BeamerBikes

Also, on thing I noticed outlets that are long pass their operational life. Even if they have power, the outlet is way loose. Cynically, some of the bars/restaurants tables have more reliable connections. I travel with a USB power-pack/battery, and sometimes with the 4 way USB charger so my travelmates can share one outlet.

Interesting wonder if he exchanged any $ to takeover that "book of business".

Sadly, I agree best fit for your purposes would be a hybrid option. Electric for 30 miles and less, then ICE takes over. I'm not crazy about them because it seems like 2 different power trains that could break and more complexity to work together.

Insurance payments were about the same as my BMW 335d when I was on Allstate. I recently changed to Metromile. I pay $30/month base plus .05/mile per driven. Works out to about $50-70/month. Two friends have Teslas and they reported that insurance was only slightly more than the previous old cars. Hard to judge apples to apples. One is mid 40s, the other late 20s. US Federal tax credit has been phased out for any brand selling more than 200k EVs. Teslas and GM are no longer eligible since they sold their initial allotment. There's a smaller credit for hybrids too. It's only on new car purchases. States have some new credits coming too. It is a nonrefundable tax credit. Meaning that if your total tax bill (includes what they took out of your paycheck through out the year) is less than $7500, you only get back whatever your tax bill would have been not the full $7500. There's some tax incentives as well for installing charging infrastructure at home.

Yeah, West Texas has good coverage as long as you near an interstate. I use PlugShare app and website to check out charger options both Fast Charger and the medium speed Level 2 chargers. Sierras is abit too big of an area to say.

What's your range expectations? In a 400-500 mile trip, I'd expect to stop for gas/pee/stretch legs at least twice at a go. I wouldn't have a problem doing that in the XC40 with fast charging. Fast charging will be the big difference more so than range. 20-30 min pit stop is enjoyable. Going from Chgo to DC in the winter is about the only trip I'd say heck no without an overnight. I've done it in an ICE van in one go, and it sucked.

2021 XC40 Recharge all electric with a 78kWH battery. Pros: Fun to drive (nimble) Great acceleration 0-60 in 4.7 seconds. Decent Range of 160-220 miles costing about $2 to $4 per charge-up at home DC fast charging stations along most interstates Level 2 - 240VAC chargers access is better in most cities/suburbs now. Sometimes free. Low cost to drive (low maintenance, no combustion engine) Brakes last longer because it will regen using the motor to charge the battery Lots fewer engine/transmission parts to break For daily driving, never need to go to gas station or even a non-home charging station. Green - pro-environment (I know we need to burn carbon to charge(still more efficient than running small engines), over time can be replaced with wind solar and non-carbon fuel sources) Cons: Long trips take a little planning with an app of course. Estimate that for every 150 miles, you're going to stretch/grab a bite to eat/etc for about 30 minutes. Fast Charging station networks need to be built out. Fast charging will cost more to "fill up" but only used on road-trips. This is not the car for you YET if you expect to routinely travel across the Great Plains/Rockies. Don't expect to use the standard wall outlet for charging everyday You'll want to install an 240VAC circuit for at-home charging. I can fully charge on 240VAC (North America) within 8 hours or so. Stated "range" is misleading, basically only achievable under perfect conditions Ask drivers before buying what their driving style and realistic range is. Do NOT buy a new EV without DC Fast Charging option. Seriously research if you're buying an used EV without DC fast charging, it's most definitely NOT a car you will want to take on a road-trip 100+ miles at a stretch.

Armed with the 2.5 years of EV experience, I went hunting for the next car. The plan was to trade the Mercedes B-250, and buy new for the tax credit $7500. I had my eye on the Ford Mustang Mach-E. There were some notable drawbacks though. In the Summer 2021, it took forever to find one to test drive. It took even longer to order one, and I wasn't going to pay over sticker for any car. The Mach-E colors and overall design didn't really call out to me. No door handles what so ever spooked me. At least with Tesla, there's flush door handles, but since not 100% dependent on the car's battery staying charged. After test driving, I was even less impressed with the standard Mach-E. The range numbers seemed impressive compared to the B-250, but quickly discovered the best range numbers came with performance limiters. So yeah - definitely would want to upgrade to the extended range battery - I don't want to be forced to drive like a grandma. Nonetheless, I asked about delivery timelines - if I ordered in July, I could expect it maybe in November. My warranty was up in July so that's a no go. On a lark, I went to the Volvo dealer down the way. I befriended a bunch of Nordics so while I didn't consider the Volvo brand, I figured what the hell. Volvo went big into EVs in 2021 in the US market, but didn't market them until the Fall 2021. The dealership had chargers up front. This shows a commitment that they are serious about sticking with EVs. I test drove the XC40 and HOLY SHIT THIS WASHING MACHINE/ARMORED CAR IS FAST. Range unsurprisingly is only around 220 miles at best, but that's double what my Mercedes got me and it worked for most of my drives. Plus it included DC fast charging. DC fast charging will give me 100+ miles plus in 20 minutes. I routinely do trips of 200+ miles in a single day these days. I could go longer, but I don't like sitting in the car that much. I'll bullet-point this experience in the next post.

Resurrecting an existing thread. My experience - I switched from a BMW 323i -> 335d to a Mercedes B-250 EV (1st gen Tesla tech powered) when my commute drastically shrunk. I was going from 60 miles all highway to 6 miles standard city driving. I would have killed the 335d with carbonization. The Mercedes B-250 only gets 100 miles at best during the summer. 65 miles at at best during the winter. Good enough for 95% of my driving. I'd rent a car for the longer road trips. When an out of state friend got sick, this REALLY sucked. Combine that with a fatal flaw for Tesla 1st gen motors causing a motor replacement AND Mercedes turning its back on this EV compliance car. I traded it last year before the warranty was up. All of these comments were true for the i3 and my Mercedes experience - The B-250 had NO fast charging option. To get another 65-100 miles range it was going to take at best 3.5 hours. This car was definitely city/close suburban use ONLY. Not bad for a 2nd car daily driver, or if you had an in- at Hertz/National for the times you needed to rent one. THIS IS DEFINITELY THE EARLY EARLY ADOPTER EXPERIENCE FOR EVs. NOT EVs COMING OUT NOW.

Still paying roughly the same for my EV "fill ups". Not gloating just paid it in advance when I bought the car. Tho I did get $7500 back in taxes.

Crypto Bros are the worst... Some could be just pushy assholes who don't know proper manner. Others might be working a referral angle. Do they suggest a specific app? Either way, discussing money management especially unsolicited is a red flag for dating apps. Relationships are a different story, but even that, it should be only talked about way way way down the road.

He might even work at Uranus! (Route66 joke)

For what's it worth... glad to see you're alright. I was hoping for a happily ever after, but sometimes it's for the best when it doesn't.

It's St. Patrick's day official in Chicago. (Amateur hour) Right before a full moon... (lunatics) What other superstitions would get you to decide staying at home is the safer choice for the evening? I've had some nights when parking was absolute impossible to find on top of traffic being crazy... too many things lined up for me to think this is the universe trying to tell me something.

Probably, I developed a stripper habit during the caregiving years. Too old to hold many secrets that could only hurt my pride.

Just be aware the closest Grand Canyon experience is not run by the National Park service. It's definitely a day long affair from Vegas, and prepare to dig deep in your wallet to see the canyon. Check prices, look for coupons. I was a bit taken back how commercial/pricey Grand Canyon West experience was. Hoover Dam was a nice experience and reasonably priced, can be done in a half day.

I just hope they don't slam the hospitals again. I have another hernia surgery coming up and don't wanna get bumped. Nor have a bunch of burned out hospital staff. Med Surg floor in 2019 there was a good attitude/vibe. The hallways were a walking track with pts encouraging others to get up and keep moving. Med Surg floor in 2020 was a serious downer. No one wanted to leave their room. Staff was tired. All the nice pick me up events were canceled.

Okie, whoopee, you got me... brass tacks - did anyone call me cheap or an asshole? That'd hurt. I get it'd work for some folks, but at this point in my life, go run tell that.

Mid 40s and I got it. So I guess I'm not that much of a youngin anymore

Aye- as they should... US education seems to be bent on trying to get children to adjust to Adult's schedules rather than the other way around. Other countries start school later since it's supposedly proven that children's natural sleep habits have them waking later than adults. 1st period 8am classes always suck. Ditch the time change and start school later!

Probably thinks that DST is some liberal golden idea when I think EVERYONE is universally annoyed by it.

On balance, I also complained about Key West lodging prices being outrageous. As a result, I opted for New Orleans pre-MardiGras. Nonetheless, if money was no object, I'd rather have been in Key West.

I don't go shopping at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, and expect Aldi prices. He may have a few whale(as in Casino terms) hooked on him in the NYC gogo market. Lust and exclusivity can get some men to crack open the wallet deep. Only real difference between him and porn stars... its not obvious how much he has been filmed professionally. Looks wise, he's on par with most twink->twunk porn stars. Not going to fault the guy for naming his price just because it's out of my reach. As others mentioned, it's on the high end, but someone will pay those rates. And if he ends up being the sweetest BFE, he'll snag a regular. Meanwhile there's other options. Just as there's always a richer daddy's up the hill, there's cheaper guys down the street.

Let the market decide. As for being too expensive or thinking he's entitled... Come on, some of us say "Everyone has a price" and it's collary - "we all pay for it one way or another" This guy named his price, don't get butt hurt if it's out of your budget. More power to him if that price works out for him.

How many of these could be answers to Password Change questions?