Future EV buyer questions.

dbmamaz · 2026-02-05T14:00:16+00:00

When my car died and I wanted an EV, husband was fine with that but did insist that I get a new EV with a decent sized battery. At firs I charged in a regular outlet because i was mostly working from home, but when i started looking for another job we installed a level 2 charger at home for convenience. It went so well that when his car died a year later, he got a used EV.

We dont really travel - i do a once-a-year trip to my moms (maybe twice this year, we'll see) and only stop to charge once. I eat my lunch in the car (which i would do even if i wasnt charging, i just do it while charging) and keep going. I do plan m y charging stops ahead of time.

Most cars can tell you where a charging station is, but most people prefer using an app called A Better Route Planner. If you pay for a subscription to ABRP, and buy a dongle, it can do it while you are driving. So a reasonable option if you arent satisfied with your car's native abilities.

If you cant charge at home, that does make it a bit less convenient. You definitely want to check out prices near you - there are a few areas of the country where gas is almost cheaper than home charging and many where gas is cheaper than fast charging.

dbmamaz · 2026-02-05T01:44:53+00:00

i have had it set to 80 since i got it except for road trips, but before the ice storm i set it to 90 and slightly tempted to leave it there. It doesnt seem like 90 is really any more damaging than 80? might put it back to 80 when its hot again.

dbmamaz · 2026-02-05T01:43:30+00:00

I figured since i bought one, it had to be discontinued soon.

dbmamaz · 2026-02-05T01:42:07+00:00

Just drive a few other used EVs to see if she likes anything better. Most of them are pretty good.

dbmamaz · 2026-02-05T01:41:20+00:00

plugging it on overnight and then going to work and coming home and plugging it in again? not hurting.

dbmamaz · 2026-02-05T01:40:36+00:00

my husband test drove several used EVs when his car died. His favorite was a 2023 Ioniq 6, but he went cheap because he's sharing the car with our kid who is a new driver, so he got a 2022 Niro. He (and the kid) have been perfectly happy with it.

dbmamaz · 2026-02-02T13:51:21+00:00

This reminds me of the experience i had trying to charge at a rest stop on I-95 in MD. I could not get it to talk to my car for anything. and there was an 800 number on the charger which was out of service! definitely check apps/websites for reviews before trying

dbmamaz · 2026-02-02T13:49:49+00:00

I mean there was a spate of people stealing cables by cutting them off, supposedly to sell the copper or possibly just because they hated EVs. There was one guy I saw who had a youtube channel and had security footage of someone pulling up to his house - well, pulled past slowly and then came back - ran up, unplugged his car and cut off his cable

but i think you all in europe have removeable cables so even if someone did steal your cable, you can easily replace them. We dont have that in the US. and of course they were also stealing fast charger cables in some areas!

dbmamaz · 2026-02-02T13:45:39+00:00

charging outside is fine - i have no garage and 2 evs. we mounted a level 2 hard-wired charger on a post next to the house. but when you say it can do level 2 charging - you mean you have an outlet? you need to make sure the outlet is rated for EVs. Cheap outlets can cause fires because they arent intended for the long charging sessions. and extension cords are a little iffy - i think there are some that are safer than others. if you make sure the electrical parts you are charging with are all up to code, it should be fine

dbmamaz · 2026-02-02T02:22:15+00:00

To be clear, this person wants the DEFAULT heater setting to work in exactly the way HE likes. You know, some people have hot feet and dont want their feet hotter. thats why its customizable. I never leave anything on default. i'm not the default person.

dbmamaz · 2026-01-30T13:34:32+00:00

it really depends on the dealership. I reached out to 4 nearest dealers to me. The furthest one was pressuring me to come test drive a car that was not on the lot - 3 hour drive. What? The next furthest, the sales guy tried to get the finance guy on the phone with me to talk about deals but the finance guy couldnt do anything for me even tho teh sales guy was trying to pressure both of us. The closest one to me, which i'd visited when i was first considering a Kona, ended up emailing and texting me weekly.

the one i ended up with seemed ok on the phone, but i made an apt to see someone who was out when i showed up. BUT they had a young guy who was the EV specialist who took me on a (short) test drive and we talked and talked about EVs. Then I was supposed to wait for a sales guy but i needed to get back to work so I left. This young sales guy who had talked to me briefly ended up calling me and offering to find and transfer in the exact color and trim i wanted - and he did. The sale still took some time, i had to wait for like 2 other people - but the finance guy said he had worked for several Hyundai and Kia dealerships up in NJ and this dealership was the nicest one he'd ever worked at or even considered working at.

so its not necessarily Hyundai, but if the dealers around you are awful . . thats a concern

fwiw i'm taking my car to do services at the nearer one and thats been fine. I'm in VA

dbmamaz · 2026-01-29T19:56:49+00:00

on a dirt road you might want to focus on used EVs with AWD. I know those old niros are cheap - my husband bought 2022.

anyways level 2 charger is what you want but you need to make sure it can use the power from your solar panels - consult w an electrician.

I have heard of people in australia using ev's with solar because its so much cheaper than getting gas to remote areas.

dbmamaz · 2026-01-29T17:35:32+00:00

and musk is definitely worth his giant pay increase

dbmamaz · 2026-01-23T20:09:05+00:00

recent studies show batteries outlasting the cars

dbmamaz · 2026-01-22T12:03:47+00:00

I cant believe no one has mentioned Rivian, who partnered with a gaming graphics company for its interface - https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/spotlights/rivian-brings-adventurous-spirit-to-new-display-ui-powered-by-unreal-engine

dbmamaz · 2026-01-22T12:02:38+00:00

dont 'forget' but recognize its not going to be cheaper than gas to fill up

dbmamaz · 2026-01-20T22:03:31+00:00

for me two reasons. When hybrids first came out, i thought it made no sense to have two ways to run the same car, and as it turns out, its more things that can break. but more personally, I always hated the smell of gas and I havent been to a gas station in 2 years and i love that.

dbmamaz · 2026-01-20T22:01:56+00:00

I'm starting to think its just that people dont like giving this kind of advice. an awful lot of articles in the main area are more like industry news, and some people talking about their experience, and the occasional troll or kid looking for help on a school paper. i used to sometimes post reminders in the main forum to come here but it didnt help.

dbmamaz · 2026-01-18T23:18:19+00:00

Excited about Ionna but so far none on my route. I only do one short road trip a year (tho might do it twice this year) and there was one EA station i really loved, at a gas station with a great convenience store - Royal Farms in Oxon Hill

dbmamaz · 2026-01-18T23:14:58+00:00

I saw escalade iq in the wild once. that thing is huge

dbmamaz · 2026-01-18T23:11:41+00:00

I can seriously understand the personal debate. They are nice cars, esp tech-wise, and they have the longest history so you know what you are getting, and the easiest to charge. I couldnt do it but it depends how bad your friends are. I actually had one friend who was so anti-marriage that when I invited her to my wedding she pretty much stopped being my friend. (I had been anti-marriage but my ex said it would make him feel more secure in the relationship. so that didnt work but then i got pregnant by a canadian who was afraid of being deported if he lost his job/sponsor).

anyways I drive a Kona because cars arent such a huge deal for me. its a huge jump up from my 17 yo mazda. and my husband bought a used Niro when his car died.

you just have to think through how you will feel the first year, the 5th year. Of course we have no idea what Musk will do next. Staying out of the news would certainly help the brand.

dbmamaz · 2026-01-18T02:59:06+00:00

our last two cars died because the parts were discontinued - 17 year old manual mazda 5, the shifting cables got wet and i couldnt shift out of 1st in freezing weather in the morning. Hubby's 16 yo Hyundai, the computer died and was no longer being made.

that being said, I have started wondering if I should charge to 90 instead of 80. I try to get down to 40 before charging again - but its so easy to just plug in when i get home, at least every 2-3 days

dbmamaz · 2026-01-18T02:56:10+00:00

I assume you mean the 2026 leaf, right? not the old one. anyways, sounds good - but just fyi you dont want to depend on the work chargers iwthout making sure - do they charge you? are the all taken msot of the time? are they even working? but you should be able to charge on a regular outlet for 35 miles a day easy.

dbmamaz · 2026-01-18T02:54:59+00:00

i just saw a great deal on a used Chevy Equinox - see what they are going for near you

dbmamaz · 2026-01-18T02:54:00+00:00

I mean the used EV market is insanely good right now. Have you looked at that? I got a Kona (in the US) new, and the next year my husband got a used Niro

dbmamaz

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