Another Smug Moment

I'd love to be able to work closer to home. But it's not going to happen anytime soon for two reasons:

1. I teach in an inner-city high school. There is no way in hell I would have my kids living in that area. I've had one kid get shot this year, another one was shot and killed two years ago, and it's just not a safe part of town. I don't mind teaching there, but at the end of the day I want to be able to go home and let my guard down - not have to worry about what is going to happen to my kids if they want to play in the yard.

2. I've looked into the local district. I could walk or bike to school if I worked there. But schools don't give 100% credit for experience - they'll only pay for the first 6 years of experience. I have 13. Working at the closer district would mean a minimum pay cut of $15K per year, plus loss of all the seniority I've built up. Worst case scenario (if they didn't accept every single one of my education credits) is a pay cut of $20K.

So we do the next best thing. My husband and I teach 2 miles from one another, my kids go to school and day care nearby. We carpool 25 miles each way in our Prius, and our fuel bill is only $25 per week. It's the best we can do without making some rather serious personal sacrifices that would end up costing us quite a bit in money and/or safety.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(n8kwx @ Oct 22 2007, 01:28 AM) [snapback]528709[/snapback]</div>

I'll bet Nate can give you the full low down, but I'll give it a start.

There are obviously some liquids in the EVs... though most of them are all sealed up and have no maintenance schedule. There is going to be the normal brake fluid, and there is some motor coolant. The maintenance items are literallly to check the windshield washer fluid and brake fluid, check the brakes, and rotate the tires. Nate is one of the few owners I know who has bothered changing the motor coolant. But I do have it documented here:
http://evnut.com/rav_coolant.htm

This motor coolant, the brake fluid and the windshield washer fluid are the only fluids in the car that I've ever heard of anybody doing anything with.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Oct 21 2007, 04:36 AM) [snapback]528227[/snapback]</div>

Please don't get me wrong, like most Prius owners we are progressing toward the cleaner greener. When there is an electric car that meets my needs and is within my budget available here, I'm in. Until then the Prius is about as green as I can travel. I'd be willing to bet that 90% of current Prius owners will be driving EVs before 50% of the remaining motorists.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Oct 22 2007, 09:04 AM) [snapback]528824[/snapback]</div>

Here's my list of: if you squeeze it, what comes out?

-Motor Coolant, same as engine coolant, only it appears to never go bad. The stuff bakes in an ICE, no such issue in an EV. Essentially this should last the life of the vehicle, but I changed mine anyway. I honestly think that the motor is properly air cooled but Toyota is a little paranoid, so they put in the liquid cooling system as a precaution, the tiny radiator for it is never hot when I touch it, even when it is 100 degrees outside.

-Windshield washer solvent. This is the biggest consumable on the car. No different than an ICE car.

-Brake fluid. Same as a regular car, only this doesn't bake off of hot brakes like normal fluid. The fact that it is hydroscopic means it might need to be changed eventually.

-Power steering fluid. This car has hydraulic steering powered by an electric motor. This stuff isn't baking under hood either, so it seems to be clean. I might change it eventually, since it is hydroscopic like brake fluid. This system is the same one they had on the MR2 from 91-97.

-Water in the 12 volt battery. Same as an ICE car.

-Electrolyte in the NiMH batteries. Never needs to be serviced.

-Grease in the wheel bearings, same as an ICE car.

-Freon in the A/C system: Same as an ICE car.

-Coffee/ H20 in the cup holer, same as an ICE car.

Nate