speaking of the "leaning tower of power", has anyone done [or know of one done] a maximum gas mileage engine build of one, and if so, what vehicle was it installed in and what were the results ?

My brother has had an electric car for 8 years and he's been happy with it. Free charging. Parks it on the street at his place, commutes once a month about 300 miles roundtrip. Otherwise just drives around town doing dad things. Resale is bad but he just keeps driving it as the car is still nice and drives well.

I was thinking of getting one myself as I am getting about 14mpg in my car and even though I just drive around town mostly with gas nearing $7/gal (thanks, California 🤬) the fuel bill is really adding up. I don't like the idea of a fully electric car yet and may never but am thinking about a plug-in hybrid. I can put a solar setup with a battery on my garage (no permit needed), charge up the car overnight, and pretty much only need to buy gas if I am going on a longer trip. Almost all my driving now is taking the kids here, taking them there, going to lunch, going to Target, going to the grocery store, meeting up with friends, etc. All of this is putt putting around our little fake island where the max roundtrip anywhere is 15 miles.

I am looking at a 2023 or 2024 Mitsubishi Highlander SUV which can go 38 miles electric-only after which the gas engine kicks in. I don't drive 38 miles in a day and this would work out perfectly for me. When I need a gas engine, it's there waiting. For my regular driving, though, it's all electric powered through a solar setup. I am just waiting for the 2023s to hit the rental-car-resale market in a few months (which will depress prices for that SUV across the board, like what is happening with Tesla 3s right now).

I might regret it but I bet I don't.

Back in 1978, General Motors came out with a diesel engine. The very troublesome, 5.7 diesel engine. Within 10 years, it was nearly impossible to find a buyer for a diesel powered car!! At this point, it looks like the EV market will likely turn out in a similar manner. It might take a little longer this time though.

Sometimes the proponents of new technology fail to make a practical application of their ideas. In my opinion, these EV's are a great example of this situation. There are MANY issues with these vehicles that need to be worked out before they can be used as practical transportation for most people. (As most of us on this web board recognize!)

A similar situation exists with fuel economy standards. To meet high fuel economy standards, auto makers have made cars smaller. The height and waistline of the average American has been growing larger in recent decades. Building smaller cars for larger people means fewer people will fit into the cars. Those who do not fit in the tiny cars will buy larger SUV's and pick-up trucks, which use more fuel. So the quest for reduce fuel consumption backfires and actually increases fuel consumption. Common sense seems to be lacking in such decisions!

Electric vehicles can be a good choice for a FEW people. I read a story about a guy who bought a well used Prius with a weak battery for not much more than the price of a junk car. His goal was to have a beater car to drive to work. He installed some gulf cart batteries in it (This reduced his driving range, but that did not matter since he lived close to his job.). He installed a charging system using solar panels for power. He worked at night, so the car could charge all day long. He reported that he could easily drive to work and do a few errands on his way home with the Prius. His fuel cost was essentially zero. His total investment in the car was quite low. And the most important benefit: he did not worry about anyone vandalizing or stealing the ugly old Prius while he worked. The car worked out very well for him, in his situation. Obviously, most people have a very different lifestyle, so the needs of most folks will be different than his needs.

my buddy just leased a 24 caddy liriq- 62k msrp, dealer demo with 1000miles on the odometer - 24mos lease , 380 a month with 3k down - smokin deal if u can live with a 300mile range, and the slow charge with a 110V charger...

Good deal but 300 miles under ideal conditions and all the bells and whistles in a caddy turned off.

my buddy just leased a 24 caddy liriq- 62k msrp, dealer demo with 1000miles on the odometer - 24mos lease , 380 a month with 3k down - smokin deal if u can live with a 300mile range, and the slow charge with a 110V charger...

my buddy just leased a 24 caddy liriq- 62k msrp, dealer demo with 1000miles on the odometer - 24mos lease , 380 a month with 3k down - smokin deal if u can live with a 300mile range, and the slow charge with a 110V charger...

Good deal but 300 miles under ideal conditions and all the bells and whistles in a caddy turned off.

Any of you mathamajicians that think an EV is 'cheap' has to realize that once the government gets everyone in one, then they have full control. How do you envision they are going to collect road tax that currently NOBODY driving an EV is paying????? Think this thru folks.

GPS tracking. Michigan is exploring the idea and Utah and Oregon are doing it.

Any of you mathamajicians that think an EV is 'cheap' has to realize that once the government gets everyone in one, then they have full control. How do you envision they are going to collect road tax that currently NOBODY driving an EV is paying????? Think this thru folks.

Nope. No extra fees are collected on EVs to go towards roads. Nothing at all.

https://money.com/states-ev-fees-200-dollars/

Or for a deeper dive: https://www.atlasevhub.com/data_story/ev-drivers-in-36-states-pay-a-surplus-of-fees-each-year/

we also assumed a driver is charging only at Electrify America stations because of the charging company’s nationwide network; while most charging is done at home today, many potential new EV drivers will not have ready access to home charging because they park on the street, are renters, or otherwise do not have easy access to power where they park. As such, the illustration presented here does not reflect the experience for drivers who have ready access to home charging. This challenge is especially present for low-income households and those in disadvantaged communities.