Rob Mccart wrote to KURT WEISKE <=-

About 4 1/2 hours on a plain old 110v plug.

That's fast.. I've heard people complain that using a 220 volt
line it can take all night to charge ones with bigger batteries
I assume..

Yeah, plug-in hybrids have smaller batteries.

My BMW i3 had a relatively small battery for an EV, and it took around
4 1/2 hours to charge with a small-ish, 16 amp/220 volt charger. They
make 40 amp chargers, I'd assume you'd want that charging a Tesla.

They have timers, and when you get a time-of-day utility plan, you want
to wait. I told mine to charge at 12:00am, and it kicked off when the
rates dropped.

One wonderful thing about that car I miss - tell it when you leave in
the morning, and it'll pre-heat the interior and the battery. Stepping
into a warm car on a cold morning is WONDERFUL.

My sister is into that stuff. Not exactly the same but they have a
roof full of solar panels and they sell the power created back to
the utility at about 4 times the price per KWH than they pay to buy
power from the utility. But it's an all or nothing thing, they don't
keep some of that power and sell off the extra. It all goes to the
utility and then they pay a power bill like normal..

It's wasn't cheap though. I think she paid about $80,000 for the
panels and computer equipment that runs it and tracks output.

People are making apartment-sized solar/battery arrays, small enough to
put in a window or on a balcony, and with a smallish battery. Would be
great for running electronics and keeping a battery for outages.



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My BMW i3 had a relatively small battery for an EV, and it took around

> 4 1/2 hours to charge with a small-ish, 16 amp/220 volt charger. They
> make 40 amp chargers, I'd assume you'd want that charging a Tesla.

Yes, some of those have a great range on a charge but you pay for
it one way or another..

My sister is into that stuff. Not exactly the same but they have a
roof full of solar panels and they sell the power created back to
the utility at about 4 times the price per KWH than they pay to buy
power from the utility.

The Utility has stopped paying that much for power now. My sister
has a contract so her rates will stay but new people wanting to
do that will get only 30 cents per KWH instead of her 80 cents.

Buying power from them allowing for time of day costs from
about 10 cents per KWH at night up to 20 cents at peak.

People are making apartment-sized solar/battery arrays, small enough to

> put in a window or on a balcony, and with a smallish battery. Would be
> great for running electronics and keeping a battery for outages.

Yes, they have various sizes of those available here, some to sit
in the window of your car keeping the car battery topped up..

---
* SLMR Rob * It's certainly not MY fault... I barely touched it
* Origin: Capitol City Online (1:2320/105)

Rob Mccart wrote to KURT WEISKE <=-

My BMW i3 had a relatively small battery for an EV, and it took around

> 4 1/2 hours to charge with a small-ish, 16 amp/220 volt charger. They
> make 40 amp chargers, I'd assume you'd want that charging a Tesla.

Yes, some of those have a great range on a charge but you pay for
it one way or another..

The BMW was a deal - they've depreciated seriously. A great deal for
the used buyer, not so much for the seller. The sticker on mine was
$53K in 2018, I got it with 18K miles for $18K.

Maintenance was a breeze - oil change every year, brake fluid and spark
plugs every 2.

What bothered me were the tires. No spare, different sizes on the front
and back, and one manufacturer in that size. the tires were around $250
a corner and wore out in 25-30K miles.

I started doing long commutes and was worried that if I blew a tire on
the not so well-maintained highway I drive, I'd need to tow it to a
tire store, have them order a tire, uber back home and uber back to
pick it up.

I'm much happier having a spare with me.

My sister is into that stuff. Not exactly the same but they have a
roof full of solar panels and they sell the power created back to
the utility at about 4 times the price per KWH than they pay to buy
power from the utility.

The Utility has stopped paying that much for power now. My sister
has a contract so her rates will stay but new people wanting to
do that will get only 30 cents per KWH instead of her 80 cents.

Buying power from them allowing for time of day costs from
about 10 cents per KWH at night up to 20 cents at peak.

People are making apartment-sized solar/battery arrays, small enough to

> put in a window or on a balcony, and with a smallish battery. Would be
> great for running electronics and keeping a battery for outages.

Yes, they have various sizes of those available here, some to sit
in the window of your car keeping the car battery topped up..

---
* SLMR Rob * It's certainly not MY fault... I barely touched it
* Origin: Capitol City Online (1:2320/105)

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The BMW was a deal - they've depreciated seriously. A great deal for

> the used buyer, not so much for the seller. The sticker on mine was
> $53K in 2018, I got it with 18K miles for $18K.

Sounds like a great deal. What scares me a bit about electric cars
is I'm seeing all sorts of people online complaining that in less
than 8 years they had to put in a new battery and it was costing
almost as much as a new car, often at least $35,000, more for
the higher end cars..

Maintenance was a breeze - oil change every year, brake fluid and spark

> plugs every 2.

I put on very few miles, 1200 to 1500 a year, so I also just do
one oil change a year (even though they recommend 2) but I have
it done at a Ford Dealership where they charge more but they do
those 29 point service checks checking the whole car for problems.

What bothered me were the tires. No spare, different sizes on the front

> and back, and one manufacturer in that size. the tires were around $250
> a corner and wore out in 25-30K miles.

I started doing long commutes and was worried that if I blew a tire on

> the not so well-maintained highway I drive, I'd need to tow it to a
> tire store, have them order a tire, uber back home and uber back to
> pick it up.

I'm much happier having a spare with me.

Can't you switch over to more common makes of tires when they
wear out? I've always had a spare in the cars I owned but in recent
years they usually come with those skinny little temporary tires..

In all the years I've driven (55 years?) I've only had to change
a tire 2 or 3 times..

---
* SLMR Rob * Caught between a moose and a snowplow...
* Origin: Capitol City Online (1:2320/105)

The BMW was a deal - they've depreciated seriously. A great deal for

> the used buyer, not so much for the seller. The sticker on mine was
> $53K in 2018, I got it with 18K miles for $18K.

Sounds like a great deal. What scares me a bit about electric cars
is I'm seeing all sorts of people online complaining that in less
than 8 years they had to put in a new battery and it was costing
almost as much as a new car, often at least $35,000, more for
the higher end cars..

If I were looking at "electric cars," I would be looking at a hybrid.

Mike


* SLMR 2.1a * Is it OK to yell "MOVIE" in a crowded Fire Station??
--- SBBSecho 3.28-Linux
* Origin: Capitol City Online (1:2320/105)

Rob Mccart wrote to KURT WEISKE <=-

Sounds like a great deal. What scares me a bit about electric cars
is I'm seeing all sorts of people online complaining that in less
than 8 years they had to put in a new battery and it was costing
almost as much as a new car, often at least $35,000, more for
the higher end cars..

BMW does great thermal management and battery maintenance. People on some of the BMW boards showed cars with limited degradation and 100,000+ miles.

Compare with a Nissan Leaf, they apparently have horrid battery management
and lose their collective chrarges after 5-6 years.

Can't you switch over to more common makes of tires when they
wear out? I've always had a spare in the cars I owned but in recent
years they usually come with those skinny little temporary tires..

There's only one model and brand of all-season tire that fits. :(


... Before WW I, men could be drafted into the circus.
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Mike Powell wrote to ROB MCCART <=-

If I were looking at "electric cars," I would be looking at a hybrid.

I still miss my Prius plug-in. Best of both worlds.


... The Tuba is technically a percussion instrument.
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Sounds like a great deal. What scares me a bit about electric cars

>> is I'm seeing all sorts of people online complaining that in less
>> than 8 years they had to put in a new battery and it was costing
>> almost as much as a new car, often at least $35,000, more for
>> the higher end cars..

If I were looking at "electric cars," I would be looking at a hybrid.

They do sound more practical and, with a less than perfect system
of charging stations in many areas, having the option of using
gas instead sounds like a good plan..

---
* SLMR Rob * 26% of Canadians can't read. The other 92% can't do Math.
* Origin: Capitol City Online (1:2320/105)

I'm seeing all sorts of people online complaining that in less

> than 8 years they had to put in a new battery

BMW does great thermal management and battery maintenance. People on some of

>the BMW boards showed cars with limited degradation and 100,000+ miles.

The wear out is probably linked more to battery age than the miles
put on the car so you'd need to know both..

Compare with a Nissan Leaf, they apparently have horrid battery management

>and lose their collective chrarges after 5-6 years.

And of course, one of the cheaper electric cars..

Can't you switch over to more common makes of tires when they

> wear out?

There's only one model and brand of all-season tire that fits. :(

Really? An odd size then.. Probably done purposely to sell their
expensive tires.. Possibly new wheels could be purchased that
are a more common size, but that's an expensive change.

---
* SLMR Rob * We have all passed a lot of water since then
* Origin: Capitol City Online (1:2320/105)

I have a 1993 Dodge Dakota pickup that has the same size tires all
around, but calls for the fronts to be inflated to 5 PSI less than the rears. This is the first, and only, vehicle I have owned that did
that.

That makes sense - if you're loaded to the hilt, you'd need additional

>tire pressure to help support the weight.

That's a good point. I missed that, and I shouldn't have because,
regardless of recommenations, when I had a Ford F150 with special
suspension to carry over 2000 lbs, I often had my rear tires
inflated as much as 10 lbs higher than the front.

Speaking of which (maybe this should go to AUTOMOTIVE?) I read an

>interesting article. I've had the past few sets of high-mileage tires wear
>out on the outer edges. I thought it was alignment, then realized both inner
>and outer edges were worn. I kept the tires at the recommended pressure.
>Apparently the recommended pressure is intended for a fully-loaded vehicle.
>Driving solo under-loads the tires. I started inflating them a couple of PAI
>higher and got better life from the tires.


Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but, it seems to me of your
tires are carrying less load than the tire pressure is set for,
the wear should be in the middle, not the outer edges, since the
weight isn't there to flatten the tire right down to the road
surface.. (?)

---
* SLMR Rob * Honest, Officer! Barney was on fire when I got here!
* Origin: Capitol City Online (1:2320/105)

Rob Mccart wrote to KURT WEISKE <=-

BMW does great thermal management and battery maintenance. People on some

f
>the BMW boards showed cars with limited degradation and 100,000+ miles.

The wear out is probably linked more to battery age than the miles
put on the car so you'd need to know both..

Agreed, these were 2014/2015s, the first years the made the BMW i3.

Can't you switch over to more common makes of tires when they

> wear out?

There's only one model and brand of all-season tire that fits. :(

Really? An odd size then.. Probably done purposely to sell their
expensive tires.. Possibly new wheels could be purchased that
are a more common size, but that's an expensive change.

Well, they don't get the money for the tires, Bridgestone does. I'm sure
it's an engineer designing in a vacuum for lowest possible rolling
resistance.

Like the engineer that canted the spark plugs back 30 degrees on the Prius.
If they'd canted them forward, changing them would be a breeze. As is, you need to take off the wipers, the wiper valance and other parts to get to
them.


... Walk without rhythm and you won't attact the worm.
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Rob Mccart wrote to KURT WEISKE <=-

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but, it seems to me of your
tires are carrying less load than the tire pressure is set for,
the wear should be in the middle, not the outer edges, since the
weight isn't there to flatten the tire right down to the road
surface.. (?)

Now I'm confused!


... "Unlocking Paradigms, one blockchain at a time..."
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KW >the BMW boards showed cars with limited degradation and 100,000+ miles.

The wear out is probably linked more to battery age than the miles
put on the car so you'd need to know both..

Agreed, these were 2014/2015s, the first years the made the BMW i3.

So it sounds like they are standing up better than most.
You sort of expect the more costly cars to have better parts..

Really? An odd size then.. Probably done purposely to sell their
expensive tires.. Possibly new wheels could be purchased that
are a more common size, but that's an expensive change.

Well, they don't get the money for the tires, Bridgestone does. I'm sure

>it's an engineer designing in a vacuum for lowest possible rolling
>resistance.

Begging the question, would most drivers even notice ?

Like the engineer that canted the spark plugs back 30 degrees on the Prius.

>If they'd canted them forward, changing them would be a breeze. As is, you
>need to take off the wipers, the wiper valance and other parts to get to
>them.

Ha.. Like the 8 cylinder AMC Gremlin X cars in the 70's. There was
no way to change one or two of the spark plugs without pulling the
engine from the car, although some clever people figured out that
you could cut a good sized hole in the inner fender wells and pull
the tire to get at those plugs..

---
* SLMR Rob * There was a problem at the hospital..I've been recalled
* Origin: Capitol City Online (1:2320/105)

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but, it seems to me of your
tires are carrying less load than the tire pressure is set for,
the wear should be in the middle, not the outer edges, since the
weight isn't there to flatten the tire right down to the road
surface.. (?)

Now I'm confused!

Looking at it the opposite way is easier to picture..
If you over-inflate the tires then they will bulge out and
wear more in the middle and not at the outer edges..

---
* SLMR Rob * The GOOD news is now my shrink gives me a group discount.
* Origin: Capitol City Online (1:2320/105)