My very first car was a 1987 Mustang, not even the 5.0, the 4 banger. The gas guage didn’t work on it. I ran out of gas like 5 times in the slow little beast.
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Coach Pope ran out of gas on broadway
- Thread starter jeffky
- Start date
1. Tesla has over 50,000+ chargers in the US alone. Then there are almost that many CCS non-Tesla stations. You don't need to know how far apart they are because you don't decide when to stop - the car does it all for you along the route. Tesla Superchargers USA
2. My 2015 and 2017 are both 100% free to recharge at all Tesla supercharging stations (they stopped doing this in late 2017). We drove our Model Y to / from KY in 2023 and 2024 miles cost us $138 total in charging.
3. Depends on the model year. The older ones were slower at the supercharging stations. You also don't "fill it up" - you only go to what you need for the road trip based on what the car tells you and where it says the next stop is. It will show you on the screen how long each stop is. As in my previous post example, we made it to KY in 2023 ~48 minutes faster in the Model Y than we did in 2022 in the 2021 Suburban (which also cost us $578 round trip in gas). Some stops were 5-7 minutes, and the one longest stop the car programmed in at 45 minutes over what would be our lunch time (midday).
4. No, never an issue. However, with Tesla opening up their network to other EV brands, there might be down the road, especially with the increase in EV popularity and more brands making them. The Tesla charger north of Evansville has 10 stations, and this July my wife and I were stunned to see 6 of them charging non-Tesla EVs.
Most people don't take long road trips more than once or twice per year. So those people would just plug in at home. My cars all charge at different rates based on the model year - the 2015 pulls 40A and loads ~30 miles / hour. This is now my son's car, so he usually charges when he gets down to ~50 miles left in the "tank", and only to 80% (preserves battery life, much like your lithium ion phones). So at 30 miles / hr, to get to around 190 miles (80% of 240, roughly), he'd need 140 miles, or about 4 hours of charge.
The Model Y is a newer 2021 so it's got improved charging - 48A and 44 miles/hr rate.
The Model X (my car) is a 2017, but it has an upgraded onboard charger, so it boosts at 64A and 45 miles/hr rate.
We never have a need to charge more than one car at a time, even though we're a 3-EV household.
Have they passed the law to make you pay by mileage to help upkeep the roads.I fell into these cars while shopping for a more gas efficient ride several years ago. Commuting in a Wrangler (lifted) and a Suburban (boat) at $600/mo had me looking. Came across our first EV 4 years ago, then added two more. Still have an old RAM 2500 for camper towing, but that's just for summer. And electric costs for three cars averages around $60/mo, a dramatic drop from $600/mo with two gas hogs. Then there's zero maintenance besides tires every 3-4 years and brake pads around 150,000 miles.
Oh and they're fast - your 5.0 F150 and every single 5.0 Mustang ever made would still be sitting on the line while the Tesla is halfway down the 1/4 mile track.The most fun challengers are the lifted turbo diesels and little Subaru rice burners - lots of noise, not a lot of GO, and 100% of them are in my rear view mirror in 3 seconds.
I understand the combustion engine purists who love the feel and sound of a good old American muscle car (albeit still slow...lots of noise, but no GO!), but what I don't understand are those that are anti-EV for a reason they can't even explain. They just mumble "buh, buh, GAS!"
Sounds like you rented a Chevy Bolt or Nissan Leaf. They are garbage.
There are only a couple of really good EVs with long range, fast charging rates and reasonable rates (if you charge at home though it's dirt cheap). Those two are Tesla and Rivian. The F150 Lightning would also compete as it's around 320 mile range and pretty fast charging. Plus, it looks like a truck because it is a truck.
RAM is about to release a 1500 model with an onboard 4 gallon gas generator / electric "hybrid" that will get a whopping 690 mile range. I am seriously considering this over my Model X when I get a new car. RAMCHARGER 1500
Yep, I pay $50 / year extra on my registration, even here in "blue" "woke" Colorado.
I had a 1973 VW Thing with a faulty gas gauge. I ran out of gas at least 4 times thinking I had enough to get there.
Is there much of an increase in your monthly electric bill? I’m assuming the savings in gas offsets whatever that would be.
We average $60 / month total in electricity for all three EVs. We know this because our charging station is linked to the electric company's smart meter installed on our house. They send us a monthly email for each car (they even show the names of the cars because you can name your Teslas) so we can see how we're doing. I also have a monitoring system connected to my high-amperage lines in my service box that I can review via an app and wifi. It's pretty nice to see this and line it up with what the power company sends me in bills each month.
The previous Wrangler and Suburban ran us around $600 / month on gas.
And I now have a garage full of nice tools that I never have to touch, at least not for car repairs. That Wrangler was a piece.of.junk!
Not bad at all. We have been looking at a Tesla so thanks for the information my friend. Does Tesla still warranty the batteries on used cars? I believe they used to like 7-8 years or something. That’s huge for me because that’s a large expense.
Yes, the warranties transfer and live with the car, regardless of owner change.
The warranty is that the battery will last 8 years or 100,000-150,000 miles (depending on the model), but by "last" it means it will hold at least 70% of the original charge. If you see it falling, it will fall pretty fast and they replace it. I think Tesla now rarely has to replace batteries on cars post-2021 models because they worked out the mfg issues with those earlier Li battery packs. Even then, my 2015 Model S (which I gave to my son) still holds 96% capacity.
One tip - when you buy a used Tesla (we bought all of ours used), have the owner charge the car to 100% and take a photo of the miles remaining. They will need to switch the display from % to miles. Take that # and divide it by the rated range for that exact model when new. That will be your % capacity / battery health. Older models seem to hold 92%-98% more frequently, whereas the 2019 and newer have almost a conditioning loss that can be nerve racking, but then usually settles in around 92-95%. our 2021 Model Y dropped pretty quickly from 98% (we bought it with only 4000 miles) to 92%, so I thought we were going to get a new battery under warranty. But it settled there and has been at 92-93% capacity (roughly a 320 mile range at 100%) for almost 2 years now.
Another piece of info - the cars also have a regular 12V battery for accessories. These usually need replacing every 3-5 years and are about $270 from Tesla. It's easy to install - just remove the frunk compartment and swap batteries much like a gas car. I did forget to mention this as a maintenance expense. Having Tesla do it will be around $400, but it took me 20 minutes to do the Model S (I've only replaced that once in 7 years) and about 35 for the Model X (it's a bit more effort to get the MX swapped), with no special tools - just a YouTube video. They are warrantied, but not like the high voltage main batteries.
Here is the blurb I found from a Tesla battery review site:
- For Tesla’s entry-level options, the Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive and Model Y Rear-Wheel Drive, the warranty duration is 8 years or 100,000 miles.
- Stepping up to the mid-level models, the Model 3 Long Range, Model 3 Performance, Model Y All-Wheel Drive, Model Y Long Range, Model Y Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive, and Model Y Performance, coverage is 8 years or 120,000 miles.
- For its most premium options, the Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck, coverage is 8 years or 150,000 miles.
I should add that the batteries are designed to last 10-20 years. There's a Reddit thread on a guy that had his Model S for 250k miles before he had to buy a new battery. He's now at 424,000 miles and has saved a huge amount of money in interest and maintenance.
I once had to replace a transmission in my old pickup truck years ago - cost me $6700. But it was better than buying a new car and getting into another interest-based loan with down payment. Ultimately, $13,000 for a battery pack is not much if you only do it once and keep the car for 500,000+ miles.
EDIT: Here's an AI result from a search on Tesla battery replacement statistics (out of ~5 million cars sold so far since the first Roadster in 2010):
Battery replacement rate
According to a Recurrent study, only 2.5% of EV batteries have been replaced so far. Replacement rates are higher for older cars, with 13% of cars older than 2015 being replaced, compared to under 1% for cars from 2016 and newer.
Don't forget the tax credits. They have them now on used EVs, not sure if you're in KY, which may not have them, but CO does, as do some other states.
Furthermore, if you buy a new one from Tesla, they've been adding supercharging packages to the cars. You pay up front, but unless you plan on always using supercharging, it's not worth it. You can get a much better rate at home off-peak and you don't care about speed because you'll be sleeping and can set the car to be charged to your needed range when you plan to leave (you can schedule it either by start time or departure time in the car or on the app).
And read your electric company's website info on EV rebates. Many give them - both for installing EV chargers in your home, and for charging off-peak. If you have or get solar, you pay nothing to charge your car (my neighbor has a Tesla and solar and of course the sun charges his car for free!).
Yeah I figured the batteries would do that, it’s the same for Li-Po batteries on electric RC cars. If taken care of they hold a charge and settle around that 90-95% capacity for a long time and they fail fast as well. That’s a good warranty.
Back to the original topic, it was Popes wife that ran out of gas. He went there to help and the police were already there. Just saw on ksr or on3.
I really would love to see them convert coal into a fuel source. Then Kentucky can get a lot of NIL money from within the state.
Yeah , I was meaning charging when you weren’t at home. I know a guy that bought a Ford lightening truck, hooked up his boat and headed to Green River lake . When he got there he didn’t have enough battery to get home and couldn’t find a charging station. Turns out , when you put the vehicle under load it drastically reduces battery range. Like , a WHOLE LOT more than it reduces gas mileage.
Imo the industry moved on from hybrids to fully electric WAY to soon . Hybrids are much more sensible for most people.
How did "A Coach Pope running out of gas thread" turn into what kinds of cars y'all have... instead of talking about the coach ran out of gas! . Topic!
Yeah, typical Rafters bizarre thread.
We have all either ran out of gas or come close. Pope is such a super smart guy I figured he would have done the mileage math to avoid this but sometimes crap happens.
We have all either ran out of gas or come close. Pope is such a super smart guy I figured he would have done the mileage math to avoid this but sometimes crap happens.
It is absolutely an issue for non-Teslas. Went to Gainesville for the game this past weekend, flew into Orlando and rented an EV for the hell of it. Wanted a Tesla but they gave me a Polestar 2. Hertz gave me the car at only 29% charge, and I was going directly to Gainesville so I had to charge as soon as I left the airport. Went to a supercharger location nearby (believe it was called Electrify America) and it took 54 minutes (timed it as soon as I got in line) for a spot to open up for me. Took another 45 minutes to charge it to 90%. The next day I had to charge it in Gainesville and it took 27 minutes for a spot to open, same time to charge.
The car itself was very fun to drive, but imo not practical for a roadtrip. Missed a dinner because of how long the charging took which was annoying
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Nice to see that joke evolve from when it was a BMW and a porcupine.
There is no possible way it took 1.5 hours to charge at a fast charger. Either it wasn't actually a fast charger, you're lying, or your experience is outdated by about a decade because a 100kWh charger should take like 40 minutes maximum if the battery is huge.
I don’t think logistically everything could ever replace gas 100%. I do see the benefit of those that like them and yes electric motors crush gas in RC cars so I can assume they would scale up as well. If battery and charging technology improves then it could be feasible.I fell into these cars while shopping for a more gas efficient ride several years ago. Commuting in a Wrangler (lifted) and a Suburban (boat) at $600/mo had me looking. Came across our first EV 4 years ago, then added two more. Still have an old RAM 2500 for camper towing, but that's just for summer. And electric costs for three cars averages around $60/mo, a dramatic drop from $600/mo with two gas hogs. Then there's zero maintenance besides tires every 3-4 years and brake pads around 150,000 miles.
Oh and they're fast - your 5.0 F150 and every single 5.0 Mustang ever made would still be sitting on the line while the Tesla is halfway down the 1/4 mile track.
I understand the combustion engine purists who love the feel and sound of a good old American muscle car (albeit still slow...lots of noise, but no GO!), but what I don't understand are those that are anti-EV for a reason they can't even explain. They just mumble "buh, buh, GAS!"
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In 35 years of driving, I still have a perfect record. Probably came in on fumes a handful of times though. Now if this were about breaking down somewhere, I'm probably at 5 or 6 times. When I was in the Air Force, I was poor and drove a beater (76 Impala). Broke down like 3 or 4 times in that. Twice in the same McDonald's drive thru. 🤦♂️ Thankfully I had people stop and help me or give me a ride when it happened. I'd like to stop and help people, but man, these days you just struggle to help people with all of the craziness out there.
They do. And it's usually not far from home. And then there are very few options to power back up.
There's a major reason all the big companies are backing off of their EV commitments
Not so sure this is true. Lexington has a brand new state of the art Genesis dealership and I scheduled a regular periodic service on my car. I parked at (and waited inside) the Genesis building but they took the car next door to the Hyundai shop for the service work. They explained that the service department in the (multi-zillion dollar) Genesis dealership is EV only.
Also, Porsche is discontinuing the gas Macan. In the future, new Macans in the U.S. wil be EV only.
You seem really passionate about it; you have six posts in a row without multiquoting. Gotta give you my props for your dedication to this matter. I really could not care less one way or the other. I would have an issue if I was FORCED to have one over the other. Congrats on your impressive fleet, I guess.
I'm talking about GM and other car manufacturers scaling back or slowing down transitions to electric and companies like Hertz who went all in on EV and now are selling off their fleet and backing away entirely.
Unless they are used for a short daily commute and charged back over night at home, they just aren't feasible right now. Our infrastructure doesn't support them and nobody wants to sit around for an hour or more likely a few hours waiting for them to re-charge on a long trip.
I'll probably never own one. My vehicle is paid off and only has like 86k miles on it. I don't fill up but like once a month. So it's not worth it to buy an EV. Plus, if my vehicle is filled up in Louisville (before leaving), I can get to Florida with only 1 ten minute stop for gas along the way. Much better than sitting around for potentially like an hour or more charging up. If it could get you all the way there on 1 charge or there were enough chargers out there that were fast enough to charge up in like 15 minutes, then they would be potentially worth it.
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EV owners are going to swear by their purchases. And I woukd consider an EV for local driving, getting to work, etc., but for road trips, a drive from Louisville to Clearwater to visit my Brother-in-Law? Nah. I can make that drive in 14 hours with two 10 minute stops. One in north GA and one in North Florida. It would be at least a two day venture in an EV.
See all of my comments above on exactly this topic.
Your statement is accurate around brands not named Tesla or Rivian. Maybe the F150 Lightning. But Nissan, Hyundai, Chevy Bolts - they are short commute/long charge time EVs that fit your generalization.
Unfortunately if only 2 companies out of 15 that make EVs make a good EV then most people will assume all EVs aren’t great. I personally don’t like the appearance of the Tesla (especially the cybertruck and model x which I think are hideous) and as someone who drives SUVs only EV I would consider would be the Rivian which I think looks sharp. But overall I think the car excitement of EVs is waning a bit and it seems the consumers and market are trending towards hybrids (like the fired CEO from Toyota predicted) which are best of both worlds. Still think we’re a good 15 years away from EVs being the market leader.
