First EV trip

[canadian.bacon]

Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD - towing capacity 3500lb, tongue weight 350lb
Camper: Rockwood 1940LTD - weight 1608 lb, hitch weight 195lb

First drive was about 90 miles away, fairly hilly here and there. Speeds about ~65 mph, give or take. Fair weather, sunny, a bit windy.
In the car: 2 adults, 2 dogs, some gear, one large bag of wood, coolers with food and beer, one large mosquito net.
In the trailer: water jug, 7 large bags of wood, bbq, full propane tank, camping chairs, some other stuff.

Return trip was the same distance, no load in the trailer. Speeds about ~55mph, give or take. Fair weather, sun and clouds, a bit windy.
Started with 90% battery, got there with about 40%. Used 50.2% battery on the way there, for about 90ish miles.
On the way back, started with 85%, got home with 40%.

We charged the car from 39% to 85% over the weekend since we had an electric site at the RV 30 amp plug. Car charged at 24 amps for about 11 hours to 85%.

Total cost of the trip: around $2.59CAD (around $1.96USD)- charged at home at 7.4c/kw on thew way up and free on the return.

We towed previously with a Ram 1500 V8 full crewcab 4x4 and a Toyota 4Runner. On daily driving all around, road trips, city, highway, towing, the Model Y is about 10 times cheaper than the 4Runner.

Feel free to ask me any questions.

[BehindBars]

Sounds like the trip went well. Thanks for posting the details.

[jimmarako]

Originally Posted by canadian.bacon

Total cost of the trip: around $2.59CAD (around $1.96USD)- charged at home at 7.4c/kw on thew way up and free on the return.

We towed previously with a Ram 1500 V8 full crewcab 4x4 and a Toyota 4Runner. On daily driving all around, road trips, city, highway, towing, the Model Y is about 10 times cheaper than the 4Runner.
]

Curious how you get 10 times cheaper? A model Y and 4 runner are not comparable but still.

I've been looking at the Chevy Bolts. They get 240+ mile from a 65KWhr battery pack which is "typical" for electric cars. To go 240 miles would cost me (NJ prices) 65 * .15 = $9.75. To go 240 mile in my Versa @ 30mpg would cost just under $28. Thats only a little over 2x better.

Jim M.

[canadian.bacon]

Originally Posted by jimmarako

Curious how you get 10 times cheaper? A model Y and 4 runner are not comparable but still.

I've been looking at the Chevy Bolts. They get 240+ mile from a 65KWhr battery pack which is "typical" for electric cars. To go 240 miles would cost me (NJ prices) 65 * .15 = $9.75. To go 240 mile in my Versa @ 30mpg would cost just under $28. Thats only a little over 2x better.

Jim M.

The Y does everything we need, as the 4Runner did. The 4Runner was around $800/month in gas, the Tesla is around $50/month (no supercharging). These are averages and the 4Runner numbers were at the peak of gas prices last year in March - $8/gal.
Without adding any $ as oil changes or any other maintenance, the 10x times is there in gas alone.

I cant take the Model Y in the bush like I did the 4Runner, but any decent ATV 450cc+ would scratch any off-road itch i might get. The Y has all the space we need for us with 2 dogs and all and can still tow our camper.

Can't have them all, something's gotta give and the pressure of gas prices made us do the switch. We can still use the PUP with little changes in routine.
I think the Bolt can tow 2000lb with 300lb tongue weight. I looked at them, but in Canada they were upper $50.xxxx, whereas in the US you could find a brand new one for high $26.xxxx. With the Supercharging network, performance, technology and features, we went the Tesla way.

Note: the Ram hemi was more efficient than the 4Runner overall. The indestructible 4.0 V6 with the 5 speed transmission in the 4Runner is just a pig in terms of mpg.

[jimmarako]

So Canada has cheap electric and expensive gas. Got it. ;-)

Thanks for the reply. Trying to understand the pros/cons going EV. I had thought going EV the cost savings would make up the car payment. Well they don't, at least here in NJ. So its tough to trade a paid off car to get a new car payment.

Jim M.

[NXR]

Originally Posted by jimmarako

So Canada has cheap electric and expensive gas. Got it. ;-)

That's why electricity is known as "hydro" in Canada.

Thanks for the reply. Trying to understand the pros/cons going EV. I had thought going EV the cost savings would make up the car payment. Well they don't, at least here in NJ. So its tough to trade a paid off car to get a new car payment.

Electric rates for the generation portion of the electric bill pretty much doubled here in Ohio if you did not shop around. Ours went from 0.0649 per KWH to 0.0799 KWH in one month or a 19% increase in one month. People who never picked a different company to provide the electricity itself saw their generation rate go from 0.0588 cents per KWH to 0.1239 cents per KWH plus their distribution charge.

May total: 14.1 cents per KWH total
June total: 15.6 cents per KWH total

Total bill divided by the total KWH, that is. Time to shop around again.

Some Teslas have a 100 KWH battery while others are 30 KWH or 50 KWH. Charging a 100 KWH battery from dead would cost me $15.60 at home while a full tank of gas for my SUV is $50.38. But I'm retired so I'd rather have a 10-minute stop at a gas station than wait an hour for a charger to get freed up and to charge. After all, I don't have that much time left.

Ray

[BehindBars]

Originally Posted by NXR

Some Teslas have a 100 KWH battery while others are 30 KWH or 50 KWH. Charging a 100 KWH battery from dead would cost me $15.60 at home while a full tank of gas for my SUV is $50.38. But I'm retired so I'd rather have a 10-minute stop at a gas station than wait an hour for a charger to get freed up and to charge. After all, I don't have that much time left.

Ray

A Tesla with only 30 or 50 kWh battery? That seems low. Shoot, even the compact Chevy Bolt has a 65 kWh battery pack.

[NXR]

Originally Posted by BehindBars

A Tesla with only 30 or 50 kWh battery? That seems low. Shoot, even the compact Chevy Bolt has a 65 kWh battery pack.

I don't have one but the battery size seems to change with the article I read.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Model_S
Battery 100 kWh lithium ion
Discontinued: 40 (software limited 60kWh pack), 60, 70, 75, 85 and 90 kWh lithium ion

Other articles have different sizes.

Ray

[canadian.bacon]

Originally Posted by jimmarako

So Canada has cheap electric and expensive gas. Got it. ;-)

Thanks for the reply. Trying to understand the pros/cons going EV. I had thought going EV the cost savings would make up the car payment. Well they don't, at least here in NJ. So its tough to trade a paid off car to get a new car payment.

Jim M.

It does my car payments alright . The 4Runner was paid for and and we got for it what we paid for 2 years ago. So we drove it 2 years, about 32.000 miles for free (not counting gas). Getting the EV at the current gas prices, in 5 to 6 years it covers the price difference between the gas for the 4Runner and the initial high price of the Tesla. Overall, it is slightly cheaper over the next 5-6 years to buy the "luxury" EV than to keep the paid for gas 4Runner.
Every case is different, of course, this is my particular example.

[canadian.bacon]

Originally Posted by NXR

That's why electricity is known as "hydro" in Canada.



Electric rates for the generation portion of the electric bill pretty much doubled here in Ohio if you did not shop around. Ours went from 0.0649 per KWH to 0.0799 KWH in one month or a 19% increase in one month. People who never picked a different company to provide the electricity itself saw their generation rate go from 0.0588 cents per KWH to 0.1239 cents per KWH plus their distribution charge.

May total: 14.1 cents per KWH total
June total: 15.6 cents per KWH total

Total bill divided by the total KWH, that is. Time to shop around again.

Some Teslas have a 100 KWH battery while others are 30 KWH or 50 KWH. Charging a 100 KWH battery from dead would cost me $15.60 at home while a full tank of gas for my SUV is $50.38. But I'm retired so I'd rather have a 10-minute stop at a gas station than wait an hour for a charger to get freed up and to charge. After all, I don't have that much time left.

Ray

I am traveling regularly to Ohio and never had an issue in NY, Penn, Ohio with any of the Tesla superchargers. No issues long weekend, no issues Saturdays. There are 8-10-12 stalls at each station and even in Cleveland, at some Sheetz station that was SUPER busy, still had about half of them free.
The idea with an EV is to charge home. Overnight. And I never had to wait for a supercharger or wait more than 20 min to get back up to 80% battery.

We are planning on upgrading from the PUP to a small full size trailer, saw a couple of Viking that are quite small, one queen size bed and a small table that would fit the tongue weight and towing capacity.
With the EVs, it is not the weight, it is the aerodynamics - this is what kills the range. It would still fit the bill and allow me 100 miles at least to my destination. Non towing, I can do easy Toronto to Cleveland with a single 20 min stop in Erie for a bite.
We have a plan now (I did not sign up fot it) that is higher during the day and 2.4c/kw from 7PM to 7AM. No delivery cost included here. I am not at 7.4c/kw which gives me around $2 to $4 per evening charging as I never go under 30% with my travels. A full charge would be about $7.
The towing experience is very smooth, better than any other car/SUV/truck I ever had. Solid torque, effortless, no sway, no issues braking, no wind issues.

Overall, i hope it will pay off in the long run

[NXR]

Originally Posted by canadian.bacon

Non towing, I can do easy Toronto to Cleveland with a single 20 min stop in Erie for a bite.

Nice. How much charge do you have upon arrival? That trip is about 300 miles and my one kid is 386 miles away. The other is 520 miles away. With my hybrid Sonata I could almost make the trip to the closer one and back without fueling up at all. The computer said I would have about a gallon of gas left but that was cutting it a bit too close for me.

We're just south of Cleveland, OH and doing a trip to Tottenham about 50 miles NNW of Toronto this month with the motorhome. That's going to cost me just a little bit more than $7 each way.

We have a plan now (I did not sign up for it) that is higher during the day and 2.4c/kw from 7PM to 7AM. No delivery cost included here.

That's like 6 times cheaper than what we pay. One company provides the power and the one that is local to us charges to deliver it. It's very close to a 50-50 split, except for that recent run-up in power cost.

I am not at 7.4c/kw which gives me around $2 to $4 per evening charging as I never go under 30% with my travels. A full charge would be about $7.

If that's $7 Canadian it would be about $4 US. That would make it more worthwhile.

Any guess on what your usual home KWH usage is per month? Ours is between 900 KWH and about 975 KWH.

As an aside, the previous recommendation was to run high power devices such as clothes dryers at night to reduce the stress on the power grid. But that recommendation has reversed in many areas due to home charging of electric cars. The grid usage actually is now higher overnight than it is during the day in many areas due to electric car charging, even with much of the industrial and business usage not happening overnight.

Ray

[canadian.bacon]

Originally Posted by NXR

Nice. How much charge do you have upon arrival?

If that's $7 Canadian it would be about $4 US. That would make it more worthwhile.

Any guess on what your usual home KWH usage is per month? Ours is between 900 KWH and about 975 KWH.

As an aside, the previous recommendation was to run high power devices such as clothes dryers at night to reduce the stress on the power grid. But that recommendation has reversed in many areas due to home charging of electric cars. The grid usage actually is now higher overnight than it is during the day in many areas due to electric car charging, even with much of the industrial and business usage not happening overnight.

Ray

I get there with 20% or less. Low.
In the winter time, I have to make 2 stops, either Niagara or Fredonia and Erie. No more than 15 min to 20 min each.
Monthly about the same as you, depending how cold the winter or how hot the summer. I only use a few kws overnight.
I got the car at the end of Oct 2022. So far, i have used 5053khw that cost me $550. I have abut 14.000 miles on the car. The numbers are a bit high as some of the locations were not at home and I didn't modify the app to reflect proper Ontario electricity pricing.
Once we get the Cybertruck, we will most probably upgrading the trailer as well.

[Aussieguy]

Originally Posted by canadian.bacon

Total cost of the trip: around $2.59CAD (around $1.96USD)- charged at home at 7.4c/kw on thew way up and free on the return.

The cost to recharge at the campsite should be factored in

If you could have camped for FREE elsewhere
but had to get a powered campground so you could charge the car

Then the cost to charge would be 100% of the campground fees .
--------------------------------------------------

IF you went to a paid campground because you wanted other conveniences such as showers , toilets etc
then work out a fair estimate of what the POWER part of the site fees were
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Pretty soon you will find that campsites will make you either pay extra for EV or won't allow EV charging.

[Jim34RL]

Will those little toys, would not even pull my trailer. Also, they do not have the battery capacity on a full charge to travel to the resort we go to even without a trailer. I would have to find a chagrining station to get a partial charge to make the full trip.

The resort I stay at allows you to charge your EV if you want to at $0.096 (US) per KW. So, if you use 299 KW of electric the cost would be $28.43 US.

[W8FDX]

Wait till it goes up in flames.

[glen1971]

Originally Posted by NXR

That's why electricity is known as "hydro" in Canada.


Ray

Not In this part of Canada. I think it is that way in the east.

[Sbosserman]

Originally Posted by jimmarako

Curious how you get 10 times cheaper? A model Y and 4 runner are not comparable but still.

I've been looking at the Chevy Bolts. They get 240+ mile from a 65KWhr battery pack which is "typical" for electric cars. To go 240 miles would cost me (NJ prices) 65 * .15 = $9.75. To go 240 mile in my Versa @ 30mpg would cost just under $28. Thats only a little over 2x better.

Jim M.

Are we splitting hairs here? 2 times, 5 times, 10 times, who cares? Just know that the bottom line is that the EV was considerably cheaper to tow with, ok?

[ilmor]

Do you take into account initial costs of each compared vehicle?

[dalford]

Originally Posted by W8FDX

Wait till it goes up in flames.

Actually, EVs are statistically less likely to catch fire compared to an ICE but if it does catch fire just sit back and watch it burn. EV Battery fires and next to impossible to extinguish.

Either way both type vehicles will probably be destroyed but an EV will burn for a long time.

[Tcmustang93]

Have you factored battery replacement when needed into the dauly cost of driving? My neighbor just had the shock of his life ( pun intended) when he needed a battery change 2.5 yrs into ownership. The cost was $30,000 plus U.S. he then recalculated his cost of ownership divided by his milage and it far exceeded his previous Toyota Prius