savings in the past 12 months (I can explain how we realize these savings, if interested). Finally, the Model Y is now less than the average new vehicle selling price (both EV and ICE)

While I’m not a Tesla fan boy, they’re the only EV manufacturer in the US that can sell EVs profitably and are dominating fast charging in number of locations, ease of use, and reliability. There’s a reason why Ford, GM, Volvo, Rivian, etc have made deals with Tesla to begin using its SuperCharger network and plug on all their cars starting 2024.

Anyway, happy to chat more and see you at site 221 on Saturday!

Corbin

 

I'm not saying its inherently bad -- I'm just arguing there are a lot of questions, and having companies like Ford go "All in" only to say "well, maybe not..." says to me there's a lot of sizzle, but not as much heat. I'm a tech guy myself - and I'd be fine either way - I just want to get my stuff from point A to B reliably and quickly.

Saurday - thought Friday -- glad you said that There's a little restaurant in Liberty with AYCE perch Friday

 

In Price County Wisconsin where WI13 and US8 cross they put in a charging station. I’m guessing there are only a handful of EVs in the county yet that station is always busy. The reason is people from the city can now visit the North Woods and have a place to get charged. And they bring their money with them. I’ve heard that station brings in a lot of tourists.

Then I read where we are having rolling brownouts.

 

Both are my biggest problem. I don't have 30-50 minutes for a fill-up, nor do I want to be left with a 10% battery and a brownout which is keeping the charging station from running...a single gas station is prone ot the same problem, however there are usually more than 1 gas stations...

----

On a different note, I see up the Kelty Sideroad awning. Its not bad...I like the strapping which eliminate the bungee I had to use previously....probably take 2 or 3 more setups to find what is optimal fo rme --- But its big!! At least 2 feet longer than my King Camp.

3 stakes, 4 lengths of paracord, and 2 poles added round it out nicely...I think I'm going to need 2 more anchors to secure it tent on the corners near the galley --- I think once I close the hatch its going to want to walk around....I'll need to tie it to the crossbar (or suction cups if you don't have the roof rack) and its should be stable.

The two tone color scheme is a lot more attractive too than the single color in the camp king...

 

In the two years of travelling in our Tesla Model Y over 40,000 miles, we've never ran into this hypothetical worse-case scenario of not being able to charge due to rolling brownout. Most likely you wouldn't be able to fill up with gas either since the electric pumps would be down unless the gas station has a back up generator that has been properly maintained. Looking at Orlando after being hit by a hurricane Ian, EV chargers came back on line hours or days before gas stations because there is a long supply chain of getting the gas delivered to empty gas stations (which typically sell out leading up to a hurricane).

When travelling on long road trips, most of our charges are in the 15 - 35 minute range about every 3 hours--this works well for us to take the pups to use the grass, restroom break for us humans and snacks/treats for everyone. Non-Tesla charging on road trips is a bit of a mess right now but as auto manufacturers switch over to Tesla charging standard, charging for non-Teslas will be as convenient and easy as my experience.

For what it's worth, after owning an EV, I see that a lot of people's fears are overblown or misplaced. Probably the one real drawback of EV ownership to the people on this forum is that towing a trailer requires a lot of energy to overcome aerodynamic drag. Especially if you need to tow a large trailer that is shaped like a brick over 150 miles, you really need a large EV Truck/SUV that has 500+ miles EPA range to make it convenient (btw, weight has relatively little impact). While not yet available, I don't think we're too far off from these vehicles being available from a technological standpoint. And as manufacturing scales, as with any product, prices will come down.


Cheers!
Corbin

 

I agree with you. I drive an EV 1000 miles per month and use an ICE for towing and long trips. The EV is a pleasure to drive.

 

Great to hear! I suppose this is my main point: There is no reason to fear the future of transportation, it's going to be awesome

Currently we are a single car family with the Model Y. If/when we get a Camp-Inn teardrop, I'll be really interested in seeing what type of range we get pulling it. I did rent a NuCamp 320, which is about 3 feet taller than the 550, and I could only eek out about 120 - 150 miles of range. I'm hoping the 550 would put me closer to 200 since it almost completely fits behind the Model Y profile and looks reasonably aerodynamic. I would be happy with 200, since our long trips would be maybe once or twice a year, with a lot more weekend trips nearby within 200 miles of our house that I could charge up at the campsite.

I have also been cross-shopping the Polydrops trailer which has been designed from the ground up to be quite aerodynamic, only impacting range by up to 20%. This would be relatively easy to tow on long trips. But unless your into the Cybertruck look, the Camp-Inn is just a timeless piece of art that's difficult to match from an aesthetic standpoint.

https://www.polydrops.com/

Cheers!
Corbin