Willie,
That's a very impressive summary, you wrote. I suspect, from what I've
read here and elsewhere, when EVs are used in a commercial environment
the financial picture is completely different. Repairs and maintenance
always drop to the bottom line where they might be ignored in personal
finances. And we would like to think that EVs have less of those
expenses than ICEs. Without prying for too much information, can you
tell us whether your EV investments came out reasonably good compared to
ICE equivalents when you factor in purchase price?
I know you said your conversions did not. But you bought two iMiev and
a Leaf. Perhaps those did. And then a Tesla - probalby not, at least
not yet?
By the way, if you still have the Leaf, are you aware there was a class
action settlement where, I believe, Nissan must now replace bad
batteries of earlier years (even 2011) with a new 2016 model if the bad
one loses more than 3 bars.
Peri
------ Original Message ------
From: "Willie2 via EV" <[email protected]>
To: "Electric Vehicle Discussion List" <[email protected]>
Sent: 25-Mar-16 6:24:25 AM
Subject: Re: [EVDL] EVLN: When will Tesla's electricity come to the Ag
farm?
On 03/24/2016 04:15 AM, brucedp5 via EV wrote:
% This is the message I sent the blogger. This post will also be
linked to
that blog as a comment: %
[in reference to
http://www.agweb.com/blog/janzen-ag-law-blog/when-will-teslas-electricity-come-to-the-farm/
]
There are many farmers that use Electrics (EVs) on the farm. Those EVs
come
in many forms (see the links below). Some are used like the ol'
reliable
pickup truck to run local errands (short trips kill fuel vehicles -
aka
ice). Some are small 3 or 4 wheel Electric ATVs/UTVs (or repurposed
golfcarts for farm use).
One such farmer just south of Austin, Tx, Willie McKemie:
Bruce makes me a legend in my own mind?
A few points:
1) I'm a relative newcomer to EVs. I had an epiphany in the viewing of
WKTEC about 2006. Before that, I had essentially no interest in EVs
even though I had long known Mary Ann Chapman. I did not learn of Mary
Ann's EV life until fairly recently.
2) Age and decrepitude has reduced my farming activity. Essentially
only asparagus, okra, and zucchini on about 15 cultivated acres the
past few years. I no longer do tomatoes, peaches, or blackberries. I
now sell almost exclusively directly to grocery stores.
3) Though I've striven mightily, I've failed to extract reliability
and cost effectiveness from conversions or any lead battery vehicle.
My Hyundai conversion especially was a money sink and left me stranded
many times. Nevertheless, I've been delivering exclusively in EVs
since about 2010, starting with the Hyundai.
4) A Leaf served me well for a couple of years; I was greatly
disappointed to find Nissan's battery warranty was worthless and that
they were abandoning their early adopters.
5) My Tesla is the best car I've ever owned. If only it were a pickup
truck! I've recently mentioned here that I am in the process of
increasing it's delivering capacity, with a trailer, from 17 boxes to
over 30. Thanks to Rick Beebe for suggesting customaluminumboxes.
6) Right now, imievs look very good to me. I've had one for more than
a year and I'm in the process of buying my second. The imiev makes a
great "around the farm" vehicle, replacing golf carts. It also hauls
supplies well at distances of up to 30 miles. I also use my imiev for
deliveries where the range will allow; at times, I make two imiev trips
rather than one Tesla trip. I have hopes that imievs will prove to be
much more reliable than golf carts. Amusing, I am forced to buy imievs
from distances of 150-200 miles. The tales of getting them home belongs
elsewhere.
7) The original article correctly assesses roles electric tractors
might play. I have long sought a 25-40 hp cultivating/utility tractor.
Over 90% of my tractor work is done an hour or two at a time. I'm
aware of Allis G conversions. With my poor experience with
conversions, I'm waiting for someone to offer a professional conversion
of an OEM unit. Suggestions solicited.
I regularly post items that interest me on Google+:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/102434734002949174273/posts/p/pub
A recent highlight is the Tesla hauling ~1500 pounds of charcoal.
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