Sell me on EVs.... VAG or otherwise...

[SaVAGeSoot]

@SaVAGeSoot, I know it was mentioned earlier but drive a few BEVs. Not just VAG models but a handful of cars that you would consider owning. If you are going new (I would recommend low mileage certified pre-owned) my personal interests outside of the ID.x and PPE based VAG models are the Ioniq 5 XRT and the Subaru Trailseeker.

Regardless of the models you choose try to do more than a 3 mile test drive. If you know anyone with a BEV try swapping cars for a few days. If you can rent BEVs locally go that route for a few days.

My electric costs were extremely low (Western PA) but they doubled since our initial solar quotes in late 2020. If my natural gas cost hasn't doubled (I would need to check my sheet) already it may do so the next time I check the rolling 12 month cost to consumption data. Regardless of location specific energy costs it is pretty safe to assume a 50 to 60% fuel savings when comparing ICE to BEV as long as you charge at home! If you anticipate needing DC or public charging that's an entirely conversation.

I hear your loud & clear......
Realistically, I need to look at this potential decision through the wife's eyes.....
She's a stay-at-home better half that's almost never at home while I'm at work..... I haven't been watching her, but it appears she drives just as much as I do, or maybe even more based on my recent questioning.... her whip is a reasonably efficient ICE gasser, so "fuel" costs would be very similar to what I've already calculated based on my oil burner..... but, she's racking up all that mileage in town, doing 10 trips a day, running errands, grocery shopping, attending appointments, etc. so much better type of use and candidate for an EV vs my rather boring commute to and from work.

I've also just found that my utility provider has a nifty "price comparison" tool on their website, which would allow me to see how changing to different pricing schemes would change my overall cost. I need to play with it a little, as it's limited to the time period it allows you to evaluate (I suspect by design, in order to not make it easier for the end customer to see the truth), but, I may have to jump ship there too.

More research is required at this stage.

 

[Uwe]

Oh we realize it! That is one of my complaints. Those who don't own/use EVs should NOT be paying for the infrastructure upgrades, public charging stations, charging stations at company and gov'ment offices, etc. that the MINORITY has chosen to use/buy.

Well, if EVs were mandated and ICE cars were banned, then those costs would be spread more fairly, right?


Meanwhile, AI data centers have entered the chat regarding infrastructure upgrades.

-Uwe-

 

[Uwe]

@SaVAGeSoot -- You laugh, but banning ICE cars was the plan in much of Europe and our own Left Coast™ here in America.

Then again, "A plan is a list of things that won't happen." So...

-Uwe-

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

Here's last year's breakdown on the current TOU plan

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

@SaVAGeSoot -- You laugh, but banning ICE cars was the plan in much of Europe and our own Left Coast™ here in America.

-Uwe-

Oh I know.... but some of us reside in the real universe around here, so we know better!

 

[BlueR32]

IMNHO consumer AI is pretty sad and those who intentionally use it to defraud should be held accountable for the fraud.

As I have stated in this forum ask Bing or Google or similar a technical question that you know the answer to and you'll be shocked at some of the stupidity that it spits out as "fact" and how it's completely different from one AI source to another.

 

[BlueR32]

@SaVAGeSoot -- You laugh, but banning ICE cars was the plan in much of Europe and our own Left Coast™ here in America.

Then again, "A plan is a list of things that won't happen." So...

-Uwe-

Well if the radical climate activist have their way, the majority will be subjected to their whims. I'd say thankfully their foolishness in the U.S. has been setback 10+ years but the radicals in Urrup are moving their dictatorial actions forward at the expense to all. When the pain becomes high enough for those folks in Urrup the radical agenda will also get pushed back decades.

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

I've used up all the "cheap" diesel in both my oil burners.... will be forced to fill up after work.... it's gonna hurt! Crossing the $200/fill threshold is a physiological thing that's not easy to cope with!

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

Regardless of location specific energy costs it is pretty safe to assume a 50 to 60% fuel savings when comparing ICE to BEV as long as you charge at home!

So, in an effort to make things even more feasible, I've looked for some "free DC charging", as this would clearly accelerate the savings, if\when used (obviously, not likely feasible to be used all the time)... so here's some more supporting "data".

 

[BlueR32]

I'm looking for a free box of $100 bills too, but not having any luck.

 

[Dana]

Here's last year's breakdown on the current TOU plan

That TOU breakdown they provide is nice!

Since you are already on a plan like that, and you likely start things like the laundry or dishwasher before bed, it might not be extremely hard to adapt to scheduled overnight charging as well. If that charging scheme was paired with a ULO plan you may not notice the additional energy use from a vehicle as long as something like a 3 ton AC unit or water heater isn't running relentlessly on weekdays from 4 to 9 PM.

Nobody likes unsolicited advice but even prior to EVs and solar I did things like pre-cool the house to 66F overnight in summer when the load on the AC unit (and electric grid) was extremely low. The schedule would slowly ramp up to maintain a reasonable humidity level during the nasty heat of that 2 - 6 PM window. The water heater was not smart at the time or it would have been involved. Games like that may not fly with other household members but my husband tolerates my energy games/monitoring :-)​

I'm not comfortable with ownership of Audi's 7-speed DSGs but this exact car listing came up today with the R-T crew and I thought of you.

Audi - Site currently not available

www.audiwestchester.com

You may find a used certified PHEV helpful in the transition?

I'm not a personal fan of PHEV since you still have all of the ICE things that can fail, combined with the HV bits, which may result in a vehicle that can't even start and move when broken but several brands have that nailed down at this point. Hybrids that do not plug in are plain dumb IMO. I think there will be far more benefits with the upcoming EREV models but you can't buy those as present.

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

That TOU breakdown they provide is nice!

Here's another that might interest you....
I can't recall which 90 day period I checked, as that's the limit on generating these, but it provides a comparison of how much I'd be paying if I was on the different schemes.... so right now, my current TOU is my best option.... I have the crunch the numbers for my yearly usage to see if I'd gain anything by going to the TIER scheme..... maybe with the additional demand created by charging an EV, I could benefit from one of the other options.....

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

I've used up all the "cheap" diesel in both my oil burners.... will be forced to fill up after work.... it's gonna hurt! Crossing the $200/fill threshold is a physiological thing that's not easy to cope with!

Got off cheap... Only took 87 L so didn't cross the threshold

Just a quick note to let you know that a transaction of $188.50 was made on your Tangerine® Money-Back World Mastercard®* xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx at KITCHENER ESSO on March 17, 2026.

 

[Dana]

Right, I recall a time where the standard pre-authorized credit card hold was $75.00 at gas stations and a 7P Chassis T'reg (large 26+ gallon/100 L tank) would shut down based on cost if the tank was real low. I did not think those were the good old days at the time but this gives me a moment of reflection.


Back on track here, everyone obsesses over charge times and for local commuting that's nonsense IMO.

DCFC speed on a trip matters because you are in the rain, snow, etc. and trying to get to the destination but cars sit at home. They sit a LOT. There was a several year period where we had an entirely electric household and we never needed to charge at more than 32A -or- charge more than one car at a time. There was only 1 wired/connected charger for a while and it was not a problem. (Yes we had a spare level 2 charger just in case)

We rarely AC charge at speeds over 4kW. Exceptions include the day before a storm (don't get me started on weather lately) I will crank the Ford Lightning up to 36A in greedy mode so I can get big Brian up to at least 85% SOC quickly since he has the ability to power our home via the 240V onboard power outlet but those cases are rare. In addition, I only crank it like that if the SOC was well under 50%. The grid doesn't need that if we're going from 75 to 85% with plenty of time before a storm.

 

[Uwe]

didn't cross the threshold

The last time diesel prices were really high (2022, I think?) I was filling my truck (125 liter tank) when it was still half full so as not to exceed the $100 USD threshold that most pumps would authorize.

-Uwe-

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

The last time diesel prices were really high (2022, I think?) I was filling my truck (125 liter tank) when it was still half full so as not to exceed the $100 USD threshold that most pumps would authorize.

-Uwe-

Our pumps max out at $200 CAD so I don't have a lot of wiggle room left.... Not looking forward to that scenario as I have my pre-determined additive dosage sorted out for ~85 L fill on the Treg and ~65 L on the A6

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

a 7P Chassis T'reg (large 26+ gallon/100 L tank) would shut down based on cost if the tank was real low.

Been there, done that....

The last time diesel prices were really high (2022, I think?)

Your time period is correct.... I just went through my records and found the one time when I maxxed out the at the pump. There were several others getting close to it, but only one instance of it maxxing out.

Just a quick note to let you know that a transaction of $200.00 was made on your Tangerine World Mastercard® xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx at PIONEER STN #176 on April 29, 2022.

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

So this discussion (as derailed as it has turned out to be) has caused me to actually look at my electricity use in a level of detail which I've never bothered to previously....

It turns out that my household use isn't that significant from what I can see, and until I do add a EV to the mix, there isn't much wiggle room in terms of optimization. I will still dig into what it takes to switch pricing scheme however, because according to my rough calculations, I may be able to cut my yearly electricity cost by ~30% based on all this data, if I switch over to the TIER scheme (assuming nothing else changes)

Below is my highest consumption day of last year, and the hourly demands, and the costs associated with it.

And my overall summary of 2025


I actually toyed with the idea of a Powerwall 3 or similar setup in order to take advantage of only using the "cheap" grid electricity, but it would take 50 years of this type of use to start getting ROI on that setup since I don't have any solar to make use of free sunshine... so that idea has been trashed.

 

[Uwe]

So this discussion (as derailed as it has turned out to be) has caused me to actually look at my electricity use in a level of detail which I've never bothered to previously....

Hah! You think that's "detail"?

This is detail:


(PA house, yesterday)

-Uwe-

 

[SaVAGeSoot]

This is detail:

Nice.... does that say you've generated more than you've consumed?
Also, 2020 called... they want you to update your software copyright to something more recent!