Has anyone up here taken the plunge and purchased an all-wheel-drive electric vehicle? A PDD (poor deer decision) totaled our Subaru Outback and with a solar installation in the works, we are considering replacing it with an electric vehicle. If you've tried one, we'd love to hear what you think of it. Or, if you have an all-wheel-drive hybrid that has significantly better fuel efficiency than a gas engine when most of the miles driven are highway miles, we'd be interested in hearing about that, too.
Just trying to gather information from some real-world experience before we start shopping. Thank you!
I haven't driven an all-electric in the mountains yet, but I did test-drive a Tesla in town and it was FUN! I own an AWD hybrid Lexus SUV and I love how it gets around in the snow. Having the extra batteries in the center of the vehicle under the carriage means it has extra weight to help it grip and it being low to the ground make sit safer. There were many evenings heading home in rush hour where I could drive through Turkey Creek Canyon and up the hill around Windy Point without sliding while others around me were struggling.
What has surprised me the most (I hope I don't jinx myself) is that the SUV is 13 years old and has nearly 250,000 miles on it, and I've noticed only a slight decrease in battery recharge performance. Lexus makes an incredibly reliable, well constructed, durable vehicle. Being an SUV it doesn't get the gas mileage I've really like out of a hybrid (~22-24mpg), but it's better than straight combustion engine.
I'd imagine that an all-electric would do just as well. You don't need oxygen in the atmosphere for it to run well, and what you lose in battery power going uphill, you make back up going downhill with regenerative brakes. My next car will be an electric and I can't wait!
Hope this helps. Good luck car hunting!
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
One big advantage of the Tesla is you gain power on the drive down the mountain. My brother and I went up to Central City in his rented Tesla and the charge was pretty low when we left but it wasn't a problem at all coasting downhill.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
