Exactly. Well said and thank you.

 

Damn.... That's brutal MPG!! But don't worry about me. I want to clarify one more time, starting this thread was not financial as in "I can't afford the gas", its ALL ABOUT feeling like a D-bag giving in to the oil lords and scumbag world leaders driving this insane horse ****. Thank GOD we are mortgage free living on the ocean and retired in Naples FL

 

Imagine how much an electric Defender would weigh. I think a 110 would be clocking in around 7000 pounds or so. That is going to seriously cut into available payload and towing. Electrics have some ups and downs for an off-road adventure vehicle. I think it is awesome that you can eliminate so many moving parts like differentials with a dedicated motor for each wheel a la the Rivian but can't help thinking how far these things could go if we could just figure out a way to store the same kWHs on board for less weight. You are burning so many electrons just hauling around the mass of the battery itself.

 

Volkswagen has been doing some cutting edge research to cut EV weights. They've had some setbacks but I understand they're close to a major breakthrough.

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Not sure what that picture is of. Maybe they released a whole bunch of balloons when they finally tested their mule and it delivered the hoped for range? Unfortunately part of their 'breakthrough' appears to be a tiny hatchback that is smaller than a Golf (looks to be Polo-sized). I hope their range target does not depend on that being part of the deal.

 

Have you ever heard the story of Lawnchair Larry? It's absolutely fascinating.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/lawnchair-larry-walters

 

 

I just got back from the UK where I was paying the equivalent of $8.50- $9 USD per gallon (£1.80 to 1.90 a liter) so even though gas has gone up a dollar a gallon where I live in the past two weeks it's still nowhere near that.

Petrol in New Zealand is now $2.95 NZD a liter and was as high as $3.11 in the past month - that's the equivalent of $8 USD / gallon

Gas has always been way cheaper in the US than in equivalent countries - but if you budget for $7-8 / gallon for the long term you should be about right. Gas is only going to increase in price as time passes.

 

I always have to laugh a bit at some of these discussions. I drive 20-25,000 miles a year and rarely look at the gas prices when filling up. At the end of the day the increase isn’t that impactful for us, not like I’m suddenly going to feel a financial pinch because gas went up $1-2. Take a stem back and look at how much people waste on cable tv, etc.

If it makes you feel better - my wife’s Mercedes G550 gets an average of 8-9mpg. The engine in her car is enormous, then the slapped a pair of turbos on it (because why not). Rattles the dishes in the kitchen when she starts it up. Absolutely wonderful. One day we’ll miss the glorious sounds of the combustible engine so so enjoy it while you can!