Electric car thread

[frorider]

From Vox.com:

“Since Trump promised to freeze this EV charging infrastructure funding on the trail, legal experts have explained that he can’t actually shut down these programs. Doing so would likely violate the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, which prevents US presidents from blocking spending that has been appropriated by Congress. President Trump has also promised to repeal that law and give power to his executive branch. But he would need Congress to do that.

Trump will also need Congress to shut down the programs providing funding for EV charging infrastructure. Meanwhile, 22 out of the 25 congressional districts receiving federal funding for EV manufacturing are represented by Republicans. So any real assault on the industry might face resistance on Capitol Hill, where Republicans have narrow majorities in both the House and the Senate.

“These programs are legally entrenched, widely supported, and designed to withstand political turbulence,” said Kathy Harris, director of clean vehicles, climate, and energy at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “The rhetoric is designed to grab headlines, but the reality is more complicated.”

It’s theater, and it’s nothing new for Trump.

Related
Trump coin: Why the crypto industry is mad at the president
That said, the fact that Trump decided to attack EVs as one of his first acts in office deserves some concern. He’s effectively setting the tone for his presidency, and that tone is decidedly hostile toward the environment.

In addition to freezing funding for EV charging infrastructure, Trump rescinded an executive order from President Biden that called for half of all new vehicles sold to be electric by 2030. Trump also plans to roll back EPA rules issued last year that implement stricter tailpipe emissions standards in an effort to fight climate change. Trump also wants to end EV subsidies and incentives, including the $7,500 tax credit for people who buy new EVs. His executive orders, so far, do none of these things.”

Of course the mainstream auto industry is lobbying hard for maintaining tax credit: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a6...ump-ev-policy/

[Touring_Sedan]

From Vox.com:

“Since Trump promised to freeze this EV charging infrastructure funding on the trail, legal experts have explained that he can’t actually shut down these programs. Doing so would likely violate the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, which prevents US presidents from blocking spending that has been appropriated by Congress. President Trump has also promised to repeal that law and give power to his executive branch. But he would need Congress to do that.

Trump will also need Congress to shut down the programs providing funding for EV charging infrastructure. Meanwhile, 22 out of the 25 congressional districts receiving federal funding for EV manufacturing are represented by Republicans. So any real assault on the industry might face resistance on Capitol Hill, where Republicans have narrow majorities in both the House and the Senate.

“These programs are legally entrenched, widely supported, and designed to withstand political turbulence,” said Kathy Harris, director of clean vehicles, climate, and energy at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “The rhetoric is designed to grab headlines, but the reality is more complicated.”

It’s theater, and it’s nothing new for Trump.

Related
Trump coin: Why the crypto industry is mad at the president
That said, the fact that Trump decided to attack EVs as one of his first acts in office deserves some concern. He’s effectively setting the tone for his presidency, and that tone is decidedly hostile toward the environment.

In addition to freezing funding for EV charging infrastructure, Trump rescinded an executive order from President Biden that called for half of all new vehicles sold to be electric by 2030. Trump also plans to roll back EPA rules issued last year that implement stricter tailpipe emissions standards in an effort to fight climate change. Trump also wants to end EV subsidies and incentives, including the $7,500 tax credit for people who buy new EVs. His executive orders, so far, do none of these things.”

Of course the mainstream auto industry is lobbying hard for maintaining tax credit: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a6...ump-ev-policy/

Not here to devolve this into a political discussion, but this has a good synopsis of what he needs to run through Congress, what he doesn't, and the implications of both.



https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/23/p...rgy-order.html

[plugboots]

Well, I guess the rocket box and inside the hatch of my Golf R will be filled with ketchup containers filled with gas during the apocalypse.

[carlh]

Looking at a 2023 model y long range with 8k miles for $35k. Looks basically new, is blue and comes with a hitch. Seems like a good deal based on local comps. Going back and forth on if prices are going to drop when junipers ship and I should wait or if they go up because trump ends the tax credit. We don’t urgently need a car but are upgrading a first gen leaf for more range and would like something in the next couple months. Buy now or wait?
I know there are cheaper cars out of the region but not sure I want to plop down 30k sight unseen to save a little bit of cash.

[carlh]

Looking at a 2023 model y long range with 8k miles for $35k. Looks basically new, is blue and comes with a hitch. Seems like a good deal based on local comps. Going back and forth on if prices are going to drop when junipers ship and I should wait or if they go up because trump ends the tax credit. We don’t urgently need a car but are upgrading a first gen leaf for more range and would like something in the next couple months. Buy now or wait?
I know there are cheaper cars out of the region but not sure I want to plop down 30k sight unseen to save a little bit of cash.

[dan_pdx]

Mrs. PDX and I have an Outback (legally required for Portland residents) and now thinking about adding a city car. We'd probably never take this car on a freeway and never do any trips longer than 20 miles round trip, so we don't need (or want to pay for) much car. Our target price range would be in the nice MTB range.

With that in mind, we're renting a 2017 Fiat 500e for the weekend on Turo to check it out. Here are my impressions after we put about 40 miles on it.

1. It's a perfect size for a second car. Front seats are totally fine, back seats fold down to accommodate a full-sized dog - no problem putting a Labrador back there, maybe even two for a short trip. With the back seats down, there's enough cargo space for 98% of your grocery trips or even Costco trips. Having said that, if we bought this car, the back seats would be folded flat all the time because I don't think anyone much over 4' would be comfortable back there.

Also, parallel parking this thing is magic. I can nose in to spots that the Outback couldn't get into at all.

2. Visibility isn't as good as I expected given the tiny size. Front and sides are good, but visibility out the back window isn't great, ditto for the back passenger side window. There's also a weird bifocal thing on the mirrors that I'm not crazy about.

3. Performance is a hoot. I know it's underpowered as EVs go, but it still has enough power to spin the wheels when accelerating from a stop. Handling is fun too. Mrs. PDX would be looking to test drive manual Fiat 500s if we weren't pretty set on electric.

4. I've always said that 40 miles of range would be enough, but that didn't account for using the heating / cooling. This car states about 80 miles of range after a full charge, but I've noticed we burn 2-3 miles of range per mile traveled - it's in the 30s here, so the heating is a big hit. Taking that into account, 70 or 80 miles of claimed range seems like the practical floor.

5. A little uncertain about the mechanical bits. I got the advice here that a Fiat EV will have Fiat reliability, which isn't so promising. This one definitely makes some interesting noises that I think are connected to the steering column. Concerns about reliability would be the biggest barrier to pulling the trigger for me.

5. At the end of the day, I can't see any need for a city car to have any more oomph or be bigger than this. I can't take full advantage of the 500e's capabilities in town, even as limited as they are, why would I want anything quicker?

Net net, the reliability questions are the big barrier, but everything else about this car feels like a perfect fit for what we're looking for, I didn't expect to be this positive about it. Still going to look for chances to test drive some other stuff like a Bolt and a Leaf; I think a bigger car will be less appealing, but we'll see.

[plugboots]

Apparently they had some control module issues.

https://youtu.be/wkYsjAR_1_4?si=MqrfhkNRbb7WplsI

[dan_pdx]

Yeah, they don't have Corolla reliability for sure. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a 10-year old Corolla (other than not wanting a Corolla, haha), but a 8-10-year old Fiat feels like we'd be rolling the dice with unfavorable odds. I'm sure there are people that are happy with their vintage 500es, and many others who wish they'd never seen the damn thing. We could always pay 3x as much for something newer and/or CPO, but at that point it might be cheaper to just use Uber and ask for only EVs.

[carlh]

Leafs are pretty reliable and the 2016-17s with 100 miles of range should be pretty damn cheap. The 2018s have 150 miles of high is much more usable. Bolts handle well but feel cheaper than a leaf. The 2018-2019 egolf with 125 miles of range is the nicest of these but they seem overpriced.

[dan_pdx]

Thanks Carlh. We're definitely going to check out a Leaf and maybe a Bolt, but there aren't any on Turo around us, so it's more of a PITA. Of course, neither of those cars is as much fun as a fire engine red 500e

[frorider]

https://electrek.co/2025/02/03/tesla...s-are-growing/

Hmm.

[bodywhomper]

Wife’s cousin drove us around a little bit in his egolf 2 years ago in pdx. During a heat wave. We drove to the pickathon site to visit his bro and nieces during set-up (they are organizers) and had a few other errands afterwards. We drove with the windows down the whole time and he was sweating about range anxiety cuz of the pending errands occurring during rush hour. Funny/not funny, but the pickathon twist made it fell like it was out of a sitcom or something. The egolf was a fun ride.

That cousin with the egolf has a horrible story about range anxiety, Texas, really heat, and IV-level dehydration for one of their kids. Not funny.

[carlh]

<p>
they bumped the battery size mid run in the eGolf, I think in 2018. Don&#39;t buy the older one with the small battery but friend with newer ones have no issues getting the rated 125 miles &nbsp;</p>
<p>
&nbsp;</p>
<p>

From Vox.com: &ldquo;Since Trump promised to freeze this EV charging infrastructure funding on the trail, legal experts have explained that he can&rsquo;t actually shut down these programs. Doing so would likely violate the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, which prevents US presidents from blocking spending that has been appropriated by Congress. President Trump has also promised to repeal that law and give power to his executive branch. But he would need Congress to do that. Trump will also need Congress to shut down the programs providing funding for EV charging infrastructure. Meanwhile, 22 out of the 25 congressional districts receiving federal funding for EV manufacturing are represented by Republicans. So any real assault on the industry might face resistance on Capitol Hill, where Republicans have narrow majorities in both the House and the Senate. &ldquo;These programs are legally entrenched, widely supported, and designed to withstand political turbulence,&rdquo; said Kathy Harris, director of clean vehicles, climate, and energy at the Natural Resources Defense Council. &ldquo;The rhetoric is designed to grab headlines, but the reality is more complicated.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s theater, and it&rsquo;s nothing new for Trump. Related Trump coin: Why the crypto industry is mad at the president That said, the fact that Trump decided to attack EVs as one of his first acts in office deserves some concern. He&rsquo;s effectively setting the tone for his presidency, and that tone is decidedly hostile toward the environment. In addition to freezing funding for EV charging infrastructure, Trump rescinded an executive order from President Biden that called for half of all new vehicles sold to be electric by 2030. Trump also plans to roll back EPA rules issued last year that implement stricter tailpipe emissions standards in an effort to fight climate change. Trump also wants to end EV subsidies and incentives, including the $7,500 tax credit for people who buy new EVs. His executive orders, so far, do none of these things.&rdquo; Of course the mainstream auto industry is lobbying hard for maintaining tax credit: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a6...ump-ev-policy/

</p>

[singlesline]

Yeah, I think the e-Golf could be a good fit there but you probably need to pay 10k+ to get one with the bigger battery (it is 2017+)

Bigger than the Fiat, but still pretty short, full hatchback with significant cargo/dog capacity with the seats down (can even fit a pretty decent size MTB in there with only front wheel off...2 if you stack carefully). Rear seats are actually usable for a grown adult. Much nicer interior and driving feel than something like a Leaf or Bolt.

[frorider]

https://apnews.com/article/tesla-chi...c63646ab78b410

The reasons IMO to avoid Tesla just keep piling up.

[evdog]

https://apnews.com/article/tesla-chi...c63646ab78b410 The reasons IMO to avoid Tesla just keep piling up.

Seems to be a trend among the country's most upstanding corporations. United Health has retained defamation lawyers to go after people who post on social media about claims getting denied. https://fortune.com/2025/02/10/unite...-social-media/

[evdog]

In other news, who could have seen this coming? State department to purchase $400M of armored Teslas. Can't wait to see the article when one of these armored Tesla's goes dead locking it's passengers and no one can get in to rescue them, cuz armor. https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/elon-...ment-contracts

[Dromond]

Mrs. PDX and I have an Outback (legally required for Portland residents) and now thinking about adding a city car. We'd probably never take this car on a freeway and never do any trips longer than 20 miles round trip, so we don't need (or want to pay for) much car. Our target price range would be in the nice MTB range.

With that in mind, we're renting a 2017 Fiat 500e for the weekend on Turo to check it out. Here are my impressions after we put about 40 miles on it.

1. It's a perfect size for a second car. Front seats are totally fine, back seats fold down to accommodate a full-sized dog - no problem putting a Labrador back there, maybe even two for a short trip. With the back seats down, there's enough cargo space for 98% of your grocery trips or even Costco trips. Having said that, if we bought this car, the back seats would be folded flat all the time because I don't think anyone much over 4' would be comfortable back there.

Also, parallel parking this thing is magic. I can nose in to spots that the Outback couldn't get into at all.

2. Visibility isn't as good as I expected given the tiny size. Front and sides are good, but visibility out the back window isn't great, ditto for the back passenger side window. There's also a weird bifocal thing on the mirrors that I'm not crazy about.

3. Performance is a hoot. I know it's underpowered as EVs go, but it still has enough power to spin the wheels when accelerating from a stop. Handling is fun too. Mrs. PDX would be looking to test drive manual Fiat 500s if we weren't pretty set on electric.

4. I've always said that 40 miles of range would be enough, but that didn't account for using the heating / cooling. This car states about 80 miles of range after a full charge, but I've noticed we burn 2-3 miles of range per mile traveled - it's in the 30s here, so the heating is a big hit. Taking that into account, 70 or 80 miles of claimed range seems like the practical floor.

5. A little uncertain about the mechanical bits. I got the advice here that a Fiat EV will have Fiat reliability, which isn't so promising. This one definitely makes some interesting noises that I think are connected to the steering column. Concerns about reliability would be the biggest barrier to pulling the trigger for me.

5. At the end of the day, I can't see any need for a city car to have any more oomph or be bigger than this. I can't take full advantage of the 500e's capabilities in town, even as limited as they are, why would I want anything quicker?

Net net, the reliability questions are the big barrier, but everything else about this car feels like a perfect fit for what we're looking for, I didn't expect to be this positive about it. Still going to look for chances to test drive some other stuff like a Bolt and a Leaf; I think a bigger car will be less appealing, but we'll see.

We have a 500e that my wife insisted on. We got it for nice mtb money and it’s pretty much her city commuting car. I don’t mind it for city trips but it’s not my favorite on the highway due to lackluster suspension and visibility. I’m very accepting that it could turn into a brick at any moment - don’t gamble with money you can’t afford to lose. The maintenance I’ve had to do in 20k miles is replace a door handle that broke (common) have the brake fluid flushed and recently replaced the 12v battery. That last one is easy - it’s the same as an ICE car. Overall I think it’s decent for how cheap they are, but it really needs to be cheap. I’d prefer something with better handling and better feeling brakes if I was driving all the time, especially on the highway. It’s really nice if you think of it as a posh go cart.

[bigdude2468]

<p>

From Vox.com: &ldquo;Since Trump promised to freeze this EV charging infrastructure funding on the trail, legal experts have explained that he can&rsquo;t actually shut down these programs. Doing so would likely violate the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, which prevents US presidents from blocking spending that has been appropriated by Congress. President Trump has also promised to repeal that law and give power to his executive branch. But he would need Congress to do that. Trump will also need Congress to shut down the programs providing funding for EV charging infrastructure. Meanwhile, 22 out of the 25 congressional districts receiving federal funding for EV manufacturing are represented by Republicans. So any real assault on the industry might face resistance on Capitol Hill, where Republicans have narrow majorities in both the House and the Senate. &ldquo;These programs are legally entrenched, widely supported, and designed to withstand political turbulence,&rdquo; said Kathy Harris, director of clean vehicles, climate, and energy at the Natural Resources Defense Council. &ldquo;The rhetoric is designed to grab headlines, but the reality is more complicated.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s theater, and it&rsquo;s nothing new for Trump. Related Trump coin: Why the crypto industry is mad at the president That said, the fact that Trump decided to attack EVs as one of his first acts in office deserves some concern. He&rsquo;s effectively setting the tone for his presidency, and that tone is decidedly hostile toward the environment. In addition to freezing funding for EV charging infrastructure, Trump rescinded an executive order from President Biden that called for half of all new vehicles sold to be electric by 2030. Trump also plans to roll back EPA rules issued last year that implement stricter tailpipe emissions standards in an effort to fight climate change. Trump also wants to end EV subsidies and incentives, including the $7,500 tax credit for people who buy new EVs. His executive orders, so far, do none of these things.&rdquo; Of course the mainstream auto industry is lobbying hard for maintaining tax credit: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a6...ump-ev-policy/

</p>

[bigdude2468]

<p>
Below is AP article from yesterday. Trump administration put a halt to buying armored vehicles from Tesla. The idea of armored vehicles was initiated during the Biden administration in May of last year. Per the article no contract for armored electric vehicles was ever issued.https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk...72abd69feedec4</p>

[singlesline]

\The maintenance I’ve had to do in 20k miles is replace a door handle that broke (common) have the brake fluid flushed and recently replaced the 12v battery.

Haha, the only time I've driven a (gas) Fiat 500, it was a rental with the passenger door handle broken off. Took it anyways because I wanted to drive one.

Was a fun little go cart...I think the electric one would raise less reliability concerns with me...especially if you are buying used and willing to treat it as more of a beater car where you don't care about random cosmetic bits breaking.

[frorider]

Yet another bill, championed by Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) and called the Fair Sharing of Highways and Roads for Electric Vehicles (Fair SHARE) Act, aims to have EV owners contribute funds to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) that provides for maintenance of bridges and roads via a one-time $1000 tax on EV purchases. Currently, EVs do not contribute to the HTF, as they do not pay the federal gasoline tax, which supports the program. The Nebraska senator highlighted the higher curb weight of EVs and thus their disproportionate effect on road surfaces in advocating for the bill.

Most states already levy a registration tax on EVs to help pay for roads.

[frorider]

Thought of our LA mags making the mammoth commute when I saw this: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGOVG...c4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

I assume it was a big holiday weekend

[Long duc dong]

^^^^ That is the Lone Pine Tesla station.I am curious about exactly when this occurred.Now that I&#39;m in a Rivian it is less of an issue, Rivian has chargers in Inyokern, Olancha and Bishop. I do have the Tesla adapter, but given the Rivian charging structure on the way to Mammoth I really don&#39;t see needing to use Tesla. I might use the Tesla charger IN Mammoth Lakes, just to get a bit of charge before I drive home, but that would be something I would do early morning, when a crowd would be unlikely.
There are now two Tesla stations in Mammoth. I haven&#39;t been to either since I got my Rivian, May of 2023, so I don&#39;t know how crowded they are. I do know that if I wanted to use one of those stations I wouldn&#39;t wait until Friday afternoon.I used to Regularly use this charger, but usually at 9 AM on a Friday, driving up. I would only occasionally use it driving back. I never saw it all that backed up, but it certainly can happen.
Lone Pine is roughly 100 miles from Mammoth Lakes, so I can see why this charger would have the potential to be very crowded. If someone leaves Mammoth with a 40% charge for a battery with 300-330 miles of range, they would end up getting to Lone Pine with 30-60 miles of range (it is generally downhill from Mammoth, so it would use less than 100 miles of range) which would be the right time to charge. After Lone Pine the next Tesla charger that I know of (I might not be correct here) is located in Inyokern. Because of all this, Lone Pine would actually be a place that would be rife for a line. Bishop is close to Mammoth, so lots of people probably still have plenty of battery when they hit Bishop, if they leave Mammoth with around 40%.I can usually see this charger when I drive by it, it is right off the 395, near the museum in Lone Pine, and for the record it rarely seems all that crowded. That being said, I could be wrong, it doesn&#39;t really matter to me to check it thoroughly.

Sorry in advance if my paragraphs are off, or there are weird symbols in this post. The forum doesn&#39;t seem to like my laptop for some reason.

[Huskier]

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