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OT: Electric vehicles

This is hysterical-- people scared to get valet parked in NYC for a basketball game. You still can find municipal parking where you can park yourself and take the train but if you're afraid to let a parking garage attendant park your car you'll crap your pants parking in a city garage or even the port authority. You can't take a car into NYC without parking in a parking garage where they park it. Be prepared, I ate downtown last night and it cost me 40 for 2 hours and sometimes these garages are sold out .

Yep. We go up to NYC with the kids and I use that parking app to prepay for lots if we are staying long. I've never encountered a parking garage (at least in Manhattan) where you could park yourself. One time I think I was able to park myself in a lot near the USS Intrepid.
 
If not, then why are they marketing them that way? Obviously, they're marketing them to people who think they're environmental hero's and saving the planet.
They market this way because it does sell a lot of cars for them.
It’s funny- in the North East, I agree that a good amount of EV buyers are doing it just for the tech and performance. But if you head out west, it is more because they do feel they are either saving the planet or just saving face…
 
Yep. We go up to NYC with the kids and I use that parking app to prepay for lots if we are staying long. I've never encountered a parking garage (at least in Manhattan) where you could park yourself. One time I think I was able to park myself in a lot near the USS Intrepid.

I know of one self-park garage in Manhattan. It’s down near Battery Park just off West St, so definitely not convenient for those driving into the city through the Lincoln Tunnel or GW. If, however, you are driving from south of exit 127 on the Parkway, and you want to self park in the city, it might be an option. You’d drive through Staten Island, over the Verrazano onto the BQE and take the Hugh Carey Tunnel (used to be called the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel). The exit for the tunnel will almost take you into the garage provided you stay all the way right off the exit, it’s self parking, and you can take the 1 train from Rector to MSG. About a 20 minute subway ride.

In a garage, a $5 tip at drop off might be cheap insurance, I park in garages all the time(although never near MSG) and can’t say I’ve ever had a scratch on my car. I’d recommend the SpotHero app to get a better parking rate (there are other apps as well, I’ve just always used SpotHero).
 
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They market this way because it does sell a lot of cars for them.
It’s funny- in the North East, I agree that a good amount of EV buyers are doing it just for the tech and performance. But if you head out west, it is more because they do feel they are either saving the planet or just saving face…
This is true. The people I know in NJ that drive Tesla's do it for the tech but they also own multiple cars which include gas powered cars. At the rate technology improves year over year, we are not very far away from electric cars that will have smaller batteries that last longer and will have great performance.
 
I am not a car guy so I have no idea about Toyota beyond the American models they sell.

What vehicle are you referring to.

The Toyota Hi-Lux.

It's a compact pickup. It is the most popular small utility vehicle on the planet. It is virtually indestructible. It is also the primary vehicle of choice for the construction of what are known as "technicals" - the pickups used by insurgent groups all over the world as mobile machine gun platforms.
 
I know of one self-park garage in Manhattan. It’s down near Battery Park just off West St, so definitely not convenient for those driving into the city through the Lincoln Tunnel or GW. If, however, you are driving from south of exit 127 on the Parkway, and you want to self park in the city, it might be an option. You’d drive through Staten Island, over the Verrazano onto the BQE and take the Hugh Carey Tunnel (used to be called the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel). The exit for the tunnel will almost take you into the garage provided you stay all the way right off the exit, it’s self parking, and you can take the 1 train from Rector to MSG. About a 20 minute subway ride.

In a garage, a $5 tip at drop off might be cheap insurance, I park in garages all the time(although never near MSG) and can’t say I’ve ever had a scratch on my car. I’d recommend the SpotHero app to get a better parking rate (there are other apps as well, I’ve just always used SpotHero).

SpotHero is the app I use too.

Well worth it.
 
The Toyota Hi-Lux.

It's a compact pickup. It is the most popular small utility vehicle on the planet. It is virtually indestructible. It is also the primary vehicle of choice for the construction of what are known as "technicals" - the pickups used by insurgent groups all over the world as mobile machine gun platforms.
Thanks
 
They market this way because it does sell a lot of cars for them.
It’s funny- in the North East, I agree that a good amount of EV buyers are doing it just for the tech and performance. But if you head out west, it is more because they do feel they are either saving the planet or just saving face…
I am on the east coast. I don’t know why anyone out west buys an EV
 
This is true. The people I know in NJ that drive Tesla's do it for the tech but they also own multiple cars which include gas powered cars. At the rate technology improves year over year, we are not very far away from electric cars that will have smaller batteries that last longer and will have great performance.
And my apologies to Telsa owners in here- can they just come up with uglier cars? The only one I remotely like is the S and there is no way I need everything it offers and the price tag is way too much. Rather spend a portion of that on a big ole gas gusling RAM! lol
 
The thing is if everyone goes electric the grid can’t handle it . Just use common sense people . The grid can barely handle hot summer days. What the hell happens when you just add millions of people charging their cars?
 
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The thing is if everyone goes electric the grid can’t handle it . Just use common sense people . The grid can barely handle hot summer days. What the hell happens when you just add millions of people charging their cars?
Technology needs to improve. The grid in NJ did improve after Sandy. Many of the substations around NJ flooded and were rebuilt over the last 10 years.
 
Technology needs to improve. The grid in NJ did improve after Sandy. Many of the substations around NJ flooded and were rebuilt over the last 10 years.
That’s the problem . You need the infrastructure and support to handle this beforehand. But we know that won’t happen and it will be a nationwide problem. Hell, texas couldn’t keep power on because of snow . This is a huge policy issue that hasn’t been addressed.
This is basically like building a house, constructing a kitchen, bathrooms and painting and then you’re gonna come back and check on the foundation later because “it needs to be improved”
 
That’s the problem . You need the infrastructure and support to handle this beforehand. But we know that won’t happen and it will be a nationwide problem. Hell, texas couldn’t keep power on because of snow . This is a huge policy issue that hasn’t been addressed.
This is basically like building a house, constructing a kitchen, bathrooms and painting and then you’re gonna come back and check on the foundation later because “it needs to be improved”
I see things differently. Where you see a problem, I see an opportunity. If more people are buying EV's, it will force the need to upgrade the infrastructure or even better find new solutions. Who said necessity if the mother of invention? Sometimes you need to go through a rough period to figure out how to make it better. I view EVs as something that will greatly improve over time as technology advances. (This isn't the CE board so I am not commenting on policy or the Texas grid).
 
The Toyota Hi-Lux.

It's a compact pickup. It is the most popular small utility vehicle on the planet. It is virtually indestructible. It is also the primary vehicle of choice for the construction of what are known as "technicals" - the pickups used by insurgent groups all over the world as mobile machine gun platforms.


part 1 of one of my favorite TG episodes ever.
 
This is hysterical-- people scared to get valet parked in NYC for a basketball game. You still can find municipal parking where you can park yourself and take the train but if you're afraid to let a parking garage attendant park your car you'll crap your pants parking in a city garage or even the port authority. You can't take a car into NYC without parking in a parking garage where they park it. Be prepared, I ate downtown last night and it cost me 40 for 2 hours and sometimes these garages are sold out .
All depends on the car and the person.

If one has a car for which they don't care about scratches and dents and joyrides or whatever, or where they can have it repaired with no particular concerns about resale values, then that person can happily park it anywhere. Why not?

OTOH, if one has a limited production car that cannot be replaced, and for which even a resprayed door panel (repaired after it was dinged) would mean an instant resale value loss of $30K, or that encourages joyrides, then it would be probably be wiser to not park it in an ordinary valet-run NYC parking deck. No?

OTOOH, people with a net worth over $250M need not worry over resale values of their cars, they can spend 7 figures on cars every year without ever touching their investment principal.
 
All depends on the car and the person.

If one has a car for which they don't care about scratches and dents and joyrides or whatever, or where they can have it repaired with no particular concerns about resale values, then that person can happily park it anywhere. Why not?

OTOH, if one has a limited production car that cannot be replaced, and for which even a resprayed door panel (repaired after it was dinged) would mean an instant resale value loss of $30K, or that encourages joyrides, then it would be probably be wiser to not park it in an ordinary valet-run NYC parking deck. No?

OTOOH, people with a net worth over $250M need not worry over resale values of their cars, they can spend 7 figures on cars every year without ever touching their investment principal.
ppl with a net worth of 250mm don't drive themselves to the city. so parking issue solved.
 
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I see things differently. Where you see a problem, I see an opportunity. If more people are buying EV's, it will force the need to upgrade the infrastructure or even better find new solutions. Who said necessity if the mother of invention? Sometimes you need to go through a rough period to figure out how to make it better. I view EVs as something that will greatly improve over time as technology advances. (This isn't the CE board so I am not commenting on policy or the Texas grid).

Agree. For instance 30 years ago we were still phone-line & wired centric and dialing into the internet. 10 years ago we did not have enough bandwidth to support video conferencing to any mass degree.
 
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I drive my truck in. Costs more to park but I won’t go crazy over a ding versus the wife’s fancy car. Haha
 
Yep. We go up to NYC with the kids and I use that parking app to prepay for lots if we are staying long. I've never encountered a parking garage (at least in Manhattan) where you could park yourself. One time I think I was able to park myself in a lot near the USS Intrepid.
I've self-parked in several places in NYC. The underground parking deck at MSK hospital in the upper east side, is one example that I can recall.

But yeah, most lots they cram cars in super tight, inches apart, and those are all valet. Usually with very skinny valets. LOL
 
Agree. For instance 30 years ago we were still phone-line & wired centric and dialing into the internet. 10 years ago we did not have enough bandwidth to support video conferencing to any mass degree.
A little different if you can’t log onto a rutgers football forum to complain about terry Shea or instant message people on AOL compared to your power failing
 
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ppl with a net worth of 250mm don't drive themselves to the city. so parking issue solved.
You'd think so, right? But from what I've seen over the years, you'd be surprised.

Car people come in all income levels and even super wealthy folks, who are true car people, prefer to drive themselves, same as us ordinary folks. Not saying that, for a baseball game like this, they would insist upon driving themselves in some nice car. Many would just take the train. Some would hire a car or have a driver on the payroll who drops them off and picks them up.

But now and then a thread surfaces on Rennlist about some guy whose Lambo got squashed while parked on the street in NYC, or something along those lines. We all sympathize, but often those guys have a distribution center sized personal garage filled with 30+ crazy expensive cars. They aren't collectors so much as car guys who can buy such cars every year and they like to drive them all. So they clearly aren't worrying over car repair costs or resale values.

Must be nice. 😃

I'm not super wealthy and will take a train or rent a car if I cannot locate safe parking.
 
I drive my truck in. Costs more to park but I won’t go crazy over a ding versus the wife’s fancy car. Haha
Back before I got rid of my Suburban, I would take that thing anywhere, park it anywhere. I think I worried about it getting banged up for maybe a year before I gave up. Having young active kids meant it was going to get trashed anyway.

Hm. Maybe I should quit screwing around looking at smaller luxury SUVs and just get another Suburban. What a great vehicle that was.
 
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Let the market decide.

That's the problem, the government has interfered in several of these markets, subsidizing one item over another. Look at power generation in California: they drove out nuclear power by subsidizing wind and solar.
 
Back before I got rid of my Suburban, I would take that thing anywhere, park it anywhere. I think I worried about it getting banged up for maybe a year before I gave up. Having young active kids meant it was going to get trashed anyway.

Hm. Maybe I should quit screwing around looking at smaller luxury SUVs and just get another Suburban. What a great vehicle that was.
I think that would be a wise decision
 
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That's the problem, the government has interfered in several of these markets, subsidizing one item over another. Look at power generation in California: they drove out nuclear power by subsidizing wind and solar.

To a degree but nuclear had other issues that people just decided weren't worth trying to overcome. Cost to build nuclear plants became a major issue. Issues with the few companies that could build the components and nuclear plants were big issues. You look at some of those plants that were under construction in the South, for example, and a few stalled due to costs overruns, supplier issues, etc.

However, recent legislation from last year includes tax breaks for nuclear so there could be a shift back towards nuclear development.
 
That's the problem, the government has interfered in several of these markets, subsidizing one item over another. Look at power generation in California: they drove out nuclear power by subsidizing wind and solar.
The government has always been involved in markets over the years, including banking, airlines, automobiles, etc Overall the countries infrastructure needs to be improved/upgraded. That includes roads, bridges, tunnels, rails, power grids, all types of power sources, air traffic control systems, etc.
 
Thanks to skyrocketing electricity prices, it now costs more to drive the average electric vehicle 100 miles than it does to drive a gas-powered car the same distance.

A report from the Anderson Economic Group (AEG) shows that driving a gas-powered car 100 miles costs an average of $11.29. However, the cost for people who drive electric vehicles and charge up at home is $11.60 per hundred miles. A little more expensive.
But.

For those electric car owners who use recharging stations, the average cost for 100 miles is substantially higher at $14.40.

But at least you’re saving the planet, right?
Oh, wait, you’re not saving the planet because most of the “clean” electricity you use to charge your eco-car comes from burning fossil fuels…so lol.
From the AEG report:


Now, those driving luxury electric vehicles are still saving money compared to gas-powered luxury cars. America’s elite always seem to land on their feet.

A luxury gas-powered car costs $19.96 to operate 100 miles. A luxury electric car costs just $12.40 if you charge at home and $15.95 if you use charging stations.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/...ered-car-100-miles-than-average-electric-car/
Why are right wing nuts so threatened by electric cars? I mean a lot of these cars are now being built in the US (Hyundai just announced a huge factory in Georgia). They perform better than gas guzzlers and are quieter on the highway.

If you don’t like electric cars, don’t buy them.

We bought a 2022 Lucid Air. I get over 400 miles per charge. It has a fast charging mode that allows me to recharge 250 miles capacity in 20 minutes. My wife and I drove from NJ to the Outerbanks recharging only once for 30 minutes at a free charging station while we took a lunch break. We arrived with about 175 miles left in the battery.

My wife recharges her battery for free at her work’s parking lot. We rarely charge at home.

It is dangerously fast. Hit Launch Mode and you can go 0-60 in 3 seconds flat. It gets to 100 in 6 seconds. It supposedly has a top speed of 170.

I don’t know what else you would want in a car (well except that it doesn’t support Apple CarPlay).
 
I think that would be a wise decision
Probably, right?

It wouldn't fit in my garage, the doors are too narrow. But I suppose I could always rebuild the garage.

Or better yet, I could tear down my house and current garage and replace them both with a large garage that has a tiny kitchenette, a small bathroom, and small sleeping loft. A man has to have priorities.

Something like this:

2zsvnm.jpg
 
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But at least you’re saving the planet, right?
Oh, wait, you’re not saving the planet because most of the “clean” electricity you use to charge your eco-car comes from burning fossil fuels…so lol.
What will happen with the used batteries? Will they be ditched in landfills and eventually leech into the soil? Has this been addressed?
 
What will happen with the used batteries? Will they be ditched in landfills and eventually leech into the soil? Has this been addressed?
It's the unspoken dirty little secret. Solar panels and wind blades don't last forever either, except in fairy land. Right now, nobody knows what to do with them, except bury them. Technology will eventually be there but right now it's being pushed before it's ready.
 
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it's cheaper and better for the environment. Nothing kills the environment like mining for precious metals and of course, who cares about the slave labor and child labor.

go oil baby
 
Thanks to skyrocketing electricity prices, it now costs more to drive the average electric vehicle 100 miles than it does to drive a gas-powered car the same distance.

A report from the Anderson Economic Group (AEG) shows that driving a gas-powered car 100 miles costs an average of $11.29. However, the cost for people who drive electric vehicles and charge up at home is $11.60 per hundred miles. A little more expensive.
But.

For those electric car owners who use recharging stations, the average cost for 100 miles is substantially higher at $14.40.

But at least you’re saving the planet, right?
Oh, wait, you’re not saving the planet because most of the “clean” electricity you use to charge your eco-car comes from burning fossil fuels…so lol.
From the AEG report:


Now, those driving luxury electric vehicles are still saving money compared to gas-powered luxury cars. America’s elite always seem to land on their feet.

A luxury gas-powered car costs $19.96 to operate 100 miles. A luxury electric car costs just $12.40 if you charge at home and $15.95 if you use charging stations.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/...ered-car-100-miles-than-average-electric-car/
But,but, but as Nancy would say," It's for the children", what a phony,lol.
 
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