[Heisenburger]

In Chicago, we average ~20 mph with speed cameras, stops, stoplights, traffic, & downtime. So it takes me about 40 hours a day to get my 800 miles in.

Same here.

 

[Volvonaut]

 

[socialfade]

California with their rolling blackouts during heatwaves; are preparing for all EVs in 13 years! Talk about putting the "Car" before the horsepower. ..

Shouldn't the country's infrastructure be par for the course before making mandates? And what of those Pesky little solar flares? I would love to drive a EV but I don't think putting more strain on electricity is the solution to the Global warming problems.

 

[Stevie The magic Unicorn]

How fast are you driving?

In Chicago, we average ~20 mph with speed cameras, stops, stoplights, traffic, & downtime. So it takes me about 40 hours a day to get my 800 miles in. The suburbs may be different, but I do not seem to make any money out there.

In five years, there should be plenty of used Chevy Equinox EVs.

I drive anywhere from 10 miles to 75 miles per hour worked, averaging about 21.

So depending on what kind of fare it is it would take me somewhere between 10.6 and 80 hours to drive 800 miles. Probobly about 40, really depends.

 

[Boca Ratman]

This is with uber & lyft you're talking about?

When I'm busy I'm doing 800 miles a day,

I don't see how this is possible.
800 miles that's 67 miles per hour for 12 straight hours. Key west to mia is 160 miles and 3.5-4 hours one way.

long trips in my area are ideal as we get paid for returning unlike elsewhere.

Uber & lyft pay you return miles?
I think you're mistaken. You have higher rates per mile because it's a slow territory . Not many people would be waiting hours to drive for 65 cents per mile. @ $1.80 it may be worthwhile for some.

I would have to give up a lot of good trips to run home to charge.

This is like saying you have to return home to fill up with gas.
There are charging stations all over. If you have a long trip, you simply find a charger and recharge after the drop.

If it was profitable to do short trips around a charging station, but it's not.

They are all over. Several in the keys and they all over Miami.
Again, it's not much different than getting gas.


800 miles ÷ 20mpg = 40 gallons.
40 × $3.50= $140.

It takes about 10-15 minutes to charge 50%. Have to pee, find a charging station and top off, very little down time charging.

I get you're no fan of evs but thrse arguments are ridiculous. 0

 

[ObeyTheNumbers]

This is with uber & lyft you're talking about?





I don't see how this is possible.
800 miles that's 67 miles per hour for 12 straight hours. Key west to mia is 160 miles and 3.5-4 hours one way.




Uber & lyft pay you return miles?
I think you're mistaken. You have higher rates per mile because it's a slow territory . Not many people would be waiting hours to drive for 65 cents per mile. @ $1.80 it may be worthwhile for some.



This is like saying you have to return home to fill up with gas.
There are charging stations all over. If you have a long trip, you simply find a charger and recharge after the drop.



They are all over. Several in the keys and they all over Miami.
Again, it's not much different than getting gas.


800 miles ÷ 20mpg = 40 gallons.
40 × $3.50= $140.

It takes about 10-15 minutes to charge 50%. Have to pee, find a charging station and top off, very little down time charging.

I get you're no fan of evs but thrse arguments are ridiculous. 0

1: Yes.
2: Counting return home with meter off after 12 hours used up. Cheating yes, still get 6 or more hours rest as it's a slow area.
3: Right, slower area, so more $$ per trip pays for costs returning from a long trip.
4: Two friends already tried with Tesla's, no longer doing so. One quit, the other bought an ICE. Too much downtime and hassle.
5: We need 6 seat electrics with luggage room and either quick charge (in a few minutes) at all gas stations or swappable batteries. Longer range a must, better price and easy battey replacement options. Local repairs, better tires, less software, more reliable mechanical ops. Etc etc

Decision has been made, it's a another ICE machine for sure. I have big pax to move.

Next vehicle cycle perhaps.

 

[Butchnelson]

EV tires do not last as long as ICE tires. EV tires must make sound loud enough to pass a safety inspection. Sound reduces with tread wear.

EV tires?
So who makes these EV tires that wear out so quickly?
Does anyone buy these EV tires that wear out so quickly?

You have no clue what you are talking about. ALL tires come with some kind of warranty no matter what KIND OF VEHICLE THEY ONE ON! I have 4 Firestone brand tires on my tesla. Does that make them a EV tire??? NO! Does it change the warranty they come with? NO

.Welcome to the world of F.U.D.

 

[Diamondraider]

EV tires?
So who makes these EV tires that wear out so quickly?
Does anyone buy these EV tires that wear out so quickly?

You have no clue what you are talking about. ALL tires come with some kind of warranty no matter what KIND OF VEHICLE THEY ONE ON! I have 4 Firestone brand tires on my tesla. Does that make them a EV tire??? NO! Does it change the warranty they come with? NO

.Welcome to the world of F.U.D.

Tesla-approved tires come with a Tx specification; look for T0, T1, or T2 markings on the sidewall. These specialized tires reduce road noise and give better range. Tesla models commonly use OE tires from Michelin’s Pilot Sport, Latitude Sport, and Pilot SuperSport range.

 

[Aw Jeez]

Dara has said that all Uber vehicles will be EV's by 2030 or we will not be allowed on the platform. Hmm. Let's think about this.

ECONOMICS: If you have a garage or other ability to have a home charger, then your cost of operating your EV will be lower than the person who has to go to a commercial EV charging station. Trust me on this, electricity WILL become more expensive. This will hurt all of those who live in apartments and such where their parking spot does not have access to a charger that is keyed into your household power bill. Replacing an EV battery will be ex-pen-sivo! Also, it will be hard to sell your 100,000-mile EV to a person who knows he will have to replace the battery soon.

TAXES: Right now, EV's don't pay any road taxes. I pay about $0.27 out of every gallon in federal and state road taxes. In 2022, I bought 1715 gallons of gas, which means that I chipped in $463 in taxes. This money will eventually be charged annually to EV owners, one way or the other (at registration, probably).

MECHANICALS: Others have mentioned that the EV interiors (Teslas, at least) are built "household strength" and not "industrial strength" as we might require in our business. In other words, the interior bits might not stand up to the use and abuse that ride-sharing demands. This could be a problem. We'll see.

It's nice to think that EV's are the best solution to all of the problems that ICE cars produce. But it's not true. EV's are arguably "better" in terms of operating cost and emissions, but we'll have to see just how great they are in the long run. I know that right now, their initial purchase price puts them out of range of this Uber driver.

(Oh, and to the OP, who suggested he might buy a Ford Crown Vic...ahhhh, I think that I read once that the Crown Vic is not allowed to be used for Uber. Looks too much like a police car, probably. But I could be wrong!)

 

[ANT 7]

In my market they simply don't make sense. We get -30 and -40 here for weeks on end and have 6 months of winter. This means diminished range, reduced earnings, and longer hours.

I rode with a driver who had a new KIA Niro EV and he told me he paid $63,000 for it after tax subsidies........$10,000 down and his payments were still $700 a month for 84 months. My ICE vehicle cost $27,000 and with $7,000 down I pay $400 a month for 48 months.

He paid $3,500 to purchase and wire the charger in his garage. His electricity bill has gone up $350 a month as he drives 6 days a week like me. I spend $700 a month on regular gas. So, our monthly base operating cost (payments plus fuel) is similar, but..........

In 4 years my vehicle will have 300,000 KM on it and be worth $5,000 +/- and it will also be paid off and fully depreciated on my taxes. It will also be worn out and time for a replacement.

His vehicle will also be worn out but he will still owe roughly $27,000 and have a vehicle with little to no value, as the cost of repairs and replacements to batteries and other items is very expensive due to the limited production of same when compared to ICE cars. Also, you cannot generate enough Uber income to write off a $63,000 vehicle completely under our tax laws. So, you lose again.

What is the smart financial decision ? Virtue signalling and BETA testing with a EV is both foolish and expensive.

 

[Diamondraider]

EV tires?
So who makes these EV tires that wear out so quickly?
Does anyone buy these EV tires that wear out so quickly?

You have no clue what you are talking about. ALL tires come with some kind of warranty no matter what KIND OF VEHICLE THEY ONE ON! I have 4 Firestone brand tires on my tesla. Does that make them a EV tire??? NO! Does it change the warranty they come with? NO

.Welcome to the world of F.U.D.

How long do Tesla Tires last?
On average, 30K miles is the popular estimate for the OE set, but some Tesla car owners have reported higher ranges. It could also go down to 18K-20K miles depending on driving habits and conditions. Practically, Tesla tires last 20K – 40K miles. So, if you drive 10K miles a year, you’ll need a new set of tires in three years.
Tesla recommends rotating your car’s tires every 6,250 miles. If the tread depth difference reaches 2/32 (1.5 mm) or more before that, you needn’t wait to hit 6k miles. All tires degrade over time – exposure to extreme temperatures, UV light, heavy loads, and environmental factors contribute to wear and tear. Adequate tire care and maintenance are important to get the most out of high-quality Tesla tires.

 

[W00dbutcher]

Just out of curiosity what's keeping you from putting regular tires on a Tesla? Does it have to be special Tesla tires and are there Tesla tire police to ensure this?

Is the rubber compound for Tesla tires a more sturdier structure or compound?

 

[Diamondraider]

Just out of curiosity what's keeping you from putting regular tires on a Tesla? Does it have to be special Tesla tires and are there Tesla tire police to ensure this?

Is the rubber compound for Tesla tires a more sturdier structure or compound?

As I understand, Tesla needs a tire rated for the much heavier weight and for noise conditions.

On one hand, the Tesla tire is made to reduce cabin noise. On the other hand, tires are used by EV’s to create noise for pedestrian safety. (At least they were)

I’m not sure how these two seemingly conflicting noise issues are solved.

As far as Tesla police, nope. But a blow out like the one a mile from my living room is not something to trifle with. A Tesla blew a tire, hit the guard rail and nearly split in two. The resulting fire took hours to douse and use 20,000 gallons of water.

 

[Stevie The magic Unicorn]

How fast are you driving?

In Chicago, we average ~20 mph with speed cameras, stops, stoplights, traffic, & downtime. So it takes me about 40 hours a day to get my 800 miles in. The suburbs may be different, but I do not seem to make any money out there.

In five years, there should be plenty of used Chevy Equinox EVs.

I guess it’s market dependent.

200 miles would be a bad day for me. Usually I have 90-100 paid miles and 200-300 driven miles per day.

I’ve had days with 800 miles driven but that’s the extreme minority. (And like a 15 hour day because I got an out of town fare in the last hour or 2 I was working that went 300 miles)