Gas Prices

Gas here has risen about 10 cents over the weekend. How long before it hits $4 if at all? What price will make you seriously change you habits? Remember, every time gas goes up, food goes up, beer goes up, the cost of construction goes up, the cost of war goes up, and just about anything that is delivered on a truck (which is just about everything) goes up. I know from my own experience that it is screwing with my budget. How about you?

13 comments:

Liberal Elite said...

@TS "What price will make you seriously change you habits?"

Already did. My daily driver is a Nissan LEAF. It costs me $0.03 per mile... (EPA 99MPG equiv).

My only complaint... There's only one GD charging station on the entire peninsula.

Two Sentz said...

You charge at home though correct?

Liberal Elite said...

Yea... I got an L2 for my main home, and carry an L1 for charging elsewhere. I leave with an 8o% "tank" most mornings, and a full "tank" on days with extra driving. Range 100 miles in ideal conditions, but 60 miles is more typical in winter with heater and lights...

It's best as a shared car. Whoever drives further takes it, unless that's more than 70 miles, then take one of the diesels. We're still a 4 diesel family...

Two Sentz said...

Was there a noticeable increase in your electric bill? Probably offset by a decrease in your fuel bill?

Liberal Elite said...

Nothing all that noticeable. Based on my miles driven, it should be about $15-$20 more per month, and that's lost in the "noise".

In a typical vehicle (20MPG), those same miles would be about $100 per month, and $50 per month in my diesels.

It should take about about 7 years to break even with a buying a corresponding ICE car, and raising fuel costs will just shorten that time.

The real plusses for this car are:
1. Very low incremental milage costs
2. Quiet. Very quiet -- You can hear your music. Driving on fresh fallen snow is a dream!
3. No point of use pollution (that's an under appreciated feature)
4. Can park in a sealed garage (no smell, no fumes)
5. No oil changes, no tuneups, no engine filters to change, no mufflers to replace...
6. Quick... It's the quickest little car I've ever owned (max torque at 0)

It won't be the last electric car I buy.

Liberal Elite said...

One more fun fact... I communicate with the car by cellphone. I can control charging and climate control from afar. Lately, I've been kicking on the climate control about 10-15 min before going to the car.

No more ice cold car, no more sweltering car...

When plugged in, there's no battery drain in doing this.

Two Sentz said...

Sounds cool. You're like the unofficial spokesperson. Their TV commercials are very clever IMO.

Liberal Elite said...

Got some hard numbers for you... last 30 days

miles driven: 411.9
kWH used: 134.0

total cost of electricity (incl tax,...) $17.99
cost per 100 miles: $4.37

Oh.. And I'm ranked near the bottom of LEAF owners (I usually run with lights, heat, and a somewhat heavy foot). Most are paying about $0.03 per mile.

Two Sentz said...

Cool. My biggest problem would be the initial investment. Driving in a quiet car sounds nice, freaky at first, but nice.

Liberal Elite said...

Without the $7,500 federal tax credit, I would have bought something like the Audi A3 TDI instead.

Nissan expects to have 30,000 LEAFs on the road by the end of the year. I expect they'll sell well until the tax credit expires. Battery costs need to drop for electric cars to be truly competitive.

Anonymous said...

Yep, I bought a 2012 L1 Camaro. 540 hp. Figure buy it now and enjoy befor the price of gas reaches 10 bucks.

Liberal Elite said...

"2012 L1 Camaro. 540 hp."

And the electrics will leave that one behind at the line.

The electric cars have all but destroyed drag racing...

Bob said...

LE...are you serious? Electric cars have that much torque? It's hard to imagine my mustang being taken off the line and for the 1st 100 yards by an electric car. I'm not saying you're lying. I'm saying I have to see it to believe it.