Thinking of buying an electric car

[Hangfire]

Can't say I've seen one on the news in the past few months but there for awhile they were showing cars on fire every now and then that investigators traced back to the batteries......I'm assuming that whatever it was has been corrected by now....(?)

If I was in the market for a new vehicle I wouldn't go electric but I'd probably look at the 'Flex Fuel' / 'Dual Fuel' models that some mfgs are making that supposedly run just as well on ethanol (which is normally cheaper) as they do 100% gas.

 

[918evo]

The flex fuel capable cars do run and drive like normal cars; the E85 is about the same as 105-110 octane so with the proper tuning it is capable of more advanced timing and more boost if applicable, but ethanol is also about 1/3 less dense than gasoline, so it is not practical to use as you will have less range and the lower cost of e85 will be offset by the increased amount required. A better "dual fuel" option, especially in Oklahoma is natural gas, which is about $.99 a gas gallon equivalent at the moment.

 

[Okie4570]

I've not seen CNG under $1.50 since I got rid of mine in March of 2016. Less power, worse "mpg" I wasn't impressed after the price went up. When I bought it in 2014 is was anywhere from $.49 to $.79 which was a pretty considerable savings at the time.

 

[918evo]

CNG was 1.57 for a while, but it recently dropped to 99 cents in Tulsa. It is a little sluggish and the range is limited by tank size, but it is a more economical dual fuel option than e85.

 

[Shadowrider]

I've not seen CNG under $1.50 since I got rid of mine in March of 2016. Less power, worse "mpg" I wasn't impressed after the price went up. When I bought it in 2014 is was anywhere from $.49 to $.79 which was a pretty considerable savings at the time.

Yea, I was once filling the 35 gallon tank on my pickup with $3.00 gas while looking at the $0.49 sign at the CNG pump. I was sorely tempted, but the cost was about $10K for a system with a decent sized tank. I was still pretty tempted. Had I been driving more miles it would have been very viable.

 

[davek]

I don't recall seeing it mentioned, but I suspect driving fast also reduces range. Another factor to consider since 80% of my driving is 65 mph or more.