Gas $$$.

[Jayco-noslide]

Hate to say "I told you so" to the manufacturers eliminating most vehicles that get the best MPG ( lite weight compact, sub-compact sedans, wagons and hatchbacks). If gas continues to go up, consumers will go from not caring to wanting their economy cars back overnight. I know, the smallest SUVs do pretty well but are they really an "SUV"?

[Jayco-noslide]

Couple of comments. One post talks about having no control over gas prices. Interesting that a truck is pictured. I used to have a half-ton truck. Since then 2 small cars that go almost exactly twice as far on each gallon and the Focus I have now is not a "tiny" car.
Secondly, re: elec. cars. I'm pulling for them because of emissions: however, the difference in the cost between a 38 MPG. gas car and a small electric will pay for gas for many years, maybe the life of the car.

[Reisender]

down home wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
"We can not take any higher fuel taxes of cost of anything or buying more vehicles."

You're not speaking of the general public I imagine. Otherwise people would be buying vehicles that make sense instead of 15 mpg trucks and SUV's to drive to the grocery store, or commute to work.

I'm speaking practicality. Can't haul hay or straw or material for the yard in a Prius, or go fishing where the ground is soft or rough, or pull a boat out of the water or up a hill with a one either.
I can't cram myself into a sardine, If your 5' 4" and 120 lbs not much problem though. Our all wheel drive Edge gets maybe 30 mpg on a good day but usually around 22. My 600+ hp AMG gets 20-22 mpg 60-70-9-110 in 7th gear up and down hills as long as you don't get excited.
We had several micro cars and don't want any more.
Read today 50% of the questionable less pollution Electric Cars are sold in California. In 2013 Tesla Customers had an average income of 293,000.00. in 2015 another survey the Buyers of the more affordable Ford Focus EV had an average income of 199,000.00 and they got 7,500 rebates to buy them. Steve Forbes was the source. And these are the people calling for higher fuel taxes to subsidize their road use, since they pay no fuel taxes and their 7,500 tax credit. And they drive a lot less than any of our vehicles every year.
240 mile range at 30mph on a sunny90 day with win. dows down on an Interstate? We have come up behind several Priuses, I think trying to do that, it seems. A line up of traffic withe everyone on their brakes. The Tesla, one Guy in town has one. A real hot rod.
It was him, on the side of the Interstate a couple weeks ago. At the Cafe they were talking about him running the batteries down. Not sure how fare he had driven. I should have stopped but didn't seem until too late and next exit was 115 miles down the road and lots of traffic behind us.

A Prius is a gas engine hybrid car. What would be the purpose of going so slow with windows down.

[down_home]

fj12ryder wrote:
"We can not take any higher fuel taxes of cost of anything or buying more vehicles."

You're not speaking of the general public I imagine. Otherwise people would be buying vehicles that make sense instead of 15 mpg trucks and SUV's to drive to the grocery store, or commute to work.

I'm speaking practicality. Can't haul hay or straw or material for the yard in a Prius, or go fishing where the ground is soft or rough, or pull a boat out of the water or up a hill with a one either.
I can't cram myself into a sardine, If your 5' 4" and 120 lbs not much problem though. Our all wheel drive Edge gets maybe 30 mpg on a good day but usually around 22. My 600+ hp AMG gets 20-22 mpg 60-70-9-110 in 7th gear up and down hills as long as you don't get excited.
We had several micro cars and don't want any more.
Read today 50% of the questionable less pollution Electric Cars are sold in California. In 2013 Tesla Customers had an average income of 293,000.00. in 2015 another survey the Buyers of the more affordable Ford Focus EV had an average income of 199,000.00 and they got 7,500 rebates to buy them. Steve Forbes was the source. And these are the people calling for higher fuel taxes to subsidize their road use, since they pay no fuel taxes and their 7,500 tax credit. And they drive a lot less than any of our vehicles every year.
240 mile range at 30mph on a sunny90 day with win. dows down on an Interstate? We have come up behind several Priuses, I think trying to do that, it seems. A line up of traffic withe everyone on their brakes. The Tesla, one Guy in town has one. A real hot rod.
It was him, on the side of the Interstate a couple weeks ago. At the Cafe they were talking about him running the batteries down. Not sure how fare he had driven. I should have stopped but didn't seem until too late and next exit was 115 miles down the road and lots of traffic behind us.

[CavemanCharlie]

Jayco-noslide wrote:
Hate to say "I told you so" to the manufacturers eliminating most vehicles that get the best MPG ( lite weight compact, sub-compact sedans, wagons and hatchbacks). If gas continues to go up, consumers will go from not caring to wanting their economy cars back overnight. I know, the smallest SUVs do pretty well but are they really an "SUV"?

Yes, the same thing happened back in the 80's. That's how the Japanese took over and the once power house American auto industry died . Might be that history repeats itself.

Then again, maybe not.

[CavemanCharlie]

westernrvparkowner wrote:
A 2019 GMC Terrain SUV is rated at 29 MPG city and 38 MPG highway. That is much more fuel efficient than any small car from a decade or two ago. Fuel prices are rising not only because the price of crude has risen, but also because the costs of labor have risen. There is a shortage of oil field workers. There is a shortage of drivers for fuel delivery trucks. The corner convenience/gas store has trouble finding employees. All those rising costs play into the price of a gallon of fuel. Then there is the fact that several states saw the depressed price of fuel as an opportunity to raise the taxes on fuel and fly under the public radar.
We will likely see more increases down the road. The fact that vehicles are more fuel efficient now than in the past has had a detrimental effect on the tax revenues collected by the Federal Government for highway funds. Those taxes have always been cents on the gallon. More fuel efficiency means more miles of wear and tear per gallon spreading those tax revenues thinner and thinner. Add in electric vehicles and it is even worse. A day of reckoning is coming.

In this case I agree with you. I think it will become necessary to change from a gas tax to a user tax. They will tax you based on the amount of miles you drive each year. It will suck for me. I drive a lot. And because I live in a rural area I often need to drive long distance to get some products and services. But,something will have to be done in the future as we drive more using less fuel.

[fj12ryder]

"We can not take any higher fuel taxes of cost of anything or buying more vehicles."

You're not speaking of the general public I imagine. Otherwise people would be buying vehicles that make sense instead of 15 mpg trucks and SUV's to drive to the grocery store, or commute to work.

[down_home]

Chambers of Commerce is pushing for higher fuel taxes, I read today.
There are several Players on the Electric car field now and they are some those pushing for higher fuel taxes and Open Borders meaning even higher taxes and increased prices of everything.
We can not take any higher fuel taxes of cost of anything or buying more vehicles.

[aftermath]

ng2951 wrote:

azdryheat wrote:
Doesn't the price of gas always go up as the summer approaches?

Yes it is when the refineries do their maintenance and they do not do that in winter when they is high demand on heating oil.......

I believe that this is one of those urban myths. Here is a link that says just the opposite Reasons for increase.

I think it is market value driven by the big oil companies and politics. We are now the largest producer of oil in the world and yet our prices continue to creep upward. Gas overseas is insanely expensive. If you controlled gas why would you keep it here and get pennies on the gallon compared to what you sold to foreign countries. Simple business decisions.

[mich800]

wa8yxm wrote:
I keep wondering why someone does not make an EV with like a Yahama EF-3600I in the "Trunk" this way you can re-charge as you drive or lift the EF out and power your house in a power fail (Via a proper generator tranfer switch)

For short trips you leave the Yahama locked in the garage.. Only use it for long trips or "Opps I forgot to recharge".

Those are called hybrids. There are plug in hybrid vehicles.

[BillyBob_Jim]

How long before someone quotes the first or second law of thermodynamics?

wa8yxm wrote:
I keep wondering why someone does not make an EV with like a Yahama EF-3600I in the "Trunk" this way you can re-charge as you drive or lift the EF out and power your house in a power fail (Via a proper generator tranfer switch)

For short trips you leave the Yahama locked in the garage.. Only use it for long trips or "Opps I forgot to recharge".

suprz wrote:
The gas by me just went up by 20 cents per gallon in a 24hr period

LOL, .0083 cents per hour. That's a good one.

[suprz]

The gas by me just went up by 20 cents per gallon in a 24hr period

[wa8yxm]

I keep wondering why someone does not make an EV with like a Yahama EF-3600I in the "Trunk" this way you can re-charge as you drive or lift the EF out and power your house in a power fail (Via a proper generator tranfer switch)

For short trips you leave the Yahama locked in the garage.. Only use it for long trips or "Opps I forgot to recharge".

[pianotuna]

There are already several electric cars that can manage the 240 miles round trip.

[Reisender]

down home wrote:
They are not practical out here in the hinder lands. 240 miles round trip to Dr.
I20 miles the other direction and heavy traffic in both directions.
The AC cut ff when you stopped in the only one I've ridden in a Toyota, about ten years ago. Heat takes a lot of electricity too.
We have been stuck in snow for a very long time returning from Nashville one year I have been trying to keep up with developments on electric vehicles but cold can decrease mileage, by as much as 60% I read in one report and real hot can suck down mileage too. I have no desire to go back to the old days bundled up to keep warm with little to no heat in the vehicle or with the windows open in 100degree heat.
Whatever form the storage of energy it takes the same amount for the same job.
Whenever the get the energy density of storage of energy near equivalent of gas then it will be more practical. At that point you will be sitting on one powerful bomb that technology hasn't licked yet.
One would be alright if the store, Doctors and other things were within the range of an electrical vehicle under the worse circumstances. Otherwise it would spend most of its time in our garage.

AC doesn’t cut out when vehicle is stopped. We typically lose about about 1/3 of our range in a typical winter day. But we have mild winters here so may be worse for some. Minus 20 is a VERY cold day here in winter.

Gotta day though, either of our EV’s are the best winter vehicle we have ever had. Instant heat and lots of it, pre-heat (or cool) from the iPhone. But then again our longest ever commute is 120 km with most being a third of that. Works for us. Not for everybody