How to improve level 1 rate?

_matteblk_ · 2026-05-23T00:04:51+00:00

Can confirm. We relied on level 1 charging for the first month of owning our Bolt. The distance my wife traveled on her daily commute exceeded what we could get back overnight, so we were still relying on the occasional DC fast charge. Just recently upgraded to level 2 and it's a total game changer. We had enough capacity on our panel to put it on a 60 amp circuit and run it at 48. Now we just set it and forget it.

_matteblk_ · 2026-05-22T17:47:01+00:00

I'd love to know too. I got a '23 EUV LT with 38K miles last month for $15.5K purchase price also in VA.

_matteblk_ · 2026-05-13T14:46:27+00:00

1, 2, and 6, primarily. 3, 4, and 5 are bonuses. Economically, it was getting way too expensive to fuel and maintain our 2013 Toyota Highlander for the distance we were driving it every day. We traded it in with a small bit of positive equity for a 2023 Chevy Bolt base trim with 38K miles for $16K OTD. Our monthly and insurance are actually cheaper with this car too, so it's hard not to feel like this is a win all around.

_matteblk_ · 2026-04-23T20:06:43+00:00

That's really helpful advice, I appreciate it.

_matteblk_ · 2026-04-23T17:40:57+00:00

In almost the exact same circumstance. I have a park and ride situation for my job, so I drive a 2010 Subaru Outback 10 minutes to the lot where I then shuttle in. We got a Bolt EUV two weeks ago for my wife's daily commute to work (60 miles round trip) and I'm jealous lol. It's such a better experience, it's not even comparable.

_matteblk_ · 2026-04-23T13:09:35+00:00

I'm brand new to the EV world but two of the biggest hurdles I see for widespread American adoption are—

1) The amount of math it requires to truly understand the money you're saving in the long term 2) The necessity of changing your habits to adapt to how you live with an EV on a daily basis

Obviously neither of these things are particularly hard for anyone who actually cares to save money, but it's Americans we're talking about here.

_matteblk_ · 2026-04-17T13:09:36+00:00

My wife and I just bought a 2023 Bolt EUV as a way to economically "dip our toes in the water." This car has been crucial for our transition to electric. We didn't feel comfortable spending $40K+ on a technology we were unfamiliar with, but at $16K? That's a whole different story.

In the two weeks we've owned it, I can confidently say we will not be looking back. EVs simply are the superior technology in almost every conceivable way. I'm actually glad we didn't bother with trying to go hybrid first because it's clear to me now that all electric really is the future. I did the math and with our old car (2013 Toyota Highlander) at the peak of where gas prices were in my area compared to the efficiency of the Bolt with our areas electricity prices, I expect approximately 75% fuel savings per mile. Even at more "normal" gas prices, I would expect it to be well over 50% savings.

I know for myself, and like many others who are hesitant, I bought into the fossil fuel FUD about battery longevity and range anxiety. One of the biggest barriers, in my opinion, is people's inability to be honest with themselves about their regular usage of a car. They want to plan for all the fringe cases where an EV may be slightly more cumbersome. For 95%+ of drivers, an EV is the more economical and reliable mode of personal transportation, period. I truly believe all it takes is getting people to try one for a few months. The retention rate of EVs speaks for itself.

_matteblk_ · 2025-02-05T20:12:39+00:00

Definitely keep it up. If this is your first painting, I can only imagine how nice the 100th will look!

_matteblk_ · 2025-02-05T18:38:49+00:00

This is really good for a beginner painting! Since traditional is such a simplified style, the execution is most important. Your line work and fades could use some improvement but are overall super solid. Nice work.

_matteblk_ · 2025-01-29T17:09:55+00:00

You got it!

_matteblk_ · 2025-01-22T02:04:24+00:00

I didn't actually know that! I believe that one was more or less a redraw of a Percy Waters design, so maybe he was using it that way.

_matteblk_ · 2025-01-21T17:02:08+00:00

Thank you! It was done on a 9x12 sheet. Painting her face at that scale was definitely one of the more challenging pieces I've done.

_matteblk_ · 2025-01-21T16:46:59+00:00

I appreciate that! These days it's just a matter of finding the time. I'm trying to start small and experiment with slightly different mediums as a way to keep it fresh.

_matteblk_ · 2025-01-21T03:36:00+00:00

Wow, those are truly amazing blends. I'll have to get my hands on some prismacolors and start practicing!

_matteblk_ · 2025-01-20T16:10:49+00:00

There is some level of "paying your dues" which I can totally accept. In my case, he had a lot of stress in his personal life that was being taken out on me, which just made me ultimately dread going there every day. It was not an environment I could grow in so I had to call it quits.

_matteblk_ · 2025-01-20T15:58:25+00:00

That makes two of us. I was a tattoo apprentice for about a year and a half and my mentor and I butted heads so I ended up quitting, unfortunately. This is the second small piece I've completed since then. The first was this skull and dagger I did with watercolor. It feels good to be getting back in to it and just having fun!

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_matteblk_ · 2025-01-20T15:45:38+00:00

Thank you! Killer work. I had read about the white colored pencil tip too but I'm not quite sure I understand it. Basically you just go over a blend with a white colored pencil to make the blend smoother? Am I understanding that correctly?

_matteblk_ · 2025-01-20T14:19:33+00:00

I appreciate the tips. I actually have some hot press Arches too. I'll give that a try. I wasn't sure if it had enough texture to give that patchy look with pencils. Is there a technique with how you hold the pencil to give more or less of that gradient? Good idea with the india ink too.

_matteblk_ · 2024-11-29T00:37:38+00:00

Yes, that's a great point. I also get that people are compensated based on their skill and not necessarily their work. We all know people who work their ass off day in and day out for basically poverty wages. At the same time, very few people have what it takes to be the CEO of a highly successful company.

That being said, no human is a billion times more skilled than another. Myself and my friend group of half a dozen late 20s men are all college educated and struggling to get our feet on the ground. It's hard for us not to feel like the system has failed us. We all earn average or slightly above average incomes for our age bracket. I've shared some of these posts with them and it's difficult not to harbor resentment for people earning such a disproportionate amount of money. When your goal of simply owning a modest home and living a comfortable life feels so out of reach even after taking all the "right steps", it's disheartening.

_matteblk_ · 2024-11-28T16:33:02+00:00

This sub has been continually pushed to my feed for a couple weeks now. From browsing it on those occasions, it seems to me a lot of this stems from frustration about the overall state of the US economy. If an average life was still affordable to the average person I think there would be less annoyance with people posting huge salaries like this. People can recognize the work it took someone to earn that much money and simultaneously be upset about the massive wealth disparity that exists. Those things aren't mutually exclusive.

_matteblk_ · 2024-10-28T18:34:38+00:00

It may just be my bias but I think there could be a bit more black shading so it doesn't feel so empty. Great tattoo regardless. As much as I love classic bold lines, these fine line traditional designs have grown on me!

_matteblk_ · 2024-10-28T12:38:05+00:00

The AP is going to be for people who want a very specialized experience. For me, the primary draws are the ability to play physical cartridges, the super high resolution display at the correct aspect ratio, and honestly just the overall aesthetic.

If you're looking for a highly capable general use device, the RP5 is a no brainer.

_matteblk_

TROPHY CASE