True. I was really impressed with the Quebec charging infrastructure. You do have some far flung parts of Canada though (a bit like where I’m from).
I saw a comment on Reddit that they have, in fact, finally re-designed the part. Fact-check me here, not an expert, but maybe buying a Kia/Hyundai EV is ok now. AFAIK, that’s the only common point of failure, I think most people have been happy with them except this one thing.
For X-ty Thousand, I want more than “ok.”
I meant safe to buy, I can’t speak to the quality of the cars, never been in one. But yeah, EVs still aren’t cheap.
My co-worker has an EV Kona and loves it. I think he’s at around 4-5 years old now.
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Well, new ones aren’t cheap.
Let someone else eat the 50% depreciation.
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I had an electrician out last night to look into installing a level 2 charger and plan to test drive some vehicles this weekend.
Any general recommendations on chargers or does it depend on the car? I see a lot of good reviews for Emporia.
I don’t have one, but I have been researching.
Main thing you will want is one that will last – as with any high-cost, long-lasting expense, the PV of the replacement is important, actuarially per Neuwirth. So, find the best one, look at the price, and compare it with the next best one and its price.
As with newish appliances, no one knows how long they will last.
They all should work the same. Cost of electricity won’t change based on the charger. You want fancy with internet interfacing, turning it on when you want from afar or on a set schedule, probably cost extra, ceteris paribus.
Just realized I need a permit. Sonofa
Good news is that it should raise your property value, but not realized until sale. I mean, potential buyers with EVs will prefer a level-2 charger already installed and permitted. Otherwise, they’d have to make sure a charger can be installed without too much effort.
Is your dryer near or in the garage? If so, the additional work won’t be too difficult, assuming there is a 220V outlet (which means 220V lines inside the house) near your dryer, AND you don’t have an electric dryer.
You generally need the permit for the additional power lines from the box, or for a new box if your current (ha!) box cannot supply the power.
Hard part about the permit process is the waiting.
I tried looking at energy star data to figure efficiency rankings, but it wasn’t entirely clear. If they vary by 5% and you use 5MWh/year, that yearly efficiency difference is the price of 250kWh. I ended up getting a model from Grizzly that was well-rated, but not fancy/wifi connected. It wasn’t expensive (less than $300?) Haven’t priced recently (post-tariff).
The important thing is that it never leaks electrons all over the garage floor. They are hard to clean up.
FWIW, I’ve had a Siemens charger for about six years and it’s been really solid, below is a link to the slightly newer version of what I have. I can’t vouch for this vendor, just grabbed a link. It is on the slower end at 30A (7.2kW), there are faster chargers out there but I’ve never felt like I needed any more than 30A.
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Our level 2 is also 7kw. Plenty fast for overnight charging.
Not sure if “fast” is needed at home. Easier part of planning, unlike long trips.
I don’t personally have a use case for 7kW. Maybe if you had a frequent guest who might only charge for a couple of hours or something, or if you had a giant EV truck with a 150kWh battery or whatever those things have. My Model Y has a 75kWh battery, so at 7kW it would charge 0%-80% overnight.
When solid state becomes affordable for regular vehicles (2030-2035?), the capacity of batteries may go up substantially. So perhaps most of us will be using 150kwh batteries. Or, we may opt for smaller batteries to cut down on vehicle weight. If it’s at 150kwh, a level 2 charger at 11kw would make more sense. This is all a few years off though.
I ended up going with a used 2025 Lexus RZ 300e Premium with 14k miles for 34,495. Very different than the beaters we’re used to driving, but we’ve always had Toyota / Honda with great results.
Some things to consider for anyone potentially interested:
Warranty:
- Lexus certified vehicles extend the original 4 year warranty by 2 years, so ours is good until May 2031 / unlimited mileage
- Original battery warranty of 8 years / 100k miles still applies
Trim (2025 and prior):
- 300e is single motor, front wheel drive with 18 or 20” wheels and ~200hp. It’s slower acceleration (0-60mph in ~7 seconds), but the tradeoff is more range and better efficiency (especially with the 18” wheels).
- 450e is dual motor, >300hp and much quicker (0-60 in <5 seconds). These come in 20” or 22” wheels and a lot of them come with performance tires which are not meant for snow.
- Theres also a 550e sport that’s even quicker but these weren’t common when looking for used around us.
- Performance is the base model, where Luxury adds on a bunch of bells and whistles that we didn’t need (higher end interior, 25 speaker audio, parking assist, etc).
- When shopping for used, the vast majority were 450e with a somewhat even split between performance and luxury.
Other Considerations:
- All trims (even the sport) cap out at ~100-105mph, which is lower (sometimes much lower) than competitors.
- It came with an adapter so we can plug directly into a 220v outlet. I’m not sure if this is as good as installing a charger but will try it.
- The display looks great, has physical knobs for heat / volume, and is really easy to use. On higher end trims, if you hover your finger over the buttons on the steering wheel, it will project on the windshield so you don’t have to look down at them. Ours doesn’t have this.
2023_Lexus_RZ_Instrument_Panel_1.jpg (960×720)
I’m just really excited to give electric a try! For long road trips, we’ll swap for my Mom’s Santa Fe.
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Good for you! Let us know how it goes.
This is the way.
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