LA Times Sunday - consumer guide to electric vehicles

[mwalsh]

Advance notice of a piece coming to the LA Times business section this weekend. Sorry that I don't have any additional details right now, but if you're an LA Times subscriber....watch for it on Sunday. If you're not, I'll post an link to it online when I have one.

 

[mwalsh]

Well, I just got this email. If the sneak peek button is supposed be live, it sure doesn't appear to be:

http://www.latimes.com/extras/events/email/COMR/11COMR593/sunday.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Anyone recognize the car pictured? CA owner, who appears to be standing next to it in a LEAF freebie t-shirt:

 

[TonyWilliams]

Works for me [edit: just the picture... no data...]

 

[TEG]

Well, I just got this email. If the sneak peek button is supposed be live, it sure doesn't appear to be...

Is it a button, or just a label showing that the photo IS the sneak peek.

 

[TEG]

...Plug into the Business section's consumer guide to electric vehicles...

While you wait, you could check out this:

http://goelectricdrive.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Nubo]

http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/electric-vehicles/la-fi-autos-ev-mainbar-20110828,0,6689205.story" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[mwalsh]

Thanks Nubo.

Also found today....an interview with Paul Scott on eco-driving:

http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/electric-vehicles/la-fi-autos-ev-ecodriving-20110828,0,6033737.story" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And an article on the cost of batteries hindering the EV revolution:

http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/electric-vehicles/la-fi-autos-ev-batteries-20110828,0,4081470.story" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[tbleakne]

Wow, the LA Times has done a huge 3-page spread, starting with a big photo and most of the front page of the Sunday Business section. Everyone here in LA area who is not a subscriber should go buy this issue.

I see some comments that I feel are somewhat unfair, but much of the info looks more or less accurate. It is disappointing that the table labeled "The cost of going electric" lists 8 vehicles, only one of which is fully electric (the Leaf), 3 are hybrids, and 4 are gasoline only.

I like the graphic "Car charging stations," but it has some flaws. In my vicinity, it shows the biggest charging location at AQMD in Diamond Bar, where in fact most of the chargers are legacy, not J1772.

 

[prberg]

Great to see this big spread on electric vehicles. I was curious about the Cost of going electric chart. How did they come up with the maintenance costs? $300 for a Prius but $850 for a LEAF? How does that work?

Nice to see mwalsh in the article. Nice balanced piece from what I read. Hope it helps get more EV's on the road!

-Peter

 

[JimSouCal]

Also, there was a whole article on having to install a home charger... For a couple of thousand dollars. Not a well researched article--as most of us know, get EVSE upgrade and wire for a dryer, and you are good to go.

Read the whole series.... There are clearly some rather ignorant haters of EVs making comments in the online versions of the articles. Why they are so brainwashed on some matters is a conundrum of making good decisions in general.
See http://discussions.latimes.com/20/lanews/la-fi-autos-ev-mainbar-20110828/10" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Boomer23]

http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/electric-vehicles/la-fi-autos-ev-mainbar-20110828,0,6689205.story

Look at all the haters on the comments list. Yikes. And this is California!

Paul Scott, thanks for your diligence in responding to all of those pointy-heads.

 

[DaveEV]

Look at all the haters on the comments list. Yikes. And this is California!

It seems that the haters come out in force whenever an article like this is published online...

Do your best to educate with facts while keeping it civil!

 

[tps]

"Max Plank" certainly has an axe to grind...

 

[mitch672]

oh this quote is precious:

"Or by then, maybe you will be ready to check out the first of the hydrogen fuel-cell autos."

oh really now, which fuel-cell autos will those be? hydrogen has already proven to be a bust, and a distraction pushed by the big three in Detroit, but journalists won't let it go. Let's face it, its dead, dead dead, at over 1 million per fueling station, it just ain't gonna happen. Even "home hydrogen" fueling is more than likely too dangerous and expensive (imagine having to pipe water AND electricity to it, to produce hyrdrogen, oy vay)

 

[adaminla]

Also, there was a whole article on having to install a home charger... For a couple of thousand dollars. Not a well researched article--as most of us know, get EVSE upgrade and wire for a dryer, and you are good to go.

You may not be fully aware of this but the EVSE upgrade that many people here have bought voids the warranty of the level 1 charger. Improvements and hacks done outside the corporate approved systems are really not appropriate for the general public. It may be the case that every one of the customers of the EVSEupgrade folks is happy but I don't recall seeing anything about liability insurance on their website when I was investigating a purchase of their upgrade service.

 

[planet4ever]

Liability insurance? You mean to protect you as an owner of the device in case someone unplugs you and gets killed by an electric shock? I don't think the EVSE as provided by Nissan has any insurance like that. I expect Panasonic (who built the Nissan EVSE) has something that protects them in case you sue them, and my guess is that Phil probably doesn't. But I wouldn't know because I've never seen any other online or brick-and-mortar store advertise its own liability coverage. However, the upgraded EVSE Phil ships you does come with a one year warranty, just like the original from Nissan, and that is stated on his website.

If you have any thoughts about suing Phil for imagined damages due to your misuse of his unit, please don't buy one. In fact, please go away. Phil has done a great service for us, and we are very protective of our own.

Ray

 

[TomT]

Better be careful! There is also no liability insurance on that toaster you bought... God I love our U.S tort system! NOT!

You may not be fully aware of this but the EVSE upgrade that many people here have bought voids the warranty of the level 1 charger. Improvements and hacks done outside the corporate approved systems are really not appropriate for the general public. It may be the case that every one of the customers of the EVSEupgrade folks is happy but I don't recall seeing anything about liability insurance on their website when I was investigating a purchase of their upgrade service.

 

[HighDesertDriver]

Look at all the haters on the comments list. Yikes. And this is California!

It seems that the haters come out in force whenever an article like this is published online...
Do your best to educate with facts while keeping it civil!

I am about a week late to this thread, but have to observe that there are always a handful of trolls for any given subject. And many will argue on any subject just for the pleasure of arguing.

My farm-bred grandmother often observed during her (just short of) 102 years that "Fools' names and fools' faces are always seen in public places." Some things do not change. . .

 

[davewill]

You may not be fully aware of this but the EVSE upgrade that many people here have bought voids the warranty of the level 1 charger. Improvements and hacks done outside the corporate approved systems are really not appropriate for the general public. It may be the case that every one of the customers of the EVSEupgrade folks is happy but I don't recall seeing anything about liability insurance on their website when I was investigating a purchase of their upgrade service.

Only if you willfully refused to read his site before you ordered. I agree that it's not for everybody...and apparently it's not for you.