Adjusted EV Calculations

You'll be happy to know I was off on my calculations about the electricity. According to my city's website, the highest price during winter for the first 2000kWh (they actually charge less after this) is 0.087 cents/kWh
This would take the EV cost per mile if at 0.44kWh / mile = 0.038 cents/mile for the electricity.
(12,000mi = $456)
My current car is more like 0.088 cent/mile for gasoline alone at $1.95/gal (12,000mi = $1,056)
If gasoline gets up to $3/gal again it would be 0.136 cent/mile (12,000mi = $1,632)

So I ought to save anywhere from $600 - $1,176 on fuel/year ($50 - $98/month).
Granted I'm not counting maintenance here (like oil, filters, coolant/antifreeze, etc. vs. battery replacement costs) but the ROI has potential if you continue to drive the EV.

I have read one using "$500/year" arbitrary figure for ICE maintenance costs and 3.3c/mile battery replacement but I don't know that I feel comfortable using those numbers.
Really that's not quite 1c/mile extra (+0.041 for ICE, +0.033 for EV) or $96/year savings.

If only solar and wind generators were cheaper for consumers...

Well I do not think electricity itself will get cheaper (quite the opposite) but I do believe batteries will from everything I've been reading in EV news, etc.

Oh, and if you can somehow charge from work... you can get even better savings.

I really believe there is an unquantifiable savings benefit to driving an EV that involves the lack of complexity. To just diagnose problems I've had with other cars, it can cost lots of money, since there are just so many parts and systems and they're buried and interconnected with each other. The more points of failure, the more chances for something to go wrong. Still, I can't think that way in my calculations and I'm not that much of a pessimist. :)

It's really interesting thinking about a car as something that could "pay for itself" (not literally unless I had a truly green solution like wind/solar).

Oh I will add, if your car really gets 50mpg (for the argument of say a Prius driven conservatively) you're more like 0.039 @ $1.95 and 0.06 @ $3 which cuts your overall savings but something to note about all those wonderful hybrid cars? Don't they need battery replacements, too? ;)

Slightly more empty engine bay :)

My neighbor Cody came over and we hacked away at the engine a bit today. His Dad owns a saw and I talked with some other people that own or know people that own one and somebody is bound to make good on lending me one. :)




He cut some hoses rather hastily and we could smell coolant. I've been told that A/C really isn't worth it/isn't possible by some fellow EV'rs. I could live without it but it's a real shame if that's the case. Cody is also letting me borrow his socket set so I was able to tear into it some more. :)
He should be back tonight and we'll see how much farther we can go!

I've been recommended to get "Freeze Off" and some "Gator Grip Pliers" to deal with the stripped nut(s)... and a heavy hammer.

Shout out to the other EV'rs I've talked to - David, Steve, Mike and Cliff in case they read this. :)

Very little progress

Well I took a couple of small pieces off the engine and tried with that same nut and the one near it.
Here's the stripped nut I can't get off:



So I thought maybe I could remove the one you can't see here


But that is proving difficult without a ratchet for that size nut, since mine seems to have disappeared and I don't have access to my Dad's tools. A friend of a friend might come by tonight or this weekend, although I'm leaning in favor of a local mechanic I've spoken with that seems like he can offer me a good deal and even do some limited welding work. We'll see what happens.

Perhaps this weekend I can purchase some tools to help accomplish my goals. :)

Getting my hands dirty

Well, I rearranged the stuff in the garage. I wont be able to park in there now, but I have plenty of room to work on Penny. :)
The particular nut that gave me problems before is really stripped bad. I think there's another way to get it off -- the other side is attached to something ... I'll have to get a picture of it, but it's part of the removal of the drive axles.
If that fails, maybe I can cut the nut off or something ... appreciate any help or advice on this one.

Thoughts and figures

OK if I read my electric bill right it's about 0.103c /kWh
Going with 0.44 kWh / mile (have no idea) x 0.103 / kWh = 4.5cents/mile
I read you also should add +3.3c/mile battery replacement so = 7.8c/mile

My current car is rated at 18mpg City / 26mpg Hwy (wow, didn't know it was that bad!) so let's go with 22mpg...
0.0454 gal/mi. x $1.95/gal (current price) = 8.8cents/mi.
at $3/gal = 13.6cents/mi.

If you add oil say $30/oil change x 4 times a year x 12,000mi. = 1cent/mile
so that + filters/etc.

Hmmm... do these figures sound right? I might be off a bit on my kWh price depending on how you're supposed to read the bill (they bill me for water/electric/trash all on the same bill).

I also called around some shops to see what the cost for pulling the engine would be like. I don't want to give up or take the easy way out but I also want to make progress on this.
Well, I found someone who owns their own shop and quoted me $45/hr for labor and said he thought he could remove the engine in about 4 hours easily, but since the transmission wouldn't have any support, I'd have to have it towed back to my house.
Interesting... Also can't have the engine just sitting there so I'll have to convince one of my friends to let me borrow their truck and drop it off at a salvage place or something.

Anyone want to buy a Ford Probe engine? :)

This project is still alive.

I know. I haven't been around or saying anything. Truth is, I really don't have money for this right now. I intend to change that. Stay tuned.

When I started the project, my Dad was also helping me. He's since moved to Minnesota, so I find tearing apart a massive, heavy object somewhat intimidating, but I can't let that stop me. :)
I also had plans to offset the cost by having a roommate (my Dad, or more recently another individual), but that too isn't working out.
I'll have to find a way to budget this thing. :)

I plan to post soon some calculations on the total cost of the vehicle, technical specs on how far it could actually go and how fast/etc., how much money I'll be saving and all that.

Now and then my coworkers and friends ask, "So what are you going to do with that car?" or "What have you been doing...?" Hopefully next time I'll have something to say. :)

Intermission

We were able to disconnect the exhaust, but of course not remove it. It will have to be cut. I was unable to get some nuts off the trans-axle area near the CV joint (don't really know what it's called) and will need a tool to break a stripped nut as well.