Christy
Angel Diva
Denim blue. The color choices weren't great. The only real colors were blue and red. The blue is okay, but nothing swoon-worthy like the Audi has had.
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Best Ski Cars?
- Thread starter Moonrocket
- Start date
Christy
Angel Diva
Subaru is finally getting in the EV game with the Solterra. 8.3" of clearance but only 220 range. Price will be out in April or May. I can see this being very appealing to skiers and hikers--there aren't that many EVs with AWD and good clearance. We would have seriously considered this when we were shopping, especially if the price point is lower than its (few) competitors (Volvo, Audi).
WaterGirl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
So what happens when your mountain is 350 miles from your home, and there are no chargers available along the way? I'm not up on the technology but if you have all electric and you are too far from a charger and out in the middle of nowhere what do you do? My neighbor barley makes it, no room for error, had to petition the HOA to get his own charger in the condo garage.....
Not to mention that an EV battery loses as much as 40% of stored power in cold weather.
newboots
Angel Diva
You use a different car, and/or petition the state for more chargers. We will need more chargers eventually, and automotive pollution is still a major problem. Major.
Christy
Angel Diva
Most people in that situation probably wouldn't get an EV yet, at least not as their only car. Props to your neighbor for making it work!
In terms of what you do in the middle of nowhere--a similar thing to when you have a gas car. You make sure you know where you can charge (or get gas). There are apps and websites like Plugshare, Chargehub, etc or your car tells you where you can charge. And you can charge on a regular outlet, it's just really slow. But just like if you run out of gas, you call roadside assistance.
Christy
Angel Diva
There is $5 billion allocated in the infrastructure bill for more EV chargers, though I've read that many of them will not be fast chargers, which is disappointing. They are going the route of blanketing the country with slower (cheaper to install) chargers that people will "sip" from when out and about as opposed to fast ones where you fill up all at once.
jumperlass
Certified Ski Diva
The Electrify America fast charger network has really come along. We drove NY to nearly GA last summer using it without problems. I know temperature makes a difference, but I was impressed at the fact that the trip was doable.
They are planning to spend billions on public charging stations, but given how fragile our electrical grids are now, adding that on top doesn’t sound like a good plan.
I am admittedly anti-electric cars right now. We are not ready to abandon fossil fuels yet.
It’s my opinion that electric cars will have their place when they figure out a battery system that is not subject to thermal runaway, fires and explosions.
We lost a friend, mother of 5 under 16 years, to a Tesla fire. She slid off a road and into a tree. The battery caught fire and she couldn’t open the door.
The fire department arrived quickly, but couldn’t extinguish the fire-it kept reigniting. Not water. Not foam. Nothing worked.
The Autopsy showed she would have survived the accident with minor injuries, had she been able to exit the car. I cannot even imagine her last moments.
It’s my opinion that electric cars will have their place when they figure out a battery system that is not subject to thermal runaway, fires and explosions.
We lost a friend, mother of 5 under 16 years, to a Tesla fire. She slid off a road and into a tree. The battery caught fire and she couldn’t open the door.
The fire department arrived quickly, but couldn’t extinguish the fire-it kept reigniting. Not water. Not foam. Nothing worked.
The Autopsy showed she would have survived the accident with minor injuries, had she been able to exit the car. I cannot even imagine her last moments.
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MissySki
Angel Diva
OMG how very tragic and sad for your friend and her family..
WaterGirl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@2ski2moro so sorry about your friend and her family.... but thank you for bringing this to light. I did a little googling, found this recent report, also now thinking need to discuss w/ HOA b/c I received my new condo insurance policy and noticed they are dropping some coverage for electric vehicle caused damage ... will need to review the terms of the master HOA policy/ same insurer. Apologies for the thread drift. Mods delete if needed.
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Peppermint
Angel Diva
I am so sorry to hear about your friend. Whenever I saw a Tesla on the road, my inner voice would say, "someday, if I ever have the money, I would love to buy a Tesla". Not anymore, at least until they improve the dangers associated with them.
My brother has been an executive for over 40 years at a major utility company. His area is fire insurance compliance within the power plants. He has worked at their nuclear plants, as well as gas/steam turbine and some hydro power stations. He also has high level fire protection certifications at the national level. Where it might just give him some letters at the end of his title, I believe he knows his stuff.
We were just on the phone and he would like me to add that lithium batteries that store solar power in your house are equally dangerous. He forbids his (grown) kids from having them in their homes due to the danger.
So, as long as WaterGirl brought up the insurance aspect, please check your policies for coverage if you have lithium batteries - car or solar storage.
Knowledge is power. (pun intended). Sorry for the diversion. Back to the discussion about ski cars.
Christy
Angel Diva
So, it's lithium ion battery fires we are talking about. These batteries are in EVs, hybrids, laptops, cameras, cellphones, Hotronics, etc.
The fires are more intense and harder to put out. Sometimes laptops and cell phones catch fire and burn down people's houses. You can't put these devices in your checked luggage because it's possible they might explode. That's the bad news.
The good news is that EVs catch fire at a substantially lower rate than ICE cars, and that, in general, the batteries just don't pose much of a risk--they don't catch on fire very often. Hybrids actually catch fire at a higher rate than ICE cars. I've been driving a Prius since 2010 but in terms of risk assessment, the rate of fire is still low enough, compared to the other dangers I face while driving, that I feel fine in my Prius. I also feel fine if I leave the house but forget to power down the laptop.
There are many sources out there that argue risks associated with lithium ion batteries have been quite overblown, and are not supported statistically.
It's like skiing or anything else--dangers are everywhere but you can look at the stats at decide if it is really a risk.
The fires are more intense and harder to put out. Sometimes laptops and cell phones catch fire and burn down people's houses. You can't put these devices in your checked luggage because it's possible they might explode. That's the bad news.
The good news is that EVs catch fire at a substantially lower rate than ICE cars, and that, in general, the batteries just don't pose much of a risk--they don't catch on fire very often. Hybrids actually catch fire at a higher rate than ICE cars. I've been driving a Prius since 2010 but in terms of risk assessment, the rate of fire is still low enough, compared to the other dangers I face while driving, that I feel fine in my Prius. I also feel fine if I leave the house but forget to power down the laptop.
There are many sources out there that argue risks associated with lithium ion batteries have been quite overblown, and are not supported statistically.
It's like skiing or anything else--dangers are everywhere but you can look at the stats at decide if it is really a risk.
marzNC
Angel Diva
Having worked at the Highway Safety Research Center for about a decade as a grad student studying applied statistics, I'm pretty aware of how anecdotal stories can skew the impression of a given vehicle. Post-crash fire was a big deal in the 1970s and 1980s. Always a sad story, but only one model truly had a design defect.
The reason I'm happier with a Plug-in Hybrid than a full EV SUV is that I drive over 500 miles in a day for driving trips 3+ times a year. I don't even bother to take the charging cord on long trips. At the same time, since I'm retired when I'm home most of the times I go out I can easily complete the errands in less than 40 miles. Essentially I drive a hybrid on trips and have an EV when staying home. If I'm at home then I don't need to add any gas until I'm getting ready for the next trip that means driving more than 100 miles on Day 1.
The reason I'm happier with a Plug-in Hybrid than a full EV SUV is that I drive over 500 miles in a day for driving trips 3+ times a year. I don't even bother to take the charging cord on long trips. At the same time, since I'm retired when I'm home most of the times I go out I can easily complete the errands in less than 40 miles. Essentially I drive a hybrid on trips and have an EV when staying home. If I'm at home then I don't need to add any gas until I'm getting ready for the next trip that means driving more than 100 miles on Day 1.
