Someone stop me from going all-electric

Problem around Toronto and the GTA is that it is so sprawling. Just going to the airport and back is 80 km (50 miles), and commonly on a weekend day when we are out for errands, we may drive about that same distance or more, since everything is so spread out everywhere.

People have pure EVs here, and make them work, but we personally don't want to deal with the range limitations. Even with two cars, unless the EV has a minimum range of well, well over 100 km in the dead of winter, we're not really interested. Unfortunately, cars like the Leaf drop to around 70 km in winter, which wouldn't be enough even for just running errands on busy weekend days.

Cars like the Leaf are too small for us anyways.

 

I get about 2,800-3,000 a month, ~160-180miles on some days. I suppose Tesla could work but with electricity rates here gas is much cheaper

 

Good luck sorting out the effects of different demographics and uses.

 

Not even gonna try. I've only looked at statistics to improve my odds.

Hurt report looked at m/c fatality statistics to find out that out of 276 cases only 4 had formal training. Out of these 4 two were m/c cops who were hit while off motorcycle at night cleaning road accident.

Almost 50% of accidents happened with car driver not seeing biker. ~15% due to unaccounted road conditions. Mitigate those and your odds will improve.

Going back to OP, it is something you need to desire for yourself. Does it makes economical sense? Is it practical? Would it work when you change mobs? Any other benefits like access to HOV? Do you like the car? Are you doing it for environmental reasons?

 

i wouldn't push a leaf on you or anyone - but it's glaringly obvious you've never sat in one - as they're roomier than the Volt ... & more on par w/ the prius when it comes to interior volume. Again, not wanting to crush your fears or anything ... not to mention the next Leaf gen is promising 200 miles range. But of course it's too small for you

.

 

A complaint of the Leaf is that there isn't enough leg room for large rear-facing child car seats.

My Nissan Leaf Forum • View topic - Rear facing convertible car seat in a Leaf

This is not a surprise at all considering the specs. The front legroom of the Leaf and Prius are similar with the Leaf being only slightly less, but the rear legroom of the Leaf is horrible.

2014 Nissan Leaf vs 2014 Toyota Prius Plug In - The Car Connection

So yeah, the Leaf is simply too small. We have two young children in large rear-facing car seats and had to buy a car in Feb. as my previous car was totalled in an accident - rear ended. That the future Leaf has a greater range was irrelevant.

Not interested in a Tesla myself because it's a sedan and because it costs way too much.

As for electricity costs for the PiP, I've calculated that during the cheapest off-peak period (night after 7 pm) it costs roughly half the cost of gasoline here, at current prices. If you charge at highest peak time, it's about the same since peak costs about twice as much as off-peak.

I've mentioned that saving the world isn't a primary concern for me but in terms of emissions, it's a lot lower for electric than gasoline. I'm in Ontario and as mentioned there is no coal power on the grid. Most power is nuclear and hydro, with some natural gas.

In Quebec, where my wife is from and where I've lived many years, and where we visit frequently, it is 97% hydroelectric. Electricity is dirt cheap there, and emissions are almost negligible. We're talking like 100 fold lower emissions compared to gasoline.

 

Everyone's circumstances are different. We do not have off peak metering and with rates gas would have to be above $3.20/gal to make Tesla equal to much cheaper Prius.

I understand your scepticism towards motorcycles. I've been to Toronto on couple vocations and camped on St Lawrence river on 4th of July. Everyone behaved like it was a heatwave, but it was freezing for us. It didn't even break in 80s in afternoon.

You can probably ride MC ~5 months there, if you hardly enough. Coastal SoCal is different you can ride all year around, and the time savings they offer are unreal. In SF you can loose a couple hours trying to cross a bridge, where on MC you'll loose ~20min tops. Never really gets hot there, and what they call cold spell is ~40F no less.

 

IMO you lost all credibility when you actually cited battery fires as a reason against EV's. Been a while since I've seen something that ridiculous posted here on PC.

 

I suppose word sarcasm is not in your dictionary. Yes the EV fires are ridiculous... about as ridiculous as anti-motorcycle sentiments.

Moteover applying the same logic used SUV owners against Prii to belittle 2- and 3-wheeled transportation reeks of hypocrisy; just saying.

 

I guess the doctors who warn about the safety issues with motorcycles are all ridiculous.

 

but not as much as firemen who warn about dangers of electrical fires

 

You mean all the ones out there campaigning against the Tesla and other EVs?

I'd have to say that with each post you are losing credibility on this subject, sarcasm or not.

 

motorcycles aren't dangerous, but motorcycle drivers can be.

 

Actually, motorcycles are indeed very dangerous. It's just that conservative driving on a motorcycle can improve your chances.

Remember, it does not matter if a motorbiker is at fault or not, if s/he dies, s/he dies. Think of it this way. Take all the car crash tests and apply them to a motorcycle. In that scenario, basically a biker will die in almost every test.

In my last accident, I was rear ended. The driver of the other car was 100% at fault, considering I was stopped at an intersection behind another car (and had been stopped for a quite a while too). Given the speed and the fact that my car was totalled, I (and my daughter) might be dead now if we had been on the motorcycle (although I wouldn't be carrying my toddler daughter on my motorcycle).

 

yep

Less than dead can also be a very undesirable outcome of a MV accident.

 

Indeed.

That's why I always tell people that in some circumstances disability insurance is much more important than life insurance. If you're a single guy, life insurance is usually pretty much useless. Or if you're part of a couple where both people work, life insurance also may be unnecessary although it's a bit of a grey zone.

Death is horrible, but it's often cheap.

OTOH, if you get permanently disabled and can't work, you are a big financial drain. No income with lots of living expenses and medical bills is a bad combination. Thus, disability insurance is very important.

BTW, I mentioned before that I had a motorcycle licence, but it was only for a short period. There are several reasons I got rid of it.

1. I knew it was dangerous going in, but once I was actually on a bike on real city streets did I discover how much. I was a conservative rider, but there are all sorts of yahoos in cars out there. I remember going on an on-ramp for the highway, and I was not exactly in the centre of the lane. I was still close to the centre, but off a bit to one side, and going the speed limit. People would try to pass me on that single lane missing me just barely, because I guess for them, going the speed limit is too slow. And in the city, car drivers simply don't see you.

2. All the extra gear one should wear (leathers or at least jean jacket plus helmet and boots) is really uncomfortable in warm weather. Below 15C then you have to wear thick gloves to be comfortable. I found I only liked to ride between 15C and 20C. Plus if it rains, it's miserable. So I was only a fairweather rider, but even then, most of the time I'd rather just get on a bicycle and get some exercise.

And now with young kids in car seats, motorcycles are a non-starter.

 

i sat on one, no danger at all. unless you tip it over on your leg.

guns aren't dangerous either.

 

.... so yea, you've been made afraid & mislead by 2 weirdly written articles -

So yea, our grandkids car seats are practically wheelbarrow sized & they both fit in the back just fine........

So yea, my 6'-5" frame with 36" inseam/legs fit thus-ly in the rear seats, with driver seat adjusted only 3/4 of the way back. What do you guess, maybe still 4 or 5 more inches between my knees & the back of the driver's seat?


So yea, can't begin to guess what weirdly shaped creatures or what planet you'd have to come from to find THAT much room - to be not enough room. But if the folks on Neptune have struck fear into you ....
So yea ..... better to just go with that "way to small" notion ... seems to be working for you

irrelevant? I'm guessing you might mean irrelevant specifically your case?.... maybe because you already bought something else? or because of being lead astray that it's not roomy? MOST folk wanting to get an ev are very excited about a 100+ mile range improvement. But as we've all said before - they're not for everyone ... no mode of transportation is.
.

 

Check out my Prius v car seat thread. Yes combined front and back leg room matters and rear facing car seats take MUCH more room than legs of a 6'+ male. I couldn't fit my child car seat in the Prius v but it fit in the regular Prius (barely). That surprised me but after checking the specs it made sense. The v actually has slightly less combined leg room. Somebody later explained it was because the v is designed for three row seating, so that makes sense. And then we have actual Leaf owners complaining of the same issue in a car known to have less rear leg room and somehow you're incredulous. Sorry, but it sounds like you're just offended and not looking at this objectively.

And yes of course the fact the next model having more range being irrelevant was for me. I thought that would be obvious. If I must have a car now, I'm not going to go carless (or with a $600/mo rental) for a year just for the hell of it. I even mentioned right in that post that my previous car was totalled so I had to buy another car right away. I would have been overjoyed to be able to wait a year because so many new cars are coming out then, but practicality wins.