Good Morning

[CityHick]

I got the M18 angle grinder back in December. Hadn't used it very much until recently. It is so nice to not have to plug in to use a grinder. It's only fault, if there is one, is that with the larger batteries the tool is kinda heavy. But I will take that in exchange for having to string an extension cord around to whatever it is that I happen to be cutting/grinding.

I am adding that M12 ratchet to the collection soon.

[pippinmader]

The Milwaukee stuff seems to be the best for mechanics tools. Unfortunately I am all committed to the Dewalt stuff and their 1/2" impact DOES disappoint - no where near the power of the Ingersoll Rand air one.

[Lars]

Mmm.. Milwaukee M stuff. I don't have a cordless impact yet but I have a ridiculous amount of other stuff. My M12 cordless 1/4" ratchet has largely displaced manual tools. I've developed some pretty bad arthritis in my hands in the last few years, so tools like that one have become more than mere luxuries. I need to bump to M18 and get 3/8" and 1/2" drive stuff.

[CityHick]

I drove a Tesla last night for the first time. Holy smokes what a bad ass car. Acceleration is like nothing I have ever experienced, and it isn't even the "ludicrous" model. I know that DC motors deliver instant full torque but until you feel what that does in a car, there's just no describing it.

[904Bronco]

I drove a Tesla last night for the first time. Holy smokes what a bad ass car. Acceleration is like nothing I have ever experienced, and it isn't even the "ludicrous" model. I know that DC motors deliver instant full torque but until you feel what that does in a car, there's just no describing it.

That is how the Dark side brings you in Tony.... It is all good until the batteries go dead, then the fun stops.

[CityHick]

That is how the Dark side brings you in Tony.... It is all good until the batteries go dead, then the fun stops.

Maybe so - but there was a time when people would not drive their gas powered cars very far because there were not gas stations everywhere. Times are changing.
My friend who owns this car (who also owns a pretty sweet EB, btw) bought it primarily because he can charge it every day at work for free, and he gets HOV lane access in it. I consider both of those pretty valid considerations.

I'll get one if/when I ever start commuting with any regularity again, for the same reasons.

[Action]

No charging stations where i live....lol

[71BRONCO71]

Nothing is free.

[CityHick]

Nothing is free.

Of course not - but many employers offer it basically as an employee benefit. I am not naive enough to believe that this is completely altruistic - I know that employers are getting tax benefits etc from this as well. But for what it is, it's not a bad deal at all. And I stand by my original sentiment here; the cars are bad ass.

[crawlin68]

I would like to own one, but because of their limited range, it could only serve as a commuter/around town town car. And they cost way too much to be a commuter car for me. I would never take it out of town because I know I would absolutely HATE having to stop and sit at a charging station waiting for it recharge while I am out of town trying to have fun. So for me, I don't think it's worth the money. Now if I made a ton of money and could afford to have a Tesla as a commuter and have a gas out of town drive to the coast car, sure I'm in!

[CityHick]

I would like to own one, but because of their limited range, it could only serve as a commuter/around town town car. And they cost way too much to be a commuter car for me. I would never take it out of town because I know I would absolutely HATE having to stop and sit at a charging station waiting for it recharge while I am out of town trying to have fun. So for me, I don't think it's worth the money. Now if I made a ton of money and could afford to have a Tesla as a commuter and have a gas out of town drive to the coast car, sure I'm in!

I mostly agree with you on this. A friend of mine lives in Santa Barbara and his parents are here in Livermore. He bought a Model S several years ago and his first trip up, he spun by and showed it off to me. He said that he left SB on a partial charge and then just let the computer decide when the recharge stops would be. Their first stop was Atascadero, around 100 miles. They plugged it into a supercharger, went into a fast food joint to use the bathroom and get something to drink. By the time the family of 4 was done with the bathrooms and had cold sodas in hands, the car alerted that they were ready to go. He said it was a stop they would have made anyway, and it was basically zero downtime. They did another quick stop later, small kid bladder issues... topped off the charge during that stop and had enough juice to last the weekend of around town jaunts. So in that regard its not so bad. The car I drove the other night, he has a range of around 300 miles. that's not terrible, I've had gas cars with comparable ranges to that.

I don't see it as a car that I'd drive cross-country yet, but for cruising around most of CA they're fairly viable. I do agree they're a little on the expensive side. When plugging into the Tesla Superchargers the recharge time isn't bad. They do take a long time to recharge on the typical house chargers. At work they have 3-phase rapid chargers so most people I know get a full charge and go move the car an hour after getting to work.

Anyway... not happening for me anytime too soon but... someday.

[Lars]

Interesting discussion. I have a couple of diehard gas power friends who fell into the "I'll never drive one of those damn things" category. Then they did anyway. Converted them, rather completely. I've never driven one but would gladly if offered the chance. Except then I'd probably want one.. Hmm... Lucky for me commuting for work is mostly part of my past, though I do travel between my house and my hangar, about 14 miles, almost daily. Been thinking about one of these, since I can do it mostly on bike paths and rural roads: https://super73.com/products/super73-s2

[pippinmader]

The new mustang Mach E looks pretty sweet. I work in this space so people often ask me about the Tesla model Y vs the Mach E. My response is that the Tesla is made by a electronics company that also builds cars, while the Ford is a car company that is venturing into electronics. That is to say, the Model Y will have better electronics but the actual car fit/finish will be less than perfect, while the fit/finish of the ford will likely be good but the electronics might not be as good. The Mustang still gets the $7500 tax credit, Tesla no longer does.

[904Bronco]

I don't doubt that we will all be owning an electric car someday. Solar on the roof to charge, means relatively free useage to own. Great for running around town on errands. But there will still be insurance and registration to pay.

Really not feeling the pay to drive plans by reporting you mileage to the State so you can contribute to keeping the roads repaired since gas tax $$ will drop off.

[CityHick]

I would definitely like to see the Mustang Mach E in person and compare it with the Tesla. Based on my initial impressions with the Tesla the bar is set fairly high. In the end it comes down to total cost of ownership vs personal tastes and preferences.

The tax credit would be nice, but I don't qualify for it anyway. So my interest is based on a mix of economics and preferences.

This being said I am scheduled to preview the 2021 Bronco in a couple of weeks, and my reservation for a "first edition" model is still hanging out there. So that's a potential delay in my EV purchasing interests... though I have almost convinced myself to set the Bronco idea aside and just keep fiddling with my EB... we'll see.