What’s your ultimate EV?

In reply to te72 :

The one I played with was owned by the late David Love.  He raced for Ferrari and as a result Enzo sold him a 2958 Testa Rossa  with the pontoon fenders.  
   When he passed his heirs sold it for I believe 56 million.  So a lot of your neighbors would need to donate their houses.   ;-).  
     The first time I heard that scream I was 14 and had taken a milk run steam train from Mpls to Elkhart Lake. 
Talk about sensory overload.  There were 3 Ferrari's there plus all the great British cars such as Jaguar.  Maserati's including a Birdcage. ( boy, those Italians are lousy welders ) standing at the fence at Turn 5  you could hear all that music going up the main straight and coming down the second long straight. 
     The Farrari's sound like a full throated opera while the American V8's were more like a fullback sounding  the charge   The Jaguar sixes had the heavy deep bellow of a Hemi without the V8 stumble. 
  Then there were the smells. Some of the purists were still using Castrol R which is just Castor Bean Oil.  As awful as that stuff is to swallow it's just that beautiful to smell.  Plus the church's had their usual corn and Bratwurst smells with a little overture of fresh popcorn.  Plus a cascade of BBQ's and burnt braking linings, followed by overheated engines.   
  For your eyes the Concourse de Elegance had beautifully shined and pampered  treats dating back to the early 1920's 

whiskey_business said:

I'd have a daily driver EV in a heartbeat, because they're cheap to run, quick off the line, and you can flog them mercilessly without any trouble.

However, my perfect EV is actually a Full Hybrid (Not Plug In) side by side.

Instant torque from drive motor. Ability to charge battery at peak power with their mid mounted, peaky turbo motor. Quick fill ups off the grid with fuel. Regen braking for descending hills and improving fuel economy. Small to medium sized battery mounted on the floor make the inherent tippyness of side by sides, all protected by skid plates of course.

 

Someone needs to get on this before I do.

I've been having similar thoughts...the drivetrain would be individual wheel-motors for sure, and maybe some kind of rotary (liquidpiston?) for the ICE - they're more efficient and last longer when they're run harder.

In reply to frenchyd :

I'd have to expand the range of neighbors, for sure. Only about a hundred or so houses in this neighborhood.

Your experience reminds me of the time we went to an American Le Mans race in 2010. Quite similar, if you'd pardon the Ferraris for having beautiful singing V8's instead. The Jaguars and Corvettes provided the bass, while the Porsches were on hand to provide some treble. Throw in the occasional Ford GT, and it was quite the aural experience.

In reply to te72 :

The one advantage of old age is the depth of memories. 
   I'm sure by the time you reach my age any ICE experience  will be unique. "what Grandpa? You drove your own cars by hand?"  

Other then my Element-ish idea (which is the super pratical one), the big thing I want is a super stripped back fun hot hatch style EV. I think my issue with current EVs is they all feeling like rolling computers. I want something that feels like an old Honda Civic or VW Rabbit. To be fair many ICE cars also suffer from this but at least there is the rare option of being able to get a manual which makes up for some of this.

In reply to 93EXCivic :

Now is the time to find that rust free but raggedy and accordingly cheap,  dream car.   Store it away in a corner someplace while you get the parts and modifications done as your budget allows.  
     I did that with this MG purchased in 1962  drove it 46 miles before it blew up the engine. By 1969 I went home on leave and replaced the engine. Drove it to my Navy Base in San Diego  and messed with it until 1972 when I did a frame up restoration. And finished it as I left the Navy in August of 1974 

    The wonderful thing about doing that is it taught me every single nut and bolt on the car and how to care for them.  

I'm leaning toward this:

My ultimate EV. I got to drive Sat. 9-11-22 at NY Safety Track...(which it definitely is not)....pic is not me at Summit Pt.

frenchyd said:

yupididit said:

frenchyd said:

yupididit said:

In reply to frenchyd :

Your math only works for people who buy brand new cars at reasonable prices. And less people commute everyday to work than in 2018. 

We are talking about math?   The average person does spend $1600 a year for gas.   An Electric used in my state would be hard to calculate. My granddaughter tells me there are outlets on campus to plug your car heater in but some are charging their car for free. Same thing at the bus company I work at. Plenty of outlets to plug into for the buses. They've told us we can use them because that's where we park our cars while driving the bus. But budget $100 a year to be sure. 
     Then there are 2&1/2 oil changes a year you'd save on and brake jobs you wouldn't need. 
  Now a new car will cost less than $300 a month on a 6 year loan.*after Jan 1. 
    
  Used cars?  Impossible to calculate.  Are you a skilled mechanic with your own tools? If the engine / transmission goes out do you fix it or throw the car away?  
    What other problems did the previous owner ignore?  How close to that magical 200,000 mile mark are you?   According to consumer reports less than 1% of all cars achieve that.  (I question that because I always get well over that).  But they claim documentation.   
       

 

Okay. You get nowhere repeatedly posting this information everytime someone says an EV isn't for them or that your math/logic/justification doesn't fit in every situation. Again, your math or reasoning only means anything for someone who is looking to buy a brand new car.  And they somehow get a new EV for $15k over a 72 month loan, otherwise under $300 a month isn't it. 

I've sold both new and used cars 2 separate occasions in my life.  First in 1974 when I got out of the service.  
 And again in 2014  

  Things really hadn't changed a bit. 
  New cars sell for close to dealer cost.  A $500 profit was considered a home run. 
   A used car is what you always made big commissions on. $5000 profit was pretty normal.   My commission checks would show $300 commission for selling a new car. And $2000 or more for the used ones.  
People are very good as second grade math.     This is less money than that. But they are lousy at values. They refer to guides like KBB and others for what others are willing to pay.  Not how much that particular car is actually worth.   I'd see these miserable trade ins come in. With a few dents,  torn seats, worn tires dirty and even a few rust spots.  We'd generously allow them $10,000 but up to $5,000 of that came off the list price  of what they were buying.   We'd send it through the clean up company and it would come out gleaming, clean shiny and with no visible defects. New tires,  smelling good. At only $14,999.  We'd do a little shifty changy on their trade in and   Make our $5000 profit.  Their trade in which we actually allowed $3000 for would go through the same thing and again we'd wind up with $5000 profit. And another trade in to sell at another $5000 profit. 
   No $5000 wasn't all we made some used deals made $10,000 or more!!!! 
    If you look at car ownership costs. When new there is no maintenance.  Make your payment and that's  about it.  Right about the point the car gets paid off comes the repair work.  In general the costs go up the longer you hold on to it. 
     We tend to fool ourselves because we don't charge us for the fair market value of our labor. If we did we couldn't afford to own them.   
    So since EV's really are pretty new  yes most will be new.   And the monthly payment for the Leaf or the Bolt which will serve  95% of people perfectly  could be as low as $250-275 a month. 
     But some people think that a $3000 used car is a better deal than a $30,000 car because of depreciation.  
 Well it is if you buy cars to sell them.  But it isn't if you buy cars to use them.  

Ok...I think I'm done with EV threads on GRM. Geez

In reply to yupididit :

It's not the threads or the EVs. 

I would love a hot hatch EV (no the hyundai suv doesn't count, it's a stylish fatty).  I want a GTI or Civic form factor, low to the ground and sporty, good bucket seats, and a six speed with a clutch pedal for entertainment value.

Yes, i said clutch pedal.  I recognize that it does absolutely nothing (heck its LESS efficient) but i want to be entertained.  If porsche stills gives the pdk flappy paddles, its no more ridiculous than that excellent driveline allowing idiot operator input.  Tie a sound generator to pedal position and motor speed and give me a rotary knob selector that has a bunch of cool sounds (alfa 4cyl, lancia startos 6cyl, ferrari v8, and zonda v12 to start), and let me be a hero in my own mind.  Banging gears and smiling ear to ear.  I don't care how fast it goes, the equivalent of ~300hp and 300 mile range feels about right as a starting point.  Also, as a spoof/easter egg, put this on the rotary knob to remind me I'm being ridiculous:

https://youtu.be/7ury3Wmg9PA

not so much the axel f song, but the goofy hamster engine sound.  The overrun burble being the "BEE BAHH BEEDEEBEEDEE BAH BAH BEEDEEBEE" would crack me up every time.  Because that's funny to me :).  Everytime i pass a burble tune focus st or wrx that setting would be played.

Johnny Cab.  (Total Recall)

I know this will ruffle some feathers, but I have no interest in a fully electric EV whatsoever. Even if they solve the range problems and find a way to expand the electrical grid to cover all the new electric cars coming on to the market. All my cars other than our Suburban and my wife's SUV are two seat sports cars from the 60's thru the 90's and all are light, agile cars that make all the right sounds. My stock TR8 is not fast, but it is a pleasure to drive and listen to that V8 as you go thru the gears. The Lancia's all sound like proper sports cars, as does my Spitfire, Miata and 914's. I want to shift gears, I want to be engaged, not just push a bunch of buttons.  Electric cars may be fast, but they are also heavy and the opposite of what I want in a car.  There is one EV that I would want to have, so I guess I'll answer the question with this hybrid EV. This car solves the main issue I have with EV's is the lack of proper sports car sounds. The 918 can drive away silently on electric power until that twin turbo V8 fires up! Saw one this past summer at the Pittsburgh Vintage races, what a car!

For me, an EV has nothing to do with speed and everything to do with laziness and ease of use.  I love my gas powered classic cars and will likely always have at least one, but for day-to-day driving, that whole "not having to buy gas" thing is so appealing.

I also want an EV minivan. I had high hopes for the Buzz since it was first announced years ago, but right now it looks like it will not meet my needs for utility in a minivan (not long enough).  As much as I love the in-floor seating storage of my Grand Caravan (it's in "cargo van" mode 99.9% of the time, I accept I'll likely lose that feature with an EV. 

Even better would be an EV version of an E-series van.  If I had money to burn, I'd buy a Mach E and build my own version of the F100 Ford built, which looks a lot more like a pick up body/bed grafted on to a Mach E "skate board" (complete with the Mac-Strut front suspension) than the "EV conversion" Ford has marketed.   But instead of a '71 F series, I'd use a '92-07 raised roof conversion van. 

Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:

For me, an EV has nothing to do with speed and everything to do with laziness and ease of use.  I love my gas powered classic cars and will likely always have at least one, but for day-to-day driving, that whole "not having to buy gas" thing is so appealing.

I also want an EV minivan. I had high hopes for the Buzz since it was first announced years ago, but right now it looks like it will not meet my needs for utility in a minivan (not long enough).  As much as I love the in-floor seating storage of my Grand Caravan (it's in "cargo van" mode 99.9% of the time, I accept I'll likely lose that feature with an EV. 

Even better would be an EV version of an E-series van.  If I had money to burn, I'd buy a Mach E and build my own version of the F100 Ford built, which looks a lot more like a pick up body/bed grafted on to a Mach E "skate board" (complete with the Mac-Strut front suspension) than the "EV conversion" Ford has marketed.   But instead of a '71 F series, I'd use a '92-07 raised roof conversion van. 

I think we're best friends.

My "fun restore/race/play" car will likely be ICE.

I do not want to ever touch my "bring sacks of meat from here to there every day through traffic" car, and I do not want to spend any money on it at all, therefore an EV is perfect.

tuna55 said:

Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:

For me, an EV has nothing to do with speed and everything to do with laziness and ease of use.  I love my gas powered classic cars and will likely always have at least one, but for day-to-day driving, that whole "not having to buy gas" thing is so appealing.

I also want an EV minivan. I had high hopes for the Buzz since it was first announced years ago, but right now it looks like it will not meet my needs for utility in a minivan (not long enough).  As much as I love the in-floor seating storage of my Grand Caravan (it's in "cargo van" mode 99.9% of the time, I accept I'll likely lose that feature with an EV. 

Even better would be an EV version of an E-series van.  If I had money to burn, I'd buy a Mach E and build my own version of the F100 Ford built, which looks a lot more like a pick up body/bed grafted on to a Mach E "skate board" (complete with the Mac-Strut front suspension) than the "EV conversion" Ford has marketed.   But instead of a '71 F series, I'd use a '92-07 raised roof conversion van. 

I think we're best friends.

My "fun restore/race/play" car will likely be ICE.

I do not want to ever touch my "bring sacks of meat from here to there every day through traffic" car, and I do not want to spend any money on it at all, therefore an EV is perfect.

 

Good points, as I don't want to spend any money on my appliance cars either. But while an EV may be less expensive right now in "out of pocket" expenses, I believe much of that will be changing as we charge (pun intended) into the future. Electricity is not free, it is not generated all by solar and wind and the grid will need to grow substantially to accommodate this rapid shift towards electric cars. I have already heard discussions about rationing and restrictions on when you can charge your cars to accomodate all the additonal volume that is coming. Will every parking spot in major cities have a charger? That may be necessary if we are to avoid having to schedule your time at a smaller number of charging stations. I might consider an EV appliance car, but not with any compromises. Right now, it cannot realistically replace our Suburban for towing, but could replace my wife's Tiguan for her short commute. 

I want to see the "skateboard" / modular concept pushed to something like EV Legos, or at least air cooled VW and kit car levels. Pick a body shell, how many battery packs you want in it, what motors you want at each end, and suspension.

To use a not quite current Chevy lineup, want a short range delivery vehicle? Get a Blazer, smallest battery pack, FWD, and the max sping rate. Want a Monte Carlo coupe? Pick a FWD commuter, get it as RWD and go drifting, or if you want electric motors at both ends an the Blazer's Z71 off road suspension, go ahead - if it fits together, it's orderable. Coupe no longer fitting your needs, but the mechanical bits still good? Bring it in and swap to a van body!

EV skateboards may revitalize the coachbuilding/small volume industry. 

dherr (Forum Supporter) said:

tuna55 said:

Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:

For me, an EV has nothing to do with speed and everything to do with laziness and ease of use.  I love my gas powered classic cars and will likely always have at least one, but for day-to-day driving, that whole "not having to buy gas" thing is so appealing.

I also want an EV minivan. I had high hopes for the Buzz since it was first announced years ago, but right now it looks like it will not meet my needs for utility in a minivan (not long enough).  As much as I love the in-floor seating storage of my Grand Caravan (it's in "cargo van" mode 99.9% of the time, I accept I'll likely lose that feature with an EV. 

Even better would be an EV version of an E-series van.  If I had money to burn, I'd buy a Mach E and build my own version of the F100 Ford built, which looks a lot more like a pick up body/bed grafted on to a Mach E "skate board" (complete with the Mac-Strut front suspension) than the "EV conversion" Ford has marketed.   But instead of a '71 F series, I'd use a '92-07 raised roof conversion van. 

I think we're best friends.

My "fun restore/race/play" car will likely be ICE.

I do not want to ever touch my "bring sacks of meat from here to there every day through traffic" car, and I do not want to spend any money on it at all, therefore an EV is perfect.

 

Good points, as I don't want to spend any money on my appliance cars either. But while an EV may be less expensive right now in "out of pocket" expenses, I believe much of that will be changing as we charge (pun intended) into the future. Electricity is not free, it is not generated all by solar and wind and the grid will need to grow substantially to accommodate this rapid shift towards electric cars. I have already heard discussions about rationing and restrictions on when you can charge your cars to accomodate all the additonal volume that is coming. Will every parking spot in major cities have a charger? That may be necessary if we are to avoid having to schedule your time at a smaller number of charging stations. I might consider an EV appliance car, but not with any compromises. Right now, it cannot realistically replace our Suburban for towing, but could replace my wife's Tiguan for her short commute. 

While new car sales may shift rapidly to EVs, the national fleet will change much more slowly. New car sales are something like 3-4% of the total fleet size. So this isn't something that needs to happen tomorrow. It just needs to keep pace with the growth of the electric fleet.

Every parking spot will not need a charger, as not every EV needs to be charging every time it stops. We'll certainly see more of them, but in reality only a small percentage will need to have charging available.

The "please do not charge at these times" request from CA recently was an exceptional scenario during a massive heat wave. But time of use charging encourages EV owners to shift their charging to off-peak periods, which will actually help the grid because utilities much prefer a nice consistent demand. The majority of vehicles are parked and stationary at the lowest demand period, which is perfect for charging. 

These are all solvable problems, and there are a lot of people working on solving them. They don't require new technology, they're just financial and logistical challenges. Significant ones given the scale, but the timeframe is also of a similar scale.

I didn't read everyone's post, so this idea may be a duplicate.

Small rear drive pick up with a standard cab. Think 80's S10 or Ranger. 2000lb payload, 4500lb towing. 350 mile range.

A/C, old style cruise control, power windows/locks, cloth covered bench seat. Posi-traction. No big screens or tech beyond gauges and radio.

Price would have to be sub $20k for me to afford it.

Money aside, I'd have a beautifully quiet and insulated people hauler. Give me a world class stereo, 8 seats, towing capacity (small ski boat or camper, remember I said "money aside") and 300 mile range (not towing, obviously) and fast charging capability. Don't make it look like a Nissan NV, and give me some real colors to choose from. Also as much brakes as can fit under 17" wheels so tires don't break the bank. 

Yesterday I saw this.

I would love to build a LS swapped Tesla

danvan said:

I would love to build a LS swapped Tesla

Its been done, i saw one at sema a couple years ago.