RANT: Electric Conversions, Not what you think...... Options

[KaptKaos]

There's a fellow selling a motor in the classifieds. Here's the link:

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=92077

Seems normal enough. I assume, maybe wrongly, that this person is using the car for an electric conversion.

I have no issue with people converting their cars to electric motors. However, I am wondering if it is reasonable to ask or inform the people that are looking to do this to please try to use '76 cars? This is particularly important in California, as the smog checks in California aren't required on Pre-76 cars.

There are two counter arguments that I can think of and they are:

1) '76 cars are fairly rare, and therefore either more expensive and/or harder to find.
2) The point of an electric conversion is to reduce emissions, so using a car that has higher emissions makes more sense.

I am not sure if this is practical/possible/reasonable/feasible, so I figured that I'd ask.

Am I out of line here?

Please note that I mean no ill will to the seller above.

[SteveL]

Question -
When you drive a gas car - 20 MPG, at $4.00 per gallon = $.02 per mile.
When you drive an all electric car, what is the cost per mile? I get a bill every month from the electric utility, so I know it is not free. What does it cost to charge an electric car per mile driven?
How much if you use purely renewable energy sources (wind, solar, tidal) UNSUBSIDIZED. Yes, you have to figure in how much you would be charged in taxes as well as on your direct bill.

Thanks

[jrmole]

Question -
When you drive a gas car - 20 MPG, at $4.00 per gallon = $.02 per mile.
When you drive an all electric car, what is the cost per mile? I get a bill every month from the electric utility, so I know it is not free. What does it cost to charge an electric car per mile driven?
How much if you use purely renewable energy sources (wind, solar, tidal) UNSUBSIDIZED. Yes, you have to figure in how much you would be charged in taxes as well as on your direct bill.

Thanks

Actually, 20 MPG @ $4.00 = $0.20 per mile, not $0.02 per mile.

My electric 914 uses between 3 & 4 miles per kWh. I charge off-peak and pay about $0.07 per kWh (varies between winter and summer). So that works out to about 2 cents per mile. One tenth the cost of gasoline.

I have a few thousand Watts of solar panels on my roof. During the day, I sell the surplus to the power company (who turns around and sells it to my neighbors). At night, I buy the power back. The net production of my panels is enough to completely cover my house and about the first 15,000 miles I drive per year.

I installed the panels a couple thousand Watts every couple years as I could afford them. The first set (2001) have long since paid for themselves. The most recent (2010) will take another few years to pay for themselves. Without the tax breaks, it would have added a couple more years, but would still be worth it. Solar hot water pays back even faster.

The conversion of the 914 will take many, many years to pay for itself. But who buys a 914 to save money? Can't believe anyone on this list would make that mistake.

I am just happy that I can drive around without sending money to places that don't like the United States very much, without sending CO2 into the air and without worrying about price increases in either oil or electricity.

Happy driving.