Probably going to be a long time before a bed of that length hits this segment.
NFR Electric Truck
- Thread starter Mark Yoshida
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Non-fishing related
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ifsteve
Steelhead
Sure. But so can a generator for way less money. Nothing wrong with heading electric but as a retired engineer I keep telling people all the time that you have to factor all the pros and cons. For the greenies out there that just want to do away with fossil fuels I get it. Electric vehicles are GREAT for short daily commutes and may even be cost efficient. But on the open road not so much.
My "commute" is 150 miles round rip towing my skiff. Just no way an electric vehicle is cutting that right now. Down the road probably. But probably past the time my ability to pole will give out.....lol.
The range of the Silverado EV is actually greater than the range of my F250 V10. People are just more keyed in on the idea of a gas station than pulling up to a charger. Once pull-through chargers are a more regular thing, it won't even be an issue for those of us towing. Charging at those stations doesn't take nearly as long as you'd think, especially with the high speed capabilities of the higher end models.
The average person drives their vehicle about 25 minutes each time...so on average the EV is pretty amazing. What I've always wondered is in big cities how do you charge when you don't know exactly where you are going to park everyday?
The issue is the long trip, there is a push to rentals for long trips. I drive about 15,000 miles per year, I'll bet only 7,000 need an 8' bed and even less really need diesel. Maybe a rental could work if it is really convenient like an Uber app?
Not for me I'm too old for that but maybe the younger generations can work it out.
Capt Insano Emeritis
Legend
Just intrigued… it is a means thing. I still don’t understand how folks out there in the ether can buy all the stuff they buy. I am channeling Old Man I suppose. 
The problem I have is the cost of insurance and maintenance for the second vehicle so I have one vehicle. The estimate is that it costs about $0.50/mile to own and operate a vehicle. Therefore, it takes incredibly high mileage to justify a second vehicle, particularly if you don't drive much. But the estimates for EV are equivalent 100 mpg...that's pretty close, if gas prices continue to rise it might work.Just intrigued… it is a means thing. I still don’t understand how folks out there in the ether can buy all the stuff they buy. I am channeling Old Man I suppose.
Be a long time before 8' beds hit anywhere in the truck market...very common to see even huge internal combustion trucks with tiny beds. Most trucks are just used as people haulers anyway. Probably start seeing 8' beds in this segment when they upgrade mfg to farm and commercial use superduty class trucks.
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We in the auto biz talk a lot about electric vehicles. At this point, there are some large problems for using one as you do a conventional vehicle.
One is the range from one charging station to the next. The range the manufacturers indicate does not include any accessories at work that drains power. This includes headlamps, wipers, AC, radio etc. When you use any device that requires power, that shortens your range. Another problem is the length of time required to charge the vehicle at a charging station. This can range from an hour to many hours waiting for you vehicle to recharge.
How many of you are willing to wait around and hour or more at a charging station? If you you the vehicle just around town and charge it at your home each night, no problem. But if you plan a fishing trip out to the middle of nowhere, you better plan on wasting a lot of time at a charging station.
Then there's the problem with the primary battery. They can cost 8 to 10 grand to replace. And then, where to you dispose of these huge, toxic batteries?
Until they can build as many charging stations are there are gas stations today and until they can get the charging down to the same amount of time it takes to fill your gas tank, they really are not practical for a vehicle you use for fishing where charging stations would be far and few between.
So sure, if you use an EV around town and drive it primarily to work and the grocery store, they are fine. But they need to overcome the above mentioned problems before they are really practical as an all around vehicle. They'll get there some day but that is not yet now.
One is the range from one charging station to the next. The range the manufacturers indicate does not include any accessories at work that drains power. This includes headlamps, wipers, AC, radio etc. When you use any device that requires power, that shortens your range. Another problem is the length of time required to charge the vehicle at a charging station. This can range from an hour to many hours waiting for you vehicle to recharge.
How many of you are willing to wait around and hour or more at a charging station? If you you the vehicle just around town and charge it at your home each night, no problem. But if you plan a fishing trip out to the middle of nowhere, you better plan on wasting a lot of time at a charging station.
Then there's the problem with the primary battery. They can cost 8 to 10 grand to replace. And then, where to you dispose of these huge, toxic batteries?
Until they can build as many charging stations are there are gas stations today and until they can get the charging down to the same amount of time it takes to fill your gas tank, they really are not practical for a vehicle you use for fishing where charging stations would be far and few between.
So sure, if you use an EV around town and drive it primarily to work and the grocery store, they are fine. But they need to overcome the above mentioned problems before they are really practical as an all around vehicle. They'll get there some day but that is not yet now.
It takes a lot of creativity. My wife is the breadwinner in the family as far as our full time jobs, but I have worked over the years to build up some supplemental income streams. This forum not being one of them thus farJust intrigued… it is a means thing. I still don’t understand how folks out there in the ether can buy all the stuff they buy. I am channeling Old Man I suppose.
We also live very frugally compared to our peers. We never buy new vehicles, live in a modest house in a less expensive part of town, rarely eat out, cook meals based on staple ingredients like various rices, beans and lentils, never had cable TV, so on and so forth. The idea with this potential future truck for me is to pay cash from one of my supplemental income streams if it allows me to do so. It may not work out, but going to position myself to do it just in case.
As an EV owner, I can say the issues you're bringing up here aren't nearly the problems you make them sound. Not sure what your work is/was in the industry, but I know lots of conventional car dealers REALLY crank up the FUD on EVs because they don't make money on them long term in the service department stuff like they do a gas rig.
Charging at charging stations is actually quite fast, provided you have a car model with high speed charging capabilities. I've only ever needed a public charger once, and in 15mins I got about 100mi range added. My car doesn't even have the level 3 charging capabilities the higher end cars have.
Talk to some EV owners on their experiences. Most I know never want another combustion engine vehicle if they can avoid it.
And the ongoing liquidity (whatever it's eventual use) makes for considerable feelings of financial security.It takes a lot of creativity. My wife is the breadwinner in the family as far as our full time jobs, but I have worked over the years to build up some supplemental income streams. This forum not being one of them thus far
EmergingFisher
Life of the Party
My hesitation in acquiring an electric truck is that the in-laws will be constantly borrowing it for truck purposes…
This is a very valid concern.
Establish a rate of services ahead of time—2 hours, no driver: 6 pack of microbrews
—2 hours w/ driver: 6 pack + 1 family dinner (and you don’t have to be present unless you want)
—1/2 day: 750 mL liquor of your choice or a couple big fat ribeyes
Etc
While the Silverado currently tops my list of ones I'd probably buy, the CyberTruck definitely specs out head and shoulders above the rest. I know the looks rile people up, but there are few things I care less about with something I view as a tool to do a job.
If not for Elon being a douche canoe, and Tesla having very inconsistent quality issues... Also interiors that look and feel like cheap Ikea... It's a very intriguing vehicle. At the very least, the thinking outside the box they did with it shows ways we can add truck features that otherwise weren't thought of with conventional trucks.
www.tesla.com
If not for Elon being a douche canoe, and Tesla having very inconsistent quality issues... Also interiors that look and feel like cheap Ikea... It's a very intriguing vehicle. At the very least, the thinking outside the box they did with it shows ways we can add truck features that otherwise weren't thought of with conventional trucks.
Cybertruck
Cybertruck is designed to have the utility of a truck with sports car performance. Built to be durable, versatile, capable and high-performance both on-road and off-road.
www.tesla.com
I too had no clue they finally made it to market. Last time I saw one was a pre-production unit in the Bid Sky village. Found one yesterday here resting and recovering in Mammoth. Like others, my concern is range. The further you get to the east in the map above the colder the temps get, the longer the commutes become, the more mountain passes you travel, the more primitive you travel, the further the charging stations become. For those with an EV what do you do when you get to Island Park, Ennis, Craig, Melrose etc? I have watched EVs play leap frog at charging stations over the years and I still can not wrap my head around how people justify their time sitting there. Not trying to create FUD just curious on logistics and real world application for those recreating & towing in more remote locations with their EVs away from cities and resorts catering to the EV crowd.
The situations you bring up are the ones where "we're not there yet." Most of us with EVs know full well we're not at a place where they work for everyone everywhere. But they're a lot better and more capable than most realize.
For most of us that live in and around cities, they make a hell of a lot of sense. If you spend more time in rural and wilderness areas, life would be tougher with an EV.
I'm wondering about where the hell all of the lithium is going to come from for the batteries. With only 2% of the world's lithium production the US seems like an unlikely location to go all-in on electric vehicles. It sounds like we will be trying to feed a family of 4 on a single chicken leg.
PS. By the way, I am the kid who said at age 13 in 1951 that world population would be one of the world's greatest problems in my lifetime. The laughter was uproarious! Seventy years later it is not so funny is it?
PS. By the way, I am the kid who said at age 13 in 1951 that world population would be one of the world's greatest problems in my lifetime. The laughter was uproarious! Seventy years later it is not so funny is it?
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One of the world's largest lithium deposits sits in SW Oregon desert. They're moving toward opening that up. That's a mining operation I could get behind.
With EVs of all types it will just take time for the early adopters to expand the market (and it's supporting infrastructure) sufficiently to become attractive and economically sound for the rest of us.
The city of Spokane's council demanded that the PD purchase Teslas as patrol vehicles...against the wishes of the PD and Fleet dept. The trial purchase has not gone well. Police officers, with their equipment, and detainees do not fit well in Teslas. Hotseating EV patrol cars doesn't work well, so you need more of them. The speed advantages of the Teslas are not attractive to PD management or Risk Management because high speed pursuit collateral damage is a serious public risk and huge financial liability.
The council now faces the decision of replacing about 80 conventional vehicles (currdepth. at the end of their service life) with electric (from a market that doesn't yet produce a suitable police EV) or go the conventional route.
The city of Spokane's council demanded that the PD purchase Teslas as patrol vehicles...against the wishes of the PD and Fleet dept. The trial purchase has not gone well. Police officers, with their equipment, and detainees do not fit well in Teslas. Hotseating EV patrol cars doesn't work well, so you need more of them. The speed advantages of the Teslas are not attractive to PD management or Risk Management because high speed pursuit collateral damage is a serious public risk and huge financial liability.
The council now faces the decision of replacing about 80 conventional vehicles (currdepth. at the end of their service life) with electric (from a market that doesn't yet produce a suitable police EV) or go the conventional route.
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