Please take the Electric Vehicle pledge for Montgomery County

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Strangely it's usually the Takoma Park people with nine-year-old 'sensible' SUVs who object to electric cars the most, claiming they aren't fair to poor people or some nonsense.

We leased a Chevy spark EV for three years for $99/month. I dare you to find a cheaper car.

Do deals like that exist now? No. Does the Chevy spark EV exist? In fact yes, as a used car. And if you look you can buy one for 10k. Funnily enough, that was also the residual price at the end of our lease in 2019. At the time, we would have been underwater buying it for that. That's right, its value has gone up.

If there were consumer demand, automakers would build affordable electric cars again.

We leased a Nissan leaf too. Same deal. Our same model is still selling for the residual we would have paid six years ago. Leafs are a little funky because their batteries have only air cooling, so there were issues with battery life. These issues have been mostly resolved with the second generation, post 2018, version of cars. Ours is almost four years old at this point and the battery capacity hasn't changed. 150 miles of range. Not enough for you?. I understand. Newer leaf pluses have a range of 220 miles.

Still not enough range? Look to any other car manufacturer. At the moment, your other options have a lot of question marks and wait times but that's true of gas cars as well. I know people who swear by used Teslas... But I've seen the price on those spike like crazy this year and they aren't affordable. My money is on the Nissan Ariya due out in the fall. I realize this is a board full of people who consider themselves socially forward and too refined for Nissan, but they've done right.

Kia and Hyundai offerings also look good. The press in the EV6 is ecstatic. Less so for Ford and Volvo, but I don't know.

And then there's the Chevy Bolt. Hard not to address the elephant in the room about its recall... on the other hand, Chevy is replacing the batteries in every existing one and has resolved the issue that caused a few cars (I think 15?) to catch fire and burn. This is a better track record than many gas models.

Our second electric car is a Bolt. It's a joy to drive. It has 280 miles of range. It can go from 0 to 60 in about six seconds. Maybe five? Fast. It's not perfect. Due to the recall and some experience with GM and their dealers I'm not sure I recommend it. But we haven't taken their buyback, either. And they've offered. We do like the car that much.

But I know. You need that third row of seats. "For the children." Thanks to people like you all the carmakers are now making enormous electric cars that weigh as much as tanks and drive like boats. Since that's all you're used to steering, I doubt you'll notice a difference.

The value of ALL used cars has gone up. It's the economy, hun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don’t have the generating capacity (not too mention solar and wind) to meet market demands if everyone switches to an EV.

It’s just not there. Electricity doesn’t just exist because you want it to.

This is a good point. We need to overhaul our electrical grid to begin with. The infrastructure is failing and subject to terrorist attacks, electronic or otherwise.

I'm not opposed to EVs, although they don't fit my life needs right now. But if we don't have the infrastructure to support them, we are in trouble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Montgomery County should focus on the things it can control and not the things it cannot.

It’s quite arrogant to believe that Montgomery County can influence production of EVs.

Want to promote EVs in the county? Why not mandate developers install electric car chargers in all new developments? Why not give property tax credits for business that install public charging stations?

There is a lot that the county can do to influence and facilitate EV uptake, particularly to make it easier to own an EV. Why not focus on that instead?

Because it's Marc Elrich. Great big ideas. No clue how to effectively execute them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Strangely it's usually the Takoma Park people with nine-year-old 'sensible' SUVs who object to electric cars the most, claiming they aren't fair to poor people or some nonsense.

We leased a Chevy spark EV for three years for $99/month. I dare you to find a cheaper car.

Do deals like that exist now? No. Does the Chevy spark EV exist? In fact yes, as a used car. And if you look you can buy one for 10k. Funnily enough, that was also the residual price at the end of our lease in 2019. At the time, we would have been underwater buying it for that. That's right, its value has gone up.

If there were consumer demand, automakers would build affordable electric cars again.

We leased a Nissan leaf too. Same deal. Our same model is still selling for the residual we would have paid six years ago. Leafs are a little funky because their batteries have only air cooling, so there were issues with battery life. These issues have been mostly resolved with the second generation, post 2018, version of cars. Ours is almost four years old at this point and the battery capacity hasn't changed. 150 miles of range. Not enough for you?. I understand. Newer leaf pluses have a range of 220 miles.

Still not enough range? Look to any other car manufacturer. At the moment, your other options have a lot of question marks and wait times but that's true of gas cars as well. I know people who swear by used Teslas... But I've seen the price on those spike like crazy this year and they aren't affordable. My money is on the Nissan Ariya due out in the fall. I realize this is a board full of people who consider themselves socially forward and too refined for Nissan, but they've done right.

Kia and Hyundai offerings also look good. The press in the EV6 is ecstatic. Less so for Ford and Volvo, but I don't know.

And then there's the Chevy Bolt. Hard not to address the elephant in the room about its recall... on the other hand, Chevy is replacing the batteries in every existing one and has resolved the issue that caused a few cars (I think 15?) to catch fire and burn. This is a better track record than many gas models.

Our second electric car is a Bolt. It's a joy to drive. It has 280 miles of range. It can go from 0 to 60 in about six seconds. Maybe five? Fast. It's not perfect. Due to the recall and some experience with GM and their dealers I'm not sure I recommend it. But we haven't taken their buyback, either. And they've offered. We do like the car that much.

But I know. You need that third row of seats. "For the children." Thanks to people like you all the carmakers are now making enormous electric cars that weigh as much as tanks and drive like boats. Since that's all you're used to steering, I doubt you'll notice a difference.

The value of ALL used cars has gone up. It's the economy, hun.

No kidding. Enjoy paying for gas too, sucker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd like to see people pledging to get rid of their cars.

So how to propose we get around? Not counting metro. I 'm talking where you there is no nearby metro/bus etc. Have you given up your car?

I don't have a car. I understand we won't get rid of cars, but people inside the beltway can get around pretty well without owning one. Walk, bus, subway, e-bike, scooter, zipcar.

Zipcar is a car. It's you admitting you can't do everything you need to do within the beltway.

I would have had to take 3 buses to go 3 miles to my kid's charter school. That made me learn to drive when I had been a pedestrian for all of my adult life. We stuck it out without cars in this city for a year. It was brutal. We couldn't do kid activities. A simple bus or metro usually took at least an hour each way. A crosstown bus to the bookstore was more than that in traffic.

The DMV is designed for cars. You can pretend that isn't true, but I dare you to take your kid to music lessons in Rockville from downtown silver spring without one. I dare you to go to a pediatrician on Connecticut Ave. I dare you to drag a screaming, vomiting toddler across town on the J bus in rush hour. I've done it all, so you should too.

I will never do it again. A cheap electric car is the best solution.

There is no Charter school in Montgomery County. If you live in DC, you have better public transportation then suburban neighborhoods. Why EV?

[Anonymous]

Gas cars are going the way of the horse and buggy. So long gasoline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don’t have the generating capacity (not too mention solar and wind) to meet market demands if everyone switches to an EV.

It’s just not there. Electricity doesn’t just exist because you want it to.

This is a good point. We need to overhaul our electrical grid to begin with. The infrastructure is failing and subject to terrorist attacks, electronic or otherwise.

I'm not opposed to EVs, although they don't fit my life needs right now. But if we don't have the infrastructure to support them, we are in trouble.

+1,000,000. I don’t understand why the EV enthusiasts don’t understand this. Ever heard of rolling blackouts in CA?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Strangely it's usually the Takoma Park people with nine-year-old 'sensible' SUVs who object to electric cars the most, claiming they aren't fair to poor people or some nonsense.

We leased a Chevy spark EV for three years for $99/month. I dare you to find a cheaper car.

Do deals like that exist now? No. Does the Chevy spark EV exist? In fact yes, as a used car. And if you look you can buy one for 10k. Funnily enough, that was also the residual price at the end of our lease in 2019. At the time, we would have been underwater buying it for that. That's right, its value has gone up.

If there were consumer demand, automakers would build affordable electric cars again.

We leased a Nissan leaf too. Same deal. Our same model is still selling for the residual we would have paid six years ago. Leafs are a little funky because their batteries have only air cooling, so there were issues with battery life. These issues have been mostly resolved with the second generation, post 2018, version of cars. Ours is almost four years old at this point and the battery capacity hasn't changed. 150 miles of range. Not enough for you?. I understand. Newer leaf pluses have a range of 220 miles.

Still not enough range? Look to any other car manufacturer. At the moment, your other options have a lot of question marks and wait times but that's true of gas cars as well. I know people who swear by used Teslas... But I've seen the price on those spike like crazy this year and they aren't affordable. My money is on the Nissan Ariya due out in the fall. I realize this is a board full of people who consider themselves socially forward and too refined for Nissan, but they've done right.

Kia and Hyundai offerings also look good. The press in the EV6 is ecstatic. Less so for Ford and Volvo, but I don't know.

And then there's the Chevy Bolt. Hard not to address the elephant in the room about its recall... on the other hand, Chevy is replacing the batteries in every existing one and has resolved the issue that caused a few cars (I think 15?) to catch fire and burn. This is a better track record than many gas models.

Our second electric car is a Bolt. It's a joy to drive. It has 280 miles of range. It can go from 0 to 60 in about six seconds. Maybe five? Fast. It's not perfect. Due to the recall and some experience with GM and their dealers I'm not sure I recommend it. But we haven't taken their buyback, either. And they've offered. We do like the car that much.

But I know. You need that third row of seats. "For the children." Thanks to people like you all the carmakers are now making enormous electric cars that weigh as much as tanks and drive like boats. Since that's all you're used to steering, I doubt you'll notice a difference.

The value of ALL used cars has gone up. It's the economy, hun.

No kidding. Enjoy paying for gas too, sucker.

I'm not the one bragging about my appreciating asset.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Montgomery County should focus on the things it can control and not the things it cannot.

It’s quite arrogant to believe that Montgomery County can influence production of EVs.

Want to promote EVs in the county? Why not mandate developers install electric car chargers in all new developments? Why not give property tax credits for business that install public charging stations?

There is a lot that the county can do to influence and facilitate EV uptake, particularly to make it easier to own an EV. Why not focus on that instead?

Because it's Marc Elrich. Great big ideas. No clue how to effectively execute them.

True. Though I would disagree that his ideas are ‘great’. Often, hey are terrible.

[Anonymous]

*they

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don’t have the generating capacity (not too mention solar and wind) to meet market demands if everyone switches to an EV.

It’s just not there. Electricity doesn’t just exist because you want it to.

This is a good point. We need to overhaul our electrical grid to begin with. The infrastructure is failing and subject to terrorist attacks, electronic or otherwise.

I'm not opposed to EVs, although they don't fit my life needs right now. But if we don't have the infrastructure to support them, we are in trouble.

+1,000,000. I don’t understand why the EV enthusiasts don’t understand this. Ever heard of rolling blackouts in CA?

“Overhaul out electrical grid”? That’s sounds totally made up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We don’t have the generating capacity (not too mention solar and wind) to meet market demands if everyone switches to an EV.

It’s just not there. Electricity doesn’t just exist because you want it to.

This is a good point. We need to overhaul our electrical grid to begin with. The infrastructure is failing and subject to terrorist attacks, electronic or otherwise.

I'm not opposed to EVs, although they don't fit my life needs right now. But if we don't have the infrastructure to support them, we are in trouble.

+1,000,000. I don’t understand why the EV enthusiasts don’t understand this. Ever heard of rolling blackouts in CA?

“Overhaul out electrical grid”? That’s sounds totally made up.

Energy blackouts in CA happened because they deregulated supply, not because of demand.

Solar power isn't complicated. Typically, people charge cars at night when the grid isn't being used. There is *always* power someplace. All you need are some solar panels and an inverter. The idea that you're somehow saving the environment by continuing to drive your crappy gas machine is comical.

Your car is horrible for the air and for the environment. And it's not even fun to drive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gas cars are going the way of the horse and buggy. So long gasoline.

Maybe in 50 years, maybe not. EVs are not as "clean" as you think they are, and they can be very expensive to repair after an accident. There are not enough fast charging stations, and the range on most EVs is pathetic. Also, most of them are not big enough to carry a family of 5 comfortably. I'll drive my gas powered SUV a few more years before I buy an EV. In fact, I am waiting on delivery of a new one as I write this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gas cars are going the way of the horse and buggy. So long gasoline.

Maybe in 50 years, maybe not. EVs are not as "clean" as you think they are, and they can be very expensive to repair after an accident. There are not enough fast charging stations, and the range on most EVs is pathetic. Also, most of them are not big enough to carry a family of 5 comfortably. I'll drive my gas powered SUV a few more years before I buy an EV. In fact, I am waiting on delivery of a new one as I write this.

Most Americans don't have five-person families, so if it's true that you can't fit a family of five in most EVs comfortably (not sure I agree with that), it may not really be the most important factor anyway. There are going to be more fast-charging stations every year, and anyway, you don't need them most of the time if you're able to charge at home.

I would never suggest that anyone should get rid of a gas car to get a new EV -- a new car is wasteful no matter what fuel it uses. But I don't think widespread EV adoption is 50 years off, either. Cars have changed a lot since 1972. No reason to think they can't change a lot more, even faster, now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gas cars are going the way of the horse and buggy. So long gasoline.

Maybe in 50 years, maybe not. EVs are not as "clean" as you think they are, and they can be very expensive to repair after an accident. There are not enough fast charging stations, and the range on most EVs is pathetic. Also, most of them are not big enough to carry a family of 5 comfortably. I'll drive my gas powered SUV a few more years before I buy an EV. In fact, I am waiting on delivery of a new one as I write this.

+1. I have a hybrid. I thought that I was doing a good thing for the environment until I read up on how bad current EV technology is. The cobalt & nickel mining is disastrous and in over exhausting an already short supply, and we have no way to currently break down these EV batteries - which are currently being shipped to E Europe to be buried in the ground. These things are incredibly hazardous and we've not yet developed reliable recycling methods for them. I'm not sure why we're not talking more about EV technology and how it's not as clean as we're led to believe. Yes, they emissions are nil but it's the production and what to do with car after use that's the issue. Hopefully, they'll work on the battery issue but until then I hope that we don't move entirely EV. It's too much, too fast. We're not ready yet.