Something I thought I'd never see

[nicphair]

Between the price of gas and electricity, how do we afford ammo!

 

[orygun]

Between the price of gas and electricity, how do we afford ammo!

Priorities!

With ammo, some things can be had...

 

[trukinbear]

My trip from Brookings to Portland and back was 719 miles, and I paid a total of $48.69, and spent 3hrs 11 minutes connected to a charger which I spent walking around like my doctor says I need to do to avoid DVT, eating, and paruseing gun counters.

I DO still have a dinosaur fueled vehicle, my jeep. Assuming $4 gallon gas this trip would have cost me $420.85 and I'd still have needed to stop to eat, and walk around.

All that heat, the heat you have systems to try to mitigate on your internal combustion engine powered vehicle was created with fuel that didn't make your vehicle go, the same with all that noise, and the friction of hundreds of moving parts. Only about 12% of the energy in your gas or diesel actually makes your vehicle go down the road, the rest is heat, and noise.

My EV motor has ONE moving part, and no transmission. Using predominantly regeneration for braking I've never even had to put brake pads on one of my EVs.

Maybe if I had too much money, and not enough time... Otherwise I'll enjoy my savings, and waive as I pass the gas station.

 

[Cavedweller]

My trip from Brookings to Portland and back was 719 miles, and I paid a total of $48.69, and spent 3hrs 11 minutes connected to a charger which I spent walking around like my doctor says I need to do to avoid DVT, eating, and paruseing gun counters.

I DO still have a dinosaur fueled vehicle, my jeep. Assuming $4 gallon gas this trip would have cost me $420.85 and I'd still have needed to stop to eat, and walk around.

Either your math is off or your jeep is a real gas hog. By your numbers it only gets 6.8 mpg. I don't think I'd drive that one either.
To each his own, but I think on a long trip 3+ hour recharging stops would get old fast.

 

[Will_White]

Either your math is off or your jeep is a real gas hog. By your numbers it only gets 6.8 mpg. I don't think I'd drive that one either.

Sounds about right, jeeps are bricks usually with low gears and big tires. Not exactly the poster child of fuel efficiency.

To each his own, but I think on a long trip 3+ hour recharging stops would get old fast.

Its probably a few 30-45 minute stops, stops you'd probably (or your body would like you to) take anyway.

 

[trukinbear]

Either your math is off or your jeep is a real gas hog. By your numbers it only gets 6.8 mpg. I don't think I'd drive that one either.
To each his own, but I think on a long trip 3+ hour recharging stops would get old fast.

From here Portland is an all day drive and three thirty minute stops doesn't seem excessive. It must suck to not even have time to get out of the car, and this is from someone who spent a lifetime in a car - if you don't get out of the car enough you can have horrible health outcomes.

 

[orygun]

The only time I would be able to stand dealing with a car on a charger would be at lunch time, if I actually wanted to stop for lunch on a trip.
A conversation that lasted far too long with an engineer/Tesla owner a couple of years ago only got the answer of how long to charge to 80%, which was "about 20 minutes". I never got the answer to, "How long to charge to 100%?"
This was four months before we passed a struggling Tesla in the hills of I-5 around Roseburg. The car was in the emergency lane with flashers on going about 20mph. I'm sure that was fun.
As a car for around town? Why not? I love the idea of being able to "refill" at home.

 

[orygun]

if you don't get out of the car enough you can have horrible health outcomes.

Very true. But living in a car and taking a trip are two different things. I'll be taking a trip in a couple of months for the first time in ages where the time travelling is going to a big part of the fun. Usually, when I am going somewhere, travel time is wasted time. I can enjoy the scenery from a freeway almost as well at 80 as 55.

 

[VinnieBoomBah]

This was four months before we passed a struggling Tesla in the hills of I-5 around Roseburg. The car was in the emergency lane with flashers on going about 20mph. I'm sure that was fun.

That sounds like it was in "Limp Mode" (right there with you on the jokes!)

a safety feature that severely limits vehicle speed, power, and acceleration when the powertrain, inverter, or 12-volt battery detects a critical fault. Triggered to protect components from damage, it usually manifests with a "Powertrain Requires Service" message, reducing the car to low power, often limiting it to roughly 75 kW.

It's supposed to only do that to protect the car, but there are complaints it does it randomly, knowing Tesla there was probably a real issue but they covered it up instead of admitting a flaw

 

[Medic!]

All cars suck.




The only sure way to travel is by transcendental meditation.
It's cheep too.

 

[Unka-Boo]

That's where a plug in hybrid makes sense to me...all the bennies of electric, but if you're doing long trips, you arent at the mercy of finding a charging station.
Wife wants an EV for her next car, so I may finally be joining the fun in a year or two....
As much of a gear head that I am, I'm still impressed with how fast the EV world has evolved in the past decade or two. They will never have the sensory thrill of a high compression big block or turbo'd 4cyl, but they already out perform those for the most part.

 

[Cavedweller]

From here Portland is an all day drive and three thirty minute stops doesn't seem excessive. It must suck to not even have time to get out of the car, and this is from someone who spent a lifetime in a car - if you don't get out of the car enough you can have horrible health outcomes.

You seem to be making some unfounded assumptions. I never said I didn't have time to get out of the car. Just said I wouldn't want to take an EV on a road trip, due to the inconvenience of charging time. Again, to each his own.

 

[Will_White]

conversation that lasted far too long with an engineer/Tesla owner a couple of years ago only got the answer of how long to charge to 80%, which was "about 20 minutes". I never got the answer to, "How long to charge to 100%?"

You don't want to charge all the way to 100% if you don't have to, it's to hard on the batteries for only a marginal benefit, Ideally you keep the charge between 20% and 80%. To answer the question though, it takes about an hour for a tesla super charger.

You seem to be making some unfounded assumptions. I never said I didn't have time to get out of the car. Just said I wouldn't want to take an EV on a road trip, due to the inconvenience of charging time. Again, to each his own.

The charging time isn't an inconvenience it's stops you should be taking anyway.

 

[Cavedweller]

The charging time isn't an inconvenience it's stops you should be taking anyway.

I don't mind stopping. I just like when it's at a time and place of my own choosing, not the car's. Plus, I hear that when you use your heater in winter (and I would presume also the AC in summer, although I don't know) it can significantly reduce your range. As well as the batteries losing 2.5% of charging capacity per year.

And while @trukinbear is patting himself on the back for the money he is saving, he is basically freeloading off the rest of us with his publicly financed charging discount and his nonpayment of gasoline taxes, which fund the road system he drives on. And if he thinks the insatiable creature known as government hasn't noticed, wait 'till they slap on a milage driven tax, which his miracle machine will automatically report to .gov with its cell phone technology. They are already proposing such a tax at both the state and federal levels.

And while they force more people and government agencies into EVs, placing a greater strain on an already fragile power grid, and any new generating capacity is sucked up by AI data centers - yeah, sounds like a formula for success to me. But I guess the rest of us can put up with rolling blackouts so EV drivers can keep charging.

But, don't let me rain on your parade.

 

[trukinbear]

I don't mind stopping. I just like when it's at a time and place of my own choosing, not the car's. Plus, I hear that when you use your heater in winter (and I would presume also the AC in summer, although I don't know) it can significantly reduce your range. As well as the batteries losing 2.5% of charging capacity per year.

And while @trukinbear is patting himself on the back for the money he is saving, he is basically freeloading off the rest of us with his publicly financed charging discount and his nonpayment of gasoline taxes, which fund the road system he drives on. And if he thinks the insatiable creature known as government hasn't noticed, wait 'till they slap on a milage driven tax, which his miracle machine will automatically report to .gov with its cell phone technology. They are already proposing such a tax at both the state and federal levels.

And while they force more people and government agencies into EVs, placing a greater strain on an already fragile power grid, and any new generating capacity is sucked up by AI data centers - yeah, sounds like a formula for success to me. But I guess the rest of us can put up with rolling blackouts so EV drivers can keep charging.

But, don't let me rain on your parade.

Trukinbear doesn't charge on public chargers very often, and does indeed pay extra highway taxes. His tag renewal is more than he paid for his first car. Trukinbear pats himself on the back for going off grid 20+ years ago, and insisting his son do the same, so he's really reaping benefits from investments he made long ago... and the sun. But you just go ahead and keep paying extra, just don't convince yourself you're doing it to protect the highway tax base. I'd say given the nature of this group, and the nature of the major political party most represented here that you already think you pay too much tax, but go on with that train of thought.

 

[Will_White]

And while they force more people and government agencies into EVs, placing a greater strain on an already fragile power grid, and any new generating capacity is sucked up by AI data centers - yeah, sounds like a formula for success to me. But I guess the rest of us can put up with rolling blackouts so EV drivers can keep charging.

If only there were a way to harvest the power of the sun that could be used to cover the large swaths of land dedicated to parking or a way to harness the power of the wind that doesn't block land use for farmland or better yet extract the power of the building blocks of the universe to generate clean safe cheap power.

Too bad none of that exists.

 

[Nosferatu]

32.3 gallons of dino juice consumed today.

517 miles covered.

No refueling stops required.

 

[arakboss]

I am looking into charcoal power for my next car.

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/facing-us-oil-blockade-cuban-man-powers-car-with-charcoal-2026-03-19/

 

[trukinbear]

The US government provides an estimated $31 billion to $35 billion annually in federal subsidies to the oil and gas industry through tax breaks, drilling incentives, and financial support. These subsidies often include decades-old tax deductions for drilling expenses, alongside newer federal pandemic relief and industry financing.

In 2024–2025, the U.S. government accelerated funding for EV infrastructure, notably announcing $623 million in grants in early 2024 to expand the national charging network. Additionally, renewable energy subsidies hit $15.6 billion in FY2022, with substantial ongoing investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and California's $1.4B–$1.9B Zero-Emission Transportation.

So which one is the tax whore?

 

[Nosferatu]

The US government provides an estimated $31 billion to $35 billion annually in federal subsidies to the oil and gas industry through tax breaks, drilling incentives, and financial support. These subsidies often include decades-old tax deductions for drilling expenses, alongside newer federal pandemic relief and industry financing.

In 2024–2025, the U.S. government accelerated funding for EV infrastructure, notably announcing $623 million in grants in early 2024 to expand the national charging network. Additionally, renewable energy subsidies hit $15.6 billion in FY2022, with substantial ongoing investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and California's $1.4B–$1.9B Zero-Emission Transportation.

So which one is the tax whore?

Who cares?

I have no problem with EV infrastructure subsidies, even though I never plan to own one. The option should be available to everyone. Key word: option.

What I do have a problem with is the government telling me which one I have to buy.

Current EVs do not fit my useage, therefore I have no use for one. That doesn't mean I think nobody should have one. They fit a lot of peoples lifestyle perfectly.

Should the technology evolve where I can drive 300-500-ish miles while pulling a trailer without refueling, then be able to refuel in under 10 minutes and continue my journey, I'll happily consider one. Until then, dino juice fuels my life.