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Best Ski Cars?

tinymoose

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I really like the idea of all electric vehicles, but I also wonder how this will work in more urban and older residential areas. For example, we live in a 1920 rowhome with no off-street parking. Short of running lines from your house out to the street (and we certainly don't have dedicated parking and more often than not can't even park in front of our own house), it just logistically seems like a nightmare.
 

ilovepugs

Angel Diva
I really like the idea of all electric vehicles, but I also wonder how this will work in more urban and older residential areas. For example, we live in a 1920 rowhome with no off-street parking. Short of running lines from your house out to the street (and we certainly don't have dedicated parking and more often than not can't even park in front of our own house), it just logistically seems like a nightmare.

When we lived in suburban Baltimore we did not have a garage. Instead, we simply charged at our work garages, where we could charge for free for up to 5 hours. Doesn’t seem like a remotely realistic solution for most, and we had a gas powered car to rely on for backup.
 

Christy

Angel Diva
I really like the idea of all electric vehicles, but I also wonder how this will work in more urban and older residential areas. For example, we live in a 1920 rowhome with no off-street parking. Short of running lines from your house out to the street (and we certainly don't have dedicated parking and more often than not can't even park in front of our own house), it just logistically seems like a nightmare.

There are some people that are willing to go the extra mile and charge at work, shop at stores with charging stations, etc, and it sounds like there are new things coming down the pike (lampposts with chargers, and others), but I wouldn't go that way if I were you either.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
NY and CA are the states that are farthest ahead when it comes to the infrastructure needed to make all-electric vehicles practical for more people. Only ten states are actively encouraging "low emissions" vehicles with tax incentives.

In NC, the Toyota Prius Hybrid wasn't available until three years after it was introduced. Can't buy a Prime in NC for any amount of money.
 

sibhusky

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I don't have much interest in electric vehicles really, because I worry about the cost when the batteries need replacement and them ending up in landfills, plus the time to charge them mid-trip. Most trips for me involve 3 to 4 hours between populated areas. Maybe someday, but I don't need a little runabout for short trips. By the time electric vehides make sense for me, I'll be too old to be driving.
 

Christy

Angel Diva
No one buying an electric car or PHEV now will have to worry about a battery ending up in a landfill, and they may not have to worry about replacing them either. There a huge push right now by a number of different companies to get battery recycling up to speed (it exists right now, but not everywhere) since the first generation of EV batteries are expected to start conking out soon. People buying an EV this year won't likely need a new battery until the mid-2030s. There seems to be a fair amount of debate about how long they last. Right now they generally have a 8-10 year warranty but that's just the warranty--most of us find they last longer. I got my Prius in 2009 and haven't needed a battery.

Battery technology is advancing too. Tesla has developed a million mile battery though it's not ready for prime time. I'm reading about 2000-mile charges in the not-too-distant future.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
@Christy - that’s phenomenal! I used to have a 2013 Prius, and I drove it for years then gave it to my daughter. A few years ago it had some other problems (NOT the battery) and she traded it for a newer one, that gets phenomenal mileage, maybe a 2018. It’s so exciting to learn how far they have come in just a few more years!

I was less thrilled with the Volt. But they weren’t marketed very well, never became a really popular car, and Chevy stopped making them. I’m so glad other manufacturers are making electric work!
 

Christy

Angel Diva
Of course when we went to the dealer this weekend I fell for a different and not ideal-for-us car. Not enough ground clearance, too expensive, we aren't ready to go all electric.

But look at this color. It's the prettiest car color I've ever seen. And I love the sleekness of the car. Sporty, but it's a wagon, so practical! Sigh. But no.

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20210322_211552.jpg
 

WaterGirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
My neighbor has that car in that color..... it is very pretty.
 

fgor

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Of course when we went to the dealer this weekend I fell for a different and not ideal-for-us car. Not enough ground clearance, too expensive, we aren't ready to go all electric.

But look at this color. It's the prettiest car color I've ever seen. And I love the sleekness of the car. Sporty, but it's a wagon, so practical! Sigh. But no.

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View attachment 15306
Oooh. That's a great looking car! I love the colour, it's right up my alley
 

jumperlass

Certified Ski Diva
There are some people that are willing to go the extra mile and charge at work, shop at stores with charging stations, etc, and it sounds like there are new things coming down the pike (lampposts with chargers, and others), but I wouldn't go that way if I were you either.
That's been my family for the last few years. We replaced a lemon of a Subaru--which suffered in part because I hardly drove it, living as we did in walking distance of work, daycare, and school--with a 2013 Nissan Leaf 3 years ago. As a two-car household, it was fantastic! Perfect for throwing a gear bag of soccer balls and cones in the back and heading for the soccer fields. Great for grocery shopping. Comfy and with a ton of storage....and used on such short trips that we've either charged at the grocery store or just plugged it into a regular garage outlet overnight for use the next morning. (For longer drives, we replaced our 2006 Prius with a 2018 Prius Prime.) But if it *can* be done in the Leaf, we love using the Leaf. No combustion engine, so none of that kind of maintenance work. No rusting exhaust lines, catalytic converter, etc etc etc. It's a fun little car. Comfy, quiet, great for bopping around to doctor and dentist and haircut and church and orthodontist and grocery store and kid playdates and the local ski hill and the local nature preserve. I've taken it 20+ miles up the road at interstate speeds with three tweens/teens plus their schoolbags, winter gear, 3 boots bags, 3 sets of skis, and a trumpet packed in there with me (when school ski club and band were a concern and happened to fall on the same day....)....and then turned around and came home to go to work. But that drive was stressful and pushed my range anxiety because I had to pick up the pace to make the ski club school dropoff.

(It was almost worth it, though, to see the principal's face as he was greeting students that morning and saw this little buggy pull up and fairly vomit out kid after kid after bag after bag and then start disgorging skis and helmets and poles and, finally, a trumpet.) :faint:

I have a hard time imagining going back to two gas-burners. Our use has been shifting so much, though, that we're going to have to upgrade from the Leaf soon. The VW ID.4 looks pretty spiffy. Has someone weighed in on it, upthread?
 

jumperlass

Certified Ski Diva
I confess, though, we originally bought the Leaf because it was an *excellent* fit for our needs at the time, and because it was a super reliable, comfortable car (with heated seats and steering wheel, etc) with very low mileage, for ~$8k. It was a risk worth taking.
 

Christy

Angel Diva
We took our Prius and Highlander into our mechanic for oil changes and maintenance this week. I've known him 25 years and I talked to him about getting a PHEV. He was ADAMANT we go all electric. He absolutely would not hear my talk of what PHEV I wanted. "Christy, the future is here." He talked about all the EV infrastructure in Biden's plan (not a done deal though), how much the electric range is advancing every year, and best of all, "Christy, you have ZERO (emphasized by making zeros with his hands) maintenance. ZERO. You just need your tires rotated." (How will he stay in business then?). "Why do you want a vehicle where you still need your oil changed, and all of the issues that can come along with an internal combustion engine?" Hmm. Good point.

He convinced me. We hadn't been able to find the exact PHEV model we wanted anyway and were looking at factory ordering, which can take 6 months. There's a new AWD Audi all electric Q4 coming out at a lower price point than the beautiful e-tron I posted above. There's the Volvo XC40 all e. So many new models are coming out. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long and can get one this year. I only need a 180 mile range to get to Crystal and back which is easily done by the currently available models. If we can get one that has closer to 300 that would be a real game changer. If we are doing a remote backpacking trip we'll just use our Highlander which is probably a better idea than leaving a new car at a trailhead anyway. I noticed today that Snoqualmie has primo EV parking. I'm super excited now! All electric, woohoo!
 

Susan L

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
We took our Prius and Highlander into our mechanic for oil changes and maintenance this week. I've known him 25 years and I talked to him about getting a PHEV. He was ADAMANT we go all electric. He absolutely would not hear my talk of what PHEV I wanted. "Christy, the future is here." He talked about all the EV infrastructure in Biden's plan (not a done deal though), how much the electric range is advancing every year, and best of all, "Christy, you have ZERO (emphasized by making zeros with his hands) maintenance. ZERO. You just need your tires rotated." (How will he stay in business then?). "Why do you want a vehicle where you still need your oil changed, and all of the issues that can come along with an internal combustion engine?" Hmm. Good point.

He convinced me. We hadn't been able to find the exact PHEV model we wanted anyway and were looking at factory ordering, which can take 6 months. There's a new AWD Audi all electric Q4 coming out at a lower price point than the beautiful e-tron I posted above. There's the Volvo XC40 all e. So many new models are coming out. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long and can get one this year. I only need a 180 mile range to get to Crystal and back which is easily done by the currently available models. If we can get one that has closer to 300 that would be a real game changer. If we are doing a remote backpacking trip we'll just use our Highlander which is probably a better idea than leaving a new car at a trailhead anyway. I noticed today that Snoqualmie has primo EV parking. I'm super excited now! All electric, woohoo!

You should really look into whether the EVs you mentioned are absolutely zero maintenance. I have 2 Teslas (Model S and X), they are NOT ZERO maintenance. Electricity cost money eventhough I have free lifetime supercharging, I still have to charge at home. And driving an EV will also cost you time to charge, you cannot travel like you can with an ICE.
 

Iwannaski

Angel Diva
@Christy - kind of cool that a mechanic would say that. He probably knows how slowly people will really change... and no one sees how DIRTY conventional engines really are quite like a mechanic I guess. It’s very cool that GM is doing a full EV portfolio.

Re the electricity, I’d really like to get the Tesla roof when it’s available here. We have a great roofline for solar, and I love the idea of reducing our draw.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
My daughter and SIL are down to one car (a Prius), and she insisted their next one be all-electric. It's some new VW mini-SUV. I used to drive a Chevy Volt (no longer made) but couldn't manage steep hill when there was a lot of snow. For aerodynamic reasons, it was extremely low to the ground, and anything over 3 inches messed it up. Also, no AWD. I am eagerly awaiting the time when I can get a new car (it will be a number of years), and excited to see the new charging stations proliferate. And the longer range we will be able to get out of the battery!
 

Christy

Angel Diva
@Christy - kind of cool that a mechanic would say that. He probably knows how slowly people will really change... and no one sees how DIRTY conventional engines really are quite like a mechanic I guess. It’s very cool that GM is doing a full EV portfolio.

Re the electricity, I’d really like to get the Tesla roof when it’s available here. We have a great roofline for solar, and I love the idea of reducing our draw.

My friends were the first house in Seattle to get a Tesla roof! Solar works great even here. I am super interested in this.
 

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