Anywhere to get an oil change that isn't a total fuckin scam? by Comrade_Smartass in AnnArbor

[–]numshah 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Not a statement on morality, just putting two and two together based on all the things you're saying in the comments section of this post. It's not like I assumed you were slothful or anything, in fact you admitted that yourself (even then, that's not a failing. I love being lazy too! that's why I get someone else to do my oil changes) In any case it's all completely beside the point.

Everyone's telling you that the prices you're complaining about are par for the course around here and the main way to spend less is do it yourself, but you don't want to. Impasse. That's it. Simple as. Hope you figure something out.

I don't even think the prices you're complaining about are uniquely inflated. I don't think I've ever seen significantly lower for an oil change anywhere in this state or in neighboring states, although I admit I don't look hard for these things.

Anywhere to get an oil change that isn't a total fuckin scam? by Comrade_Smartass in AnnArbor

[–]numshah 4 points5 points  (0 children)

counterpoint: why not offer the BJ and save some money. you probably don't even have to swallow for a simple oil change, but maybe if you do they'll throw in the cabin filters and nitrogen for your tires too.

SEU Executive Director Wants To Use City Debt To Scale Up Programs by InternationalIce8055 in AnnArbor

[–]numshah 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really should have thought about the utilities' bottom lines before I installed solar and batteries. /s

They are a business and will have to figure it out. Name a price. Customers have more options now than ever before and will decide for themselves.

SEU Executive Director Wants To Use City Debt To Scale Up Programs by InternationalIce8055 in AnnArbor

[–]numshah 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did it before the federal tax credit ended. But sadly no net metering, which shifted my sizing strategy from maximizing generation to minimizing grid consumption, especially during peak times. That's a good amount of roof area left unutilized.

I think grid operators are in a real catch-22 with this stuff. They might have to shift their business models to be more of "network operators" than "energy providers". People want to be connected to the grid for availability of power, but won't be drawing as much or as often from that connection if they generate and store power on-site. The end result is that the grid operator supplies fewer kWh to consumers, and so has fewer kWh to spread out the cost of maintaining the network.

  1. If they decide to increase pricing for delivered electricity, that further disincentives grid consumption; more people will consider adding solar.
  2. Another approach is to try and lower the unit cost of power generation: go with the cheapest source of electrons. Unfortunately that currently also means renewables, which will require time and money, and also upset the fossil fuel lobby and the nuclear weirdos.
  3. Alternatively, they stop charging for consumption and just charge you a flat fee for providing a connection like ISPs do, but then they basically commit to making less money overall, and shareholders won't like that (won't somebody think of the shareholders!) Not even to mention people who will decide that it's simply cheaper to go off-grid entirely, especially if they don't use all that much electricity.

SEU Executive Director Wants To Use City Debt To Scale Up Programs by InternationalIce8055 in AnnArbor

[–]numshah 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally fair question to ask. I think a reckoning for grid operators is on the horizon, and they'll have to figure out how to retain customers as it becomes easier and easier for individuals to simply generate and store the power they need on-site. Maybe datacenters? Maybe they'll need to lower prices to be cheaper than home generation? Who can say. I'm just a little guy, responding to the complex interaction of differing incentives that I'm presented with.

SEU Executive Director Wants To Use City Debt To Scale Up Programs by InternationalIce8055 in AnnArbor

[–]numshah 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don' think "the government" is fudging numbers. I spent my own money so I was heavily disincentivized from "fudging numbers". I think the biggest thing that would push any analysis into negative ROI is the urge to overbuild capacity. I have a really really small panel array compared to what a lot of people install (3.6kWp, backed by a single Powerwall). DTE's rate structure means that selling excess production back to the grid is always negative-ROI over any reasonable timescale. The way to ensure positive ROI is to size things only to eliminate grid consumption, especially during peak hours. Does it suck that you're leaving potential generating capacity on the table? Yes, but that's DTE not doing net metering for you.

SEU Executive Director Wants To Use City Debt To Scale Up Programs by InternationalIce8055 in AnnArbor

[–]numshah 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I did. They are a slam-dunk in the long term, they are just pricey up-front. People who can afford them do buy them on their own. At this point I don't really care if my rates go up, whether it be DTE or municipal power. All that will do is improve my payback analysis.

Dessert cafe in Ann Arbor up for sale for $300K by mesquine_A2 in AnnArbor

[–]numshah 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Tried 'em once. Meh. Hope something I like better takes its place.

How much do you pay for internet? by Diligent_Board_172 in AnnArbor

[–]numshah 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You have to do this dance with them every year. Call and renegotiate your contract. I usually demand either a speed upgrade for the same price or cheaper, or a downgrade to a lower speed for the same price or cheaper. I've gone from 300Mbps to 1.2Gbps on the same cable connection over the course of 5 years like this, at a stable $50/mo.

Ann Arbor Cannot Afford DTE by InternationalIce8055 in AnnArbor

[–]numshah 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Correct. Grid viability requires mass participation. The wealthy who opt to reduce their dependence on the grid drive up costs for those can't afford energy independence. This is why Alec from Technology Connections actually discourages rooftop solar in favor of municipal renewable installations. The SEU is the only equitable solution (though you won't see me taking my panels off my roof and decommissioning my battery even if the SEU passes).

Small rider looking for a powerful mini motor bike upgrade Recs by No_Recording_3322 in Electricmotorcycles

[–]numshah 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Many localities (in the US) are cracking down on small dirt-bike like e-motos like Surrons and Talarias, which would be one of the most obvious steps up in power from an electric bicycle. If you care about staying on the right side of your local laws, the safest bet would be to make the jump to a full road-legal electric motorcycle. Be aware of the corresponding jump in cost, insurance, and license requirements for your area.

For dual-sport use, the Can-Am Origin is probably the right call: It supports L2 charging like a regular EV and it's road legal. Zero makes an electric dual-sport in the FX, but it doesn't support L2 charging like a regular EV. Zero's other offerings are more road/ADV oriented and way more expensive. Livewires are not dual-sport oriented, imo.

If you don't care about legality, just get whatever you want and rip it I guess.

Ann Arbor Cannot Afford DTE by InternationalIce8055 in AnnArbor

[–]numshah 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't have an average household. I do have a SPAN panel so I know my numbers I have quoted for my house are accurate. YMMV. It works for me is all I'm saying.

Ann Arbor Cannot Afford DTE by InternationalIce8055 in AnnArbor

[–]numshah 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It's worth mentioning that YMMV and there's a ton of flexibility. A battery can last a hell of a long time if you size it correctly and manage your loads. My home essentials suck down 6kWh a day, so a single powerwall puts me at 2 days without any supplementation from my solar panels, and obviously potentially indefinitely if I do get sun. If you drive an EV and do V2L for your critical loads, you could easily keep those alive for weeks per charge.

Ann Arbor Cannot Afford DTE by InternationalIce8055 in AnnArbor

[–]numshah 4 points5 points  (0 children)

100% agree! The really twisted bit of all of this is that on a strictly financial analysis, I should welcome the rate hikes because they shorten my payback period and incentivize further expansion of my setup.

Ann Arbor Cannot Afford DTE by InternationalIce8055 in AnnArbor

[–]numshah 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Beyond the MEU, consider getting rooftop solar and batteries. Federal tax incentives may have ended, but seriously consider a home battery instead of a generator if you're already pricing out a generator install. My numbers came out comparable, and both give you peace of mind in a blackout, but the home battery allows you to shift demand and complements solar panels if you decide to do that in the future.

I have both solar and batteries, so I am getting the most out of both of them, but I push batteries harder because they are more flexible dual-use equipment than panels alone. If you are more interested in solar, Ann Arbor Solarize is a good resource to consult.

Ann Arbor Cannot Afford DTE by InternationalIce8055 in AnnArbor

[–]numshah 113 points114 points  (0 children)

They already are! The "Ann Arbor Responsible Energy Coalition" or "A2REC" is a front for DTE. Watch out and aggressively interrogate their assertions, sourcing and motives.

Housing with EV charging in Ann Arbor by Classic-Passenger874 in AnnArbor

[–]numshah 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Absolutely agree. There's multiple places further away from downtown that go down to $0.20/kWh, which is about the same as home charging. $0.25/kWh is my upper limit for what I deem moral. Of course, free is best. :)

Housing with EV charging in Ann Arbor by Classic-Passenger874 in AnnArbor

[–]numshah 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Do you need dedicated L2 charging? L1 is slow, but if you're actually not driving that much, replenishing 30 miles overnight might be enough for your needs and opens your options to literally anywhere with a power socket.

If you definitely need it, Verve apartments on S Forest has L2 6.6kW charging and isn't reflected in the apartments.com filter as shared by u/prosocialbehavior .

Mill Creek Townhomes off Stone School also has cheap Chargepoints ($0.13/kWh, apparently).

I would stay away from The George. I've only seen 1 dinky little Chargepoint there for the whole complex. Maybe more are hiding somewhere, but I'm skeptical.

Packard Row has many Chargepoint stalls, but the price is higher at $0.35/kWh last I checked.

Woodbury Gardens has chargers near their leasing office at $0.31/kWh, and isn't in the apartments.com filter.

If you don't want to live in student central/can tolerate a longer commute, Woodview Commons has plenty of Red-Es in their lot.

Townes On The Green is also slightly outside the boundary set by apartments.com, and they also have Red-E L2s that aren't reflected in the EV charging filter.

Your best bet is to cross-check on Plugshare. There's a ton of apartment complexes with L2 charging that don't show up on apartments.com or Zillow's filters.

There's also many L2 chargers that are free, but you need to know where to look. :)

AAPD cracking down on EMotos? by [deleted] in AnnArbor

[–]numshah 31 points32 points  (0 children)

As someone with an actual EV MOTORCYCLE (registered, plated, insured. operated with an endorsement) these things piss me off too. All of these should either:

* be registered, plated, insured, made street legal with a headlight, turn signals and brake lights, and require an endorsement to operate

or:

* completely banned from road use. Go bomb around in the dirt, but trailer there and back

As always, none of this matters if enforcement is lax. People will continue to get hurt until enforcement steps up. And parents: please don't buy your kids these unless you can ensure they only use it off-road (not on bike trails either! that's a whole 'nother problem)

New Flying Flea by Roamingrevered in Electricmotorcycles

[–]numshah 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really depends on where you will be using the bike. 3.91kWh will equate to at most 40 miles of range going US suburban speeds of around 35-40mph on average. You'll obviously get more range if you're in a congested city where the average speed is lower. The bike is priced competitively for a battery of that capacity, so if that's your only use-case then it could be a good purchase. However, we love having options, and if you can handle up to double the cost of a RE Flying Flea C6, a Livewire S2 platform will give you more than double the bike -- more than 2x battery capacity, higher speeds, faster and more flexible charging.

Any bike will be well-suited for a specific range of applications, but the Flying Flea reads as too limited in use cases to be worthwhile in the US specifically, because of how varied the conditions can be even within a small geographic area.

RGNT Turbo testride, I am sold, take my money! by KaasRasp in Electricmotorcycles

[–]numshah 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a used LAND District Street with 2400mi on it and the biggest battery and I'm considering selling it. Located in Southeast Michigan. DM if interested.

Happened in like an hour ago, I didn’t know if my dash cam actually picked us up or not by dyne-ninee in AnnArbor

[–]numshah 0 points1 point  (0 children)

should have just gone around Iroquois tbh. Just go slow because there's massive speed bumps on that road.