OT: Electric Vehicles--anyone driving them or seriously looked at them?

[Seramount]

I'm an environmentalist and a car guy.

my current 17-yr old ICE vehicle gets fairly decent mileage (22/32) and I only drive 3K miles/yr.

altho I'd like to eventually transition to an EV, the ones I've driven are wicked fast, but lack 'soul.' no shifting, no audible feedback...just quick acceleration. not really the whole package for someone who enjoys driving.

so, not sure what I'll end up buying...

[Louis]

Originally Posted by Seramount

so, not sure what I'll end up buying...

+1

I've been meaning to post a poll saying something like:

Given three options:

1) AWD
2) Hatchback
3) Manual Transmission

If I'm having a hard time finding a car with all three, which one should I drop from the "really want to have" requirements list?

I haven't posted it yet because I'm at least a year or two from replacing my '14 Impreza.

[Seramount]

Originally Posted by Louis

Given three options:

1) AWD
2) Hatchback
3) Manual Transmission

my RSX Type-S is a 6MT and a hatch...so AWD isn't a big deal for me.

it's amazing how much crap I can carry in it. and the 2.0L VTEC engine is a total hoot. love pushing it up to 8,000 rpm...! go Speed Racer...lol

[Louis]

Originally Posted by Seramount

my RSX Type-S is a 6MT and a hatch...so AWD isn't a big deal for me.

it's amazing how much crap I can carry in it. and the 2.0L VTEC engine is a total hoot. love pushing it up to 8,000 rpm...! go Speed Racer...lol

Yeah - when it came time to replace my Integra the RSX was no longer in production. They've brought the Integra name back, but no 3-door.

[Seramount]

Originally Posted by Louis

Yeah - when it came time to replace my Integra the RSX was no longer in production. They've brought the Integra name back, but no 3-door.

yeah, was really excited when Acura announced the return of the Integra, but homey doesn't do 4-doors.

bring back the 3-door hatch and I'm first in line to buy one. not holding my breath tho.

will most likely go with a Cayman...

[dgauthier]

Originally Posted by MikeD

The AWD on the Prius only works at very low speeds.

Got it...Prius AWD is on 100% of the time...

Sorry, I couldn't resist...

[Louis]

Originally Posted by Seramount

will most likely go with a Cayman...

Hmmmm...

Base $64,850
T $73,950
S $76,850
GTS 4.0 $91,750
GT4 $107,950
GT4 RS $150,550

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by Louis

Hmmmm...

Base $64,850
T $73,950
S $76,850
GTS 4.0 $91,750
GT4 $107,950
GT4 RS $150,550

Please, start another thread. I’ve been a VW group guy for decades. This one ain’t about them. Unless it’s a Taycan.

I want a 718 too. But this one is for EVs.

That all said, the “T” Porsches might be the ones for the daily drivers. The others can hardly be used on public roads. Just sayin’…..

[AngryScientist]

How does the air conditioner on electric vehicles operate out of curiosity? What spins the compressor ? Thinking of a traditional ICE car; modern cars have eliminated the need for belt drive power steering pumps and obviously EVs don’t need an alternator so that leaves the large load of the AC compressor. How’s that work?

[mdeth1313]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

How does the air conditioner on electric vehicles operate out of curiosity? What spins the compressor ? Thinking of a traditional ICE car; modern cars have eliminated the need for belt drive power steering pumps and obviously EVs don’t need an alternator so that leaves the large load of the AC compressor. How’s that work?

Little magic ice gnome farts? (sorry, I teach high school - too much time with teenagers)

[kppolich]

A/C in my Tesla is silent and the whole dash is a vent so thats nice. Running it at a moderate temp and fan speed dings about 3% of total battery life using the onboard 400volt battery.

The heat pump is the real star of the show, saving range vs forced air.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyGgrkeds5U
The app also lets you turn on/off heated seats, steering wheel, defrost, pet mode, and notifies you if a door is left open or a window is left down so you can 'roll' it up via the app.


More importantly is the Tesla app that lets you vent the windows with a touch of a button and also schedule the car to be at your desired temperature and pre-conditioned any time of day. You can also set max internal temps that will automatically turn on the AC

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

How does the air conditioner on electric vehicles operate out of curiosity? What spins the compressor ? Thinking of a traditional ICE car; modern cars have eliminated the need for belt drive power steering pumps and obviously EVs don’t need an alternator so that leaves the large load of the AC compressor. How’s that work?

I don’t know the specifics, but it blows very cold. That’s not a problem.

In my ICE cars I adjusted manually. That’s not quite as simple in the Tesla, because….. Tesla. Everything is in the touch screen. So I set it on automatic and set the temperature and let it do its thing. It’s actually pretty decent. The airflow can be adjusted (via the touchscreen - please do it in a parking lot and not while driving. This is a cycling forum and we don’t like distracted drivers) and in a recent software update it adjusts for the fact that 99% of the time I’m the only person in the vehicle.

But those who worry the heat or cold isn’t enough - it is plenty hot or plenty cold. Propulsion is, by far, the biggest drain on the battery. The rest appears to be trivial. That said, while heating and cooling may not drain the battery per se, cold temps appear to have a significant detrimental effect on range. That’s anecdotal and not based on measurements.

But my Tesla MYLR blows cold air. That’s not an issue. At all.

To be more specific to your question, everything other than some general functions related to the 12V battery, come off of the high voltage battery. So air conditioning would be powered by that system.

After 8 months of ownership I’ve had zero issues with heating or cooling the cabin and only a minor issue with another system, which was resolved last week at the service center under warranty in about 60 minutes. Seat airbag issue which was resolved by reconnecting a plug. That could happen on virtually any vehicle. I was only minimally inconvenienced by the issue.

[Louis]

Originally Posted by saab2000

Please, start another thread. I’ve been a VW group guy for decades. This one ain’t about them. Unless it’s a Taycan.

I want a 718 too. But this one is for EVs.

That all said, the “T” Porsches might be the ones for the daily drivers. The others can hardly be used on public roads. Just sayin’…..

As soon as they make you King of the Paceline you can ban 100% of all thread drift, especially on 4-year old, 72 page threads which have had plenty of time to discuss the original question. Until then, I guess you'll just have to live with some ICE talk on an EV thread.

[Polyglot]

Originally Posted by Louis

+1

I've been meaning to post a poll saying something like:

Given three options:

1) AWD
2) Hatchback
3) Manual Transmission

If I'm having a hard time finding a car with all three, which one should I drop from the "really want to have" requirements list?

I haven't posted it yet because I'm at least a year or two from replacing my '14 Impreza.

I have always wondered why people are so stuck on getting AWD. I have owned a few cars (BMW 325 iX and Mercedes 4matic station wagon) with it and driven many more and have never felt any real benefit (I live in Canada and grew up in part of the country with bad snow and many then unpaved roads). AWD does help get traction when starting from a stop but it also gives you a false sense of security in bad conditions as the braking with AWD on bad surfaces is no better than a normal car. This is why you see far more AWD vehicles off in the snow banks during winter storms. I wouldn't ever turn it down but don't see any major benefit. I think that the far greater question is whether the car has decent suspension and traction or not. Many cars in 2wd have mediocre traction at best, whereas some cars have better accelerative traction with 2wd than most others even with 4wd.

I am in perfect agreement about the benefit of a hatchback or tailgate. I don't think that I will ever be without at least one hatchback or station wagon.

I used to be in agreement about the manual transmission but after driving a variety of EV's with very aggressive regenerative braking, I have now rethought the idea. For me, the biggest joys of a manual have to do with always having full torque and being able to use the engine to slow down without actually braking. An EV with heavy-handed regenerative braking gives both in spades, actually outperforming virtually all manuals. You always have full torque available and the regenerative braking slows the car down more than doing a double downshift. When you do get stuck in a traffic jam, the EVs absolutely shine. There is really nothing worse than driving a stick with heavy clutch pedal while sitting in a traffic jam in excess heat (returning from the beach.)

[Brian Smith]

Originally Posted by KevinC

What do the naysayers gain by continually by to post the same comments over and over again?
We get it, you’re resistant to change…

There will not be a hard and fast one size fits all solution to anthropomorphic climate change. Nor will every proposed solution turn out to be as effective as initially billed.

To do nothing until the perfect solution exists is a sure fire path to failure.

Some people, when shown a better/smarter way, feel as though they're being made to appear foolish or chided, and they react accordingly. Whatever the case, why not just let it lie, it's just talk...

I think you probably meant to say "anthropogenic..."

Butts in seats does more, I think, to convince folks of EV viability, than words on a screen. For a car enthusiast, make it the driver's seat. There's plenty to love about the drive...