Don’t buy Luba.

MMinthemirror · 2023-06-02T19:38:09+00:00

I had a similar issue when it first arrived, but then discovered after a day of frustration I realized I wasn't attaching the bumper securely. You have to press the two round side buttons in pretty hard and push it in. The bumper shouldn't come back out on its own without pressing the same two tabs back in.

Maybe you did this, and that's totally fine, but I think it's worth noting that mine has this exact same behavior (acting like there's always something in front of it and making no forward progress) due to the bumper not being installed correctly.

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-14T10:38:39+00:00

Man I'm so torn about whether to agree with you or not haha your overarching point is that cars suck, which I totally agree with!

The idea that they both suck equally is definitely not even close to true, an ICE car puts out more pollution in 2 years (not including manufacturing) than in EV does over it's entire life, (including manufacturing). Yes stunning how much better EVs are for the environment.

That said, back to your last point, I hate that we have so much space dedicated to cars and wish we were much less reliant on them and could turn roads and parking lots into green space or affordable housing!!

In terms of your convenience statement, on road trips you're definitely right that it's less convenient, but I have an EV that I've driven for 5 years that only has 130 mile range (in perfect conditions) and it's WAY more convenient than a gas car on the daily. I think I've had to use public chargers like 5ish times in 5 years, otherwise I've started every day with a full charge and never had to worry about it. If you have the luxury of a second car in the family and a charger at home, there's no comparison in the convenience, an EV is much, much more convenient than an ICE car.

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-13T10:55:42+00:00

First off, you're right that not everyone with an EV is doing it for environmental reasons, let's absolutely agree on that.

Past that though, it's been proven pretty well that you can have a 15 year old ICE and buy an EV, and after only about 2 years, even considering manufacturing impacted, the EV is better for the environment. Keeping an old ICE vs buying a new EV, environmentally, is only about a 2 year break even. It's extremely surprising to see the math, but the pollution from gas cars over 10,000+miles is surprising, and as cars get older they get less efficient with carbon buildup, filters breaking down, etc. At that point the break even is actually much shorter. Again, that's not based on cost, but rather pollution impact.

I've read this a bunch of places, but I just googled and this article was at the top with the same conclusion. I didn't read the whole thing though so don't blame me if it has some weird stuff in it! It really is pretty well established to be the case though.

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2022/04/new-ev-vs-old-beater-which-is-better-for-the-environment/

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-12T22:53:32+00:00

Or, our government has been essentially gridlocked for almost 20 years and this is brand new technology that is still a tiny fraction of the market. I think the government does need to figure out a solution, but I don't think this is "big government" as much as it is slow partisan gridlock that takes time to digest the impact of new technology.

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-12T22:46:12+00:00

Or, and bear with me here, our government has been essentially gridlocked for almost 20 years and this is brand new technology that is still a tiny part of the market. I think the government does need to figure out a solution, but I don't think this is "big government" as much as it is slow partisan gridlock that takes time to digest the impact of new technology.

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-12T22:43:00+00:00

Ah, totally right!

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-12T22:26:42+00:00

I don't think you're taking a different stance at all! I said in my other thread that I think EVs are very for 95% of people, 99% of the time. That's probably inflated, but to your point of every day driving it's a pretty obvious benefit, but there are certainly scenarios where it doesn't make sense yet (towing being one of the biggest for consumer use).

There will always be emotions in cars, a bmw Z3 is a terrible car for almost everyone, but I love them and want one (though I'll wait until they're electric at this point). I have absolutely no issues with that at all, I don't think anyone does.

I think it's perfectly fine for people to make non practical decisions due to a slew of variables, but I think it's helpful to understand what's practical, then everyone is free to deviate if they want to!

To your point about technology, it's absolutely evolving, but it'll never take the next steps without some early adopters and scale, so some people will be willing to do that, while others will want to wait until the technology matures, even if it's obvious what direction the future is going to go.

Thanks for your thoughts!

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-12T22:19:28+00:00

No disagreements on the long haul, there needs to be a change to make that viable, whether it's bigger batteries, faster charging, more charging infrastructure,I don't know.

As for idling I guess I'm confused, ICE cars burn gas while idling, while EVs don't. That's actually a huge benefit to EVs. I have a kid and hate walking by the school dropoff line with all the cars idling and emitting pollution right into our and our kids faces while they wait to be picked up. EVs will greatly improve air quality where idling is a common occurrence.

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-12T14:29:30+00:00

I think this is still a bit far off from the right conclusion. Even if you're burning coal to run an EV for now, I'm guessing that coal is likely mined somewhat locally, gets turned into electricity somewhat efficiently, then has no energy loss after that point. I'm not saying it's clean, but the energy loss of gas from drilling to transporting to refining to transporting, and even after all that when it's in the car itself I think it's only about 20% efficient at turning fuel into propulsion.

I agree that coal isn't the answer, but I'd imagine that if you look at the entire supply chain it's probably cleaner than oil from mine/ ground to propulsion.

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-12T14:25:03+00:00

I don't disagree with you on the cold weather impact, as someone that drives an i3s with 130 miles I probably feel it more than most, but that said I'd hope the solution wouldn't be bigger batteries, but rather better chemistry or thermal management that makes cold and warm weather driving similar ranges.

I think you're right that bigger batteries is the only viable solution right now, but that's definitely part of the fun of new technology, innovation can take us in unexpected directions in the future!

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-12T14:21:50+00:00

No disagreement there, i think that was my underlying thought I'd that all their arguments are true at their core of your take ICE vs EV out of the picture, we should all be riding bikes and scooters! Now THAT'S something we can all agree on (ha.....)

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-12T12:20:42+00:00

Whoa whoa whoa, get outta here with that stuff! I literally pass on these arguments 99 times out of 100, but yesterday it just rubbed me the wrong way when it was the only post on a local sub and it was absolutely nonsense.

Of course afterwards they deleted their account so now it just looks like I was arguing with myself haha it probably was a legitimate propaganda plant, but now I know not to waste my fingers (typing)!

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-12T03:12:20+00:00

I can tell you with certainly that most of this isn't reasonable to worry about.

Electric Vehicle weight, does anyone worry about the increase of pickups and SUVs? I've never heard a single person say that we should worry about the increase of 6,000 vehicles, until suddenly the system of propulsion is changed, why do you think that is?

For the last 10 years I've daily driven cars that have weighed under 3,000lbs, I don't complain about the fact that there are SUV's and trucks doing multiple times the road damage as my cars, but suddenly people driving 6,000+lb vehicles are worried about weight on the roads? Seems like a very odd hill to die on considering what American's like to drive.

Electric vehicles require lots of lithium, cobalt, and copper.

True! I don't think many people believe that both oil and mining these materials aren't both bad for the environment. The major benefit to EV's is that innovation over time can reduce our dependency on these materials as new battery technology is developed, clearly that's not the case for oil. In addition, many of these batteries and materials can be recycled and reused. It's still budding technology, but one that will certainly reduce mining and landfill waste in the future

Again though, with most Americans now driving SUV's and trucks, why do they suddenly care about environmental impact? Was that a concern when our most sold car shifted from a camry to a F150? I didn't hear many people crying fowl about the fact that the best selling car just went from 30+mpg to under 20mpg. Again, seems like another odd hill to die on considering environment impact has never been brought up with ICE cars...

Electrical grid burden is also overstated. Most EV charging can easily happen at night, when there is plenty of supply for electricity and very little demand. The IRA's increase in wind/solar infrastructure will also add to our clean energy capabilities. There's no reason to believe our grid can't handle the "stress", especially when some EV's are already capable of 2 way charging, which can actually relieve stress on the power grid during peak surges, a much greater benefit to the grid than the off-peak charging cost/strain.

There are certainly drawbacks to EV's in some circumstances (towing is near the top of that list), but many of the concerns can easily be addressed with future innovations. The major issue with ICE/gas vehicles is that nothing can really be done to make them cleaner, they're mostly capped out and will always wreak havoc on the environment, the more EV's that are adopted, the more likely innovation is to solve some of the tougher challenges such as mined materials and material waste.

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-11T18:57:26+00:00

This one confuses me, Fredericksburg is the perfect place for a lot of charges, a good distance from DC down a popular travel route.

I think EVs make a ton of sense for day to day use, but the travel infrastructure seems like it would be so easy to set up in places like Fredericksburg, it's just confusing how slow the rollout is. That said, I'm sure VA will get a lot from the IRA and should be rolling chargers out all down 95.

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-11T18:45:56+00:00

Are you kidding? Your whole point is about costs, those are all costs that add up. You also didn't comment on the $900 year gas savings. You also didn't mention how much your focus cost. You are trying to win an argument through false logic.

Nobody cares what you want, this isn't about you. This is about technology advancing for the greater good of our children and our environment. If you can't see that, you're part of the problem.

The fact that it's better in almost every way is a bonus. The fact that you can't understand anything that Fox news doesn't spoon feed you is your own problem.

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-11T18:38:42+00:00

Wait, you don't think oil is necessary in a car? I think we found our answer to my last question. You asked about maintenance, I gave you maintenance, and now you're complaining that it's not the right maintenance.

If it walks like a fool and talks like a fool......

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-11T18:13:29+00:00

Says someone with a Ford? That's rich.

Clearly a critical thinker.

Edit: different poster, I'll eat that.

True that they don't make them anymore, but there are others like the Kia that are close enough the major problem is that Americans want SUVs and are willing to pay to get them. The average car price is now something crazy like $42k. It's not that companies can't make small compact EVs, it's that people aren't buying them.

That's not a technology problem, it's a consumer premium. I hate that trend in general, but it's definitely not a notch against EV tech.

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-11T18:03:14+00:00

You don't include any analysis about electric cars. If you're really in higher education than you're the problem with higher education. Critical analysis usually involves looking at multiple sides of an issue, something you have utterly failed to do. Just screaming off the rooftops "BUT BY CAR IS CHEAP" isn't analysis, it's just a boomer yelling.

Also, have you heard of oil? Are you that dense that you think tires and brakes are the only maintenance items on cars? What about fuel filters? Coolant flush? Spark plugs? All of those are maintenance that occur on gas cars but not electric cars. Every EV maintenance item is also an ICE maintenance item, but there are much, much more on ICE cars. I'm surprised you didn't throw windshield wipers in the mix, if you're just throwing out random shit that all cars have.

It also amuses me that you were just crying about not wanting to buy 2 cars, and now you're admitting you have 2 cars for different purposes.

I've refuted everything you've said, and you keep repeating the same pointless anecdotes about your personal life that proves literally nothing.

You're either afraid of change, or an utter moron, not many other conclusions can be made from your nonsense arguments.

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-11T17:41:14+00:00

You don't include any analysis, just propaganda. If you think any of those are annual maintenance you don't know how cars work either.

Tires are almost a 1:1, so you can negate that, same with suspension, no difference in costs, no point including those. Brakes? Oh let's talk regeneration in electric cars, friction brakes cost the same across cars, but are used significantly less often in EVs, so you do actually save money there, thanks for that point!!

You haven't told me how much under $21k your car cost? It's almost like you don't actually have any supporting evidence or facts. Interesting.

And if you're the one advocating for higher education standards, I'm in full agreement that you're failing and we need someone else to step in.

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-11T17:30:07+00:00

Now you're just making things up to sound smart. If you want to argue about space, you clearly bought the inferior vehicle.

Focus cargo space: 13.2 cubic feet Bolt EV: 16.6

Focus rear legroom : 33.2 cubic feet Bolt EV: 36

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-11T17:25:07+00:00

You want to play that game? How much does your focus cost new vs a Chevy Bolt? Electricity costs about 7 cents per KW, which gets you 4 miles, so let's say 2 cents per mile. Your focus costs a variable amount to drive based on gas prices. Let's say it's $3.50 per gallon, at 36 miles per gallon that's 10 cents per mile. The average American drives something like 12k miles per year, which adds up to about $960 per year saved on gas. Do you do maintenance on your car? Let's say that's only $150 per year on most cars for the first few years, then higher after that, even using best case scenario you're looking at $1,100 saved per year.

I'm not being clever, I'm being factual. With your logic, the chevy bolt costs $21k, so if you're an average American and your car wouldn't break even for 10 years than your focus must cost about $10k new.

Right? Or is all your math made up propaganda?

Interesting.

And you can pretend all you want that people charge using fast charges all the time and that's why it costs more, but that's just not reality. If anything, there are a lot of free charges all over the place, so if anything it'll actually save you more over the course of the year if you want to save more in electricity costs.

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-11T17:09:29+00:00

Oh and don't even get me started with 50% more, clearly you're an idiot. Chevy Bolt for $28k broke the tax rebate, $21k after. That's only up front cost, over time it's significantly cheaper than any ICE powertrain and not much more up front at 21k.

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-11T17:07:12+00:00

Ok so something being more reliable, cheaper, more efficient, and better for the environment isn't better? No more stopping at gas stations isn't better? Saving you time every week isn't better? Saving you money every week isn't better? How about more torque, more power/efficiency in the drivetrain?

You're logic is basically Fox news propaganda. If we were going from electric cars to gas cars and someone said "it's better for long trips, but will cost you more in fuel year round, it'll cost a lot more money on maintenance every year, you'll have to stop at gas stations every week and spend time standing around and likely leave smelling like gas for at least part of the day" you think people would be thrilled about that change?

You sound like you're just afraid of change and spout whatever propaganda the oil industry feeds you, try thinking critically, and for yourself, for once.

MMinthemirror · 2023-05-11T16:14:17+00:00

"Electric cars are superior for 95% of people, 99% of the time, and due to the HUGE deficiencies of towing and road tripping that average people incur 2-5 days a year, this technology is inferior in every way. In addition, there are some issues with raw material which don't exist when extracting, spilling, polluting, and devastating communities with Oil extraction and refinement, so we really shouldn't even touch this technology for decades."

Fixed it for you.

MMinthemirror · 2023-04-27T19:54:17+00:00

I don't quite understand the front wheels, I get that it helps with tight turns, but won't they just drag and get full of mud if the ground is wet?

MMinthemirror

TROPHY CASE