Same here. I have not kept my cars in a garage ever since I had a garage. I think it's true for many Americans. Fortunately, a charging port can be installed outside in the driveway. No need for a garage or car port. So that is not a barrier to entry into BEV. Price, range, choice of body style (I like 5 door hatch style or station wagon), time and place to charge outside the home, too much electronic gadgetry to the detriment of utility. Now those are pretty realistic barriers for me.
Was that a response to my post? It's hard to tell since there is no quote (those are simple to do, just press the "reply" button in the post you are replying to). Assuming it is a response to my post, I do have a regular car. It's a 1993 Volvo 940 wagon. Gets 23mpg on a good day, but starts and runs every time. I try to use it more as a "truck" for home despot runs. It has better carrying capacity than a Ford Expedition, as I found out years ago when buying a queen size futon and having a person with an Expedition try to "help" me carry it home. Alas, it did not fit into the expedition, no matter what. However with some stuffing and cussing it fit just fine into the Volvo. Go figure. As for the Prius being disabled without gas, I think a 5 gallon can can get it moving again. If the battery dies, I would probably not be able to get it into neutral, but the rear wheels are free to spin, at least. Yet, I do lament the lack of mechanical Park release in this car. It's really a shame and should really be made illegal by DOT. If you need to move a disabled car out of harm's way a mechanical release into neutral is definitely a safety concern.
Did your friend with the Leaf tell you this? That his car port is too narrow to be able to plug in his car? You might mention to him that the charging port for the Leaf is in the front of the car. Mike
What a rude if obvious thing to tell a friend of a Leaf driver. I would have put on a sad face, stroked my chin, and said, 'What a shame' as I turned to walk to my 240 mile EV range, Standard Range Plus Model 3. Bob Wilson
Lee Jay or anyone else who understands it differently, you'll have to enlighten us. Read it 4 times, and still makes no sense to this Leaf driver either.
Seriously? "One of my friends has a Leaf and the carport is so narrow that he can't park in it and open both side doors, just one. This is a problem for a family with two kids in the back. " If he parks in the carport, he can choose which side doors he can open - driver's side or passenger's side, but not both without backing out and moving the car over. This should be an obvious problem if you have a wife in the passenger seat and two car seats with little kids in them in the back. So, if he wants to charge at home, the process is, find a place on the street, get the wife and kids out and into the house (which, since they're little means it takes both parents), go back outside and move the car to the carport with room for the driver to get out and plug in. Reverse the process if they need to go out again. Kind of cumbersome.
There no reason to park in the carport with a gas-powered car, since there's no need or way to fuel it at home. Just park on the street and leave it.
Ah, so he can charge and park in the carport, despite claims to the contrary, but idea is that it is more convenient to drive to and wait at a gasoline station. Understand now.
I’ve done that before and it’s horrible. Never want to do it again. I’d rather take my time, have 30 mins breaks every 2-3 hrs and keep my sanity. Can’t wait for my Tesla. It’ll pair nicely with my 06 Prius.
that’s something Pure ev can’t replace. To go into the wilderness and easily carry 6 gallons of gasoline to help you get back to civilization. If they dont have a house then don’t buy a Tesla. But I think it’s great. To get a full 80% charge each night is great. I drive 130 miles a day and love the idea of electric.
Just a heads up about how we configured our SRM3+. As the battery charge tapers off, there is a 'knee in the curve' between 150-180 miles (62%-80%) where the rate of charging slows down. Around town or home, using 32A L2 chargers, it takes 5-6 hours to charge with these limits. At a SuperCharger, it takes about 25-35 minutes using these limits, ~$5-6. Bob Wilson
If he parks at the carport, he can't get the kids out of the car. So he doesn't park any car in the carport, he uses it for storage. Got it now? Besides, I've only driven to a gas station for gas maybe five times in my life. Every other time I've ever gotten gas it was while I was going to Costco for food and such anyway or passing by a gas station on my way to somewhere. We're talking 3 minutes every 400 miles.
Would you park your car somewhere that it traps your family inside the car because their doors don't open?
Been away for a few days and just caught up on this thread. This is @Lee Jay at his best. And by his best I really mean....well, you know.
Why can't he install the charger outside of the carport where he parks the car? I am pretty sure chargers are weatherproof and can be used without a shelter. Or put the charger in under the car port, but close to the edge where the car with a front socket can get at it without pulling into the car port. Narrow car port is just not a reasonable excuse for not being able to charge at home. I pass by a house every day where a Prius is being charged outside the garage next to the house (as I said, many people do not park their cars in garages and use garages for storage or shops).
Because he parks on the street, which means he's across the sidewalk and not always in the same place each day. The point of this story is just because you have a carport or garage doesn't mean you have a place to charge. People use their carports and garages for things other than cars. Personally I think it's nuts to have a garage and not use it for cars, but many people do that.
