# Bob\_Blaylock hates Electric Vehicles and was happy to highjack a thread about it **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 13, 2024, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798 "2024-03-13T00:22:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2024, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/321 "2024-04-01T19:39:53Z")
I know this thread is mainly about full-electric EVs, but just to chime in about alternatives, I bought a Honda CR-V hybrid 5 weeks ago. No need for special electrical work at the house, and I still haven’t spent _any_ time on fueling or recharging (though it will need gas soon). If you don’t want to make the leap to full EV, hybrids are great. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2024, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/322 "2024-04-01T19:54:21Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Actually “3.1415926535897932384”. > > The next digit is a 6 so I see why you rounded up to 5. But I wouldn’t call that “the first 20 digits of pi”, I’d call that “an approximation of pi precise to the 19th decimal place”. I didn’t round. I asked the site & pasted their answer. But your point is well-taken. That’s pi rounded to 20 sigfigs, not the first 20 digits of pi. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2024, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/323 "2024-04-01T20:02:31Z")
I’ve only memorized an engineer’s Pi, 3.14159 That good enough for anything physical; more digits is just showing off. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2024, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/324 "2024-04-01T20:02:32Z")
3.14159265 is all I know. It’s what would show on my first calculator that had pi as a button. It’s precision beyond what I ever needed. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2024, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/325 "2024-04-01T20:29:57Z")
I was going to ask how long this discussion about pi decimal places was going to continue, and then thought better of it…. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2024, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/326 "2024-04-01T20:32:52Z")
However long you have … a little longer than that. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2024, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/327 "2024-04-01T21:22:03Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > I was going to ask how long this discussion about pi decimal places was going to continue, and then thought better of it…. If we can just up and declare pi to be 22/7 then electric vehicles will be more efficient, because the car will be moving farther for every revolution. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2024, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/328 "2024-04-01T22:25:26Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > I bought a Honda CR-V hybrid 5 weeks ago. I don’t think the CRV has a plug-in hybrid option, no? If so, it’s essentially a more efficient ICE car (like our Ford Escape). Great gas mileage, but not a disruptor like a plug-in or EV is. Those cars can allow you to bypass filling at a gas station as part of your daily life, changing the relationship between car owner and fuel. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2024, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/329 "2024-04-01T23:48:42Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > I don’t think the CRV has a plug-in hybrid option, no? If so, it’s essentially a more efficient ICE car (like our Ford Escape). Great gas mileage, but not a disruptor like a plug-in or EV is. That’s fine, I don’t care about disruption at all. I just like having a convenient fuel-efficient ride. I mention it for the benefit of people who might be curious about electric cars but not ready to switch to full EV. > [@Telemark](#): > > Those cars can allow you to bypass filling at a gas station as part of your daily life, changing the relationship between car owner and fuel. They change the relationship between the car owner and the refueling process, and IMO not always for the better. As I mentioned before, fueling isn’t part of my daily or even weekly life anymore. Bought the hybrid 5 weeks ago and still haven’t fueled it _at all_. That’s incredibly convenient, especially given that it doesn’t add dependencies like electrical work for a home charging station, or making out-of-the-way trips to the charging station, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2024, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/330 "2024-04-02T21:01:47Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > As I mentioned before, fueling isn’t part of my daily or even weekly life anymore. Bought the hybrid 5 weeks ago and still haven’t fueled it _at all_. That’s incredibly convenient, especially given that it doesn’t add dependencies like electrical work for a home charging station, or making out-of-the-way trips to the charging station, etc. Since I live in an apartment which _does_ have 8 chargers for hundreds of apartments, my next vehicle is only going to be a traditional hybrid or plug-in hybrid. But right now the traditional one would still be more convenient for me since there aren’t _any_ chargers at any place I go to in my area. And it would be too much of an inconvenience to jump to full EV for that reason, and also needing to move my car out of the way once it’s charged, and also in case electrics _do_ become popular enough that the electric spots become full, which they aren’t now. Whereas _if_ there were a lot of chargers around town in places I go to anyway, I could recharge my plug-in while shopping, plus recharge while doing laundry at my apartment since the chargers are close to the laundromats. Combining the two, I would use hardly any gas around town. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/331 "2024-04-11T19:39:07Z")
SCS Software [recently announced plans to add electric trucks to _Euro Truck Simulator 2_](https://blog.scssoft.com/2024/04/renault-trucks-e-tech-t-coming-to-ets2.html) and the Bob\_Blaylocks of the world immediately started nattering about Diesel noise and such. More so on their Facebook pages than their blog. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2024, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/332 "2024-04-17T16:56:14Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > I don’t think the CRV has a plug-in hybrid option, no? If so, it’s essentially a more efficient ICE car (like our Ford Escape). Great gas mileage, but not a disruptor like a plug-in or EV is. Correct. We bought the hybrid CRV the first year it came out; at that point, there were NO plug-in hybrid SUVs on the market (with one possible exception, that we’d have had to drive 60 miles just to look at). The mileage is better than our older CRV but not nearly as good as they claimed on the sticker (42 city, 36 highway or something). We have averaged roughly 34 mpg in the 3+ years we’ve owned it (just checked our fuel logging app). A PHEV would have been a deal-changer for us. The VAST majority of our trips are less than 5 miles, so we’d almost never need to buy gas. A couple of longer trips a year, and that would be that. ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2024, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/333 "2024-04-17T17:44:59Z")
Huh–our plain Jane ICE CRV got 35-36 mpg over its life. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2024, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/334 "2024-04-17T19:01:48Z")
2wd or AWD? There is a bit of difference. BTW, the current advertised ICE mileage is (lower than what both of you saw): ``` city/hwy ``` 2wd - 28/34 AWD - 27/32 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2024, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/335 "2024-04-17T19:10:30Z")
Those mileage ratings aren’t very good for a small SUV like that. My 2010 Honda Fit gets about 28 MPG (according to the display on the dash) so I’d expect a car that’s almost fifteen years newer to do better. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2024, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/336 "2024-04-17T19:33:46Z")
I think those are the numbers you’ll see for most new small ICE SUVs like a Subaru Forester or a Toyota Rav4. You have to get a hybrid of some sort to get better numbers. ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2024, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/337 "2024-04-17T20:56:47Z")
AWD, although it was the car’s computer telling me the mileage, not a calibrated measurement. The Lyriq is sitting at about 2.5 miles per KWH. Hopefully that goes up on the OEM tires (on studded snows now). ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2024, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/338 "2024-04-17T21:00:31Z")
We are at 3100 miles with our Tesla and 3.0 miles per kWh, but we have at least another 200 miles in the battery right now, so more like 3.2. We stuck with the OEM tires since we were past the snowiest part of the year. Edit to add - It’s been about $140 in charging for those 3300 miles. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2024, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/339 "2024-04-17T21:18:29Z")
Re: SUV mileage; some come with an optional roof rack, and some people add aftermarket racks. A rack can hurt MPG by 10 to 15%, so a 36 mpg car might easily go down to 31. [Car and Driver found a 12% increase after taking off a factory rack.](https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a42596866/tested-roof-rails-affect-gas-mileage/) ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/340 "2024-04-18T14:29:45Z")
> [@Tride](#): > > Huh–our plain Jane ICE CRV got 35-36 mpg over its life. > [@wguy123](#): > > 2wd or AWD? There is a bit of difference. BTW, the current advertised ICE mileage is (lower than what both of you saw): > > ```auto > city/hwy > > ``` > > 2wd - 28/34 > AWD - 27/32 The 2wd is closer to what we were getting on our older CRV (2006, 180K miles, and still running; it’s 2WD and no roof rack). I no longer have the fuel tracking history (the app I used no longer works, and I’ve replaced the phone in the interim); we drive it so little at the moment, and virtually always very local jaunts, that it’s hard to tell. We rented a Ford Expedition Max for a long trip, quite recently, and its mileage was crap as you’d expect for such a vehicle - 19 mpg. On the plus side, its gas tank was so huge (28 gallons, I think) that we only had to top it off three times. As a side note, we now use an app called Simply Auto, since it works on both iPhone and Android (mixed marriage here…), and both my husband and I can log fuel for the same vehicle. They want you to pay 10 bucks a month for the privilege of sharing data like that, but on Black Friday (and I think at Christmas) they had a lifetime subscription for 25 bucks, which has been well worth it. /hijack [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798.md?page=18)