Trade in Tacoma for an EV Truck?

You miss the point of my post, which was a response to “the sun is free”. While “the sun is free” the cost of solar power panels (and associated batteries, inverter, etc.) is not.

 

So much FUD. So, so much FUD. If you believe in conspiracy theory, you'd almost think those that have a lot of money to lose were funding it.

Staying on topic I've ordered a Tesla Model Y and it should be here in December. The question in my house is does the Tacoma or her car get sold. I've got a 2 car garage and no where to park a 3rd, so something has to go. The Taco is IMO the more practical vehicle to keep. But her car is rare, only 7,000 ever made, and she LOVES it. TBH things look dicy for the Tacoma. For the once or twice a year that I really need a truck I could just rent a trailer to tow behind the Tesla. (you really have no idea how much she loves that car.)

Before I put money down I did my research into EV's. (no, not that idiotic facebook research that my sister in-law does.) You have to look at who's funding the research and what they have to gain or lose. It's not that hard really. I looked into every FUD item and asked the question does this concern me enough to not buy an EV? In the end I drew the conclusion that for my needs EV's are far superior to anything with an internal combustion engine.

 

Fair enough. I was just replying to the current conversation. I suppose, in theory, those issues might be resolved by the time EV's really become mainstream.

 

What car is it?

 

How many times do we here about gas shortages due to Hurricanes or storms? Hell, this year already we heard of gas shortages due to a ransomware attack.

Some shifty bastards kidnap the Sun, we are all dead anyways.

The first electric truck to get 250 mi. of towing range in the cold gets my money. I'm all for a Hybrid Taco, but as a Contractor, I really want a frunk. I spent $3200 on a secure Cap for my Taco and If I could avoid that, I'd be very happy. A Hybrid wouldn't give me that, but an E truck would.

I'm willing to wait for the market to come to me at this point.

 

Youre gonna need a really big solar setup for your theoretical “infinite energy” system. And the money to pay for it.
Of course EV technology is improving, as is all technology. As far as when EVs will be in the majority in the US Ive seen projections of anywhere between 2035-2040. I think it’s possible it might be a little faster but I certainly wouldn’t call that “soon”. And I’m all for it as the technology improvements are what will drive that.
I like technology, it’s what pays the bills for the engineering field I’m in. I also know the realities of the current state of EV technology and would not buy an EV at this time due to current price and inconvenience of charging on long trips. Also I like the Tacoma I have just fine, and there’s not an EV truck on the market at the price I paid that’s equivalent.
By the way, if you read this post of mine,
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/trade-in-tacoma-for-an-ev-truck.665377/page-18#post-26255063
it was what’s called humor. Us Luddites like to use it to trigger hard core EV fan bois.

 

I was being sarcastic.

 

I know. I was agreeing with your position. I was just throwing out another scenario of where relying on gas is a negative.

I don't really think anyone is going to kidnap the Sun.

 

Nothing wrong with that. You’ve done your homework and the model Y fits your needs. We each get to choose what fits our needs and desires because ‘Merica.

 

Psss …word on the street the suns going out with a bang in 4.5 billion years. Keep that to yourself no need to cause panic.

 

I don't know about that. What's wrong with driving a Prius if an efficient vehicle is what people want.

 

This thread is a lot of fun. I am a multiple EV owner (Tesla, BMW, Porsche) and a Tacoma owner too. For the CyberTruck and Rivian, you are years away from being able to get one. Cyber Truck will launch next year and expect only the high end $80k version to be available and those to be sold out for a while. This is always how Tesla does it. Expensive high margin one first and then the lower variants. Rivian starts deliveries in volume next year but they are going to be another 2 years before you can get one. The best value right now is the Ford F-150 Lightning. I actually think it’s the pick right now, but again at least a year or more out.

now with that out of the way. Let’s dispel some myths. Unless your electric costs are crazy high (>$.25 a kWh), it will be cheaper to drive your electric car than gas. You will also save on maintenance. In 7 years of EV ownership I haven’t spent about $100 on maintenance for washer fluid, car washing supplies, etc.

The downside I see at this current time with an EV truck is going off the beaten highway for trips like overlanding. Places like Moab or Baja would be almost impossible in an EV truck. You do NOT want to rely on Level 2 charging ever when traveling. It’s hours to charge. The Level 3 charging networks are growing (Tesla’s is great), but they basically focus on the interstate corridors. So once you leave they, it’s slower charging.

Now if you use your truck mainly close to home and daily as a truck, an EV truck would be great. Once you get used to the Torque… there is no going back. If you Tow long distances, don’t do it with an EV with the current tech. Basically if you can live within 60% of your EV’s stated range each day, then you will have a great experience. And you must have a charger at home.

but unless you have an early reservation down already with someone, you don’t have to worry about this until 2023 or 24

 

It's about emissions, global warming and all that stuff. It's cheaper than gas but that's just another benefit. A contractor isn't going to drive a Prius and neither am I.

You can put two solar panels on your garage and drive for free after they're paid for. You're also going to have less parts to go bad. It'll take 20 years to realize the full benefit but then it's all gravy and the lessoning of emissions will make for a better planet.

Not getting onboard is much like older people that didn't buy the internet and still write checks. It's going to happen and they're going to be left behind.

I don't know if it's going to be better, cheaper or the right thing to do. I do know people smarter than me thinks it's going to be great and they're calling it progress.

 

I don't know. But credit Ford for making the F150E look more conventional

 

In all of its ugly glory - the object of my wife's love - the Suzuki X90. She literally cannot go anywhere without people stopping her, smiling, waving. It just seems to make everyone happy. From my perspective, as the house mechanic, it is as reliable as a hammer, and just about as complicated. I've looked into converting it to an EV, but it is too big of a project for me and too expensive to pay someone else.

That's true we get to choose, and that's true of most everywhere. I often wonder if people just talk past one another. I can't tell you how many times I've read on non-EV forums, "EVs cause pollution too." But, over on the EV forums everyone is acknowledging the pollution caused and debating the amount and damage as compared with ICE vehicles. I'm not sure who the "EVs cause pollution too" people are talking to.

 

https://fering.co.uk/

Another option

 

That is basically how serial hybrids, like Honda hybrids, work. In Honda hybrids, the engine is not connected to the drivetrain and only generates electricity either for powering the electric motor, or charging the battery.

Toyota and Ford use a serial/parallel system where the engine is connected to the drivetrain through a power split device and can act as a generator, or drive the wheels, or do the both. Power split device can control how much power is used to charge the battery or drive the wheels. The advantage is hybrids get a finely tuned engine that has very high thermal efficiency at a very narrow RPM range, say from 2500-3500 RPM. ECU tries to keep the engine in this range. If less power is needed to drive the car, the power split device uses the excess power to charge the battery. If more power is needed, that difference is supplied by the battery and electric motors (as long as charge level is sufficient).

So a plug in serial or serial/parallel hybrid could operate exactly like the way you described.

 

EV will never be viable off-road. You get maybe 30% of your road range on jeep trails. Hybrid sure, but full electric will need an entirely new battery tech to be viable. Watch any YouTube review where they actually take them off-road and watch the range drop to nothing. Add in snow and cold also and batteries are far from viable.

 

Too early for me to go electric. I believe there is a battery technology breakthrough coming in the next year or two that is worth waiting for.

 

The technology is constantly evolving. I am certainly not ready for a fully electric vehicle yet, but I think they'll be able to replace ICE entirely eventually.

An electric Tacoma or 4Runner will have huge advantages over the current versions eventually.