This Ain't Tesla Territory....

[Caonabo]

Although it is enjoyable to read the very illuminating contributions and insights into the world of electric automobiles, I find that the original poster's thread title best represents the importance and gravity of this concept, as it specifically relates to the RD. I do not believe it is a significant development at all.

 

[Caonabo]

My friend just got a Chevy Bolt for his wife, she had a Prius. They are discussing adding the faster charge station at home. He said the car is very impressive for the price. He did not consider a Tesla despite my recommendations.

If I may ask, was this within the RD, or abroad?

 

[Caonabo]

https://www.inverse.com/article/32239-why-gm-loses-money-chevy-bolt

The Chevrolet Bolt, General Motors’ entry-level electric vehicle, is not a big money maker. A recent report revealed that the company loses around $9,000 from each $36,620 vehicle. This phenomenon is not unique to Chevrolet, and across the broad, electric vehicle makers are struggling to turn a profit. A combination of new technologies and nascent infrastructure has led to a situation where automakers are pouring money into the vehicles in the hope they’ll have a leg up on the competition years down the line.

This is a mathematical equation that could/should lead to a person being terminated in the sphere of the business world.

 

[Tashi Siu's Dad]

In the U.S., I own a 2014 Mercedes Smart fortwo Electric Drive that has a 90+ mile range (talk about range anxiety). I use it mainly as an around-town car and as a trailered "dingy" behind my motor home. I haven't spent a dime charging the car when using it with the motor home and the battery completely charges from less than 20% to completely charged in about 6 hours on 110 volt/15 amp current. I never noticed an increase in my electric bill in the States due to the car being charged. I would imagine here, the cost would be somewhat more, even though my total electric bill in Punta Cana is usually less than back-home in Tennessee.

 

[bienamor]

And for the number crunchers

https://www.edmunds.com/fuel-economy/the-true-cost-of-powering-an-electric-car.html

What if a gallon of gasoline cost $2 in the middle of the night, was free at lunch and set you back $8 in the afternoon? Welcome to the world of electric cars. If you buy one, the cost of a fill-up will largely depend on when and where you recharge it, not to mention the rates your utility company offers.

In the U.S., the cost of electricity varies far more than the cost of gasoline, from a kilowatt-hour average of 8.6 cents in Washington state to 37 cents in Hawaii. (A kilowatt-hour [kWh] is the amount of electrical energy consumed when 1,000 watts are used for one hour.) Depending on the availability of public charging, you might be able to recharge your electric vehicle (EV) for free during a lunch stop at the mall. But if the EV is going to be filled up at home, your rate could be much higher than the national average of 12 cents that the EPA uses on its fuel economy label for EVs.

Because of the variety of utility rates in the U.S., a 2013 Nissan Leaf that's a bargain to drive at average electricity rates in Washington (approximately $25 for 1,000 miles) is pricey in Hawaii, where those 1,000 miles would cost about $107. A conventional car would have to be getting 140 mpg to make that trip for the same money in Washington, while in Hawaii, a 38.5-mpg gasoline vehicle would do the trick.


REad the article too long to post

 

[windeguy]

Probably because if he was considering the Tesla model 3..........you cannot get one very easily. Tesla may be a great technology company...........but they are seriously lacking as an auto producer of a mass market pure electric like the 3. A little over 440 have been produced and sold this year.

The Chevy Bolts sales dwarf the Tesla 3. To date, over 14,000 have been sold. And as more and more traditional car companies come to market with pure electric vehicles, Tesla may lose its first mover advantage.

And why Chevrolet produced two different vehicles with similar names (Bolt and Volt) is anyone's guess. It is very confusing to those not keeping pace with changes in the Automotive space.

If you are considering an electric vehicle, you might want to wait a few more years until the infrastructure to support them catches up......especially in the DR.

And for those environmentally conscious wanting to do the right thing, there are those who have made the case that lithium mining and the eventual end of life cycle for the massive number of lithium batteries needed to power "green cars" may be a trade off of one environmental problem for another.

Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

My friend never even considered a Tesla. They looked at the Chevy Bolt and whatever Toyota and Nissan had available.

 

[windeguy]

This is a mathematical equation that could/should lead to a person being terminated in the sphere of the business world.

It makes absolutely no sense to lose $9,000 on each car sold. Electric vehicles may be the future, but they are not the green money making machines people hope they will be until...

 

[AlterEgo]

DR related posts only, please. 

 

[playacaribe2]

True electric vehicles will remain a novelty in the DR as the country is not prepared financially to embrace the technology by either providing the infrastructure necessary to accommodate them or the tax incentives that must accompany them.

Every country that has been successful at encouraging electric vehicle use has had to provide subsidies and infrastructure and that is just not likely in the DR.

A smarter move given the price of gasoline would be to encourage the importation of hybrids by offering import tax incentives over other non hybrid equivalents. 

Several years ago, the DR received a $5 million dollar grant to purchase and study hybrids while being driven by various government ministries. Other than the ministries gladly receiving new vehicles, nothing meaningful to encourage hybrid vehicles ever came out of it.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

 

[Mauricio]

If you can afford it, a Tesla is a superior purchase. 

First, they run exceptionally well. I have several friends who own them (and are actively recruiting me to join the club). The cars are absolute technological marvels. 

In the event they do break, which is rare, given they only have a few dozen moving parts, the warranties are impressive: 4 years/ 50k "bumper to bumper," and 8 years/unlimited for the batteries and drive train.

Supercharging technology gets you back on the road in about a half hour, which is how much time most people who are not in a huge hurry spend at the combination gas station/fast food/grande frappucino with caramel spots on the highway....

I've been slowly moving over. Bought a Ford Fusion plug-in hybrid to try the technology out. I spend about a dime recharging the car at home (21 miles). Once the battery runs down, the hybrid part takes over. During the business week, I seldom do more than 40 miles coming and going, and there's a free charger at the office. 

So far, I've gone up to three weeks between trips to the gas station. And maintenance is super light because the engine is hardly ever on. Suffice to say, I'm a fan, lol!

Even if you on averag spend half an hour anyway at a gas station (which I never do), taking 30 minutes instead of 5 to service a car would mean you need 6 as many service stations on a charging station than on a normal gas station. How frustrating will it be if you arrive a a charge station and all charging points are occupied without knowing when the next point will come
available. 

Nevertheless, when back in Europe I’d defintely consider an electric car, if I can charge at home. In DR, at 11 pesos per kWh no thanks. 

 

[PCMike]

Exactly...electricity (when it is on) is not exactly a bargain here.

 

[IslandDreaming]

I hope the technology continues to spread. GM said they were moving to an all-electric platform for their consumer products. But, the new tax bill cuts the credit for electric cars, so I'm concerned about that. 

Electric is wonderful, and does a great job of making us less oil dependent.

Been seriously considering an Avalon Hybrid

 

[Caonabo]

Exactly...electricity (when it is on) is not exactly a bargain here.

Almost certainly, the most valid point here within this entire thread.

 

[Caonabo]

I am still left pondering which is the targeted demographic for these electric automobiles within the RD. Wouldn't electric pasolas or motos be a logical first step in the process?

 

[mofongoloco]

It will happen, whether or not in our lifetimes, but the era of burning dead dinosaurs to get from one place to another is slowly coming to an end.

oops. my post wasn't dr related. too bad, because it was brilliant and insightful.

 

[Mauricio]

 

[windeguy]

If I may ask, was this within the RD, or abroad?

My friend lives in the miserable area of upstate NY near Rochester. (He has yet to visit the DR since he gets only two weeks of vacation each year.)

For those thinking of how much such a car would cost to charge in the DR, just consider how many kWh it would add monthly to your bill. At about 11 pesos per kWh, it might still be less expensive than gasoline here, but would the other trade offs be worth it?

 

[Celt202]

So CHevy make a Bolt and a Volt? That's going to cause some real confusion in Spanish!

Bring back the Chevy Nova to up the confusion ante.

 

[windeguy]

I am still left pondering which is the targeted demographic for these electric automobiles within the RD. Wouldn't electric pasolas or motos be a logical first step in the process?

Electric two wheeled vehicles face the challenge of where to put a battery of sufficient size to make them practical. And those batteries face the same challenge of charging as any lithium ion batteries. Where do you plug them in? How long does it take to recharge them, etc.

This company says they have a 223 mile range:

http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/range/

They are not cheap:

The DSR model with the ZF14.4 power pack starts at $16,495. The SR bike starts at $16,495 with the ZF14.4 battery. The Zero S with a ZF7.2 battery starts at $10,995. The entry level FX bike, the lightest and least expensive, still starts at only $8,495 when fitted with the ZF3.6 battery.Oct 18, 2017
2018 Zero Motorcycles: These electric bikes go farther and recharge ...
www.latimes.com/.../la-fi-hy-2018-zero-motorcycles-lineup-20171018-htmlstory.html
\

Charge times have come down, too. The Zero S, ST, DS and DSR bikes can be charged six times faster than previous models, when they are mated to ZF7.2 and ZF14.4 power packs. Using an optional Charge Tank accessory — a $2,295 upgrade — the ZF7.2 battery can recharge in an hour; the ZF14.4 takes about two hours.


Models with smaller batteries are more affordable:

A Zero DS with the small ZF7.2 battery starts at $10,995.
The DSR model with the ZF14.4 power pack starts at $16,495.
The SR bike starts at $16,495 with the ZF14.4 battery.
The Zero S with a ZF7.2 battery starts at $10,995
The entry level FX bike, the lightest and least expensive, still starts at only $8,495 when fitted with the ZF3.6 battery.
Models that go faster and farther cost more:

A Zero DS with the ZF13.0 battery and power tank accessory costs $16,890.
The DSR with the ZF14.4 battery and power tank accessory is $19,390.
The SR bike with the ZF14.4 battery and power tank accessory jumps up to $19,390.
The Zero S with a ZF13.0 battery starts at $16,890.
The entry-level FX with a bigger ZF7.2 battery starts at $11,390.


http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-2018-zero-motorcycles-lineup-20171018-htmlstory.html

Hard to find a home for many of these in the DR after what the DR government does to imports despite DR-CAFTA.

 

[the gorgon]

Electric two wheeled vehicles face the challenge of where to put a battery of sufficient size to make them practical. And those batteries face the same challenge of charging as any lithium ion batteries. Where do you plug them in? How long does it take to recharge them, etc.

This company says they have a 223 mile range:

http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/range/

They are not cheap:

The DSR model with the ZF14.4 power pack starts at $16,495. The SR bike starts at $16,495 with the ZF14.4 battery. The Zero S with a ZF7.2 battery starts at $10,995. The entry level FX bike, the lightest and least expensive, still starts at only $8,495 when fitted with the ZF3.6 battery.Oct 18, 2017
2018 Zero Motorcycles: These electric bikes go farther and recharge ...
www.latimes.com/.../la-fi-hy-2018-zero-motorcycles-lineup-20171018-htmlstory.html
\

Charge times have come down, too. The Zero S, ST, DS and DSR bikes can be charged six times faster than previous models, when they are mated to ZF7.2 and ZF14.4 power packs. Using an optional Charge Tank accessory — a $2,295 upgrade — the ZF7.2 battery can recharge in an hour; the ZF14.4 takes about two hours.


Models with smaller batteries are more affordable:

A Zero DS with the small ZF7.2 battery starts at $10,995.
The DSR model with the ZF14.4 power pack starts at $16,495.
The SR bike starts at $16,495 with the ZF14.4 battery.
The Zero S with a ZF7.2 battery starts at $10,995
The entry level FX bike, the lightest and least expensive, still starts at only $8,495 when fitted with the ZF3.6 battery.
Models that go faster and farther cost more:

A Zero DS with the ZF13.0 battery and power tank accessory costs $16,890.
The DSR with the ZF14.4 battery and power tank accessory is $19,390.
The SR bike with the ZF14.4 battery and power tank accessory jumps up to $19,390.
The Zero S with a ZF13.0 battery starts at $16,890.
The entry-level FX with a bigger ZF7.2 battery starts at $11,390.


http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-2018-zero-motorcycles-lineup-20171018-htmlstory.html

Hard to find a home for many of these in the DR after what the DR government does to imports despite DR-CAFTA.

you can buy half a dozen pasolas for that kind of money