Practical electric cars?

And in particular, mini-vans?

With the (finally) release of the new affordable Tesla and the promises of Volvo, it looks like the viable full time electric car is here to stay. I've been waiting a long time for this, but would much rather have an electric mini-van.

Any information to share?

There are no full electric mini-vans that I know of, just hybrids. The closest is the Chevy Bolt, but that's more like a 4-door hatchback/stumpy wagon.

Edit: Just remembered there is the Nissan e-NV200, but I don't know if it's available in the US, and they aren't getting great reviews.

It'll be a little while, probably another full model cycle.

The closest you can get is the Chrysler Pacifica PHEV, able to run electrically for >25 miles.

Could be The Next Big Thing, but possibly only for fleet/commercial use.

Thinking about something like plumbing/electrical repair, light delivery, etc. Short trips, maybe totaling 50-60 miles per day, returns to a predictable location every night. Some of them make lots of stops and starts all day, which is bad for a gas engine, but perfectly suited for an electric motor. Less downtime for maintenance means more time in service.

There are probably millions of vans in this sort of service. I'm sure one or more of the major manufactures is all over this.

Two_Tools_In_a_Tent wrote: ...With the (finally) release of the new affordable Tesla and the promises of Volvo, it looks like the viable full time electric car is here to stay...

They are almost certainly here to stay, but "affordable" might be jumping the gun. Even the new Tesla is still pricey, and the affordability of any of them is highly affected by the rather large government incentives still being offered.

Practical electric cars? Maybe someday. They've been working on it for well over 100 years.

1988RedT2 wrote: Practical electric cars? Maybe someday. They've been working on it for well over 100 years.

I would say more like the last 10 or 15. The rest were half hearted attempts.

And compared to many cars in it's segment and with it's standard and optional equipment, the Tesla 3 is well priced against it's competition

EvanR wrote: Could be The Next Big Thing, but possibly only for fleet/commercial use. Thinking about something like plumbing/electrical repair, light delivery, etc. Short trips, maybe totaling 50-60 miles per day, returns to a predictable location every night. Some of them make lots of stops and starts all day, which is bad for a gas engine, but perfectly suited for an electric motor. Less downtime for maintenance means more time in service. There are probably millions of vans in this sort of service. I'm sure one or more of the major manufactures is all over this.

Or better yet: mail delivery vehicle.

mad_machine wrote:

1988RedT2 wrote: Practical electric cars? Maybe someday. They've been working on it for well over 100 years.

I would say more like the last 10 or 15. The rest were half hearted attempts. And compared to many cars in it's segment and with it's standard and optional equipment, the Tesla 3 is well priced against it's competition

They tried real hard for a couple decades in the late 1800s to early 1900s, with lead-acid batteries. Then gas-powered ICEs came along, being super-light and super-energy dense in comparison, and everyone forgot about batteries! This stuff was the future and had no potential hidden downsides whatsoever!

oxymoron

In reply to GameboyRMH:

It wasn't that gasoline powered cars came along, it was that you could start one without standing in the mud and risking serious injury after the electric starter came out.

The Pacifica PHEV is pretty damn exciting if you ask me. People thought the Volt was a big deal when it came out. Granted that was a long time ago now, but given that people bemoaned the slight compromises of the Volt like a lack of a place to ride bitch you would think that people would be excited about a MINIVAN with not even something as minor as that for 'compromised practicality'.

EvanR wrote: Could be The Next Big Thing, but possibly only for fleet/commercial use. Thinking about something like plumbing/electrical repair, light delivery, etc. Short trips, maybe totaling 50-60 miles per day, returns to a predictable location every night. Some of them make lots of stops and starts all day, which is bad for a gas engine, but perfectly suited for an electric motor. Less downtime for maintenance means more time in service. There are probably millions of vans in this sort of service. I'm sure one or more of the major manufactures is all over this.

I think you'd be surprised to learn how much weight a plumber or electrician needs to carry to be able to have a basic level of preparedness to do their work.

Vigo wrote: The Pacifica PHEV is pretty damn exciting if you ask me. People thought the Volt was a big deal when it came out. Granted that was a long time ago now, but given that people bemoaned the slight compromises of the Volt like a lack of a place to ride bitch you would think that people would be excited about a MINIVAN with not even something as minor as that for 'compromised practicality'.

I agree. The Volt is an amazing car for the neighborhood kid runs that make up 90% of the driving stay at home suburban parents do. It's big problem is the lack of seats/stroller space. Not sure if they'll catch on but they should.

I'd be much more inclined to buy an electric motorcycle than a car. Even the ones with the lowest range could easily take me on my daily around town journeys.

Suggest to Elon make available kit car format or donate to grm at least one motor or xl battery pack. That would be sweet to have Tesla rolling chassis only.