There's Never Been a Better Time to Drive Electric Cars

[ice-capades]

There's Never Been a Better Time to Drive Electric Cars

https://www.nhregister.com/opinion/article/ev-ct-electric-cars-19794783.php

 

This article appeared in today's New Haven Register (CT) in the Opinion section. The author is a member of the Sierra Club.

 

 

New Haven Register_2024-09-27_Opinion_There's Never Been a Better Time to Drive Electric Cars.pdf

Edited September 27 by ice-capades
Additional Content

[Chrisgb]

"...For drivers who don’t have their own garage or drive- way, installing fast-charging equipment at home can be a complicated project. Fortunately, Connecticut’s right-to- charge laws allow residents of many multi-unit proper- ties (including apartments and condos) to install EV charging equipment where they park. Eligibility will expand even further on Oct. 1 to include tenants of landlords who own fewer than 50 units." -Beva Nall-Langdon

Am I missing something? I interpret the quote to mean individual condo-townhome owners in a building or HOA can install their own charger in the parking lot, or underground parking? Would i be able to place a 275 gal. tote of gasoline for my ICE vehicle?

[akirby]

5 hours ago, Chrisgb said:

"...For drivers who don’t have their own garage or drive- way, installing fast-charging equipment at home can be a complicated project. Fortunately, Connecticut’s right-to- charge laws allow residents of many multi-unit proper- ties (including apartments and condos) to install EV charging equipment where they park. Eligibility will expand even further on Oct. 1 to include tenants of landlords who own fewer than 50 units." -Beva Nall-Langdon

Am I missing something? I interpret the quote to mean individual condo-townhome owners in a building or HOA can install their own charger in the parking lot, or underground parking? Would i be able to place a 275 gal. tote of gasoline for my ICE vehicle?

Having the right and having the ability are 2 different things.  

[Multitask]

My Cousin and I were just talking about that....

 

Going all EV (and yes I know that it's just dealers) right now is NOT a good idea.... 

First : the Infrastructure is not there...  Most 'chargers' are either not working, or if they do not at 100%

Second: Most apartments are also not ready for the change Wiring, charging, cost etc....... at least in my area they are not...

 

[silvrsvt]

On 9/28/2024 at 5:28 PM, Multitask said:

My Cousin and I were just talking about that....

 

Going all EV (and yes I know that it's just dealers) right now is NOT a good idea.... 

First : the Infrastructure is not there...  Most 'chargers' are either not working, or if they do not at 100%

Second: Most apartments are also not ready for the change Wiring, charging, cost etc....... at least in my area they are not...

 

 

The issue is that people think there is going to be this overnight flipping a switch to EVs...that couldn't be farther from the truth.

Couple things to keep in mind-

 

Governments set mandates for EVs with saying X amount needs to be sold by date X

 

Car companies need at least 5 years (if not more) to develop a brand new product and that product takes at least another 24-48 months to hit the market because of tooling up to build that product (retooling plants and sub manufactures)

 

Then factor in market demands for EVs, which has shrunk due to gotta have it crowd getting theirs and economic realities biting into peoples buying power over the past few years.

 

So in the grand scheme of things we are still at least 10 year or so before you can't buy something that doesn't have just purely an ICE in it, depending on what part of the world you live in.

EVs can't do everything well, so there is going to be some powertrain combos out there still using some form of ICE, like in heavy duty applications or maybe hydrogen in limited situations

[akirby]

Then there are all the people in North Fla and South Georgia who may be without power for weeks.  You can fill up 5 gallon cans and transport gasoline from surrounding areas.  Or get gas stations up and running on generators.  

[morgan20]

Good timing for that article. The head honcho big shot at Ford wrote about Ford Power Promise today

 

Ford believes it will take more than jumbo rebates to truly break through with the estimated 19 million people in the U.S. interested in electric vehicles. It will take – you guessed it – convenience, peace of mind, and expert service. It will take a modern-day version of the friendly filling station, only this time you “fill ’er up” at home.

That’s the idea behind the Ford Power Promise that we are announcing today. Here are the details: 

 

Home is Where the Charge is: It’s simple. Buy or lease a retail Ford Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning or E-Transit and take a complimentary home charger with you or have it delivered, and when you’re ready, an expert comes out to install it at no charge for a standard install. This takes the guesswork out of installation, including costs, to help you save time and money by filling up at home. Less stress, more convenience. If you’re a Ford Pro fleet customer, we have you covered with a commercial charging cash incentive.

 

On-the-Road Charging: Road trips don't happen every day, but when you are on the road, you need to know where to fill up. Our BlueOval Charge Network automatically searches for chargers across various networks, including Electrify America and Tesla Superchargers and adds charging stops to your route via the Connected Navigation in the vehicle. With Plug and Charge, you plug in when you get there, and the payment is automatically made via your FordPass account. It's that easy.  

 

Battery Confidence: We're confident in the quality of our batteries, and we want you to be confident, too. That's why we provide an eight-year/100,000-mile high-voltage battery warranty for every Ford electric vehicle. Ford has your battery covered.  

 

Ongoing Support and Guidance: We're dedicated to providing you with the support you need whenever you need it, including complimentary roadside assistance if your vehicle's range runs too low. We're also expanding our 24/7 Ford advisor for electric vehicle support, so you'll be talking or texting with real people. We are here when you need us.  

Electric vehicles are an excellent choice for many people. They are fun to drive, quiet and smooth on the road. They can help save you time and money on gas. And for the first time in a long time, filling up just got easier. Now, if I can just get one of my kids to squeegee my windshield.  

Edited Wednesday at 05:32 PM by morgan20

[Biker16]

4 hours ago, akirby said:

Then there are all the people in North Fla and South Georgia who may be without power for weeks.  You can fill up 5 gallon cans and transport gasoline from surrounding areas.  Or get gas stations up and running on generators.  

Some tornados came through our area in Early August, and our power was out for a week. It sucked; in total, 800,000 people lost power. 

A couple of observations. 

• We ended up buying a generator, which was a PITA, it was thirsty, noisy, and expensive to run.  
• An EV would be more flexible for our needs than a gas vehicle, especially if it had vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability. An EV with V2L could power our home with central AC for up to three days, up to 6 days without AC
• Fast charging was available near me.
• Unlike an ICE vehicle, an EV with V2L, I could transport energy from where there is power to my home. 
• The optimum solution for me in this situation would be Solar power with battery backup and an EV with V2L.

IMO, vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability should be standard on all EVs, the ability to use your EV to power your home during emergencies or support the Grid  shouldn't be Optional.

V2L Tech, like Tesla Powershare and Ford Home backup power, should be expanded to all EVs

Tesla Cybertruck Keeps The Lights On: How One Owner Beat Hurricane Helene’s Blackout (hotcars.com)

I took a peek at the Plugshare and Teals to see the outages in Ashville, and it shows many charging stations are still open.
 

[morgan20]

2 minutes ago, Biker16 said:

V2L Tech, like Tesla Powershare and Ford Home backup power, should be expanded to all EVs

Tesla Cybertruck Keeps The Lights On: How One Owner Beat Hurricane Helene’s Blackout (hotcars.com)

I took a peek at the Plugshare and Teals to see the outages in Ashville, and it shows many charging stations are still open.
 

 

Yea, my F-150 Lightning's Pro Power Onboard feature came in handy during power outages for me in Central Indiana (usually from severe thunderstorms and tornadoes). Love the V2L capability

[Texasota]

42 minutes ago, morgan20 said:

 

Yea, my F-150 Lightning's Pro Power Onboard feature came in handy during power outages for me in Central Indiana (usually from severe thunderstorms and tornadoes). Love the V2L capability

PPOB is a fantastic capability. It is far superior to a portable generator. The F-150 Powerboost with PPOB provides an even more resilient solution. I think we will see PPOB on future Mavericks, Rangers and even SUV/CUVs (e.g. the Explorer hybrid).

[akirby]

P2L is great for short outages or when the outage is isolated.  But if you’re in Southeast Ga there may not be reliable power within 60 miles for a week or two.  Solar would help a lot as would a generator but it’s still pretty inconvenient.

[Multitask]

8 hours ago, silvrsvt said:

Governments set mandates for EVs with saying X amount needs to be sold by date X

 

Car companies need at least 5 years (if not more) to develop a brand new product and that product takes at least another 24-48 months to hit the market because of tooling up to build that product (retooling plants and sub manufactures)

While I agree with most of what you posted

 

I have to say this, EVs have been around of over 100 years, and 10 for those that are used more recently...  😎

So this is WAY over what you just said...

Tesla is one that has been around for about 10 years.... THe 'industry' is already doing what you said they should be doing.... most in less time that what you just said.  

 

Whet isn't keeping up wth all that are the charging stations.... from what I see, most either don't work, or if they are there , they do NOT put out what most vehicles can take.  This is not to say ALL, just to say most.

 

 

[silvrsvt]

32 minutes ago, Multitask said:

Whet isn't keeping up wth all that are the charging stations.... from what I see, most either don't work, or if they are there , they do NOT put out what most vehicles can take.  This is not to say ALL, just to say most.

 

I live in an area with a high EV penetration and there are lots of charging (well mostly Tesla), but I haven't paid close enough attention to say the ones at Target (the one near me doesn't have it but there is a smaller one about 10-15 minutes away that does) to see how operational they are. They might only be level 2 chargers, but taking a 30-40 minute shopping trip will top off the battery you might have used to get there. 

[morgan20]

16 hours ago, Multitask said:

Whet isn't keeping up wth all that are the charging stations.... from what I see, most either don't work, or if they are there , they do NOT put out what most vehicles can take.  This is not to say ALL, just to say most.

 

Tesla Superchargers compatible with the NACS adapter that Ford gave me work better than the others like Electrify America and Blink. Had a great experience with a Supercharger at Fresh Thyme Market in Bloomington, IN

Edited Tuesday at 01:09 PM by morgan20

[Biker16]

A story from reddit on a f150 lightning in Ashville NC

[morgan20]

16 minutes ago, Biker16 said:

A story from reddit on a f150 lightning in Ashville NC

 

Yea, Ford F-150 Lightning owners and Ford Motor Company have stepped up to the challenge and helped their fellow citizens affected by natural disasters. A couple years ago, Ford donated F-150 Lightnings to Team Rubicon when that group was in Kentucky to help out with flood relief efforts there

 

“There’s 6- to 8-feet of floodwater in the homes,” Air Force veteran William Porter of Team Rubicon, a nonprofit run by military veterans and first responders, told the Detroit Free Press. “For us, a truck will support five to seven ‘gray shirts’ who can usually get 10 to 15 families back in their homes per day. A lot of times, electricity is scarce because power lines are down from a hurricane or tornado or flood waters. Ford has helped us with being able to generate power from the site and allow survivors to have a safe space to stay (at home) as opposed to a shelter.”

 

“The efficiency of onboard generators means we can run everything longer and we need less downtime,” Porter said “We can use the truck to power tools like the circular saws to rip out drywall, cabinets, carpeting. The truck provides electricity for work lights, fans. All companies definitely do not give us trucks. Ford is the first to my recollection.”

 

[morgan20]

I registered my F-150 Lightning for the Central Indiana EV Showcase this Saturday in Indy. Tom Wood Ford is bringing several Lightnings and Mach Es for test drives

 

https://driveelectricweek.org/event?eventid=4566

 

[morgan20]

The owners of a flower farm in Illinois, Chris and Sarah Yamamoto, wrote about their experience using a F-150 Lightning as a primary work truck

 

Little Ducky Flower Farm sits on seven acres about an hour outside of Chicago in Barrington, Illinois. My wife, Sarah, and I founded the farm in 2022, and we've loved every second of it since then.  

 

We have ducks, geese, sheep and hundreds of plants on our slice of paradise, which requires a lot of transport and feeding. We purchased an F-150 Lightning a few months after opening the farm for its first year and it was easily the best decision we’ve made.

 

I wasn’t initially convinced an electric vehicle was the right fit, but now there’s no going back. I still have to fill one jerry can at the gas station for my diesel tractor (electric upgrade incoming!) and it’s a constant reminder of why I’m happy to have made the switch to electric power.

 

 

 

 

[morgan20]

Third quarter 2024 was a great time for Ford's EV

 

Ford brand electric vehicle sales are up 45% this year, second only to Tesla in the U.S. market. With 67,689 electric vehicles sold through September, Ford’s electric vehicles are having a record sales run.

 

Sales of the electric F-150 Lightning more than doubled, helping overall Ford electric vehicle sales post a 12% quarterly gain. America’s best-selling electric van, the Ford E-Transit, posted a 13% gain on sales of 2,955 vans.

 

In the third quarter, Ford brand electric vehicles had the highest transaction prices of all non-luxury electric vehicle brands. Ford maintains a lease mix that is currently 35 percentage points below that of the overall electric vehicle segment, helping to better support residual values.

 

 

Ford Q3 2024 Sales.pdf