I would have bought a Volt if it didn't come inextricably linked to that legendary GM level of quality. If VW or BMW made the Volt it'd be in my garage already. A car that can cover 30 miles on battery and then has a fuel tank to make it go another 400 is ideal for me, but it has to be a car, not a Prius.
If I didn't already OWN a car I would, however since I *do* own a car, what is my incentive to go electric and then force myself to rent for most of the miles I drive?
Why would you drive 800 miles? Is your time worthless to you?
I mean, I can understand you preferring that. But to me that is as much insanity as electric cars are apparently to you. I'd rather stab myself with ice picks than be stuck driving a car for 14 hours. I can get halfway across the world in that time in an aircraft.
Yes, when I travel outside the Pacific NW I fly, however let's work an example.
Suppose I want to travel my typical route by air (I have done this, it is more relaxing), what does that look like? Well, My day starts around 8am, so giving a little time for the taxi to the airport and the required packing time, the typical departure time for the flight will be around 11am. The destination is my parents house, which is pretty rural, and there is no direct flight near there, so I have a choice of arriving 270 miles from their place around 2pm by the time I exit the airport, forcing them to drive (they are old, so not super cool) or rent, and placing my arrival around 5pm at their doorstep. Additionally I had to do the typical TSA dance where I can't carry my pocket knife unless I have checked luggage and I can't practically transport any bulky or otherwise non-TSA-friendly gifts and so on with me. During my stay, I won't have a car unless I rented for the whole week so I will have to borrow or ride with someone.
The other option is to wait in the remote big city airport 3-4 hours until a shuttle flight, which would bring me a mere 90 minutes away from the ancestral homestead, and I arrive around 8pm, still no pocket knife or whiskey.
Driving, I can load up the car for the most part the evening before, and walk out around 8am with a dufflebag in hand, fire it up and drive away. Some time around 8:30pm I will pull into the destination driveway with boxes of goodies for nieces and parents, and if I wanted to do something like bring a gun for some recreational shooting (these things happen) I didn't have to have TSA x-ray my genitals for the privilege.
If the trip were appreciably longer (this is why I set a limit at 1000 miles) I would and do fly unless the drive is the whole point, but for me and my endurance level and so on this is an easily doable drive and the alternatives are not compelling.
Just know your needs are in no way indicative of the average trip taken in a vehicle in America.
The battery trailer would actually work, I like it. A decent sized trailer would probably extend the range to exceed that of almost any driver, so maybe no need to even drop or swap; just hook it up for the long trips, and if it's a multi-day trip you can charge the whole assembly overnight. Ungainly but seems practical. Too bad there's no standard for that connection.
That's great that it works for you, however there is no "all the gas I'd burn otherwise" for me, and for what I do there is certainly no economic incentive to buy a car that costs more than my VW and is less capable.
Then don't buy one. Why are you even here?
I was replying to this:
I can state, definitively, that if a $30,000 electric car with a 150 mile range on a single charge became a thing I'd have to consider it. That's plenty for commuting and errands for my household, and since we already have a four door sedan with low miles as the out-of-town trip car, we wouldn't need extended range on something in the city. Having relatively clean maintenance would also be a plus.
Flying takes just as long really (there is no local airport at the other end) and insurance for my low mileage ownership is pretty reasonable. The car is paid for but it is a depreciating asset; logically and practically I would be better off with taxis and rentals, but city life is not how I grew up and I'm just not comfortable without a car in the garage yet.
I walk or telecommute, and most things I need are delivered to me. Sometimes I have to run an out of the routine errand, but those are not long (typically less than 5 miles, certainly less than 30) and they are infrequent. Then 2-3 times a year I drive 1600 miles round trip to see family. That's it, about 5K or a little more a year, with most of it being a long road trip that I couldn't use an electric for anyway. So not at all typical, but electrics are not yet suitable for me.
Unrecognized by what driver? There is no driver; it was previously misidentified by a driver from a different company, but that issue has now been fixed and the errant hardware no longer misidentifies itself.
c) it doesn't work with any driver on any other OS
A software tool exists to restore the ID info; that means that a properly written driver from the chip vendor could in fact make this chip work. All the chip vendor has to do now is support the hardware they made and sold.
That's great that it works for you, however there is no "all the gas I'd burn otherwise" for me, and for what I do there is certainly no economic incentive to buy a car that costs more than my VW and is less capable. I can't remember exactly when I filled up last, but I think it's been maybe 5 or maybe 8 weeks ago. Last time I had to have the car (couple weeks back) the tank was full but I had to air up the tires.
It's closer, but my actual 2-3 times a year trip to see family is 800 miles one way; As it sits I stop twice due to the combination of range, uncertainty, and distribution of filling stations, and each stop is less than 10 minutes.
I could manage an added 20 or even 30 minutes in added stops but that's as much as I can put up with. If an electric could do say, 600 miles and charge in 30 minutes, then it would be doable; I could either stop a couple times for partial charges or once for 20+ minutes, since in reality no one will want to drain a battery any more than we run a tank dry.
But we're not there yet, not even close really. Maybe close in time until it's possible, but not close in capability now.
I'm afraid that we are operating under differing definitions of both "bricked" and "pregnant".
As soon as the chip maker supplies correct software the device will be restored to an operable condition; previously it was erroneously identifying itself as something it was not and the driver simply fixed it so that it would no longer be mis-identified, and thus reduced to chances of further malfunction. If the chip maker does not wish such accidents to happen, they can follow the standards set forth for the USB protocol and identify themselves correctly, as mis-identification can lead to unfortunate occurrences such as this diagnostic.
Great, where do I put the car seat and woman? When I was alone I looked for a Smart Electric but they were not in America yet; I wasn't aware they were now. In any case, my 2012 sedan is paid for now and I can't see any compelling reason to switch; the electric wouldn't cover most of my miles and my daily drive is zero - I walk or telecommute. My annual mileage is around 5K with the vast majority being 2-3 1600 mile round trips to see family.
Not at all. I drive to see family several times a year, and that drive is almost 1000 miles one way. Most of the distance I cover in my car is on those drives. The rest of the time I walk to work, my groceries are delivered, and everything I want is also within walking distance except for maybe once every 3-6 weeks. What is my overwhelming reason to have an electric car? It's not going to save me much money and it's not going to be able to handle most of my driving. Complete and utter fail until they can cover at least 350 miles on a charge and be charged in less than 15 minutes.
A typical year for me sees my car doing about 5000 miles, with most of that being a few long trips. If it were a completely rational thing I would simply rent a car for those trips, but I dislike the idea of not having ready personal transportation a few steps away. In case of zombies, you know.
About 25% of the time I drive 800 miles in a day. I almost never drive at all; if I'm going to own a car, cost of operation is negligible for anything, unless I'm badly overlooking something. Logically my best move would be to not own a car at all, but I'm not quite ready for that step.
I can't justify two cars, and if I own a car, it has to be able to drive 1000 miles in a day. Until that's true, an electric is off the table for me unless it's cheap enough that I can justify the electric and renting a conventional for the road trips. Sadly, $30K is well above that line, MAYBE if it were $15K, and safe (boring is fine) I would consider it.
But then my operating costs are almost zero anyway.
Slashdot Mirror
I would have bought a Volt if it didn't come inextricably linked to that legendary GM level of quality. If VW or BMW made the Volt it'd be in my garage already. A car that can cover 30 miles on battery and then has a fuel tank to make it go another 400 is ideal for me, but it has to be a car, not a Prius.
Seems pretty minor - but both versions are shitty and examples of things government has no business mandating.
If I didn't already OWN a car I would, however since I *do* own a car, what is my incentive to go electric and then force myself to rent for most of the miles I drive?
Why would you drive 800 miles? Is your time worthless to you?
I mean, I can understand you preferring that. But to me that is as much insanity as electric cars are apparently to you. I'd rather stab myself with ice picks than be stuck driving a car for 14 hours. I can get halfway across the world in that time in an aircraft.
Yes, when I travel outside the Pacific NW I fly, however let's work an example.
Suppose I want to travel my typical route by air (I have done this, it is more relaxing), what does that look like? Well, My day starts around 8am, so giving a little time for the taxi to the airport and the required packing time, the typical departure time for the flight will be around 11am. The destination is my parents house, which is pretty rural, and there is no direct flight near there, so I have a choice of arriving 270 miles from their place around 2pm by the time I exit the airport, forcing them to drive (they are old, so not super cool) or rent, and placing my arrival around 5pm at their doorstep. Additionally I had to do the typical TSA dance where I can't carry my pocket knife unless I have checked luggage and I can't practically transport any bulky or otherwise non-TSA-friendly gifts and so on with me. During my stay, I won't have a car unless I rented for the whole week so I will have to borrow or ride with someone.
The other option is to wait in the remote big city airport 3-4 hours until a shuttle flight, which would bring me a mere 90 minutes away from the ancestral homestead, and I arrive around 8pm, still no pocket knife or whiskey.
Driving, I can load up the car for the most part the evening before, and walk out around 8am with a dufflebag in hand, fire it up and drive away. Some time around 8:30pm I will pull into the destination driveway with boxes of goodies for nieces and parents, and if I wanted to do something like bring a gun for some recreational shooting (these things happen) I didn't have to have TSA x-ray my genitals for the privilege.
If the trip were appreciably longer (this is why I set a limit at 1000 miles) I would and do fly unless the drive is the whole point, but for me and my endurance level and so on this is an easily doable drive and the alternatives are not compelling.
Just know your needs are in no way indicative of the average trip taken in a vehicle in America.
That would be why I said it won't work for me.
The battery trailer would actually work, I like it. A decent sized trailer would probably extend the range to exceed that of almost any driver, so maybe no need to even drop or swap; just hook it up for the long trips, and if it's a multi-day trip you can charge the whole assembly overnight. Ungainly but seems practical. Too bad there's no standard for that connection.
Then don't buy one. Why are you even here?
I was replying to this:
Flying takes just as long really (there is no local airport at the other end) and insurance for my low mileage ownership is pretty reasonable. The car is paid for but it is a depreciating asset; logically and practically I would be better off with taxis and rentals, but city life is not how I grew up and I'm just not comfortable without a car in the garage yet.
The rational thing would be to rent, but I'm not comfortable not having personal transportation at hand just yet.
I walk or telecommute, and most things I need are delivered to me. Sometimes I have to run an out of the routine errand, but those are not long (typically less than 5 miles, certainly less than 30) and they are infrequent. Then 2-3 times a year I drive 1600 miles round trip to see family. That's it, about 5K or a little more a year, with most of it being a long road trip that I couldn't use an electric for anyway. So not at all typical, but electrics are not yet suitable for me.
Unrecognized by what driver? There is no driver; it was previously misidentified by a driver from a different company, but that issue has now been fixed and the errant hardware no longer misidentifies itself.
c) it doesn't work with any driver on any other OS
A software tool exists to restore the ID info; that means that a properly written driver from the chip vendor could in fact make this chip work. All the chip vendor has to do now is support the hardware they made and sold.
That's great that it works for you, however there is no "all the gas I'd burn otherwise" for me, and for what I do there is certainly no economic incentive to buy a car that costs more than my VW and is less capable. I can't remember exactly when I filled up last, but I think it's been maybe 5 or maybe 8 weeks ago. Last time I had to have the car (couple weeks back) the tank was full but I had to air up the tires.
They detected a malfunctioning device and reconfigured it to prevent further malfunction. I don't see where there is liability attached to that.
It's closer, but my actual 2-3 times a year trip to see family is 800 miles one way; As it sits I stop twice due to the combination of range, uncertainty, and distribution of filling stations, and each stop is less than 10 minutes.
I could manage an added 20 or even 30 minutes in added stops but that's as much as I can put up with. If an electric could do say, 600 miles and charge in 30 minutes, then it would be doable; I could either stop a couple times for partial charges or once for 20+ minutes, since in reality no one will want to drain a battery any more than we run a tank dry.
But we're not there yet, not even close really. Maybe close in time until it's possible, but not close in capability now.
I'm afraid that we are operating under differing definitions of both "bricked" and "pregnant".
As soon as the chip maker supplies correct software the device will be restored to an operable condition; previously it was erroneously identifying itself as something it was not and the driver simply fixed it so that it would no longer be mis-identified, and thus reduced to chances of further malfunction. If the chip maker does not wish such accidents to happen, they can follow the standards set forth for the USB protocol and identify themselves correctly, as mis-identification can lead to unfortunate occurrences such as this diagnostic.
Great, where do I put the car seat and woman? When I was alone I looked for a Smart Electric but they were not in America yet; I wasn't aware they were now. In any case, my 2012 sedan is paid for now and I can't see any compelling reason to switch; the electric wouldn't cover most of my miles and my daily drive is zero - I walk or telecommute. My annual mileage is around 5K with the vast majority being 2-3 1600 mile round trips to see family.
My current actual drive is almost exactly 800 miles but 1000 is almost as far as I've ever driven, and honestly after about 1000 it's really no fun.
No, I get gas, and piss. Then I continue. I didn't say 1000 miles without stopping, I said 1000 miles in a DAY.
Not at all. I drive to see family several times a year, and that drive is almost 1000 miles one way. Most of the distance I cover in my car is on those drives. The rest of the time I walk to work, my groceries are delivered, and everything I want is also within walking distance except for maybe once every 3-6 weeks. What is my overwhelming reason to have an electric car? It's not going to save me much money and it's not going to be able to handle most of my driving. Complete and utter fail until they can cover at least 350 miles on a charge and be charged in less than 15 minutes.
A typical year for me sees my car doing about 5000 miles, with most of that being a few long trips. If it were a completely rational thing I would simply rent a car for those trips, but I dislike the idea of not having ready personal transportation a few steps away. In case of zombies, you know.
About 25% of the time I drive 800 miles in a day. I almost never drive at all; if I'm going to own a car, cost of operation is negligible for anything, unless I'm badly overlooking something. Logically my best move would be to not own a car at all, but I'm not quite ready for that step.
I can't justify two cars, and if I own a car, it has to be able to drive 1000 miles in a day. Until that's true, an electric is off the table for me unless it's cheap enough that I can justify the electric and renting a conventional for the road trips. Sadly, $30K is well above that line, MAYBE if it were $15K, and safe (boring is fine) I would consider it.
But then my operating costs are almost zero anyway.
The protocol should do that in any case.
A reliable detector has just been supplied.
It was claiming to be something it wasn't, and that has been corrected.