I Rented A Tesla For A Week And Am Totally Sold On Gas-Powered Cars

[Kamaji]

I Rented A Tesla For A Week And Am Totally Sold On Gas-Powered Cars

After test-driving one for an entire week, we learned we will never buy a Tesla or any electric vehicle as long as we have the option of gas-powered cars or even hybrids.

BY: STELLA MORABITO
AUGUST 21, 2023

While planning a week-long trip to the Seattle area recently, I wondered aloud to my husband if we should rent a Tesla. Neither of us had ever driven an electric vehicle before. The price difference between the long-range Tesla Model 3 and a standard mid-size gas-fueled vehicle was pretty negligible.

We agreed it would be an interesting learning experience despite our objections to the eco-agenda to phase out gas-powered vehicles. We also don’t believe EVs are particularly environmentally friendly since they need batteries that require the strip-mining of rare earth minerals such as lithium and cobalt. The World Economic Forum knows this very well and is likely looking for heavy limits on EV mobility after eliminating gas-powered vehicles.

But more people like us are also finding some very practical reasons to object to Teslas. There’s a glut of them on the market now despite subsidies and price reductions. After test-driving one for an entire week (instead of just 30 minutes,) we learned we will never buy a Tesla or any EV as long as we have the option of gas-powered vehicles or even hybrids. Read on for seven big reasons why. (Yes, “mileage may vary.”)

1. Battery Drainage Is Stress-Inducing
In the Tesla, stress is a given. The battery drains faster than you might think. Our Model 3 had an advertised range of about 300 miles, but that’s if you charge it to 100 percent (which no one does) and run it to 0 percent (which no one does). So the practical range is about 150-200 miles. We felt compelled to recharge after going just 150 miles versus refueling after about 450 miles in our Honda Accord. The battery even drained 10 percent just sitting in the driveway for about a day. Granted, we covered some distances in Washington state during our travels. But that confirms EVs are a poor choice for road trips unless you enjoy the risk of being stranded.

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Source: 

[Smokin Joe]

Link? @Kamaji

[Kamaji]

Link? @Kamaji

@Smokin Joe

Oops!  Here's the link:  https://thefederalist.com/2023/08/21/i-rented-a-tesla-for-a-week-and-am-totally-sold-on-gas-powered-cars/

[Polly Ticks]

My husband bought an electric lawn mower -- it was easier to put into the car and haul back and forth to my parents' house when we were taking care of their yard, too -- and that was enough to make me swear off ever having an electric car.  We had to have a couple of batteries in order to cut our moderately-sized yard, and if the grass is a little bit wet you can just forget it.  Half the time the kids forgot to recharge the batteries after they used them, so we had to do a charge cycle before even starting on the yard work.  All-in-all, just a huge pain in the butt.  And that's just a freaking LAWN MOWER. 

No, thank you.
 

[libertybele]

My husband bought an electric lawn mower -- it was easier to put into the car and haul back and forth to my parents' house when we were taking care of their yard, too -- and that was enough to make me swear off ever having an electric car.  We had to have a couple of batteries in order to cut our moderately-sized yard, and if the grass is a little bit wet you can just forget it.  Half the time the kids forgot to recharge the batteries after they used them, so we had to do a charge cycle before even starting on the yard work.  All-in-all, just a huge pain in the butt.  And that's just a freaking LAWN MOWER. 

No, thank you.

 

Good to know.  Thank you.

[Timber Rattler]

Musk lies about the range...

Tesla created secret team to suppress thousands of driving range complaints

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/tesla-batteries-range/

[mountaineer]

Our Model 3 had an advertised range of about 300 miles, but that’s if you charge it to 100 percent (which no one does) and run it to 0 percent (which no one does).

This seems to mean that you have to drive it to the very end of its charge - and you don't know when or where that may happen. So you're out in the middle of the desert, drifting to a stop, completely out of electricity, everything shuts down. Where, then, might one plug in? 

[Bigun]

This seems to mean that you have to drive it to the very end of its charge - and you don't know when or where that may happen. So you're out in the middle of the desert, drifting to a stop, completely out of electricity, everything shuts down. Where, then, might one plug in? 

[mountaineer]

Exactly. Call AAA, and they come out with a gasoline-powered generator, assuming they've added electrical charging to their emergency towing services.

[Gefn]

I've been told to get a hybrid instead of an electric car.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

If they can solve the range issue, EV's may take off but...

And remember Teslas are probably the best EV's.

[Smokin Joe]

I've been told to get a hybrid instead of an electric car.

At least you'd be able to get around on gas.

[Bigun]

I've been told to get a hybrid instead of an electric car.

I would do that either, but you are a free to choose for yourself. @Gefn

[Gefn]

I would do that either, but you are a free to choose for yourself. @Gefn

Oh I don't want or need a new car @Bigun

I bought a Subie in Summer 17 and it should be the last car I ever buy. Great car. Unless my dream of having a flying car like George Jetson becomes a reality. Then I don't care how that car runs.....

[DefiantMassRINO]

EV's are okay for short distances, on flat terranes, in good weather, in densely populated urban and suburban areas ... like a gold cart would.

I would not trust one to drive I-84 ... too many hills in Pennsylvania and Connecticut, especially during snowy weather.

At least with hydrids, gasoline is an option and you can use them for battery backup power during blackouts.

[Kamaji]

EV's are okay for short distances, on flat terranes, in good weather, in densely populated urban and suburban areas ... like a gold cart would.

I would not trust one to drive I-84 ... too many hills in Pennsylvania and Connecticut, especially during snowy weather.

At least with hydrids, gasoline is an option and you can use them for battery backup power during blackouts.

An EV would make perfect sense as a taxi-cab in NYC, for example; but not for long-haul drives.

[The_Reader_David]

I've been told to get a hybrid instead of an electric car.

Yes, hybrids can be great.  My wife has a 2014 Honda Civic Hybrid -- got it when she used to work in Oklahoma (we live in the northern half of Kansas).  Great gas mileage and phenomenal braking -- both for the same reason, when braking the electric motors become generators and store energy in the batteries, which then give great pick-up because when accelerating the electric motors kick in to assist the gasoline engine.  And, no range problem, since they have a gasoline engine. 

Don't get a Prius, though -- I'm not sure how they manage to make a hybrid without great pick-up, but they did.  They are boring to drive, unlike the Civic Hybrid.  Rejected them after a brief test drive.

Next time we buy a car (which will be when my Mazda MX-5 RF is paid off), I'm hoping Honda has a plug-in hybrid, so we can get energy from the grid as well as the gas pump.