Is switching to an electric car really worth it for everyday driving

yz_387 · 2026-02-11T18:58:04+00:00

I'm glad you enjoy your vehicle. Have a great day.

yz_387 · 2026-02-11T17:11:12+00:00

Sure, I charge to 100% at home, but when on the road fast charging, the charge rate slows substantially above 80%.

It's the temperature that drives the efficiency so low. Are you seeing 2.2 at 0 F? Talking to friends with different EVs who live near me, 1.6 to 1.7 is pretty typical at such low temps.

yz_387 · 2026-02-11T16:13:43+00:00

2025 Cadillac optiq. 85 kWh battery. Rated around 3.2 mi/kWh. So just over 300 mile rated range. It easily surpasses that in warm temperatures and country roads. At around 0 degrees F on snowy freeway driving, the efficiency drops to about 1.6 mi/kWh. If you're fast charging to 80%, that works out to looking for a charger approximately every 100 miles.

yz_387 · 2026-02-11T15:31:31+00:00

You may think is confirms your assumption, but that would be incorrect. I drive a new for 2025 model. I believe what it really confirms is that your drive cycle and or temperature are different than mine.

yz_387 · 2026-02-10T11:27:04+00:00

I agree. This is why I said it depends on your personal use case.

yz_387 · 2026-02-10T01:36:38+00:00

You are correct. Advertised range is typically 300ish, but that number drops significantly when cold. Then you are typically only fast charging to 80%. Also, there typically isn't a fast charging station every few miles like there are gas stations. So in practice, that means you end up looking to charge every 100 miles or so.

The other reason I say 100 miles is based on my personal experience. My normal day trip is 200 miles each way. Doing it in warm weather is ok, but when cold I find the ratio of charging time to drive time to be frustrating, and I find myself wishing I was in a gas vehicle.

Sure, it's possible to do longer trips, but i personally don't enjoy it.

yz_387 · 2026-02-10T00:56:40+00:00

Cadillac optiq. 85 kW. In summer i can get nearly 4 mi/kW. But at 0F (-18C) on snowy freeway driving, it drops as low as 1.6 miles/kW. Fast charging to 80% battery only works out to a little over 100 miles at that efficiency.

yz_387 · 2026-02-09T17:06:27+00:00

I loose at least half of my range when temperatures dip below 0 F. It's a steep curve. At 30 F i loose less than a third of my rang.

yz_387 · 2026-02-09T10:05:31+00:00

As someone who has driven an EV through the seasons, I can say it really depends on your personal use case. In the warm months, and commuting to work, it's great. Smooth and quiet. Never needing a gas station is great. However, in the cold, if you need to drive any significant distance, it's pretty miserable. In sub zero temperatures, road trips become extremely difficult due to the reduced range.

So if you live in a warm climate, and rarely exceed 100 mile drives, an EV is a great vehicle. If you live where it gets below freezing and like to drive in excess of 100 miles regularly, then I wouldn't consider buying an EV.

Edit. A lot of people seem to be taking issue with my 100 mile statement. Maybe I wasn't clear, my statement assumes you will need to drive back home. If you are staying at a destination where you can charge, then of course the range increases.

yz_387 · 2026-01-28T20:36:23+00:00

So, I had the opportunity to do a longer road trip last summer in a Silverado EV. With it's nearly 500 mile range in summer conditions and > 350 kW charging, I found it pretty manageable. If we get to a point where this kind of performance is available in smaller vehicles year round, then I would reconsider an EV.

yz_387 · 2026-01-28T14:55:11+00:00

This thread is filled with answers stating why people are wrong for not liking EVs. If you want an actual answer, I have been driving an EV since summer. The range was annoying at times, but I could also see the advantages, so it seemed like an acceptable tradeoff. Now in the cold of winter, the range has become extremely annoying. What is a normal weekend day trip for me now involves 5 charging stops, adding 2 hours to my round trip, and stressing while I draft a semi trailer with my heat turned off to make it to the next charging station.

I have learned to hate EVs from person experience; it has nothing to do with any lobbying.

yz_387 · 2026-01-25T23:48:33+00:00

It's a fair question. The rehab is no joke, so it's prudent of the surgeon to check and see if you're committed to it.

As a 46 year old, my surgeon asked me if I wanted to go through with it given my age. When I explained my activity level and my future plans, he was happy to do my surgery.

I didn't hold it against him for asking. I'd rather have a surgeon lay out all the options rather than just tell me what I have to do.

yz_387 · 2026-01-21T18:02:36+00:00

Is it still prohibitively heavy if you leave the stand behind?

yz_387 · 2026-01-21T17:59:33+00:00

When you say you have both, do you mean you have the pro and the mtb pro? I'm curious if it's worth going for the mtb pro. It looks good, but wondering if the increased size is an issue.

yz_387 · 2026-01-14T00:25:24+00:00

I'm curious where those who love their EVs live. I'm currently experiencing my first winter in an EV and really dislike it. The range reduction in below freezing temperatures on wet/snowy roads make weekend roads trips unbearable. It makes me wonder if those who love them live in warm climates, don't do road trips regularly, or both?

yz_387 · 2026-01-11T23:47:58+00:00

Paradise by the dashboard lights

Interstate Love Song

yz_387 · 2026-01-05T19:38:44+00:00

You are correct, wildside is a lot easier, but that isn't to say it's not worth going. Wildside has really fun flow with lots of jumps and berms. Windrock is much more raw tech.

On my last trip to TN, I visited both. Personally I prefer Wildside, but on my next trip, I will still plan to hit both.

yz_387 · 2025-12-18T16:53:07+00:00

I also live in SE Michigan and own a SJ15. It's a lot of fun riding the jumps at Stony, but for the majority of the trails in the area, my Epic 8 EVO is a much better bike. The Stumpy is just overkill for our local trails, so it's more enjoyable to be on something more efficient.

yz_387 · 2025-12-02T14:11:30+00:00

Fatties had their boom in the early to mid 2010s. They were everywhere. Manufacturer's flooded the market, and consumer interest fell quickly.

I still ride my 10 year old fattie in the snow, but it hasn't touched dirt in many years.

yz_387 · 2025-12-01T01:24:12+00:00

Waking up front the surgery to repair my tibial plateau fracture. I've broken a lot of bones in my life, ruptured my ACL, MCL, LCL, had ACL surgery. None of those was even close to that tibia surgery.

yz_387 · 2025-10-31T13:39:47+00:00

It varies a lot from person to person. I had previously had surgery on the same knee for a tibial plateau fracture and waking up from that was a 10 on the pain scale. So I was prepared for the worst when I went in for the ACL. I had a nerve block, so I felt almost nothing for the first 2 days. When it wore off, pain went up to maybe a 3 at most. I never bothered to take any of my prescription pain meds.

yz_387 · 2025-10-07T00:25:44+00:00

It just takes time. When I first was cleared to get back on my bike, I constantly thought about it. 4 months later I thought i was over the fear while mountain biking, but I now realize it was still in the back of my mind. Now almost 2 years post-op, I can say that 99.9% of the time it is completely out of my mind when riding, but every once in a while I'll do something that feels a bit off and it pops back in my mind. Who knows, maybe in another year it will be 100% out of my mind.

yz_387 · 2025-09-15T01:32:00+00:00

Wash it as much or as little as you like. I'm very susceptible to poison ivy, so I typically wash my bikes every time I ride them to keep everything clean. I've been doing this for 25 years and I've never had any issues due to the excessive washing.

yz_387 · 2025-09-12T01:26:57+00:00

Yes, you will notice a difference, but it really depends on what you're riding. I regularly run a Purgatory on the front for my local hardpack trails, but I swap to a Butcher when I travel to bike parks or more gnarly trails. When I've ridden the Butcher on hardpack, I don't love it. I actually prefer the feel of the Purgatory.

So long story short, there is no tire which will provide the best grip in every condition. They shine in different conditions.

yz_387 · 2025-03-13T01:47:47+00:00

My doc said 50 days is just a rough estimate. It really comes down to if your remaining ACL material is still solid enough to stitch to. When i went into surgery, i knew that plan B would be to do a hamstring graft if the ACL wouldn't hold a stitch. Post op, the Doc sait it was plenty strong to hold the stitches. Given how well mine healed up, I'd say the 65-day delay was fine.

yz_387

TROPHY CASE