Insurance is no different than what we pay for my wife's 2011 Kia Forte, so it's comparable to most newer small cars.
The math usually won't add up for being completely "free". But as I said, for me it came down to "Keep driving my beater, or get a brand new loaded car for $60 net per month". Well, I've been doing the beater thing for 12 of the past 15 years and almost all of the last 8+ straight. I decided it was time. The allure of brand new car, no maintenance, and relatively cheap ownership cost was enough to push me over the edge. If I had gone for the base car, it would have been dang close to breaking even with the beater.
Loud pipes...yeah, I'd love to have a set of "loud pipes" that worked at the push of a button. Since the car is dead silent, it beeps like a truck when backing up and at <19mph going forward makes a sound like a robotic cricket.
re: the electric cost. I'm charging at home for now, so it's my cost. But it uses so little electricity, and there aren't a lot of cars around, so if my $.30/day gets passed to thousands and thousands, you're talking fractions of a penny. I'm not overly concerned...no offense to anyone.
Ian F
PowerDork
8/16/13 12:42 p.m.
nice. I'm still waiting for the "gen 2" version that can go ~200 miles like a Tesla. Or maybe if I could convince work to add a charger in the garage...
Regardless, thanks for reminding me of another reason not to ask a region member about his "drop bottom" price for his STX prepped BRZ. Whew!
BTW I like how you Americans are afraid of $4/gal gas. That's so cute, let me know when it hits $7
GameboyRMH wrote:
BTW I like how you Americans are afraid of $4/gal gas. That's so cute, let me know when it hits $7
Pfffft. It is $17-20/gal for C16. I remember when that stuff was $5 and $6gal.
GameboyRMH wrote:
BTW I like how you Americans are afraid of $4/gal gas. That's so cute, let me know when it hits $7
What do you mean "YOU Americans" ? Oh right, nevermind...
GameboyRMH wrote:
Ranger50 wrote:
Pfffft. It is $17-20/gal for C16. I remember when that stuff was $5 and $6gal.
$22.50/gal here.
Yeah, but you're on an island. Can't you just like walk around it in a day? ;)
turboswede wrote:
GameboyRMH wrote:
Ranger50 wrote:
Pfffft. It is $17-20/gal for C16. I remember when that stuff was $5 and $6gal.
$22.50/gal here.
Yeah, but you're on an island. Can't you just like walk around it in a day? ;)
Yes, but traffic is gridlocked most of the year...bad for MPG. My commute's only about 6 miles actual driving distance but it can take an hour to get home sometimes.
In reply to GameboyRMH:
You can be more green than Klayfish- bike! You should be used to the heat already.
Yes, but traffic is gridlocked most of the year...bad for MPG. My commute's only about 6 miles actual driving distance but it can take an hour to get home sometimes.
Do wut? Time to use your two legs, and a pair of 700x23 rubbers.
GameboyRMH wrote:
turboswede wrote:
GameboyRMH wrote:
Ranger50 wrote:
Pfffft. It is $17-20/gal for C16. I remember when that stuff was $5 and $6gal.
$22.50/gal here.
Yeah, but you're on an island. Can't you just like walk around it in a day? ;)
Yes, but traffic is gridlocked most of the year...bad for MPG. My commute's only about 6 miles actual driving distance but it can take an hour to get home sometimes.
Yeah, I hear you about gridlock, Wife and I visited the Philippines this year, just trying to get out of Manila was IN-SANE. We're talking 6 cars wide occupying 4 lanes and people were still jockying for position. If you think about the worst crowd of people you've ever been in (say at a concert, etc) and put those people in 3-wheel motor bikes, vans, jeepneys, buses, regular cars and have them all honking their horns and coming from every direction, then you might get a sense of that chaos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roctQEecsE8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dHZnRAhfO4
alfadriver wrote:
You can be more green than Klayfish- bike! You should be used to the heat already.
Hahaha you never get used to it. And there is one nasty mother of a hill in the way, about half of my commute is going up and then down it.
turboswede wrote:
GameboyRMH wrote:
turboswede wrote:
GameboyRMH wrote:
Ranger50 wrote:
Pfffft. It is $17-20/gal for C16. I remember when that stuff was $5 and $6gal.
$22.50/gal here.
Yeah, but you're on an island. Can't you just like walk around it in a day? ;)
Yes, but traffic is gridlocked most of the year...bad for MPG. My commute's only about 6 miles actual driving distance but it can take an hour to get home sometimes.
Yeah, I hear you about gridlock, Wife and I visited the Philippines this year, just trying to get out of Manila was IN-SANE. We're talking 6 cars wide occupying 4 lanes and people were still jockying for position. If you think about the worst crowd of people you've ever been in (say at a concert, etc) and put those people in 3-wheel motor bikes, vans, jeepneys, buses, regular cars and have them all honking their horns and coming from every direction, then you might get a sense of that chaos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roctQEecsE8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dHZnRAhfO4
Most places around here aren't like that, it's mostly orderly and very slow gridlock. You get that kind of thing in the capital but it's easy to avoid.
Vigo
UberDork
8/16/13 2:57 p.m.
Yeah, I hear you about gridlock, Wife and I visited the Philippines this year, just trying to get out of Manila was IN-SANE. We're talking 6 cars wide occupying 4 lanes and people were still jockying for position. If you think about the worst crowd of people you've ever been in (say at a concert, etc) and put those people in 3-wheel motor bikes, vans, jeepneys, buses, regular cars and have them all honking their horns and coming from every direction, then you might get a sense of that chaos.
My commute's only about 6 miles actual driving distance but it can take an hour to get home sometimes.
Thanks for posting, guys! Now i know two more places i will not waste my time visiting.
Vigo wrote:
Yeah, I hear you about gridlock, Wife and I visited the Philippines this year, just trying to get out of Manila was IN-SANE. We're talking 6 cars wide occupying 4 lanes and people were still jockying for position. If you think about the worst crowd of people you've ever been in (say at a concert, etc) and put those people in 3-wheel motor bikes, vans, jeepneys, buses, regular cars and have them all honking their horns and coming from every direction, then you might get a sense of that chaos.
My commute's only about 6 miles actual driving distance but it can take an hour to get home sometimes.
Thanks for posting, guys! Now i know two more places i will not waste my time visiting.
I will say that once you get out of the Manila, there is a lot of beauty and many wonderful things to see and do. Just don't be in a hurry and don't drive yourself.
As an early Volt owner (er, leaser), it has been interesting to watch the attitudes about EVs (EVish in the case of the Volt) change over the past 2.5 years. I've been saying it since I got mine: eventually people notice a few things about them - they are dirt cheap to operate, they are 'fun' in their own way, they are tremendously convenient if their inherent limitations work for you.
As a commuter, they are tough to beat. Dead silent, responsive, full 'tank' every morning, practically no maintenance requirements. IIRC, the only maintenance a Leaf needs is a brake fluid change every two years. The Volt gets an oil change every two years for most people.
GameboyRMH wrote:
BTW I like how you Americans are afraid of $4/gal gas. That's so cute, let me know when it hits $7
Too bad the average American commute is long enough to span some of the smaller European countries.
These would actually be a good fit for me. Round trip to and from work is 12 miles. I consider myself green and concerned about the environment and lastly pretty frugal. My only hold out is........aren't these things the ultimate driving appliance? No shifting, no clutch, no starter, no vibration not even any car sounds. Please tell me that I am wrong but aren't these just toasters on wheels? Is there any enjoyment in driving them?
Datsun1500 wrote:
How much electricity does it take to do a full charge?
According to the cars' computer, it seems to take about 6-7 kwh for me to charge from 40% to 90%. For the month of August, I've used a total of 61.7kwh, which equates to about $5.20
tuna55
PowerDork
8/16/13 7:23 p.m.
Everyone who works for a big type company, check Nissan's VPP site, you may qualify for a discount.
BAMF
HalfDork
8/16/13 9:10 p.m.
I recebtly started working for a company that makes electrical metering equipment. We also make car chargers. So far only one person with a Volt uses the charger at the engineering office. He has a 10 mile round trip, so who knows when he last put gas in it.
I've thought an electric car would be interesting for some time now. Leasing a Fiat 500e would be tempting if they were available outside California.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If we could get a Volt lease for anywhere CLOSE to what you pay, I'd have one in the driveway. I love the idea, but 700-800/month puts a serious damper on it. At $200ish per month, I'd be in!
Taiden
UltraDork
8/17/13 7:15 a.m.
Sticker should say "zero emissions*"
"*not including all manufacturing emissions"