7 Year Old's EV Awareness

[mikegrb]

We bought our first full EV, the Bolt, in March but previously had hybrids. My seven year old loves to tell people we have an electric car without an engine whenever the chance, even tangentially, comes up. For example, he recently relished the opportunity to correct a docent at the Thomas Edison National Park when they commented about electric vehicles being 1/3 of those sold in the early 1900s but that they weren't really around today.

I had dinner with my wife and 7-year old at a 50s themed diner last night. Looking through the menu, he found a page with pictures of ~12 classic cars and said they were awesome. He pointed at a dual-tone Chevy Impala and said that's what he wants when he's older.

"You don't want an electric car?" my wife asked.
"Oh, this one has an engine? Which of these are electric?"
"None of them."
"Well, which one is gas and electric?"
"None of them."
"What!? You mean I can't have a cool old car like this that is electric?"
"You could buy a gas one and convert it to electric," I offered.
"I don't know how to do that!"

After dinner, we looked at the cars outside; they have a regular Monday night car show. He talked about which ones he thought might be a good choice for an electric conversion due to the amount of trunk or engine bay space.

Anyway, I thought it was amusing that he just assumed full electric, and hybrid cars have always been a common choice. It'll probably be another generation or two until most kids have this mindset, but it's beginning.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

That is a great story - thank you for sharing. Our kids are living in a very different world we grew up in.

 

[DucRider]

One of the people displaying their EV at one of our events related a similar story.
They are a 2 EV and no ICE family, and rented a car (ICE) while on vacation.
Their young daughter asked when they started the rental car:
"Daddy, what wrong with the car? Why's it making all that noise?"

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Great stories!

When my daughter was 3 years old, we upgraded our hybrid to a plug-in hybrid (we already had an electric for our first car). Naturally we drove it around in electric mode for a while. It was a week before the engine kicked on. When it did for the first time, she calls out from the back seat: "Mommy, why is your car bumping?". It took us a second. She had just assumed that the new car was electric too, and shouldn't have the rattle of a gas engine.

Both of my kids will learn to drive on an electric car. That is, if their generation drives at all. It's truly amazing how the world can change in a generation. My grandparents lived through the first manned flight, my parents through the first space travel and myself through the birth of the internet. The only constant is change - it has been going for centuries, and isn't about to slow down.

 

[LeftieBiker]

There is a guy in Sweden who converts classic Volvos to EVs. Tell your kids to look for this in the US not too long from now.

 

[cranial1963]

Mitsubishi is recreating a 1917 Model A with PHEV capability:
http://www.autoblog.com/2017/04/27/mitsubishi-100-year-old-car-phev-west-coast-customs/

 

[sgt1372]

Just tell your son that old cars are still COOL, even if they are not electric, and if he buys one later in life as a toy, he will drive it so infrequently that it won't have any effect on the environment. He can just hang out in the garage and look at it. LOL!!!

 

[sgt1372]

Just tell your son that old cars are still COOL, even if they are not electric, and if he buys one later in life as a toy, he will drive it so infrequently that it won't have any effect on the environment. He can just hang out in the garage and look at it. LOL!!!

BTW: There was an episode of Wheelers Dealers during which they refurbished a Maserati BiTurbo that had already been converted to electric.

 

[oilerlord]

Just tell your son that old cars are still COOL, even if they are not electric, and if he buys one later in life as a toy, he will drive it so infrequently that it won't have any effect on the environment. He can just hang out in the garage and look at it. LOL!!!

While some of our kids may grow up to be car guys & girls, the trend is such that most won't be. They may never even own or lease a car in their lifetimes. Ride sharing and autonomous driving will cause a substantial decline in the auto industry. From an environmental point of view, perhaps that isn't a bad thing.

 

[redpoint5]

My kids will learn how to drive a manual. I'm keeping the Acura TSX 6-speed for the long haul.

 

[boltage]

BTW: There was an episode of Wheelers Dealers during which they refurbished a Maserati BiTurbo that had already been converted to electric.

Was this conversion done to make it more reliable?

The Maserati BiTurbo was apparently unreliable and unwanted enough that one owner that had one with 18,480 miles on it (how many of these were behind a tow truck?) in 2009 could not find a buyer who would pay more than $3,500 that Cash for Clunkers would give for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiORhKnwXF4
https://www.upi.com/Man-trades-in-Maserati-as-clunker/38421250399674/

 

[oilerlord]

A 1985 Maserati Biturbo with 18K miles on it, sold for $3500, and crushed in 2009. What a shame. This is one of those sad stories of an owner getting bad advice and/or not having the right mechanic. It makes me sick to see waste like that happen.

A couple of months ago, we picked up a friend's 2008 BMW X3. It only had 98K miles on it, but needed work - water pump, rear springs, valve cover replacement, oil gasket, new differential, and other stuff a BMW dealership charges a fortune to fix. She was quoted over $12,000 for the repairs, and was about to trade it in for only $7,000. She had just spent $1000 to put brand new all-weather tires on it. We gave her $8,000.

My BMW whisperer did all the work - and even installed a new windshield and gave it a full detail - all for under $5,000. It looks and drives like a brand new BMW. My wife loves it. It's a great little SUV.

This could have been one of those cars that were needlessly parted out & crushed. It wasn't.

 

[WetEV]

A 1985 Maserati Biturbo with 18K miles on it, sold for $3500, and crushed in 2009. What a shame.

Not as bad as a 9. Trabant.

28. Maserati Biturbo

Edmonds worst 100 lists it at:

55. 1981 Maserati Biturbo: Kind of like a BMW 3 Series, only hideously unreliable and powered by a twin-turbocharged 2.5-liter V6 that only made 185 hp. Interior leather on these ages faster than dogs.

 

[oilerlord]

Like others in the EV community that do the same, I'm guessing you also refer to your Leaf as an "appliance". As someone that also drives an EV, I appreciate the simplicity of design and it's inherent reliability as a daily driver.

With that said, and while an old Maserati may have it's challenges, it's still a Maserati, not a toaster on wheels.

 

[boltage]

A 1985 Maserati Biturbo with 18K miles on it, sold for $3500, and crushed in 2009. What a shame. This is one of those sad stories of an owner getting bad advice and/or not having the right mechanic. It makes me sick to see waste like that happen.

A couple of months ago, we picked up a friend's 2008 BMW X3. It only had 98K miles on it, but needed work - water pump, rear springs, valve cover replacement, oil gasket, new differential, and other stuff a BMW dealership charges a fortune to fix. She was quoted over $12,000 for the repairs, and was about to trade it in for only $7,000. She had just spent $1000 to put brand new all-weather tires on it. We gave her $8,000.

My BMW whisperer did all the work - and even installed a new windshield and gave it a full detail - all for under $5,000. It looks and drives like a brand new BMW. My wife loves it. It's a great little SUV.

This could have been one of those cars that were needlessly parted out & crushed. It wasn't.

It is probably a lot easier to find the "right mechanic" and maintenance/repair parts for a 9 year old BMW X3 than for a 24 year old Maserati BiTurbo.

 

[oilerlord]

It is probably a lot easier to find the "right mechanic" and maintenance/repair parts for a 9 year old BMW X3 than for a 24 year old Maserati BiTurbo.

Hard to say. We thought we had a pretty good relationship with a company that specializes in fixing German cars, until they broke the valve cover on our friend's X3, lied about it, billed her $220 for a "diagnostic", and then estimated over $2,000 to replace / install a part that costs under $600. Luckily, we found a mechanic that not only charges fairly; has integrity. I recommended that she fix the car, but she instead sold it to us, and bought a new one.

While a 24 year old Maserati is a rare bird, (generally) cars from the 80's were a lot simpler to fix than modern cars. It looks like It would have only cost $3500 to find out.

 

[boltage]

While a 24 year old Maserati is a rare bird, (generally) cars from the 80's were a lot simpler to fix than modern cars. It looks like It would have only cost $3500 to find out.

If you had been in the area in 2008-2009, you probably could have found out for $3,500 (or maybe less), since the car was for sale for a while with no takers before Cash for Clunkers.