EV Equivocation

I'm currently driving a lemon of a 2008 Subaru Outback 2.5i Limited.  This may or may not be Subaru's fault: they built the piece of shit that has failed in a way that no other car I've encountered has failed, but I failed to do adequate diligence when purchasing it used.  Currently, it's in a shop for some kind of wiring/electrical issue.  The shop claims they will have it back to me after four weeks in their possession.  I think they are lying to me. Fortunately, the head gaskets were done before I bought it.

No matter what the ultimate outcome, I am currently without a car and am having to rely on a combination of the local bus service, taxis, and company cars to get me to and from work.  It's a royal pain that adds hours to my commute. The situation has left me both time and the incentive to think about buying a new (to me, at least) car.  I'd like to buy a full-on BEV, but naturally there are complications.

The first complication is that I can't currently afford to buy a new BEV.  Fortunately, even though usable BEVs are relatively new, there are quite a few recent models to choose from.  Time for some research!

After assembling the data, I would say there are 5 distinct eras for EVs in the US:

1890-1930 Prehistoric era - EVs built when ICE technology was primitive but rapidly advancing
1990-2010 Primitive era - pre-lithium-ion compliance cars
2011-2016 First modern - compliance cars, plus Tesla
2017-2018 Second modern - compliance cars reaching usefulness, plus Tesla and the Bolt
2019-plus Third modern - mainstream-quality cars, plus leftover compliance cars

Here's some data for the first modern era.

	2012 Model	EPA Range	2013 Model	EPA Range	2014 Model	EPA Range	2015 Model	EPA Range	2016 Model	EPA Range
BMW					i3	81	i3	81	i3	81
Chevrolet					Spark EV	82	Spark EV	82	Spark EV	82
Fiat			500e	87	500e	87	500e	87	500e	84
Ford	Focus Electric	76	Focus Electric	76	Focus Electric	76	Focus Electric	76	Focus Electric	76
Honda			Fit EV	82	Fit EV	82
Kia							Soul EV	93	Soul EV	93
Mitsubishi			i-MiEV	62	i-MiEV	62			i-MiEV	62
Nissan	Leaf (also 2011)	73	Leaf	75	Leaf	84	Leaf	84	Leaf	84 / 107
Mercedes					B250e	87	B250e	87	B250e	87
Smart			Fourtwo ED	68	Fourtwo ED	68	Fourtwo ED	68	Fourtwo ED	68
Tesla	Model S	139 / 208 / 265	Model S	139 / 208 / 265	Model S	208 / 265 / 242	Model S	208 / 240 / 270 / 270 / 253 / 253 / 265 / 265	Model S
Tesla							Model X		Model X
Toyota			Scion IQ EV	38
Toyota	RAV-4 EV	103	RAV-4 EV	103	RAV-4 EV	103
Volkswagen							e-Golf	83	e-Golf	83

Look at the step to the second/third modern era.

	2017 Model	EPA Range	2018 Model	EPA Range	2019 Model	EPA Range
Audi					e-Tron	204
BMW	i3	114	i3 / i3s	114 / 107	i3 / i3s	153
Chevrolet	Bolt	238	Bolt	238	Bolt	238
Fiat	500e	84	500e	84	500e	84
Ford	Focus Electric	115	Focus Electric	115
Honda	Clarity EV	89	Clarity EV	89	Clarity EV	89
Hyundai	Ioniq EV	124	Ioniq EV	124	Ioniq EV	124
Hyundai					Kona EV	258
Jaguar					i-Pace	234
Kia	Soul EV	93	Soul EV	111	Soul EV	111
Kia					Nio EV	239
Mitsubishi	i-MiEV	59
Nissan	Leaf	107	Leaf	151	Leaf	150 / 226 / 215
Mercedes	B250e	87
Smart	Fourtwo Electric Drive	58	Fourtwo Electric Drive	58	Fourtwo Electric Drive	58
Tesla	Model S		Model S		Model S
Tesla	Model X		Model X		Model X
Tesla	Model 3		Model 3		Model 3
Volkswagen	e-Golf	125	e-Golf	125	e-Golf	125

The data is a bit difficult to look at since I had to split in two.  If you can't tell, the e-Golf went from 84 miles of range in 2016 to 125 in 2017.  The Leaf went from 84 (standard) to 107 (standard).  The Focus went from 84 to 115.  The Bolt was introduced in 2017 with 238.  The Clarity EV and Ioniq Electric were introduced in 2017 with 89 and and 124 miles respectively.  The Model 3 was hyped (but available in 2018, effectively).

2019 appears to have seen another big step in the BEV segment, with new models from Jaguar, Hyundai/Kia, and Audi.  The Leaf was substantially revised.  2020 will see the introduction of the Porsche Taycan and the Mercedes-Benz EQC at the high end of the market.

As far as individual models go, this is what I think of the 2012-2018 models.  Smart ED, i-Meiv, i3, IQ EV - basically silly.  RAV-4, Fit, Clarity, Spark - Cali only compliance cars.  Leaf - too many issues due to poor thermal regulation of the battery, at least in Vermont when charging outdoors.  Teslas - too expensive, and I really dislike the interiors.  Focus, B250e, 500e - low-ish ranges, but worth a second look.  Soul, Golf, Ioniq EV - low-ish ranges and air-cooled batteries, but still worth a second lock.  Bolt - the clear price/range standout.

Delving into the second-look models a bit, some have years that are clearly better. 500e - 2016-2018, with interior upgrade but no range change over 2013-2015.  Focus - 2017-2018, range upgrade over 2012-2016.  B250e - 2014-2017, all years similar. Soul - 2018, range upgrade over 2016-2017. Golf - 2017-2019, range upgrade over 2015-2016. Ioniq EV - 2017-2018, all years similar.

The second complication is that Vermont winters mean that any BEV will have a winter range substantially lower than the EPA-rated range.  I currently drive 12 miles per day to work, 5 days a week, plus another 10-15 miles for errands over the week.  I rarely travel far from home due to my work schedule, and of course I could rent if necessary.  So, assuming 75 miles of total use, I could in theory recharge just once a week with nearly every BEV that has been sold in the past few years.  In the winter, however, I'd probably need to charge 2 or 3 times a week, because BEV range is substantially affected by cold temperatures.

The third complication is my parking situation, and is related to the previous issue.  I have my own off-street parking spot adjacent to my unit, and a quick search of the internet indicates that people charge their BEVs outdoors.  I have a 120 volt outlet, but charging at that voltage is very slow.  Installing a 240 circuit and charger would be expensive as I would probably need a new breaker panel. Without the breaker panel, the total installed cost of a charger seems to be on the order of $1000-$1200.  Of course, I would need to add any equipment costs to that of the vehicle when choosing a model which would further limit my choices.  In addition to the costs, the only place for a charger is right where the snow gets plowed and shoveled.

So, after a bit of noodling, it seems like an EV is not in my immediate future, primarly due to my parking situation.  I probably could manage it, but it would be a hassle.  One way to mitigate the parking/charging problem would be to keep a second car for the winters and longer trips.  However, that would create significant ongoing expenses for insurance, as well as storage, as long-term street parking is out of the question in my neighborhood.

Next up: researching HEVs and PHEVs.

The Hollow Man

It's being mocked all over the intertubes, so I'll join in with my variation: how empty do you have to be on the inside to carry on about one wrong, off-the-cuff statement in this fashion?

This sad, pathetic man-child is the most powerful politician in the world.

Wealth, fame, power, wives, children, grandchildren, mistresses - nothing fills the hole at the center of the 45th POTUS.  He is so cowardly, so afraid, he can't summon the decency to shut the fuck up about and move on from the most minor, most trivial issue imaginable.

"Sad" doesn't even begin to cover it.

Compensation Insights Inspired by Insomnia

Hoisted (and edited) from a comment on this post based on almost two years of working mixed day/night/weekend shifts .

1. Mandatory 1.5x pay on all federal holidays. Holidays are now largely for office workers, so the workers in retail, hospitality, etc. should at least get some compensation for not being able to spend time with their friends and family.
2. Mandatory 1.5x pay for overnight hours (2230-0530). Overnight work has serious negative health effects.
3. Increased overtime as hours go up - 1.75x at 50 hours, 2.0x at 60 hours, 2.5x at 70 hours, etc. The effects of working additional hours are not linear.
4. Every business must declare one calendar day per week a "day of rest" and pay 1.5x on that day. (Yes, I am attempting to skirt establishment issues here.) Weekends are a good thing and people who can't enjoy them should be compensated. Optionally, businesses can declare themselves 24-7 operations and pay 1.25x on both traditional weekend days.
5. Effects should compound - day of rest + overnight = 2.0x.

Those policies would have the following effects (that I can think of right away):

1. Fewer 24/7 stores and restaurants.  This will inconvenience some people.  On the other hand, there will be fewer sleepy workers and customers on the road.  This will reduce premature deaths.
2. Fewer late night bars.  This will reduce premature deaths at the price of offending various barflies.
3. Fewer 24/7 factories.  This will cause a few to move to other, less regulated countries.  On the other hand, there will be fewer sleepy workers on the road as well as performing potentially dangerous tasks on their shift.  This will reduce premature deaths.
4. Fewer commercial drivers (long-distance truckers, local delivery, couriers) on the road.  This will increase transportation costs across the economy but  will reduce premature deaths.
5. Fewer late night/early morning flights.  Airfare costs will increase a bit, but late night and early morning noise pollution will decrease.  Most airlines run their domestic flights 0600-2359 (in a given time zone) so the effects on actual flights will be small.  The cost increases will mostly come from ground staff wages.
6. Less overnight road construction.  This will inconvenience a lot of drivers as more lane-miles will be blocked during the day and may lead to more accidents.  The effects on the safety of workers will probably be an improvement - fewer driving at odd hours, more permanent barriers set up, and better lighting on the work being done.
7. A significant increase in hospital and nursing home costs.  These are 24/7 facilities without much room to decrease staffing.  Some night shift premiums are probably already offered, but aren't 1.5x daytime shifts.
8. Some increase in first responder costs.  Most first responders (police, fire, EMS) are unionized and probably already have night shift premiums negotiated, but not as high as 1.5x.  However, having fewer vehicles on the road overnight should allow for somewhat decreased first responder staffing.

A few comments:

1. I chose 2230-0530 to allow for two full-time non-overlapping shifts.  Capacity utilization matters both to individual businesses and to economies as a whole, for better or worse, at least until sleepless robots relieve us all from the need to work.
2. Weekends are complicated, mostly due to the first amendment.  I think my solution is legally workable in the US, if not entirely pleasing.  If the first amendment did not exist, I would just require mandatory 1.5x pay on Sundays.
3. There are ways employers could game the rules (trying to force more drivers to become contractors, for instance) but if there is the political will to implement my suggestions, there will also be the political will to remedy any attempted circumventions.