Am I crazy for wanting to use less gas? Less stopping to fill up. Less standing around the pump. Less breathing the fumes while pumping.
I look at my regular routine. Driving to the grocery store. Driving to my in-laws’ for dinner. Driving to drop off my daughter at daycare.
I don’t know if this makes me crazy or less …
As someone who drives a truck that gets 19mpg I too understand feeling like getting gas is a waste of time but I don't think I could live without having a truck.
Sure there are more efficient trucks and electric ones but how much gas would I have to use to justify spending the money to upgrade? Plus you cant bring a 2x4 from the big box store on the bus.
My best solution so far is take as few of trips as possible to minimize how much fuel I use and never leave the tank empty when I know I have to be somewhere important the next day.
You should be able to easily replenish a PHEV's range in a typical overnight charging situation with a standard 120v outlet, and the EVSE should come with the vehicle to enable just that.
That being said, mass transit, cycling, an ebike, etc should all be considered as potential options to reduce your fuel consumption when appropriate.
Yep, the real answer is drive less. But we have a car-dependent society, so realistically your only options are gas stations or EVs (hybrids included).
In reply to STM317 :
Agreed on the alternative forms of transportation. I know I could do better about utilizing them.
As for the car charging, I have to street park. The only way I could get my car plugged in is to run a lengthy extension cord, which I've been led to believe isn't a good idea.
In reply to maschinenbau :
I hear you, it's an unfortunate reality for a lot of people.
Colin and I were discussing this yesterday. In theory, he could take a train all the way to and through Orlando–but only Monday through Friday because we don’t have weekend service.
I’d love to be able to take a train to Orlando or even all the way to Tampa. Basically, put a rail line down the middle of I-4, please, and give us seven-day service. But I also realize the challengers there.
Of all the first world problems today lol.
I have one car that does everything very well. It's a 2014 Touareg that was bought for about $23k. It's a diesel. Gobs of torque, decent fuel economy, 7700 pound towing capacity, seats 5, is comfortable, and semi-sporty. Beating around town in the daily grind, I have to fill it every 2 weeks. That's not much time a the gas station.
I have looked hard a the EVs in the world. There really isn't one that will fill the shoes of the above vehicle without spending a boatload of cash. The Lightening, in reasonable trim with the extended battery, is $66k+ after the tax credit. That buys a little over 15k gallons of diesel, or enough to push the Touareg another 329,000 miles. That's about 21 years of driving for me. I would probably still need another vehicle because I really don't like driving a truck all the time. BTDT.
I seriously looked at EV trucks hard recently and didn't buy one because of bed size and price. I bought an F150 Ecoboost instead. It was $44k cheaper than the Lightening. That buys almost 14k+ gallons of gas or 266,000 miles. That pushes my break even out 7 years and probably past the useful life of the truck.
Yes, I know I didn't figure in oil changes. I also didn't figure in the cost of electricity for charging which will probably be more than the cost of oil changes.
The EVs are a viable alternative, but at the end of the day, buy-in just costs too much for me to play and I don't break even until long after both vehicles are dead. Maybe in the next few years, the used prices will come down and I'll do the math again.
Until then, it's gas stations for me.
Edit to add, our public transportation is a joke and isn't a viable alternative for anyone. The nearest bus stop to my house is 4 miles of congested and dangerous roads away. That is an express bus that only goes downtown so I'd have to catch another bus back out to the hub to catch another bus that goes past my office. Travel time shouldn't be more than 2-3 hours.
David S. Wallens said:Basically, put a rail line down the middle of I-4...
They've not even been successfully able to put I-4 down the middle of I-4 for about eight years now, so...
In reply to JG Pasterjak :
A boy can dream!
In reply to ChrisTropea :
I could fit a residential interior door in my '98 Z34 Monte Carlo.
I only know this because I had to. We had a party, door got messed up, had to go to a big box store the next day and get a new one.
In reply to z31maniac :
I realized I needed a truck when I was shoving truck sized loads into my MK6 VW GTI. It works but not ideal.
I have to fill up every 2 weeks...........I've got stations mapped out so that I stop at places that I would normally be waiting for the light anyway. The down time is minimal............it's 3-5 minutes. I also try to top up on the weekends rather than coming home from work.
Even my in my tow vehicle that gets 9mpg it isn't an issue; I easily can go 250 miles but at that point I want to make a stop to eat or at least stretch.
I'd love to never have to stop but even if I had an EV I'd still have to drag the cord out and plug it in and then put the cord away......which would be 3-5 minutes operation. Note my 3 car garage functions as a race shop so our dailies get parked in the driveway.
Until they make a perpetual motion machine that doesn't need filling up.........there is still going to be some level of topping up either with electrons or gasoline.
I fixed this problem back in college. Daily'd a big diesel Mercedes 45 minutes each way to school. Mid-20s mileage and IIRC a 30-gallon tank meant something like 600 miles of range. Live a little and commute in a cruise ship to solve your problem!
David S. Wallens said:In reply to JG Pasterjak :
A boy can dream!
Editorial Director, Grassroots Motorsports & Classic Motorsports
I really don't mind stopping for fuel. I drive so little in the summer, maybe a tank a month in the XJ and a tank every 6 months in the other cars, that my infrequent stops are not a problem.
On road trips I get about 400 miles per tank which is about right for peeing or eating when I stop.
In the winter I buy fuel every 2 weeks 40 miles from home(Nevada prices way cheaper than California prices). I time my fuel stops to coincide with my grocery trips and make an afternoon of it.
I really thought PHEVs would be more popular by this point, but they aren't, and the ones that are still being released don't even interest me as much as my Volt did when I got it more than 10 years ago. PHEVs almost seem to have peaked with that car.
As for solving your problem, Colin, doing the math on EVs and PHEVs is pretty easy. Most people's driving patterns are fairly regular, so you know how much range you need for 80% of your driving.
I really do miss NEVER having to go to gas stations with my Leaf, and in three years of Volt lesseeship I used less than 200 gallons of gas, so visits were pretty rare there, too. Although even today with my Prius getting 45mpg+, and me doing very little driving on a day to day basis, I still go to a gas station more often for coffee and boiled peanuts than I do actual fuel.
Tom Suddard said:I fixed this problem back in college. Daily'd a big diesel Mercedes 45 minutes each way to school. Mid-20s mileage and IIRC a 30-gallon tank meant something like 600 miles of range. Live a little and commute in a cruise ship to solve your problem!
A friends father had a Diesel Rabbit PU with a near 1200 mile range.............I always thought that to be optimal.
In reply to JG Pasterjak :
A PHEV would fit our lives perfectly. We'd prefer a three-row plug-in (one kid plus an eventual foster kid), though we're not sure we could swing the price of one.
JG Pasterjak said:David S. Wallens said:Basically, put a rail line down the middle of I-4...
They've not even been successfully able to put I-4 down the middle of I-4 for about eight years now, so...
I've been saying they need to do that with Rt 128 in Boston. That would open up public transportation to employees of companies along 128 that are currently unable to take advantage of public trans through commuter rail, bus, and subway.
Colin Wood said:David S. Wallens said:In reply to JG Pasterjak :
A boy can dream!
Editorial Director, Grassroots Motorsports & Classic Motorsports
This is kind of off topic, but the rail thing is being brought up here in OKC frequently because there is a vote next month to build a new stadium to keep to the OKC Thunder here through 2050.
I think it's mostly just people who don't understand that having a professional sports team that brings in $600 million in revenue per year and has helped the city grow from the 40th to 20th largest city in the US in 2 decades. And the 275+ days the stadium can be used for concerts and other shows as well.
But there is a bunch of backlash about something like having a rail line between Tulsa and OKC. Which I completely don't understand. It's about 1.5 hours by car between the two on the turnpike, and both cities are very spread out. So you end up needing to either rent a car, or grab Uber/Taxi's everywhere. It just doesn't make sense to me.
JG Pasterjak said:David S. Wallens said:Basically, put a rail line down the middle of I-4...
They've not even been successfully able to put I-4 down the middle of I-4 for about eight years now, so...
We have an east-west divided highway that would be perfect for a rail line. It's been discussed and shot down so many times there is little chance it will ever fly.
They are spending 70 million dollars to build a pedestrian bridge that will seldom get used. So at least we know what's important to the city.
My solution is to commute by motorcycle and just pick up a few cans of gas in the truck on the weekend. If I don't feel like stopping by for gas, I can refuel at home during the week.
It helps my 700+ miles per week commute a tiny bit more tolerable.
The minute a shaft drive electric motorcycle that can do 250 miles at 70MPH, and has a liquid cooled battery/motor for under $30k, I'm buying it!
Are you kidding? I'm old enough now I need to stop more often. But my pride won't let me do it without a reason. Apparently I need a car that gets ~150 miles per tank.
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