Error message

Deprecated function: Array and string offset access syntax with curly braces is deprecated in include_once() (line 20 of /home/caucusni/public_html/includes/file.phar.inc).

Charging ahead

Submitted by earthling1 on Tue, 07/01/2025 - 9:57am

I know a lot of folks here are not very interested in electric vehicles, for whatever reason. Many are like me who just love the sound of a powerful V-8 going through the gears. Motorheads they call us. And I still roll out my '99 Vette several times a year when the weather is nice, or when we have to go multi-state for one reason or another.
But we bought our Nissan Leaf for practical reasons, that being it could get us to the farm for a couple of bucks in electricity. The farm is 75 miles from our suburban home in Vancouver and the Leaf had a range of 124 miles when we first got it 9 years ago.
Of course, the battery has diminished somewhere between 15-20% over the years whereas in the summer, when its warm, it will charge up to 102 miles. And in the cold of winter it will only charge up to 90 miles.
You can see the dilemma. I only have a 15 mile cushion in winter and range anxiety come into play.
It's like driving an ICE car with the gas gauge bouncing off of empty, but you just know you can make it to that next town to fill-up.
So we found an easy solution. We stop about halfway to the farm in Kalama, Washington and plug in to a charge station there at the riverfront park and top off. It only takes 5-10 minutes to bump it up 25 miles, which gives us a 30+ mile cushion when we reach the farm.
There are public restroom there , a nice beach, restaurants, boutique shops, and a museum.
But we had a problem last Sunday on our return trip.
It was a warm beautiful day and the park was packed. The parking lot was full and the 4 designated electric vehicle charging spots were occupied. We couldn't charge our car.
Upon closer inspection, only one car was plugged in, a Tesla, but his battery was fully charged and the charger had shut off. There was a Rivian there in spot # 2 but he wasn't even plugged in. Spot #3 was a Prius, a hybrid that wasn't even a plug in. And spot #4 was a Corolla, not even electric.
After about 45 minutes of waiting and looking for Security, a guy came walking over to retrieve something from the Rivian and I demanded he relinquish the space. He acted all put upon and whined about parking somewhere else, but I remained adamant that it was a charging station, not a parking spot.
I can see this is going to become a growing problem in the future as the number of electric vehicles grow.
But common curtesy should prevail. If you are not charging your car, move it so someone else can charge.
Note to self, Don't commute on weekends.
End rant.
Whew! Thread is open. what's going on?

Tags:

Open Thread

Vote

Comments

Submitted by QMS on Tue, 07/01/2025 - 10:12am

Used to own a couple Honda Insight hybrids

.
They did not plug-in (vintage 2000, 2001) but I rigged-up a plug-in
charger connected to solar cells. Worked pretty good. Had to give
them up, as some idiot light persisted, which prevented inspection
renewal in our state. The sensor involved was about the cost of the
car. Sure miss the mpg.

Thanks for the OT friend!

—

Zionism is a social disease

Submitted by earthling1 on Tue, 07/01/2025 - 12:10pm

I liked those little Honda Hybrids

@QMS
Cute little cars. And I still see a couple of them running around town here. Apparently they were put together well.
Thanks for the post.

—

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

Submitted by enhydra lutris on Tue, 07/01/2025 - 11:05am

Good morning e1. You have just confused the hell out of me.

In one passage you allege that you live in Vancouver, which, last I heard, is part of the USofA. Yet you also aver that

But common curtesy should prevail.

. whiich has always been a mildly un-american sentiment and today is far more so that as recently as my distant youth. MAGA got so much support because it was a mere enhancement to the fundamentsl mantra of Generation Reagan, to wit "Me, Me, Me, Me, Me!" The best solution is one of those really light utility trailers with a genset therein and solar panels atop.

We now have a non-plug-in hybrid and sort of lust after an electric, like some of those Chinese ones, but we are Californians. For ages now I've wanted an electric, but we're also seriously spoiled and have become addicted to 200 to 300 mile day trips and 400 mile runs to start overnight and or week-long stay overs, including, of course, "all weather" trips where one is also using the wipers, heater and maybe lights. Given our habits, "range anxiety" is more like "range terror".

be well and have a good one

—

That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

Submitted by earthling1 on Tue, 07/01/2025 - 12:05pm

Sorry for any confusion

@enhydra lutris
I may have caused.
Vancouver, Washington is an entire state away from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and then some. We are just across the river from Portland, Oregon.
Once we bought that Leaf, in 2016, we committed to look for and find a rural property within the range (124 miles) of Vancouver to build an organic farm, and a safe(r) bug out destination, and recreational vacation property with low taxes.
It is a little over an hour commute with 60 miles of it on 70 mph interstate 5. I would be prohibitively expensive to drive an ICE car multiple times a month just to maintain a farm, as small as it is.
Maybe a small 30 to 40 mpg compact would work ok, but I've always anticipated a gas shortage in Americas future.
Terrible memories of the 70s oil embargo with gas lines, odd or even license plate regimen, and stations running out of gas to sell. And don't get me started on "55-stay alive" mantra.
And I never liked Reagan or anything he stood for. I didn't even like him as an actor. Or Governor as I was living in Cali at that time.
I hope this clears up some of the confusion.
Thanks for the post.

—

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

Submitted by usefewersyllables on Tue, 07/01/2025 - 11:54am

I have no

interest in electric cars, primarily because my wife and I have permanently abandoned the thought of "home ownership", and have come to embrace the permanent-renter lifestyle. There's no way that I will throw away the money to have charging equipment installed at an apartment, and no way that I will pay the rent money for a spiffy new place that has it from the get-go.

We have a 2010 Prius hybrid, which is very nice for its gas mileage. When its battery eventually packs it in, we'll trade it for something else- there's no way I will pay for a new battery pack for it. I still have my 2013 Mini Countryman, which was chosen for its 6-speed manual gearbox, sporty handling, and most of all for its ability to fit all the musical equipment I need for a gig. Now that I'm down to just an electronic drum kit, I even fit in with enough room for a passenger, even in the road cases.

This is especially true now that my current employer has decided to involuntarily retire me- I won't need a commuter car when that fully takes place here in a few weeks. If one of the cars blows up or is eaten by a pothole, we'll happily cut its expense and be down to one car. And I still intend to do the e-bike conversion on my old, paid-for mountain bike. The bottom line is that whatever we do will be paid for in cash: having finally cleared all of our debts, there's no way in hell I will do anything on credit again. I've fed the sharks enough.

We quit doing road trips years ago, when we sold the race car and tow vehicle. If we're going somewhere, it is Uber to the airport, and then across the border to Somewhere Else. Frankly, there's really no longer any part of the US that I wish to visit: my future travel plans are primarily focused on finding some way to get the fuck out of here altogether. I still have the idea of going expat to the Caribbean someplace, in which case our cars will get disposed of here, and we'll buy a cheap beat-up used 4-cylinder island car with a good old Kettering points-and-condenser ignition, and a carburetor. My tools will go with me, because they are paid for, and that's the sort of thing I can maintain myself.

My carefully-bred-in love affair with the US is well and truly over. I just hope that we can work an exit plan before things deteriorate much further. Otherwise, we'll simply give up and die here, as all good red-blooded Americans are apparently supposed to do. This is the Revolution of Lowered Expectations, writ large.

However, having said all that- I would just love to get into a well-built V8-powered race car one more time. I used to say that life began at 6000rpm, and I can still remember the beautiful taste of it...

—

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

Submitted by on the cusp on Tue, 07/01/2025 - 12:21pm

Check out

@usefewersyllables Panama and Costa Rica.

interest in electric cars, primarily because my wife and I have permanently abandoned the thought of "home ownership", and have come to embrace the permanent-renter lifestyle. There's no way that I will throw away the money to have charging equipment installed at an apartment, and no way that I will pay the rent money for a spiffy new place that has it from the get-go. We have a 2010 Prius hybrid, which is very nice for its gas mileage. When its battery eventually packs it in, we'll trade it for something else- there's no way I will pay for a new battery pack for it. I still have my 2013 Mini Countryman, which was chosen for its 6-speed manual gearbox, sporty handling, and most of all for its ability to fit all the musical equipment I need for a gig. Now that I'm down to just an electronic drum kit, I even fit in with enough room for a passenger, even in the road cases. This is especially true now that my current employer has decided to involuntarily retire me- I won't need a commuter car when that fully takes place here in a few weeks. If one of the cars blows up or is eaten by a pothole, we'll happily cut its expense and be down to one car. And I still intend to do the e-bike conversion on my old, paid-for mountain bike. The bottom line is that whatever we do will be paid for in cash: having finally cleared all of our debts, there's no way in hell I will do anything on credit again. I've fed the sharks enough. We quit doing road trips years ago, when we sold the race car and tow vehicle. If we're going somewhere, it is Uber to the airport, and then across the border to Somewhere Else. Frankly, there's really no longer any part of the US that I wish to visit: my future travel plans are primarily focused on finding some way to get the fuck out of here altogether. I still have the idea of going expat to the Caribbean someplace, in which case our cars will get disposed of here, and we'll buy a cheap beat-up used 4-cylinder island car with a good old Kettering points-and-condenser ignition, and a carburetor. My tools will go with me, because they are paid for, and that's the sort of thing I can maintain myself. My carefully-bred-in love affair with the US is well and truly over. I just hope that we can work an exit plan before things deteriorate much further. Otherwise, we'll simply give up and die here, as all good red-blooded Americans are apparently supposed to do. This is the Revolution of Lowered Expectations, writ large. However, having said all that- I would just love to get into a well-built V8-powered race car one more time. I used to say that life began at 6000rpm, and I can still remember the beautiful taste of it...

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by earthling1 on Tue, 07/01/2025 - 1:59pm

I too want to leave here

@usefewersyllables
but I'm anchored by Medicare, which is no good outside of America.
And the excesses of the financial regime, SWIFT in particular, keeps Uncle Sam's hands on my money wherever in the western world we go.
The issue I see is the bail in provisions from the Obama regime allowing future failed banks to seize Americans savings and checking accounts and leaving something like an "IOU". As I understand it, they can even access your safety deposit boxes.
They consider all greenbacks to belong to them. Stashes of money can even have a warrant filed against it and be arrested (seized). This has been used profusely under the Nixon era War on Drugs asset seizure and forfeiture laws.
And just try to take large sums of cash out of this country.
We are already fucked.
As you said , we are to die here like good little automatons.
And I still yearn for that low rumble of my Harley. But, alas, I'm too old to safely operate it. And the age of incredibly fast whisper quiet superbikes is upon us.
I couldn't make other motorists see me, but they could hear that Harley a mile away.
I do hope you find a place to land and spend your golden years in peace and freedom.
Thanks for the post.

interest in electric cars, primarily because my wife and I have permanently abandoned the thought of "home ownership", and have come to embrace the permanent-renter lifestyle. There's no way that I will throw away the money to have charging equipment installed at an apartment, and no way that I will pay the rent money for a spiffy new place that has it from the get-go. We have a 2010 Prius hybrid, which is very nice for its gas mileage. When its battery eventually packs it in, we'll trade it for something else- there's no way I will pay for a new battery pack for it. I still have my 2013 Mini Countryman, which was chosen for its 6-speed manual gearbox, sporty handling, and most of all for its ability to fit all the musical equipment I need for a gig. Now that I'm down to just an electronic drum kit, I even fit in with enough room for a passenger, even in the road cases. This is especially true now that my current employer has decided to involuntarily retire me- I won't need a commuter car when that fully takes place here in a few weeks. If one of the cars blows up or is eaten by a pothole, we'll happily cut its expense and be down to one car. And I still intend to do the e-bike conversion on my old, paid-for mountain bike. The bottom line is that whatever we do will be paid for in cash: having finally cleared all of our debts, there's no way in hell I will do anything on credit again. I've fed the sharks enough. We quit doing road trips years ago, when we sold the race car and tow vehicle. If we're going somewhere, it is Uber to the airport, and then across the border to Somewhere Else. Frankly, there's really no longer any part of the US that I wish to visit: my future travel plans are primarily focused on finding some way to get the fuck out of here altogether. I still have the idea of going expat to the Caribbean someplace, in which case our cars will get disposed of here, and we'll buy a cheap beat-up used 4-cylinder island car with a good old Kettering points-and-condenser ignition, and a carburetor. My tools will go with me, because they are paid for, and that's the sort of thing I can maintain myself. My carefully-bred-in love affair with the US is well and truly over. I just hope that we can work an exit plan before things deteriorate much further. Otherwise, we'll simply give up and die here, as all good red-blooded Americans are apparently supposed to do. This is the Revolution of Lowered Expectations, writ large. However, having said all that- I would just love to get into a well-built V8-powered race car one more time. I used to say that life began at 6000rpm, and I can still remember the beautiful taste of it...

—

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

Submitted by on the cusp on Tue, 07/01/2025 - 11:53am

I have some issues and will not be purchasing an EV

or hybrid.
Going in 4 directions to the plug nearest charging station: 22 miles south; 20 miles east; 30 miles west; 38 miles north.
Also, the dealership would be at those distances to make repairs.
Also, this town floods in all directions. Low bridges, valleys, and just low lands. Streams, creeks, and rivers in all directions. There are times when it might be a couple of days before you can leave town at all. A good friend got caught on a flooded bridge last year and it totaled her new hybrid.
Thanks for the OT. Work calls!

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Submitted by earthling1 on Tue, 07/01/2025 - 12:55pm

I've always contended

@on the cusp
fully electric vehicles are solely for homeowners willing to install a charging station.
I've installed a top of the line ClipperCreek level 2 charger that I paid $600 for and a local electrician wired up a 230 volt plug for it. And I can unplug it and take it to the farm and use it there also.
It takes about 3-4 hours to fully charge it from near empty (discharged).
One could get by just fine if they had a 120 volt plug at work and at home. That would give them at least 8 hours charging at work and overnight at home, plenty of charge time for any small commuter style all electric car.
Charging on 120 volt (Level 1) from near empty takes about 20 hours. On a 230 Vt level 2, about 3-4 hours. On a 480 Vt Level 3 Supercharger, about 45 minutes.
The actual cause for my rant was people parking in spaces reserved for vehicle charging stations. There are signs predominately displayed indicating "For electric vehicle charging only". But some e-vehicle owners think they can park there all day (or all night for some) and never think that someone else could need that charger. or they just don't care about anyone else.
I've noticed a few times where someone who has a charging station at or near their place of work will park there all day even after their car is fully charged.
We don't park in handicapped spaces because those are reserved for the handicapped. We should never park in a charging station without using the charger.
It's really as simple as that.
Thanks for the post.

—

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

Submitted by usefewersyllables on Tue, 07/01/2025 - 2:05pm

Did they ever

@earthling1

solve that issue they had in California where some miscreants were going around and stealing the charger pigtails from Tesla Superchargers (presumably to sell for the copper)? I remember hearing that that had become a real problem in the Bay Area a while back, but I never heard what the outcome was. That seemed like a serious annoyance: it would be a pain to get to work, only to find the chargers vandalized and unusable. There are a few public chargers around here, and they still have rubber pigtails: I would assume that they'd need to use armored flex cable to solve that. Just curious...

—

Twice bitten, permanently shy.

Submitted by earthling1 on Tue, 07/01/2025 - 2:36pm

Yeah, happened here too

@usefewersyllables
Not so much anymore though. I think more (or better) policing on the scrap metal dealer end of it may have solved it. It's pretty obvious where those pigtails come from.
But copper prices are rising again! Not to mention the other Precious metals.

—

Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

Submitted by Pluto's Republic on Tue, 07/01/2025 - 7:40pm

I come to realize that EVs are not for nations

@on the cusp

...that are not fully fitted with infrastructure, or where infrastructure is left to rot. They are really designed for city life and suburbs, unless there is a commitment to them nationwide. And that is certainly not the case in the US. The US is doubling down on a fossil fuel and oil commitment as the foundation of its national security. Not the kind of place you would want to rely on an EV.

Oddly, Mexico has embraced EVs, but I'm guessing infrastructure has become a big deal there. The Mexicans are very good at workarounds, as well.

Submitted by on the cusp on Tue, 07/01/2025 - 8:39pm

The Ford EV truck was paraded out

@Pluto's Republic and the CEO made a big production out of driving it coast to coast. He got stranded somewhere.
HUGE flop due to both lack of infrastructure and plug ins he used that caused the battery to blow out.
We are not prepared for the switch.
We rely upon diesel to keep the charging stations up and ready, so the whole fossil fuel stay in the ground hope just might be a charade.

—

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981