How Low Would Gas Have To Go For You To Turn Back?

[SuperGrover]

For me, it isn't a question of low does the price of gas have get for me to switch back, it is how much will you pay me to switch back.

No amount of money is going to make up for the damage using gasoline and foreign oil causes. No amount of money is going to get me to switch. When our LEAF arrives it will be powered 100% by renewable, emission free, and local energy sources.

 

[kieodadie]

I don't think I'll ever go back to a gas car.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

My experience with TDI's, as recent as the Jetta TDI sportwagon 2010, which is so advanced it doesn't need uria, is that they have gotten many fold cleaner and less smelly but like all diesels still give off a good bit of nasties when accelerating. The reason I abandoned even the TDI as part of my ideal "fleet" is that even running on bio-diesel you are still burning something, releasing combustion pollutents, some of the worst of which you can't semll and on top of that you are subject to a very volatile market in bio-fuels. For in town driving in stop and go traffic, the TDI's gas mileage drops a lot. It's all just old, outmoded technology, IMHO, now that electric cars are on the rebound.

I'm convinced that pretty much anything from delivery trucks, luxury cars, sports cars, long distance family cars to economy cars can could 100% electric and for a fraction of the price per mile of diesel or gas, barring some Saudi prince deciding to have a fire sale on Oil.

So far, I don't see anything that can beat the economy and low impact of EV's... I really didn't think I'd be saying that, even a year ago. I guess maybe it's time to thank all those who kept the vision alive while the rest of us thought you were crazy... THANK YOU!

g

The new urea injected clean diesels are remarkably smoke and odor free, and very clean running. I wonder how much one would be able to smell behind one of them... A friend has one of the MB Blutech diesels and I can't see or smell anything from it...

Diesels are the worst, IMO. Not hard to smell the exhaust even from new TDI Jettas and similar. Anything more than 2-years old and you can smell them from quite a ways behind.

 

[cdub]

I love my LEAF. I will never buy a combustion car again for myself. We may need a people mover soon... though... that might be a regular car.

 

[evnow]

So, now that you've gotten a taste of how amazing it is, and economical too, to drive an EV, how low would the price of gas have to go to before you'd give up your LEAF?

That is like asking
- How low the price on lead paint has to go before we start using it again
- How low the price on pesticides has to go before we poison our backyard with it
etc

EV is an ethical choice for me. Now that we have an affordable EV, price of gas isn't a consideration.

 

[JPWhite]

Diesels are the worst, IMO. Not hard to smell the exhaust even from new TDI Jettas and similar. Anything more than 2-years old and you can smell them from quite a ways behind.

[/quote][/quote]

Unfortunately this is the US attitude towards Diesel. Very Very Sad.

IMHO the correct strategy for getting independence from the Middle East Nations is to first switch to Diesel, then to alternative fuel.

50% better gas mileage, MODERN Euro style diesels drive like normal gas cars.
50% better mileage equates to reducing crude oil imports by 33%
Imagine what would happen to the price of oil if the US cut its demand by 33%!!!!!!
This should buy the US 10 years or more cheap Crude/Diesel, time to be used to develop alternatives, such as Electric vehicles that can go 300-500 miles per charge.

Without the Diesel stepping stone, the path to alternative fuels is uncertain and expensive.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

Sadly, I think clean burning diesels are like 20 years late in the game here in the US. As much as they are impressive, it's kind of like waiting to come out with a more efficient incandescent bulb as the 10 times more efficient full spectrum LED's are finally becoming affordable. Most folks drive a relatively short distance on a daily basis and that is where Ev's shine, with no need to "warm up" to be clean and peppy, they are great running cold with zero emissions from the get go... not so with diesels. Where I think diesel fits in is in a Volt like configuration as the generator at a constant RPM, where they shine, and that is where bio-diesel would be truly viable, IMHO. Imagine how much we could cut oil imports if we went full steam ahead with EV's for metro driving and diesel assisted electric for long distance... we could lower crude oil imports by what, something crazy like 80%?

Diesels are the worst, IMO. Not hard to smell the exhaust even from new TDI Jettas and similar. Anything more than 2-years old and you can smell them from quite a ways behind.

[/quote]

Unfortunately this is the US attitude towards Diesel. Very Very Sad.

IMHO the correct strategy for getting independence from the Middle East Nations is to first switch to Diesel, then to alternative fuel.

50% better gas mileage, MODERN Euro style diesels drive like normal gas cars.
50% better mileage equates to reducing crude oil imports by 33%
Imagine what would happen to the price of oil if the US cut its demand by 33%!!!!!!
This should buy the US 10 years or more cheap Crude/Diesel, time to be used to develop alternatives, such as Electric vehicles that can go 300-500 miles per charge.

Without the Diesel stepping stone, the path to alternative fuels is uncertain and expensive.[/quote]

 

[TRONZ]

I would never consider being without an EV, EVER! With crazy oil markets constantly try to game prices up. I sleep really good knowing the LEAF is in our garage.

 

[DaveEV]

Diesels are the worst, IMO. Not hard to smell the exhaust even from new TDI Jettas and similar. Anything more than 2-years old and you can smell them from quite a ways behind.

Unfortunately this is the US attitude towards Diesel. Very Very Sad.

Because I hate breathing dirty air? For a similar cost of diesel, one can buy a hybrid and get similar fuel economy and much cleaner emissions. What's not to like? Or even better - get an EV for all your short trips. Mitsubishi will be selling one for $27k soon - it won't take long for batteries to really come down in price once sufficient quantities start being sold.

 

[JPVLeaf]

Ditto. No gas price would actually get me to turn back now. I really don't enjoy driving in an ICE anymore, including an '08 A4 that I just got a couple of yrs ago. And, this is for someone that used to relish long roadtrips, including several cross-country trips and a 8000-mi. trip to Alaska in a Miata.

Now, I am ~99% there to convincing my husband to get a 2nd Leaf and to sell the minivan. If that happens, the A4 will sit in the garage waiting for the very occasional wkend trip out of Leaf range. If we need an even bigger vehicle than our A4, we'll do carsharing with friends and family, or rent.

 

[JPWhite]

I would never consider being without an EV, EVER! With crazy oil markets constantly try to game prices up. I sleep really good knowing the LEAF is in our garage.

I agree. In this very volatile energy market having dual fuels in the garage makes a whole lot of sense. If one is in short supply, you use the other.

 

[lkkms2]

I loved what was said as part of a Press Release for an EV Charging Station installed by IBEW Local 569 in San Diego.

Lance Corporal Brian P. VanRiper, USMC and a member of Operation Free, said “As a veteran, I’ve seen firsthand that America’s addiction to fossil fuels is not just about public health or climate change, it is also an issue of national security. The time is now to claim America’s energy independence and electric vehicles are a critical part of that mission.” Brian was honorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps in 2004.

Check out their website: www.operationfree.net

In the 90s I drove a converted EV for 8-9 years for about 68,000 miles. I did it for five major reasons 1) Reduce Oil Dependence, 2) Reduce Trade Deficit, 3) Support a new Local Industry (at that time), 4) Reduce need for interventions in foriegn countries, 5) Clean Air, 5) and yes, No "Cold Starts" with resulting pollution, No "Hot" Engine that adds heat in the garage, No Oil Leaks/Oil Changes, No Fueling stops at the Gas Station, the Quite Ride, etc

I am so glad we now have and will be having more EV options coming out of OEMs. Finally moving in the right direction. I will continue to move in the direction of less dependency on oil.

 

[thankyouOB]

what Tronz and JP said.
I would never go back, and no tough choices until we decide we want to be a one-car family.

 

[Soviet]

Of course i would like to shove a gas nozzle down the throat of the Saudis. Great friends they are of ours. "With friends like these who needs enemies?" as the saying goes.
All our spending on gas goes into the pockets of these SOB's that support terrorism and radical Islam. They still have public whippings in Saudi Arabia. Talk about human rights violations, they are one of the worst.
Going electric is a small victory, but a victory nevertheless. The world's thirst for gas is not going away anytime soon unfortunately. Lots of SUVs on the road still.
I want a Calvin window sticker that has him pissing on OPEC. Has anyone made these up?

Calvin pissing on OPEC: http://www.customsense.com/Calvin_/_Pee_Kid/c3/index.html

As for what it would take for me to go back to gasoline-powered cars, my family still has 4 gasoline-powered cars. We need 4 cars at least, no matter the method of propulsion. The Leaf is my mom's for her 52-mile daily commute. She's loving it like no other car she's ever loved before. She doesn't even love cars! It's great!

However, we still need to have other cars and since we didn't reserve another Leaf, they have to be gas-powered cars. Furthermore, our Honda Odyssey minivan will be around for a while as our road trip car. Until there's a major and efficient recharging infrastructure down the nation's highways and a plus-300 mile range, we're still going to have at least one gasoline-powered car.

Sad, but true.

 

[JJnHAWAII]

I would never go back.....simple....never..

Gasoline is a thing of the past as soon as Joe six-pack can afford an electric car on an hourly wage.

Hopefully, sooner than later.

Bye OPEC, RIP...