I broke down...bought a car.

[RVD]

I have been living car free since June. Well, sorta. My wife still has a car and I borrow it from time to time when I need it (meetings after work, etc.). Otherwise I have been riding my ebike to work.

It's winter now but SoCal winter is not really winter anyway. It's a little wet and rainy sometimes but overall, it's not too bad.

But I got a good deal on a car so I had to order it. My only requirement for a new car was that it had to be 100% electric or at least a hybrid. So I think I got one of the most expensive hybrids out there... $101,000 car lighter in my wallet but the new car will be here in a few months.

2012 BMW 750i ActiveHybrid
Imperial Blue

Order placed with my dealer. I pick it up in Munich on 2/27. I will drive it around the autobahn for a few days and then drop it off at the shipping center. It will be here in May.

At that point I will have been car-less for 1 year. Sure, it wasn't as long as I had hoped but 1 year is decent.

RVD.

 

[Nehmo]

...Well, sorta...

You've been car free, but not.
You have a winter, but not.
You insist on a totally electric car, but not.

 

[TylerDurden]

That should be fun driving in Germany, then stateside.

What was the decision process like: between the available EV/PHEV/HEV choices, domestic v. import, etc.?

Congratz!

 

[Nuts&Volts]

Why not get a Tesla Model S??

 

[neptronix]

Yeah no kidding.. you could have got a 300 mile range EV that's WAY faster than the 7 series...

Or you could have ordered the top of the line electric motorcycle with all the options ( very suitable for so cal if you ask me. ) and had loads of money left over.

Or you could have bought a Leaf and put solar panels on your house, then still had money kicking around to buy a Prius, and maybe even some left over after that.

Instead you got a hybrid that averages 21mpg.

....i don't understand the line of thinking. I guess i would have spent my money another way..

 

[o00scorpion00o]

BMW is a nice choice, it's got faster acceleration than the tesla and a 150mph limited speed. you can remove this limit of course!

I think ( though not certain) that the 300 mile range tesla has slightly faster 0-60 of around 4.5 compared to 5.6 for the less than 300 mile range cars. The BMW gets there in about 4.4

If it were me I would have bought the tesla!

By the way the autobahn is really cool. You just better be capable of driving at 100 mph or more. The Germans also obey rules. You are better off driving at night at hi speed as the autobahn can be highly congested

 

[neptronix]

i've read reports that the bmw has a 5 second 0-60.
And that the model S sport has an 'under 4.5 second' 0-60.

They just announced pricing BTW.

http://www.teslamotors.com/models/o...source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign= 2011_12_news

The upper end sport model is far cheaper than i expected. $86k for the 300 mile sport model. $76.5k for the non-sport 300 mile model.

That's actually quite good compared to the roadster which was approx. $100k for a 200-250 mile EV.

I've seen this car in person 2 days ago ( chassis and exterior ) and it's stunning.

 

[Kent]

I don't know RVD-if you are looking for "atta boy" or "your the man"...your probably in the wrong place. Many here are serious about their transportation options and are on a tight budget. Check out all the budget builds.

Your 100k wetdream is what 16 year olds get hard-ons about....

No I am not jealous and I don't secretly want one.

The depreciation alone on that thing could do alot of good in our troubled world. Why not join the real world, keep the wifes car, keep riding your bike, and give the rest to charity?

AS Chris Rock says, "

Just because it can be done doesn't mean I have to do it!"

If you are trying to diminish your guilt by buying electric, wrong again.

So be it. I wish you well.

 

[Philistine]

Gee there's some bitterness on this thread. Good to see the green eyed monster is alive and well. The OP wasn't making a political or a philosophical statement or a challenging proposition about the nature of the world, he was just relaying a purchasing decision he had made (it wasn't like he was confessing to buying a Hummer FFS). If you don't agree with his taste why even comment, just ignore the thread. If someone posts on here about a TV show they love or a food they love, that I happen to hate, I don't jump in and tell them that they have taste in their ass, I just ignore the thread. But peoples aren't jealous right....

 

[AussieJester]

Gee there's some bitterness on this thread. Good to see the green eyed monster is alive and well. The OP wasn't making a political or a philosophical statement or a challenging proposition about the nature of the world, he was just relaying a purchasing decision he had made (it wasn't like he was confessing to buying a Hummer FFS). If you don't agree with his taste why even comment, just ignore the thread. If someone posts on here about a TV show they love or a food they love, that I happen to hate, I don't jump in and tell them that they have taste in their ass, I just ignore the thread. But peoples aren't jealous right....

HAHA too true, so easy to get a bite from the tree huggin hippy brigade on ES Phil, just show an incling of
appreciation for I.C.E and BAM! ...too funny. Still fail to see whats wrong with Hummers? I would love one, two
would be better, one for weekdays and one for weekends away!

Lovely car RVD i'm sure you will be very pleased with it, can't go wrong with Beemers
Matt.P (1000w) has a beauty he picked up few months back, sex on wheels it is. They
do depreciate alot in value, but so do most cars i guess...

KiM

 

[neptronix]

Are any of you surprised that a faster, better, more efficient, greener, and cheaper to run form of transport is favored over the alternative ( internal combustion )...... on a forum dedicated to electric bikes? :lol:

Please re-evaluate where you are. Environmental impact is not the only reason to adopt an electric drivetrain over an internal combustion drivetrain. It's better in every way and shame on you for being on this forum, seeing the rapid development and progress of electric drive, and thinking any different.

*steps off soapbox*

 

[Icewrench]

Internal combustion still rocks this world.
Battery powered rigs have a long ways to go.

 

[neptronix]

Internal combustion still rocks this world.
Battery powered rigs have a long ways to go.

Lol, how so? what's wrong with electric? You can buy a 300 mile EV now with the kind of power that a large v8 has.
How much farther do they have to go, now that we have achieved what a gasoline car does?

 

[dnmun]

i happened to look online at the results of the car auction today that i bot my honda wagons at. every tuesday out on the other side of the tracks at the tow yard.

there was a 2000 Honda Insight with 87k miles. sold for $3600. totally straight, fender wheel covers still on and undented, no broken glass or interior damage, no body damage at all, runs and drives, it makes me wanna cry.

i was there when a 2003 prius was auctioned. it had the navigation system too. i quit bidding on it at $4k, that was a mistake, to quit bidding.

i really woulda bot this insight today if i had known it was gonna be there and coulda gone to the auction.

 

[AussieJester]

Internal combustion still rocks this world.
Battery powered rigs have a long ways to go.

...well said, could not agree more

KiM

 

[AussieJester]

Internal combustion still rocks this world.
Battery powered rigs have a long ways to go.

Lol, how so? what's wrong with electric? You can buy a 300 mile EV now with the kind of power that a large v8 has.
How much farther do they have to go, now that we have achieved what a gasoline car does?

ROFL...you are delusional. Show me a EV that can sustain freeway speeds for 300mile then pop
into a 'service station' refill in 5 minutes then do another 300 mile at free way speeds... "achieved what
a gasoline car does" funny guy...delusional, but funny. Takes hours not minutes to recharge modern electrics
and they cannot sustain high speeds for extended periods like a gasoline powered car can, fact!

KiM

 

[neptronix]

Show me a gasoline car that can run without producing emissions, that is >80% efficient, and costs 1/3rd to fuel up.. and you can generate free fuel at home for it if you invest in the proper equipment.

Show me a gasoline car with an 80 pound motor with the power of a large V8 that has 1 moving part and an infinite service life. One that never needs oil changes or any kind of service.

Until then, the gas car is not ready for prime time and i'm not interested


I can understand not wanting this car if you drive over 300 miles a day, or if you're unable for some reason to plug something in before you go to sleep ( you must not have a cell phone if you have difficulty doing that ).

 

[AussieJester]

I don't need to show you anything Nep, your the one telling us all electrics are equal to ICE and can do everything they can...SO, show me the car that can do 300mile at freeway speeds and charge in under 5 minutes please, i take it you can't...? I'm not interested in the least, in emissions pointless argument as far as i am concerned. Electric cars will need servicing don't be kidding yourself there either.

Yeah no kidding.. you could have got a 300 mile range EV that's WAY faster than the 7 series...

Internal combustion still rocks this world.
Battery powered rigs have a long ways to go.

Lol, how so? what's wrong with electric? You can buy a 300 mile EV now with the kind of power that a large v8 has.
How much farther do they have to go, now that we have achieved what a gasoline car does?

I'll be a waitin' for your 'proof' they can do everything an ICE car can though, link or just a name of the model/make will suffice

KiM

 

[neptronix]

Why does a car need to charge in 5 minutes, when you've got 6-8 hours at your own personal gas station ( your house ) to charge?

And the worse case scenario for the tesla at highways speeds is 200 miles of range... if you hit stop and go, it could probably do better due to regen and slower speeds.. no engine idling...
Unless you drive 100 miles to work and 100 miles back every day ( that would be insane if so, can't imagine that gas bill ), this car is totally suited to everything other than a long roadtrip.... in that case rent yourself a gas car or use your old clunker.

Maintenance free... well, well designed motors have an infinite lifespan and the only replacement parts would be something like bearings. I am sure it's a real expensive job to unbolt a 80 pound motor

The batteries are warrantied for 8 years, by the time that your warranty is up, those will be outdated, heavy, saggy crap compared to what awesome battery is dominating the field in 2020. Surely an upgrade to a pack with double or triple the range will be offered, or a pack of similar capacity offered at a steep discount over what the original costed.

With gasoline cars, there is a heavy depreciation factor that occurs as the car ages. Give a $40k car 10 years and 100,000 miles and it's worth $4-$8k on the used market. Then you go and buy another $40k car. With an electric, you throw a couple thousand into the suspension/brakes/chassis/bodywork needed, stick another battery in it and keep driving the same car for another 10 years... repeat ad infinitum until the chassis rusts out.. ( in this case, the Model S is mostly aluminum, so it'll take quite a while to oxidize. Maybe your grandchildren will be driving it )

You don't have to give a shit about the environment, there are plenty of reasons why electric is superior. Emissions free power from renewable energy is just the icing on the cake.

I got mad respect for you AJ but i'm gonna be a pain in your side on this issue as long as i'm on this forum, lol

 

[Zoot Katz]

"The typical American male devotes more than 1,600 hours a year to his car.
He sits in it while it goes and while it stands idling.
He parks it and searches for it.
He earns the money to put down on it and to meet the monthly installments.
He works to pay for petrol, tolls, insurance, taxes and tickets.
He spends four of his sixteen waking hours on the road or gathering resources for it.
And this figure does not take account of the time consumed by other activities dictated by transport:
time spent in hospitals, traffic courts and garages: time spent watching
automobile commercials or attending consumer education meetings to improve quality of the next buy.
The model American puts in 1,600 hours to get 7,500 miles:
less than five miles an hour."
- Ivan Illich

 

[oatnet]

I don't know RVD-if you are looking for "atta boy" or "your the man"...your probably in the wrong place.

Kent, you have been here for just a few months and contributed little, so I don't think you have earned the right to speak for the board, or be so harsh on someone who has contributed a lot. Further, your post seethes of the jealously you deny, and suggesting he give his hard-earned money to charity instead is ludicrous.

This forum about the EV grin. Some folks do it to be green, some for a budget, others because the can build screaming race machines. Harshing on someone because they don't share YOUR motivations for being here is lame. Further, if you were an active participant here, you would know that RVD rode a regular bike for his 30 mile work commute before discovering ebikes for the same route, and I suspect his recent scare has a lot to do with seeking an alternative. I know breaking ribs put me off ebikes for a few months, but I could not avoid the siren call of the EV grin for long.

RVD, enjoy your new ride and the autobahn.

-JD

 

[Icewrench]

How so ?

HA HA well I just took a car to a few stores to buy food and stuff. About 80 to 120 pounds of necessities. How did that stuff get to the store... Probably in trucks, some got to North America on a ship. I need to mail out some cards I hope they get a ride on a jet airplane cause they have a long ways to go and a short time to get there. Was my food raised in my back yard with all manual labor. No. Factory like farms with tractors using monsanto seeds and maybe some petro chemical fertilizer. Don`t care I`m a city boy and do not know the first thing about farming. Thank santa that the stores are well stocked.

 

[acuteaero]

That's a very luxurious and powerful car- Surely you will enjoy driving it!

Unfortunately it's not much of a hybrid- a little research yielded some information: the ActiveHybrid 7 series system is set up like the Honda IMA system- with a small (15kw) motor/generator attached directly to the crankshaft of the engine, before the 8 speed automatic transmission. 445hp of engine, 20hp of motor. 120V LiIon battery pack. Estimated 15% fuel mileage improvement- which aside from effects from minor aero or gearing tweaks should really mostly only be seen in city driving.

In contrast the Lexus LS600hL has a supersized Prius-style ECVT. The bottom line power, cost and efficiency figures are similar to the BMW- I would probably pick the Lexus regardless for the reliability and cool tech factor of Toyota's very well developed hybrid system. ... That is, if I were in the market for a mega executive sedan

 

[RVD]

Lol. I'm a big boy. Wasnt looking for approval or anything like that. Ebikes are still my hobby. this is in the general discussion area where people write about buying cell phones, etc.

Everyone told me that tesla has a waiting list miles long. But if not, maybe in 3 years when this lease is up.

This weekend is a fun 50 mile ride on my road bike.

Havent commuted with my ebike in over a week. Still a bit spooked but also got busy with work and interviewing (wanna change jobs). I want to go back to the ebike this week ir next week though.. Throttle changed and seems ok. Hopefully ev grin comes back.

cars are annoying but driving on the autobahn is fun. Germans are good drivers. Americans...not so much.

 

[Nuts&Volts]

Everyone told me that tesla has a waiting list miles long. But if not, maybe in 3 years when this lease is up.

Good point I didnt think about, may not be able to get one for another year or two...

Have fun with the BMW, hopefully in 3 years the a full size EV will meet your needs!