2021 Rivian R1T

https://www.caranddriver.com/rivian/r1t

New electric trucks

I’m a truck guy. And that’s a very nice looking truck. From the back hind quarter any way. Not sure I like the front view. I would not be adverse to buying an all electric truck if I kept my gas powered car for long trips. Problem is I take too many long road trips for an electric vehicle to be sensible. Especially since the charging stations in CA are all so packed most of the time. Especially the ones out on the lone 10 freeway.

I do see Tesla’s making the drive out here on the 17 between Flagstaff and Phoenix. While I don’t know their exact starting point and destination I can’t say how many miles they are going each trip. For instance between Prescott and Phoenix is about 110 miles. Going from Prescott is mostly down hill and I can see an electric car being able to make it with no issues. But I know of no charging stations out this way. There may be some in Phoenix tho. The problem that may not be too good for the electric cars is the drive from Phoenix to Prescott/Flagstaff. That drive is very much uphill and parts of the road are steep for many miles at a time. Not sure if an electric vehicle would have the range for that drive.

I’m a truck guy. And that’s a very nice looking truck. From the back hind quarter any way. Not sure I like the front view. I would not be adverse to buying an all electric truck if I kept my gas powered car for long trips. Problem is I take too many long road trips for an electric vehicle to be sensible. Especially since the charging stations in CA are all so packed most of the time. Especially the ones out on the lone 10 freeway.

I do see Tesla’s making the drive out here on the 17 between Flagstaff and Phoenix. While I don’t know their exact starting point and destination I can’t say how many miles they are going each trip. For instance between Prescott and Phoenix is about 110 miles. Going from Prescott is mostly down hill and I can see an electric car being able to make it with no issues. But I know of no charging stations out this way. There may be some in Phoenix tho. The problem that may not be too good for the electric cars is the drive from Phoenix to Prescott/Flagstaff. That drive is very much uphill and parts of the road are steep for many miles at a time. Not sure if an electric vehicle would have the range for that drive.

I too am a truck guy.  I have two 4WD trucks one is a manual transmission the other is Auto.

Re. electric truck.
If 100% efficient it would cost me about $69 dollars from full to completely empty using all 180 kWh.
or about $0.15 per mile. compared to my Mazda(Ranger) MPG that would be about $2.65 per gallon.
Since I now pay about $4.00 per gallon that looks like a good trade.
If and only if that 450 miles per charge is accurate.  Such a vehicle is very do-able for Hawaii.
even the Big Island.
I assume that they all lie, so the truck is only good for 300 miles( you never "flatten" a battery)
and it will take 12 hours or more to charge.
I never buy new vehicles.  I'll assume that any used electric vehicle needs new batteries
and I have to somehow get rid of old batteries.
So your $75,000 vehicle is now worth about 1/2 that,  the second you drive it off the lot or take delivery.
I personally think "Man caused" climate change is BS, so I will view electric vehicles
purely on economic and performance terms.
Eg is this vehicle the same or better than a used 4WD Diesel manual transmission pickup?
( similar in cost). How well does it handle ice and snow? I do drive to the summit of Mauna Kea.
occasionally.
Secondly is convenience, can I tolerate the long charging time vs. a quick fill-up?
Third, although my concern for Democrats is minimal, what is the impact on the larger society of many
millions of these vehicles compared to conventionally powered vehicles?
As an engineer I know the most efficient way to move lots of "Stuff" is Diesel Electric.
However Hybrids don't seem to be as popular is they should be.  Quick recharge time
lots of torque, long lived, and Dull.

Aloha.

I am keeping my 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 4WD longbed Quadcab 6 spd stick shift till I die. Then somebody else can have it.


Forgot to add, it has a modified Cummins turbo diesel.

I love older trucks, the newer ones I have to learn to tolerate. My biggest problem is that I can't work on them. 2007 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner quad TRD!

Sent from my SM-A102U using Tapatalk

I want to get a truck but my current car still works (its a Toyota) so I can't justify it yet.

That Rivian looked cool, had some interesting features. I don't have solar panels though so I don't think it would make sense for me to get one.

I am looking to get the new Ford compact truck they are supposed to come out with by the end of the year.

I love older trucks, the newer ones I have to learn to tolerate. My biggest problem is that I can't work on them. 2007 Toyota Tacoma PreRunner quad TRD!

Sent from my SM-A102U using Tapatalk

I’m with you on the older trucks. Basic, no frills, just does its job sort of truck. While I love the 40’s look, I think my preference runs the 60’s to 70’s body styles.

I have a very good friend who retired about 10 years before I did. They live in Hurricane, UT. While they are doing just fine financially, they have been spending a lot of money on vehicles. One of them is a Ford F-150 or F-250 (Don’t remember) Platinum Edition. And while it is a very nice truck, it is not what I imagine a truck is supposed to be. They are not tech type people so most of the technology in the truck is not being utilized nor would they understand it if they tried. They tow this little tiny trailer behind it when they go to the SASS shoots. It still rides like a truck. But the seats are straight out of an overstuffed leather recliner in your living room. It is set up to be an office as well. But they are retired and need an office like a hole in the head. Not sure what they were thinking when they bought it, but what the hell. You only live once, right?

BTW, I had a 1970 El Camino back in the day. Loved it and would buy another one again if I could.

my neighbor just had his electric car towed away...

switched back to gas now

my neighbor just had his electric car towed away...

switched back to gas now

Why did he have it towed? Did he give up on it? Did it die?

Why did he have it towed? Did he give up on it? Did it die?

===========
It was broken and the cost to repair was waaayyy more than it's value.
Otherwise he would have fixed it himself.
It was a Nissan Leaf.

I've heard the batteries alone on the Prius is 3 to $5000, not counting labor. But they're trying to shove their values down our throat.

Sent from my SM-A102U using Tapatalk

===========
It was broken and the cost to repair was waaayyy more than it's value.
Otherwise he would have fixed it himself.
It was a Nissan Leaf.

I'm (actually, my daughter is) still very happy with her Prius.  It's the older (2011) model that's a hybrid:  runs on electric to start, then switches to gas when going over a certain MPH.

It has an EV Mode (Electric Vehicle) that you can enable which prevents the gas engine from starting up as long as you stay under (I think) 25 MPH -- basically city driving, on campus, etc.  If the battery is getting too low, the gas kicks in as well.  If doing stop-and-go driving, the batteries should be charging faster than discharging at low speeds.

There's no recharging port at all.  It uses the kinetic energy created when you break to charge the batteries.  The main display lets you know if you're charging or discharging the batteries, so if they are low, you can modify your driving to better use that charging process -- such as starting to break sooner before a stop light or driving fast enough to engage the gas engine sooner.

We're at the originally-predicted 10-year mark for the expected battery life.  Hopefully they can sell it and buy the (gas) truck her BF wants before that happens.

We always drive our vehicles as long as possible.  So far, we've been averaging about 10-13 years use out of our new car purchases, and the resale value in Hawaii for good quality cars, trucks and vans is higher than in most other states.  I bought a 1992 Honda Accord EX in VA before moving here. Two years later, I checked local want ads, and the same car was selling for $500 more in HI than I paid new.   

the  traction battery on a Prius is about 1500-2000 labor not included. Mine is right under the rear seat.