Adrian_L

Anyone know when the Mercedes B-class electric is coming out?

The front seats are a bit small for my 6'/190 pound frame, and I noticed the lack of thigh support right away compared to my previous Audi and Volvo. Having said that I wasn't particularly uncomfortable after the last 2 h+ drive. I have to agree with my dad that Volvo makes the best front seats.

Wow. THat reminds me. We bought our Nov. '12 built 2013 SEL on March 1 last year. Apart from a rear passenger door that won't open from the inside (prob child lock stuck on) we've had no problems. And still has that new car smell to contrast with the decidedly old car smell in my '85 GMC van. 11,000 miles. According to fuelly.com it's costing about a dollar for my wife's 30 minute city drive to work (.05 c/km)

Even in Texas, God hath not decreed that thou must drivest the maximum speed posted :victory:

100% correct. But 85 mph?! That would get you a serious fine in Canada (136 kph). I agree with the other fella that 65 seems to be a great, safe speed and keeps the blood pressure low. And the consumption.

Edmonton? Gosh......sure hope you have the block heater option. The heated seats are fantastic in winter. Welcome to the forum!

Smallish houses (2000 sq feet) in better areas of metro Vancouver are regularly selling for 1.5-2 million these days. Canadian dollars........but still.......

There are astonishingly small battery chargers available now and since you're not cranking a starter motor they don't need to be particularly strong. A 100% guarantee of reliability doesn't exist with any car, unfortunately.

Thanks for that. I googled their new hydrogen car mentioned in the article--v. interesting.

Good points. I never said gas will be extinct in 2035, but rather plug-in hybrids will likely be the norm (or electrics with a backup generator a la the Volt). Charging stations? Probably everywhere--McDonalds, Walmart, your office parking lot etc. Unless you're buying a Rolls Royce, I very much doubt that you'll be able to buy a new car with a big V8 straight ICE engine.

1967 MGB GT in British racing green and wire wheels.

Better one: Everyone (incl. pro photographers) said film would be with us forever when digital photography was introduced. When's the last time you loaded a roll of 35mm in your camera?

Ok have it your way..... Replace "record" with "carburettor" and "CD" with "fuel injection". I think the point of my analogy was clear enough.

We're still in the "Model T" phase of electric technology. Obviously things are going to be far different in 20 years. There's exciting stuff going on in Europe with heavy-duty vehicles and diesel/electric technology. But if you think you're going to be driving an Escalade with a massive V8 in 2035---think again. It simply doesn't make sense to spend loads of money on fossil fuel technology when newer technology provides massive savings. Coca-cola are on the right track and other companies will jump on board as well.

The price of electricity has got nothing to do with the price of tomatoes. How much are the Focus Electric owners on our forum paying to juice up their cars? $1 a day?

I'm both cheap and a risk taker. So I don't bother with warranties (TV, extended car......etc.) or travel cancellation insurance. But there are folks who want the peace of mind that an extended warranty brings. It's their money to spend as they like.

I'd stay away from American classics, myself. An old Continental weighs about 5000 pounds---that'll kill your range. My "shortlist" for a conversion would be a 60's Beetle, VW Type 3 fastback, VW Thing, Porsche 912 or 911. There was a madman online who welded two Vanagons together to make a bus and was putting in a Tesla drivetrain. I think he hit a wall when Tesla refused to sell him parts.

If probability played any part in the decision to buy insurance, everyone would be idiots for buying house insurance given the .000001% chance of your place burning down. And for that matter everybody walking into a casino would be an idiot as well! (sorry, mother-in-law)

Remember when CDs arrived? EVERYONE said records weren't going anywhere. You know what? They were gone in a blink of an eye. In 20 years, there will be electric charging stations in every single parking spot and you won't be able to buy a straight ICE car. I suspect plug in hybrids will be the norm but with Telsa producing cars with 300 mile ranges......who knows?

I have been a classic car lover for years. Personally I love that dichotomy between a vintage car and cutting-edge electric tech. For 18 grand you can get a full lithium ion EV kit to throw in a VW Beetle. Regenerative braking too! There's a very cool Type 2 vintage bus with an electric conversion on YouTube.

Poor aerodynamics? The C-max has a drag coefficient of .30. That's better than an Aston Martin DB9 and a Lamborghini Diablo. Perhaps "not quite so great aerodynamics as a Prius" might have been more accurate? My main criticism of the C-max is weight--twice as heavy as a VW Beetle (orig.) but that's a debate for another day and could be said of most modern cars.

I don't think real estate prices react that quickly to temporary crises. There may be a lull in the market which benefits prospective buyers and renters. My suspicion is that prices will continue to rise in trendy west coast areas such as Bay Area, Seattle and Vancouver.

There are a few comparisons online between various electrics. I think the Ford electric held up pretty well but lost marks for being "pedestrian". Wish we could get the Fiat 500 EV this side of the border. Or the Kia Soul EV if they shrunk it down a bit.

Good point about the imperial gallon. Better to look at l/100km for European cars.

Probably a good idea to check out the Energi forum since it is specific to your model. Say hi to my buddy Dr. Diesel from me. My understanding is that most of the battery woes are more common in the SE Hybrid model. The SEL (which all the Energi models are) seem less susceptible to problems. And besides---you're plugging in your car every night so that charges the High Voltage battery and (unless I'm mistaken) the 12 volt battery. It is the 12 volt and not the high voltage battery that causes the no-start problem after the car has been sitting overnight. Most Energi owners seem happy with their cars, if not their trunk space :victory: