Batteries suck

[quality time]

I'm no tree hugger and if I was fiscally responsible I wouldn't own a boat that burns 60+ GPH. It's more about the technology and convenience for me.

 

[mnm99]

I use interstates. With a good charger and checking the fluid, mine last 5-7 years each time. And that's when I just change them. There still working , just don't want one to fail on me.

 

[b_arrington]

I always use NAPA 8D's in my boat(s). I usually get ~6yrs out of them. I leave the ProNautic 1250 on 24/7. Recently I got over 7yrs out of my last set. I changed them this spring, I'll check back in another 6yrs.

I switched from Xantrex to a ProNautic 1240 this year. Hoping the ProNautic will help extend their life.

 

[b_arrington]

We

Look at your driving patterns in your area when considering a hybrid. Hybrid electric motors typically run the range from 0-30 mph before switching to ICE. If the majority of your driving is highway over 30 MPH the hybrid electric motor barely functions and you will not see the advertised MPG. Around town in stop and go - they are a great choic

I work at home full time now so no longer have a daily commute. For both of us, about 95% of our driving is around town at this point.

I still love driving my maxima so I don’t really have any plans to trade it for something else. My wife hates her Honda Pilot though.

 

[GypsmJim]

Agreed. They give more useful service charge than lead acid.

I have 3 group 31 and 2 4D AGM. Not looking forward to the day I need to replace them at 100+ lbs each. I take care of them.

That has not been my experience. If a battery costs double, then it should last twice as long. (or 50% more, 50% longer, yada, yada, ya know what I mean).

My problem was that I "thought" my AGM was giving me better service, so I jumped the gun and bought AGMs for all my cars and boats. Then within 2 years they all went to crap.

That's when I found Auto Zone and went back to lead acids. My first Duralast is now going on 8 years, and none of the others have not been replaced either.

The only AGM I still own is in a jetski just because I feel it can better take the jostling around.

 

[Stray Current]

Comparing flooded batteries to lithium is a stretch, and your fuel pump could smoke rendering those 15 gallons of dead dinosaurs useless.

Screw the EVs as well, but everything modern is so damn computerized I don’t think one is any better than the other

 

[SeaNile]

Got tired of the $1000 a month in gas for my wife's SUV as she runs all over the place so we picked up a 23 Tesla MYP for her. Thought it was so awesome I picked one up for myself, white for her and black for me. So far so good.

 

[ZZ13]

Here the other thing I dont get. a Tesla costs what 45K - 60K. to save a couple hundred a month in fuel. There's an ROI.

It’s a lot more than that. There’s no oil, there’s no coolant, no radiator, no transmission, no air intake/filter, no spark plugs, no distributor, no ignition system, no exhaust system, no muffler. You drive it and plug it in. Just gotta keep brakes and tires in shape.

That said I have Teslas because they are fun as all to drive. Absolute blast. My Model Y literally pins me hard to the seat. All that other stuff is a benefit but had no bearing on my decision to buy.

 

[quality time]

It’s a lot more than that. There’s no oil, there’s no coolant, no radiator, no transmission, no air intake/filter, no spark plugs, no distributor, no ignition system, no exhaust system, no muffler. You drive it and plug it in. Just gotta keep brakes and tires in shape.

That said I have Teslas because they are fun as all to drive. Absolute blast. My Model Y literally pins me hard to the seat. All that other stuff is a benefit but had no bearing on my decision to buy.

And with one pedal driving you can pretty much scratch brakes as a maintenance item also.

 

[GypsmJim]

It’s a lot more than that. There’s no oil, there’s no coolant, no radiator, no transmission, no air intake/filter, no spark plugs, no distributor, no ignition system, no exhaust system, no muffler. You drive it and plug it in. Just gotta keep brakes and tires in shape.

That said I have Teslas because they are fun as all to drive. Absolute blast. My Model Y literally pins me hard to the seat. All that other stuff is a benefit but had no bearing on my decision to buy.

One extra thing it doesn't have......any steel in the body to hold it together.

They weigh an astronomical amount of weight. It's all the battery. My buddy swore by his until he hit a widdle baby deer. The car was totaled. Nothing left to fix.

Now, as much as I simply hate EVs and will never buy one (my "family" car and "towcar" is a full perimeter frame 44 year old Bonneville that will outlast me for sure) I have to admit that over the past 2 years I have replaced ALL of my garden tools with 40V electrics. The weedwackers, blowers, tillers and chainsaws have always been a problem with plugged carbs. After a few years they get trashed. So far, ll of my electrics have shown better longevity and more power than the gas ones.

 

[ZZ13]

And with one pedal driving you can pretty much scratch brakes as a maintenance item also.

Interestingly my one gasser, 2019 Ridgeline, has 90,000 miles on it with the original factory brake pads still with plenty of life left.

 

[highslice]

Hi all - never thought I'd be posting about my cars on a boat forum ... but wanted to share my perspective after since I have cars that fall into all 3 categories. Full disclosure here are our 3 cars:

* Audi A3 Convertible w gas "ICE" engine
* Tesla Model Y (full EV)
* Jeep Wrangler 4xe (plug in hybrid)

@Pirate Lady "While you sitting at a charging station for an hour I will be give you a ride home after I hit the pump for 5 minutes."

My experience has been the opposite of what you describe. I installed a 240v outlet in my garage (same as an electric stove outlet). We have the Tesla set to charge every night to 80% while we are sleeping. It's like waking up every morning with a near full tank of gas. I WOULD NOT CONSIDER OWNING AN EV UNLESS I COULD DO CHARGING AT HOME. That is a major difference maker in my opinion. The 5 minutes you spend at the pump once per week (works out to 4.3 hours over the course of a year) is the equivalent to me sleeping an extra 4.3 hours while my car charges at night while I'm sleeping. In the 2 years we have had the Tesla we have only needed to use the Super Chargers less than 5 times.

@Pirate Lady "I read this morning about so many people think Musk is a genius. The guy is a con artist. Fark him."

I do think that Musk has a lot of issues - and is somewhere on the spectrum. The things I will give him credit for is having the foresight to build out a reliable supercharging network - and offering free lifetime charging to early Tesla owners. This has shown to be a major difference between Tesla and other EV makers - who have to rely an crappy / difficult to use / often broken charging networks.

@Pirate Lady "YOU buy his crap, I wont."

I do partially agree with you here. Not because I think Musk is a conman - but because EV's in general are too new that I didn't want to risk buying one. I lease my Tesla - and will be able to return it to them at the end of the lease. I do think the price point of Tesla stock is not supported by business results or growth projections - so PL if you are a big Tesla shareholder - then maybe you are being conned.

@highslice "If were to ever buy an "EV" it would be a hybrid at best."

I partially agree with you. I bought neither my Tesla nor my Jeep 4xe. I am leasing them both - so that I can walk away at the end of the 3 years lease - and turn the keys (Jeep) and cards (Tesla) back to the automakers at the end. I am satisfied with both my Tesla (full EV) and Jeep 4xe (plug in hybrid). However for the Jeep 4xe I still have to do oil changes and service whereas the Tesla requires no periodic service at all. I have never had "range anxiety" in the Tesla.

@Golfman25 "I was in my friend's golf cart, I mean Tesla. It said we had 248 miles range. We went 10 miles. Ended with only 210 miles range."

I agree the range indicator isn't really that helpful as it varies too much based on how you drive as well as terrain and outdoor temperature. I pay as much attention to it as the traditional fuel gauge in my Audi - helpful to know if I'm starting to get low.

@b_arrington "For more predictable or daily driving, EV is fine." "But for us we need to longer range of an ICE engine. For example, we drive 750 miles / 14 hours from NY Metro to TN over Thanksgiving."

We don't take a ton of road trips. We have driven the Tesla to Las Vegas a couple times. When you put in your destination the navigation computer calculates where you have to stop on a road trip for charging and how long you have to be there. The Supercharges on the way to Las Vegas are all located next to restaurants - so we just stopped and grabbed some food during the 20-25 minutes it took for the car to charge up. Most of the Vegas resorts offer overnight EV car charging - so when we were ready to start our drive back we had a full charge.

@hynespa "Would you get another EV when your leases are up?"

Glad you asked that Patrick - yes - I would LEASE another EV ... but still not BUY one. Here are some more pro's and con's:

PROS
* Less expensive to lease - Prior to getting the Tesla Model Y I was leasing a VW Touareg. My lease payment decreased per month.
* Less expensive to fuel - Gas locally at the local Costco is $4.19 regular / $4.49 premium this morning. Other local gas stations are normally quite a bit higher than that. I have spent $899 this year in extra electricity costs to "fuel" my Tesla. Had I been stopping at a gas station for an equivalent car - I would have paid $2,341 in gasoline costs. So I have saved $1,442 so far in charging vs gas costs.
* Save time on fueling - Since I do home charging - I wake up with a nearly full tank of gas every morning.
* Save costs on maintenance - This applies to the Tesla ... not the Jeep. There is no routine maintenance required on the Tesla other than tire rotation/replacement.

CONS
* Insurance costs - The amount I pay to insure the Tesla is significantly higher than what I pay for my Audi or Jeep.
* Still a relatively new tech - This is why I would still only lease an EV. There are too many uncertainties around owning one long term and potentially having to go through a very expensive battery replacement down the road.
* Supercharger / Fast charger on road trips - You will have to use these on long road trips - so depending on how many you take this is a consideration. If you have a non-Tesla EV ... good luck finding one that works OK on the first try!!

MUST HAVE
* Home 240v (level 2) charging - I would not have an EV unless I was able to run a 240v Stove outlet to my garage to charge the car overnight. People who don't have dedicated overnight parking (e.g. people that live in apartments, etc) its a must different value prop - unless you can find a working fast (level 3) charger - you will be spending the hour or more at the EV charging station as PL drives by and flips you the bird (or offers you a ride home).

Range is my biggest issue. I work from home so commute isn't an issue. BUT, it is 240 miles door to door from my house to my condo in Hollister (next to Branson) Missouri. There are 3 Tesla charging stations in the entire area, 2 at Best Westerns and 1 at a Comfort Inn. Not places I want to go spend time. There are 3 non-Tesla charging stations. I do have a garage, but the cost to have 240 run to it would outweigh any savings I might otherwise realize. Also, even without a daily commute, I put too many miles on my cars annually to make leasing practical.

I have no plans, or any desire, to own an EV or hybrid. But if forced to choose, the plug-in hybrid would be the on for me.

 

[highslice]

It’s a lot more than that. There’s no oil, there’s no coolant, no radiator, no transmission, no air intake/filter, no spark plugs, no distributor, no ignition system, no exhaust system, no muffler. You drive it and plug it in. Just gotta keep brakes and tires in shape.

That said I have Teslas because they are fun as all to drive. Absolute blast. My Model Y literally pins me hard to the seat. All that other stuff is a benefit but had no bearing on my decision to buy.

The only thing on you list that I have had to pay for in the last 10 years is oil...YMMV.

 

[SeaNile]

If there is one subject that people like to beat to death and over analyze is the whole EV thing, especially when it comes to Tesla.

For me the choice was pretty simple, for about 50K there was nothing that came close to a MYP. Creating a spreadsheet to compare costs isn't for me. Even at the end of the ownership if it happens to cost more than a traditional ICE vehicle who cares. I love the experience of something new and different. This MYP happens to be car/SUV #66 for me. If I hate it then no big deal, sell it, trade it in and move on to the next.

The EV thing definitely isn't for everyone but given the success of Tesla I'm pretty sure it can work for the majority.

My dad used to say there were 3 things that you can't talk about. Religion, politics and money. But I'm adding a 4th....thou shall not discuss EVs, specifically Tesla.

 

[Skybolt]

I switched from Xantrex to a ProNautic 1240 this year. Hoping the ProNautic will help extend their life.

It has a great float profile I feel. The batteries really respond well to it.

 

[Skybolt]

If there is one subject that people like to beat to death and over analyze is the whole EV thing, especially when it comes to Tesla.

For me the choice was pretty simple, for about 50K there was nothing that came close to a MYP. Creating a spreadsheet to compare costs isn't for me. Even at the end of the ownership if it happens to cost more than a traditional ICE vehicle who cares. I love the experience of something new and different. This MYP happens to be car/SUV #66 for me. If I hate it then no big deal, sell it, trade it in and move on to the next.

The EV thing definitely isn't for everyone but given the success of Tesla I'm pretty sure it can work for the majority.

My dad used to say there were 3 things that you can't talk about. Religion, politics and money. But I'm adding a 4th....thou shall not discuss EVs, specifically Tesla.

I think EV's are our future, just not with the current power supplies. We need to find a better power source then the "Battery". It's in our future, just not sure when.

 

[Steve S]

Like Skybolt - I am not anti EV... I am anti EV NOW. And I dislike having them "Jammed" down our throat by politicians before the entire infrastructure is ready.

 

[northern]

Has anyone taken their EV to Mexico? If yes were there any charge stations. We used to go to Baja and did not see any, last year was 2017.

 

[Stray Current]

Like Skybolt - I am not anti EV... I am anti EV NOW. And I dislike having them "Jammed" down our throat by politicians before the entire infrastructure is ready.

This is me as well. Not practical for my current needs, but one would definitely work for the mrs. Just the fact that an electric motor makes 100% of the rated torque from 0 without having to rev out makes a lot of potential for even more fun than tuned twin turbos.

Plus that whole “electrician, generator, income” thing isn’t too bad either

 

[ttmott]

We live in the land of rocket launches. SpaceX puts one up about twice a week. It seems because of their presence that about every tenth car is a Tesla of one model or another. Every now and then a Rivian and very popular are the Hybrids. So the electric cars are laced all through the roads; it is seamless and the people that own them seem satisfied. I never see one dead on the roadside. The electric cars are prevalent also on the highway between the coast and Orlando (a 40 or 50 mile drive) and again never is one on the side.

So, I think the cars are pretty sorted out and reliable. They have a nitch and use and that's good as long as the stuff isn't shoved down my throat - they don't fit our lifestyle. The Fed's push to electric is not panning out well due to many factors including lack of consumer interest; so I think we will continue to see diversification and mixed interest.

Back to boat batteries - maybe put the care of the batteries on a higher priority???