PHEV + EV Household

[michael]

My wife loves our Volt as much as I love our FFE. I cannot understand why so many people persist in the addiction to ICE vehicles. She drove the Volt 50 miles Sunday on 0.1 gallons of gasoline, and I drove the FFE even farther on zero. Both cars are luxurious and drive very well.

Between us we consumed maybe $4 worth of electricity. We both feel like the monkey is off our back.

 

[Gigi]

Between us we consumed maybe $4 worth of electricity. We both feel like the monkey is off our back.

For comparison, I drove to the hardware store to pick up my chain saw after it was repaired. I didn't want the possibility of oil leaking in the Electric or the Energi, so I drove my F-150. About 17 miles round trip and $4.00 of gasoline.

I can bear driving the truck for short hops like that every now and then to keep the battery charged and to keep it running. I am so relieved not to be pulling up to the pump twice a month with that 32 gallon tank and putting in $100 at a time.

 

[dcast1079]

I just (February) leased my daughter the 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV L2. Although it is capable of using a level 3 (us) standard charger she has no need to. The car is used for her to go to and back and work. She LOVES it. The 200 a month she used to use for.gas is now used for the lease and no maintenance is a real plus. No need to.talk about charger standards. She charges for.free at school and has no.need to charge at home.

I'm already looking forward to the end of my lease so.I can purbase my next FFE in 2015/2016.

 

[v_traveller]

Happy to report I've just added a Volt to the fleet. Together with the FFE I can easily handle any reasonably expected combination of tasks my wife and I will face, and in almost every case without any gasoline.

Belated congratulations, michael! That's cool that you got your stickers already... CARB still hasn't cashed the check for my Volt stickers, and it's been about a month. Starting to get worried, only 7000 green stickers left and it seems more an more dealers are ordering them up front. I shoulda waited 2 weeks for Keyes to get the car that I wanted, they probably would have matched the deal I got at Valencia. Doh!

 

[GTOGreg]

Focus Electric plus Fusion Energi here. Great combo. Range on Energi isn't as good as Volt, but it makes up for it with seating for 5 (a must have for me) and much, much better looks IMO. My wife gets free charging at work, so we charge off-peak and solar at home 1 way on that. We love them!

 

[Gigi]

Focus Electric plus Fusion Energi here. Great combo. . . . We love them!

Same here! My wife appreciates having the Energi handy for when she has a drive that pushes the limit of the Electric's range. She also appreciates not having to charge at work with the Electric, something that I don't mind doing with the Energi at my office. Except for the Tesla, I think the Fusion Energi and Focus Electric are the best looking plug-ins on the market.

 

[michael]

One of my friends bought a Volt recently. They were originally apprehensive about the idea but it's working out great and they are thinking of getting a second one quite soon when the lease on their Acura runs out. I'm going to try and show them that they are using essentially zero gas miles even on the Volt, and their next car should be a pure EV.

Things like the charger were big worry points, but now that they have one (I made them get a 6 KW rather than a 3 KW) they should be in great shape to take the next step.

Since most of us here started with our FFE's, we tend to think of the PHEV as the "next" car, but for those still stuck in the in ICE world, maybe the PHEV or Volt-like car (EV then hybrid) is a more comfortable first step.

 

[Gigi]

One of my friends bought a Volt recently. They were originally apprehensive about the idea but it's working out great and they are thinking of getting a second one quite soon when the lease on their Acura runs out. I'm going to try and show them that they are using essentially zero gas miles even on the Volt, and their next car should be a pure EV.

Things like the charger were big worry points, but now that they have one (I made them get a 6 KW rather than a 3 KW) they should be in great shape to take the next step.

Since most of us here started with our FFE's, we tend to think of the PHEV as the "next" car, but for those still stuck in the in ICE world, maybe the PHEV or Volt-like car (EV then hybrid) is a more comfortable first step.

My wife and I trade off driving our Energi and Electric depending on who needs to go longer than the Electric's range and on how we can use the least gasoline. If your friends can be okay with trading cars back and forth and at least one of them can count on a daily drive within the FFE's range, EREV + EV can be a very sensible combination, especially considering the price of an FFE vs. a Volt or a PHEV.

We started with a PHEV, then added the EV. We needed a decent car for traveling and thought a hybrid was the best bet, but then started thinking about getting those first 21 miles from the grid rather than the gas station. Once I experienced driving on electricity, I started doing the math and adding the EV became a really sensible step.

I'm making a job change and will be getting a company car for about 35,000/year of business travel. I'm hoping to get approval for a Fusion Hybrid. Won't that make a interesting "stable" of cars: EV, PHEV, Hybrid, F-150, and my son's 2009 Focus.

 

[michael]

I tried to get my friend to go with the FFE for his second car but he didn't have the nerve and went for a second Volt. I'll keep trying!!!!

But a Volt is waaayy better than any ICE. One step at a time....


Yes...my wife and I do that with the Volt and FFE. Normally the FFE is mine and the Volt hers, but when the situation dictates we swap just as you suggest. She's fine with the FFE provided she's dead certain of spending the day within conservative range of home.

 

[Syrinx-]

We're a dual BEV household. My wife and I do 99% of our monthly driving with two EV's (18k miles in the last 7 months). Our commutes are 47 and 39 miles round-trip, respectively. With carpool lane stickers, commute timing is very predictable, and aggravation is minimal. We have a Ford Explorer that we keep around for camping trips or other far out-of-town driving. With SCE TOU rates and current $4 a gallon gasoline prices, we are saving a ton on fuel costs. I just need solar panels now.

 

[davideos]

Solar panels are nice. A bit costly, but nice. Some people cringe a little at the cost until I tell them the time to break even. However, if you put it into more relative terms, it makes more sense...."If gasoline came down from the sky, how much would you spend to be able to collect it?

 

[v_traveller]

FFE and RAV4 EV - nice combo, Syrinx!

davideos - what's the time to break even on solar? Back in 2011/2012 when I was shopping around it was like 14+ years. Has it gotten better?

 

[davideos]

I didn't want to get too detailed as the price of a system can vary by other factors than jus raw power output. I paid a bit more for my system to get higher quality panels and an installer whose work is acceptable to me. In summary, my system was a little more than some.

Also, I don't consider the opportunity cost of the system...I.e. Using the money in some other form of investment. I also don't consider the proposed increase in electricity costs. Also, electrify costs in southern California are higher than other parts of the country, so your break even point can be considerably different.

So with that said, my break even point is 9 years. If you want more details, you can PM me. Midnight rates at $.10 kWh, but as high as $.50 kWh level 2 mid-day summer rate.

 

[v_traveller]

Wow... everything you've said above points to a 9-year payback on the conservative side. I'm in SoCal also and am exposed to rates very similar to what you mentioned. Sounds like it's time for me to look into it again... Thanks davideos!

 

[kmaluo]

In Hawaii, with tax credits and high energy costs that hover in the 30ish cents per KWH, payoff is about 3-4 years.

 

[hybridbear]

Very cool story. I'm considering a Fusion Energi. Oddly it is between a number of cars, one of the other front runners is a Focus ST and a Mercedes CLA. I might want a toy instead of practical.

I would have to break down and add another electrical circuit in the garage if I got the Energi. Can't have an argument over which car gets the plug in at night.

There's a Fusion Hybrid Forum member who had a Fusion Hybrid first but now he & his wife each drive an Energi. They have a similar routine for their charging. He leaves first in the morning so his car is plugged in last in the evening. When he leaves he plugs his wife's Energi back in to precondition.

 

[Gigi]

Our garage and driveway is getting crowded. I just brought home a 2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid company car. What a menagerie, Focus Electric, Fusion Energi, Fusion Hybrid, F-150, and my son's Focus SE coupe!

 

[twscrap]

Somebody is all in with Ford.

 

[Gigi]

Somebody is all in with Ford.

Funny how that happened.

My wife and I have come full circle, having both started with Fords 44 years ago and then going off into Volvos, Olds, Toyota, Plymouth, Pontiacs, and a Honda. My son bought a used 2009 Ford Focus a few years ago and it has been a champ, the most reliable car we've had in the household. I got a Ford F-150, and haven't looked at another car brand since.

 

[ElSupreme]

By the end of the month my household will be 100% BEV. I bought a Model S a year and a half ago, and it is capable of doing whatever driving we need (superchargers from Atlanta should be online later this year to even cover all of our out of state driving). My wife's Civic died very prematurely and we are getting a FFE to replace it.

I have been driving my friends pickup for the last two weeks (trying to convince Honda they should help with an engine replacement after ours completely died on its own after 74k miles, who don't care in the slightest). And my wife drove the Model S, and was 100% hooked on electric.