Thanks for the info. I wonder if, in the coming years, there will be lines and frustration at charging stations, or will industry step up and meet the demand?
This is part of the reason I would really like to see a universal system.
The only place I consistently see lines is at the charger on Jamboree/Michelson in Irvine. There are a number of stores and an LA Fitness in that center, so it is popular. It is also slow, 72kw.
As more and more people go the EV route there will simply need to be more chargers. My guess is that some large apartment complexes will start to put them in. That would make lots of sense. I would think that in Orange County, where Teslas are ubiquitous, a charging station in a large complex (Somewhere like Park Newport, for instance) would be a draw.
This sounds pretty awful tbh
Sounds like the time to buy an electric car is probably 10 years from now.
That's what I thought 7 years ago.
Things have advanced to the point where I can make it work.
Like I said, refueling is something you have to think about with an EV.
But the only inconvenience is really the Mammoth drive, for me at least. And that is not even a big deal. I find that I actually like taking an extra 10 minute stop or two and decompressing. The drive to Mammoth in a Tesla really only adds about 15-20 minutes when compared to an ICE.
I will admit that I was apprehensive in June 2020. My first Mammoth trip in it, in November 2020, I was curious about whether it would be tenable. It is actually much easier than I thought it would be. My worries were essentially unfounded. It has actually been much easier than I anticipated. I don't ever find myself wishing I was driving an ICE.
But it is an adjustment. And it is also much easier in California than in other places.
The other side to it is that I absolutely love driving the car. We don't have the high performance edition, but it accelerates like you wouldn't believe. My wife has a Maserati, granted it is the Ghibli which is the poor man's Maserati, but when I drive that after driving my Tesla I feel like it is dragging an anchor. The Tesla accelerates SO much faster I can't even believe it. I have been converted, I really don't want to drive an ICE again. I mean the Maserati is simply TERRIBLE in comparison, I can't believe it cost more than the model 3. I love being able to blow past a truck on the 395 by going from 75 to 95 in the blink of an eye. Last spring on one drive up we had a funny experience where my wife was driving while I was getting some work done. I looked over at one point and asked her if she knew she was going 95, and not simply gunning it to pass a truck. She was shocked, she had no idea she was going that fast.
I simply hate driving my wife's car now. Hate might be a strong word, but my Tesla is by far the most fun car I have ever driven. And I don't even have the performance edition. I also love the fact that I can essentially search for any song that I want and generate a playlist based on that song. I like that I can do this by pressing the scroll button on the wheel and simply saying 'search music The Sex Pistols The Great Rock n' Roll Swindle' easily. I know some ICE cars have this feature too, but all in all I actually prefer the drive to Mammoth in the Tesla. Even if gas was 1.50 a gallon I would still prefer making the drive in this car.
The only car I have ever liked better was my Nissan Pathfinder that I drove in college and during my Tahoe years between college and grad school. Nothing will ever top that car, although much of that is for sentimental reasons.
If you prefer your adventures driving down in Baja....That might be a a ways off.
One concern I do have is the acceleration in an EV and the pickups that are coming out. A huge pickup truck that goes from 0-60 in 4 seconds is simply dangerous, as it is not meant to drive fast through a curve, it might be able to accelerate in a straight line, but it won't handle a curvy road. I can see some accidents from Rivian drivers who are gunning it at a yellow light and making a left turn and are not used to the acceleration. In fact I remember reading about one somewhere in Irvine recently where that is exactly what happened.
I also like that I don't have to worry about gas prices. I have not had to do an oil change :}. I was skeptical when I got it, but it has been better than I ever imagined. I think the only money I have spent on maintenance is rotating the tires and filling the wiper fluid.
As far as battery degradation, the range is slightly less than when I got it, but not really to a degree which is noticeable. In cold weather you do get less mileage. I haven't looked at any data on that, if you live in a cold climate it is something to be aware of.
I should add that the storage is reasonable. I can easily fit skis up to around 190 in the back if the seats are down. My day-to-day board is a 6'4" which is not a problem. The biggest board I ever surf is a 7'6" funshape which also fits. Obviously a longboard would be an issue, but that would be true of any sedan. One issue if you longboard is that taking long trips with racks would reduce range. Obviously this is more of a problem than with an ICE.
I'm going to add a note of caution for any of you that go the EV route and use your phone as a key. You can use your phone to open the car, but if you setup your phone as a key that can START the car you have to be careful. If you leave it in the car while you surf you need to put it in airplane mode, or it will automatically open the car, which can then be driven away. I don't use my phone for that, I start it with the key card that I can store in a lock box while I surf, but do be aware of that issue. They might have fixed it, but do some research before you set up your phone to be able to start the car.
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