Spousal obstacle

[Carney]

Argh. So the wife keeps going hot and cold on me over this.

At first she said okay. Then no over safety fears and range anxiety. Then okay again, then cooler over the summer because vacations depleted our money and she's been spooked by internet scaremongering over the national economy. Then she said if the market didn't crash or other disasters didn't happen by Sept 30 she'd be ok with me picking up an EV, although she still favored the Volt or another PHEV over range anxiety issues. Then just the other night she reneged again, and pushed a ridiculous Chinese-made electric unicyle contraption on me for my commute (so much far safety and range!), challenging me to buy it as "proof" of my seriousness on moving away from oil. Her primary motivation in that regard is short term money savings, plus also her suspicion that I'll tire of whatever EV I get and pine for something better down the road (even if I did, a lease would provide me a relatively early out anyway).

So frustrating. Sorry for the venting. It's just been a long long road and at the last minute I feel the rug yanked out from under me. Again. Meanwhile today I drove in my gasoline car. Again.

 

[stevon]

Carney,

If you can arrange for free charging and with the 7.5 K fed tax credit and other state incentives you could have the car pay for itself in 5 to 6 years vis-à-vis the gas money you have to spend on your ICE vehicle. In my case I do find free electricity at work or close to work or my home. It was quite a lifestyle adjustment for me. So far my girlfriend seems skeptical and is still supportive, but with a ring that could change . Living with her is an option at this point. Remember "if Moma ain't happy, no one is" She might be right to wait until 200+ mile Range EVs' are around, I'm already waiting and planning to say good bye to the Spark when that happens. Good luck with your purchase

Argh. So the wife keeps going hot and cold on me over this.

At first she said okay. Then no over safety fears and range anxiety. Then okay again, then cooler over the summer because vacations depleted our money and she's been spooked by internet scaremongering over the national economy. Then she said if the market didn't crash or other disasters didn't happen by Sept 30 she'd be ok with me picking up an EV, although she still favored the Volt or another PHEV over range anxiety issues. Then just the other night she reneged again, and pushed a ridiculous Chinese-made electric unicyle contraption on me for my commute (so much far safety and range!), challenging me to buy it as "proof" of my seriousness on moving away from oil. Her primary motivation in that regard is short term money savings, plus also her suspicion that I'll tire of whatever EV I get and pine for something better down the road (even if I did, a lease would provide me a relatively early out anyway).

So frustrating. Sorry for the venting. It's just been a long long road and at the last minute I feel the rug yanked out from under me. Again. Meanwhile today I drove in my gasoline car. Again.

 

[Carney]

Carney,

If you can arrange for free charging and with the 7.5 K fed tax credit and other state incentives you could have the car pay for itself in 5 to 6 years vis-à-vis the gas money you have to spend on your ICE vehicle. In my case I do find free electricity at work or close to work or my home. It was quite a lifestyle adjustment for me. So far my girlfriend seems skeptical and is still supportive, but with a ring that could change . Living with her is an option at this point. Remember "if Moma ain't happy, no one is" She might be right to wait until 200+ mile Range EVs' are around, I'm already waiting and planning to say good bye to the Spark when that happens. Good luck with your purchase

Thanks for the good wishes. I was advocating the lease as a much cheaper solution that would avoid the problems of battery degradation and newer longer range tech emerging. Nothing down and $139 a month is hard to beat, even though it's still more than my current, long-ago paid for car even including gasoline costs.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

Do an unbiased cost analysis and see if it makes sense to purchase an EV. Be sure to include the cost of insurance. DMV license fees, gas vehicle maintenance costs, etc. See if your state or county also offers clean air rebates to offset some of the lease / purchase costs. Remember, the federal tax credit is a CREDIT against your taxes owed at tax time. If you owe less in taxes than the $7500 tax credit, the difference must be carried over to the next year.

I started off evaluating the annual cost of gasoline for my present vehicle(s) and compared it with what it would cost for home-charging power for an EV given the same number of miles. I do not have a TOU power plan so my power cost calculations were very easy to do. Data I have for my 2 Spark EVs shows Level 1 charging, using the charger supplied with the car, is about 65% efficient meaning for 10 kWh supplied from the wall outlet, only 6.5 kWh would get into the battery. Level 2 charging at 240 VAC is about 80%. My EV usage data shows the car is averaging about 4 miles per kWh for Level 2 charging as determined by the actual power supplied to my Level 2 EVSE.

Final note - I haven't purchase any gasoline for two months (about 1000 miles per month) - my daughter drives our 2002 Honda Accord and pays for the gasoline she uses. My 1999 Chevy P/U truck just sits in the driveway with a full tank.

Range anxiety is a bit of a concern. Fortunately, in California there is a active effort to install DCFC stations for quick charging. These stations require a membership and some have a monthly membership fee. I have ventured out 75 miles or more from my home without any problem and I currently am looking at a route that runs from Roseville, CA to Tulare, CA. This route is about 250 miles one way and there are a number of DCFC stations along the way. I see no problems in making that run as soon as the hot weather goes away.

Have your wife drive a Spark EV if you can find one. My wife was not sure at first but now she really likes the car.

 

[stevon]

Carney
They have a FIAT electric 500e for $99 a month, pretty hard to resist:
http://insideevs.com/fiat-500e-lease-deal-99-per-month/
I know, I know "Fix It Again Tony"
Maybe, just maybe its "cute" enough to entice her support
Stephen

Carney,

If you can arrange for free charging and with the 7.5 K fed tax credit and other state incentives you could have the car pay for itself in 5 to 6 years vis-à-vis the gas money you have to spend on your ICE vehicle. In my case I do find free electricity at work or close to work or my home. It was quite a lifestyle adjustment for me. So far my girlfriend seems skeptical and is still supportive, but with a ring that could change . Living with her is an option at this point. Remember "if Moma ain't happy, no one is" She might be right to wait until 200+ mile Range EVs' are around, I'm already waiting and planning to say good bye to the Spark when that happens. Good luck with your purchase

Thanks for the good wishes. I was advocating the lease as a much cheaper solution that would avoid the problems of battery degradation and newer longer range tech emerging. Nothing down and $139 a month is hard to beat, even though it's still more than my current, long-ago paid for car even including gasoline costs.

 

[Dusty]

Carney,
Glad you're still hanging in there. Here are some more talking points…

1) I just got my Maryland rebate. $2,375. Works for lessees, too. At $139 per month, the state will make your first 17 payments. How much mechanical maintenance and repairs will you make to your gas car in that time?

2) I got my essentially free Bosch EVSE. Installation was another $1100 ( it was complicated) and I sent in the paperwork to get half that back from the MVA. Don't forget how much value that will add to your home, having level 2 charging already built in.

3) Baltimore Gas & Electric offers a special rate to electric car owners if they're willing to charge during off-peak times. Normal residential rate is around 14 cents per kWh, the special rate is around 9 cents. My average consumption is around 4.5 miles per kWh, which means the cost to drive is around 2 cents per mile. My wife's gas car gets 38 mpg, meaning her cost per mile is at least 6 cents per mile. That's a big difference!

4) Forget about global warming. The politicians aren't going to do anything meaningful and it's probably already too late to stop it. BUT, when you factor in the cost of gasoline, you have to consider what us taxpayers already spend subsidizing the oil industry. Those carrier groups patrolling the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean don't come cheap, and does anyone still think the Iraq invasion was about WMDs?

5) If none of this helps (and it might not, my wife's the same way) you might go for a drive this Sunday down to Annapolis where the city is hosting a National Drive Electric Week event. It's from Noon to 4 in the City Dock parking lot. There she can see Teslas, BMW i3s, Leafs and a half dozen other models of electric cars. Lil' Sparky is registered to be one of them and from what I've heard, some will be offering test drives. What do you say? Wanna go for a ride?

Good luck! We're pulling for you,
Dusty

 

[nozferatu]

Argh. So the wife keeps going hot and cold on me over this.

At first she said okay. Then no over safety fears and range anxiety. Then okay again, then cooler over the summer because vacations depleted our money and she's been spooked by internet scaremongering over the national economy. Then she said if the market didn't crash or other disasters didn't happen by Sept 30 she'd be ok with me picking up an EV, although she still favored the Volt or another PHEV over range anxiety issues. Then just the other night she reneged again, and pushed a ridiculous Chinese-made electric unicyle contraption on me for my commute (so much far safety and range!), challenging me to buy it as "proof" of my seriousness on moving away from oil. Her primary motivation in that regard is short term money savings, plus also her suspicion that I'll tire of whatever EV I get and pine for something better down the road (even if I did, a lease would provide me a relatively early out anyway).

So frustrating. Sorry for the venting. It's just been a long long road and at the last minute I feel the rug yanked out from under me. Again. Meanwhile today I drove in my gasoline car. Again.

Dump the wife, get the car, be happy :lol:

 

[Sparkler]

... Remember, the federal tax credit is a CREDIT against your taxes owed at tax time. If you owe less in taxes than the $7500 tax credit, the difference must be carried over to the next year.

...

Actually, the tax credit is a "non-refundable" credit that cannot be carried over to next year. Just another example of the Bushies rigging things against those that work for a living.

 

[xylhim]

Honestly, getting the Volt is a pretty good compromise. The 0-30mph acceleration is actually slightly better than the Spark so it feels a bit quicker in the city. In the end, you'd make the wife happy, you'd still be driving an EV, and used prices on older models of the volt are quite good right now.

 

[scknogas]

Seriously don't discount the Electricity savings you may get if both you and your wife are out of the house during peak hours...

https://www.bge.com/smartenergy/pluginelectricvehicles/Pages/Rate-Options.aspx

For me, I saved about $50 a month in electricity costs switching AFTER adding the super-off-peak charging of my Volt and now my Spark.

Look at the amount of usage spread over time and then look at your rates.

Scott

 

[Chocula]

Argh. So the wife keeps going hot and cold on me over this.

At first she said okay. Then no over safety fears and range anxiety. Then okay again, then cooler over the summer because vacations depleted our money and she's been spooked by internet scaremongering over the national economy. Then she said if the market didn't crash or other disasters didn't happen by Sept 30 she'd be ok with me picking up an EV, although she still favored the Volt or another PHEV over range anxiety issues. Then just the other night she reneged again, and pushed a ridiculous Chinese-made electric unicyle contraption on me for my commute (so much far safety and range!), challenging me to buy it as "proof" of my seriousness on moving away from oil. Her primary motivation in that regard is short term money savings, plus also her suspicion that I'll tire of whatever EV I get and pine for something better down the road (even if I did, a lease would provide me a relatively early out anyway).

So frustrating. Sorry for the venting. It's just been a long long road and at the last minute I feel the rug yanked out from under me. Again. Meanwhile today I drove in my gasoline car. Again.

Strike while the iron (err Wife) is hot! The next moment she says OK, go get it!

If this is not going to be your only vehicle, then you can keep your range extender (ie gas engine) in your wife's car and just take that when your trip would be inconvenient in the Spark. Hopefully you like your wife's car, because it's likely that is what YOU will be driving after you wife realizes how much nicer electric drive is.

I find range anxiety to be mostly a media hype thing. After you have the car for a few months, you know what it will do and what it won't, how long it actually needs to charge, how much of your charge is consumed by the routes you commonly take, etc. Its amazing how convenient it is to have a full battery every morning.

Best of Luck,
Chocula

 

[MrDRMorgan]

... Remember, the federal tax credit is a CREDIT against your taxes owed at tax time. If you owe less in taxes than the $7500 tax credit, the difference must be carried over to the next year.

...

Actually, the tax credit is a "non-refundable" credit that cannot be carried over to next year. Just another example of the Bushies rigging things against those that work for a living.

Sparkler - thanks for setting the record straight. I always thought any unused electric vehicle tax credit could be rolled over to the following year. However, this is what I found on Edmunds:

"The federal incentive is usually referred to as a flat $7,500 credit, but it's only worth $7,500 to someone whose tax bill at the end of the year is $7,500 or more. If the buyer of a Volt, a Nissan Leaf or other eligible vehicle owes, for example, only $5,000 in income tax for a particular year, that's all the tax credit will be. Uncle Sam's not writing a refund check for the other $2,500. And an unused portion of the credit can't be applied against the following year's taxes."

So the federal tax credit is basically worthless to those who do not have a tax liability in the year they purchase an electric vehicle.

 

[oregonsparky]

I have a spousal obstacle of a different sort.....

She took the spark ev and won't give it back to me!!!!!!!

Jeff

 

[MrDRMorgan]

oregonsparky - I fixed that problem. I found a 2014 Spark EV 2LT in mint condition with only 1500 miles on it and bought it! Now 2 Sparks does not a fire create.

 

[jsca72]

Okay, this is coming from a woman. Get her into one and let her drive it. Both of my sister-in-laws wanted one after driving mine. They were surprised at the comfort and roominess and found it fun to drive.

If she doesn't like it after testing it, you might be sunk.

 

[dangerHV]

MrDRMorgan, can you tell me where you found your 2014 w/ 1500 miles? The only one I see on the net is a 1LT at our friends @ Georges. I'm wondering if there's another source for used 2014's that I haven't found. I've got 8-10 sites that I check daily (eg true car) and didn't see any 2LT's around 1,500 miles, not recently anyway. Thanks for any leads, I'll be buying in a month or two.

 

[MrDRMorgan]

MrDRMorgan, can you tell me where you found your 2014 w/ 1500 miles? The only one I see on the net is a 1LT at our friends @ Georges. I'm wondering if there's another source for used 2014's that I haven't found. I've got 8-10 sites that I check daily (eg true car) and didn't see any 2LT's around 1,500 miles, not recently anyway. Thanks for any leads, I'll be buying in a month or two.

I found my 2014 Spark EV 2LT at Concord Chevrolet in Concord, CA. which is about 65 miles from my home in Manteca, CA. I actually used http://www.cargurus.com to find the car and I really lucked out as this car was factory fresh when I picked it up and it was still under warranty. The 2014 Spark EV was previously a rental from Hertz and only had 1500 miles on it. At the time I picked it up, they also had a used 2015 Spark EV 2LT. I have had the 2014 Spark EV 2LT for a month now and have not had any problems with it.

Good luck finding you Spark EV. This is one fun car to drive.