Hobo Jungle

[Rufus T. Firefly]

For your specific distance and traffic scenarios, you are probably correct.

What about for the average person driving 20-40 miles each day to work and back, and maybe running a few errands on the way home, and maybe a few out & abouts on the weekend? The basic moderate commuter...... Charge in the garage every night.

I think it depends on who you are and what your driving patterns are ....

You make a very good and a fair point, rounding out the picture nicely. However, if a family or individual has the driving habits you mentioned, are they supposed to buy a second car for long trips? And shouldn't that additional vehicle be gasoline powered, then?

We do use my car for long trips - I had suggested to me better 1/2 to invest on a car that would be strictly a commuter car - she compromised....

Buying or owning a 2nd car for trips -- renting one short term beats the investment of a 2nd car. And, the advertised leases on the TV for new cars are even cheaper than renting a car.

Last trip was to the Denver area and we flew out/back and rented a car there for a week. Driving 1/2 cross country is something I;m just not doing unless it's really, really, really necessary or I have a full load in the Outback for business. Anything over a day long drive is a rarity vs. airfare.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

In the old days, you'd drive your electric car to a service station, and they'd trade a new, fully charged battery for your pooped-out one.

I've tried , but I do not know what that even means. Who? What? Where? When?

What old days were these or are they the good old days that are yet to come

[Mitch]

Rufus, are both of your Outbacks AWD/4WD? Actually, either the 4cyl or the 6 get pretty decent mileage.

Electric cars are still runnin' on Lithium Ion batteries. The same battery type that has burned up folks cell phones, lap tops, kid's toys, and the Chevy Volt has been known to have burned down at least two people's garages while recharging. I just read the other day where Chevy is ready to wave bye-bye to the Volt.
Before the advent of the new Pacifica, the only Chrysler built Hybrid was the Chrysler Aspen, which is basically a glorified Dodge Durango. But besides the electric power, which recharges whenever you let of the fuel pedal, (dynamic braking), you've also got a 370 HP Hemi out there under the hood.
We've sold new Pacificas, but I've yet to see the Hybrid come in. We've received special service tools for them, and Chrysler required Charging stations in the Dealership. 3 inside the garage, and one outside. One of the special service tools is a huge jack on wheels to lift the battery pack down out of the car while up on the hoist.

Hey Murph, you can pull your electric car into our dealership after hours and plug in for free. Compliments of #1 Cochran! Sleep in the car and charge all night, but boogie before anyone gets there in the morning.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Very edifying post there, good ol' Mitch. And I'll hold you to that sleep-in-the-dealership invite as soon as I lose my mind and get an electric-powered car. Don't wait up for me, though.

[Roy]

In the old days, you'd drive your electric car to a service station, and they'd trade a new, fully charged battery for your pooped-out one.

I've tried , but I do not know what that even means. Who? What? Where? When?

Early twentieth century, right here in the U.S. Yes, they had electric cars back then.

[Roy]

In the old days, you'd drive your electric car to a service station, and they'd trade a new, fully charged battery for your pooped-out one.

I've tried , but I do not know what that even means. Who? What? Where? When?

What old days were these or are they the good old days that are yet to come

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_electric_vehicle#First_practical_electric_cars

[robert.]

aside from the initial cost. It might be best to have a gas powered generator for you car. At night you could plug your car into that for charging.Then with all these electric cars running around we'll have low lying ozone problems.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

In the old days, you'd drive your electric car to a service station, and they'd trade a new, fully charged battery for your pooped-out one.

I've tried , but I do not know what that even means. Who? What? Where? When?

What old days were these or are they the good old days that are yet to come

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_electric_vehicle#First_practical_electric_cars

Well before my time, but note: "By the 1920s an improved road infrastructure required vehicles with a greater range than that offered by electric cars."

I may be hearing an echo.

[robert.]

Chicken or the egg? we may never know. Petrol or electric? I'd say electric vehicles came first. Were they practical? Probably not.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Interesting conversation, however.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Chicken or the egg? we may never know. Petrol or electric? I'd say electric vehicles came first. Were they practical? Probably not.

Steam!

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Anecdotal evidence vs scientific research.

Have we enough of either to make a commitment to such a new direction as electric cars? Look at what Mitch told us about the batteries . Can that be ignored? As I said several replies ago, sufficient enough batteries are a big problem. I sure wouldn't launch my family and myself out into a dark night on a journey that could be prematurely truncated by the vehicle exhausting its charge too soon and having it's recharging result in burning to the ground outside a motel room I shouldn't have had to take that soon in the first place.

[webenda]

Anecdotal evidence vs scientific research.

Have we enough of either to make a commitment to such a new direction as electric cars? Look at what Mitch told us about the batteries . Can that be ignored? As I said several replies ago, sufficient enough batteries are a big problem. I sure wouldn't launch my family and myself out into a dark night on a journey that could be prematurely truncated by the vehicle exhausting its charge too soon and having it's recharging result in burning to the ground outside a motel room I shouldn't have had to take that soon in the first place.

I think you could use a Figit Spinner Murph.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Nah. They get boring fast. It's way more fun tweaking your bippy .

[webenda]

Nah. They get boring fast. It's way more fun tweaking your bippy .

OK.