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If you are interested in an EV

ST Guy said:
Don’t forget all the extra brake pad material and tire rubber shed by EV’s compared to the equivalent ICE vehicle.
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Well over 120k miles on the Yakuza Prius when I sold it and it was on the original brake pads. 80k miles on my Cadillac hybrid when I sold it, and the pads looked brand new. We rarely use the (friction) brakes on the new EV.

Tires...I abuse the tires on all the vehicles I own. It has no bearing on the powerplant.
 
ST Guy said:
Don’t forget all the extra brake pad material
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In some EVs, you can remove the brakes, and the driver probably wouldn't even notice the difference. I do not think the brake pads have ever been used in my Chevy Bolt. As I press the brake pedal, the regen progressively increases well before the brake pads engage. I may get over 100KW of regen (which will slow down any vehicle a lot) if I "brake" hard. But I doubt if the brake pads were engaged.

Tesla does this differently. Ever hear of "one pedal driving"? Heavy regen automatically at very slow speeds to stop the car.

FWIW, I like the Chevy Bolt method better. I rarely touch the brake pedal; I just use the regen control on the steering wheel. It does not activate the brakes at all. If I want to stop fast, I will use both, but I cannot tell if the brake has engaged or not. But I assume not--except in an emergency when the brake pedal is slammed on very hard.

I also use very little braking on my electric motorcycles for the same reason.

Regen can be adjusted on electric motorcycles if you want to coast better when you let go of the throttle, but you can get the same effect as no regen even when it is set for high, just do not release the throttle.

-Don- Redcrest, CA
 
ST Guy said:
It may be funny, but an EV does use more of these things than equivalent ICE vehicles. It’s because EV’s weigh more.
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This is simply not true.

EVs regenerative braking means the brake pads are used significantly less than ICE vehicles.

Tire wear is almost entirely based on driving style, not to mention stuff like suspension quality/adjustment.
 
Few things I'm learning driving an EV Stepvan. I only use the brakes out of habit, the regenerative feature will do all the work and it may be progressive I have not quite figured that out yet. Fortunately we can charge using level 2 at home but we don't have too. It's freaking cool to come home, plug in and take off with a full tank in the morning. Fueling has always been kind of a dreaded task for me.

Other cool things I've noticed:
Leaving the dogs in the van is ok because not only can I leave the temerature set to a comfortable level but as long as I have service I can monitor them.
I don't use the radio to drown out the engine noise.
The in DRIVE but stopped or moving slowly sound is very calming, sort of like meditation music.
The Hummer displays are magnificent

I'm sure there will be more but I am super happy with this decision and we may be looking at a Bolt.
 
ThumperX said:
and we may be looking at a Bolt.
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It is the most fun car to drive I have ever owned. I like it MUCH better than my Tesla for 99% of my drives. I love the way the regen control on the steering wheel works and also how you can see the KWH used and gained in real time. And the blind spot indicators are in the mirrors where they belong, no need to look at the screen as in a Tesla. Also, the way the backup camera switches to forward as you park. Tesla only shows rear.

However, if you want an EV for long trips, Tesla is the way to go for many reasons. But Teslas are boring after driving the Bolt.

Bolt is lousy for a long trip--it only charges at 55KW max. Older bolts are 50 KW max.

Tesla, by far, has the best and most reliable network there is, and all the newer Teslas can charge with anything, even CCS, just get the adapter. Older Teslas do not support the adapter, but I modified mine (2018) so it will--even though I have only used it one time and that was to make sure it worked! I figure it is better to have it and not need than to need it and not have it. But it was probably just a FWOTAM with me.

Telsa can charge at 250KW, so the charge wait is just a few minutes in most cases on a V3 or V4 Tesla Supercharger. 4.5 times longer to charge a Chevy Bolt on a DCFC. But they each can charge at 12KW on a home charge.

What I am saying here is the Bolt is best for local trips, but the Tesla is better for longer trips, but either can do either and most car trips are local and by far.

I am sure you will be very happy with a Bolt.

BTW, Tesla puts everything at max. Need to go to the screen to lower regen or acceleration. Bolt is the opposite. It has a "sport mode" switch if you want to accelerate fast. Regen is light, but that control on the steering wheel is used as you drive to make it stronger as you drive. I really like that feature and I miss it a lot when I drive my Tesla.

-Don- Redcrest, CA
 
Lights_Guy3 said:
So even if the efficiency numbers for an EV and an ice were similar,
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But they are not even close. See here.

But yes, it is much easier to control at a single source than from millions of tailpipes.

EVs win for green in every way possible except for one. It is greener to build an ice car than an EV. But only the entire picture counts and then it is no comparison.

-Don- Redcrest, CA
 
ST Guy said:
Don’t forget all the extra brake pad material and tire rubber shed by EV’s compared to the equivalent ICE vehicle.
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It's true that EVs usually weigh more, causing more tire wear to achieve the same acceleration. And EV owners usually accelerate harder than they did with their ICE cars, just because they can.

OK, if someone owns a Hellcat, then yeah they'll accelerate just as hard as they would in an EV, or even more. But most people don't own "badass" cars like that. Most people are meek individuals who own generic ICE vehicles like Civics and CRVs. And meek individuals avoid accelerating hard because they think it "harms" the engine. They think ICE engine noise is "scary" or "too aggressive". But if you give them an EV, most of them would start accelerating harder because "Ooh, it feels so easy and calm!!"

According to a 2024 Consumer Reports study, EV owners replace tires 20–30% more frequently than ICE vehicle owners. Plus EV tires usually cost more because they're built stiffer and contain sound-absorbing materials.
 
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Motos, last I checked, have the most tire wear by far.

Moto tires last between 3000 and 15000 miles according to the google though my tires have never lasted much more than 5000.

So 1500 to 7500 miles per tire.

Google also says car tires last 36000 to 50000 miles or 9000 to 12,500 per tire.

Tire wear as a "negative" for EVs is a hardly a reason to dismiss them.

The only EV I own is a bicycle.
 
As long as we're consistent, being pro-environment and pro-regulations which protect the environment.
 
Out of curiosity, I wonder what the oldest, mainstream EV is on the road right now. Are people getting 10 years out of Tesla?
 
That's turning out to be no problem and for some vehicles that's the warranty. As long as a buyer were cool with some degradation(maybe 20-30%?), and as long as it were priced accordingly, I think the odds are in your favor to buy a ten year old electric or hybrid and get at least a few more years out of it. Something like a Honda or Toyota hybrid where the batteries are behind the back seat, if you like to tinker, all the parts and info are out there for you to refurb batteries yourself. Aside from the stuff surrounding tesla, I'd definitely be willing to own a ten year old model s. The free supercharging for life deals are still out there.
 
I drove my fiat from 20k to 66k miles. It's a 2013.
I think the Nissan Leafs have the worst degradation as they do not have active cooling for the batteries. Mine didn't show much of any degragation.
 
budman said:
I probably will buy my last car ever in a year or two. That kind of makes me sad.
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Cadillac CT5 Blackwing will make you happy. Very, very. happy. Bud.

mikev said:
Tire wear is almost entirely based on driving style, not to mention stuff like suspension quality/adjustment.
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Normal tire wear (absent driving style); based on surface temp, vehicle weight/ power, and friction of tarmac.
 
budman said:
I probably will buy my last car ever in a year or two. That kind of makes me sad.
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I have a 12 yr old Jeep GC. I think this era is almost "Peak Jeep", at least for the GC. I mean, I don't know, I have queried the cognoscenti, it's just a feeling.

But I'm resistant to replacing it with anything modern. I dunno, I might be able to get another 10 out of it.
 
berth said:
Out of curiosity, I wonder what the oldest, mainstream EV is on the road right now. Are people getting 10 years out of Tesla?
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See here.

For all EVs, see here.

"The results showed that EVs now have an average lifespan of more than 18.4 years, outlasting the average diesel vehicle at 16.8 years and almost matching the average petrol vehicle at 18.7 years."

-Don- ( Moss Cove Rest Stop on 101--headed home)
 
DonTom said:
"The results showed that EVs now have an average lifespan of more than 18.4 years, outlasting the average diesel vehicle at 16.8 years and almost matching the average petrol vehicle at 18.7 years."
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But that was only in the UK. If you tried to do that study in the US, it'd be very difficult. Many ICE cars (and motorcycles) are "off the books" in many ways. I'm not sure how they'd learn whether or not they've been destroyed.
 
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