Schiit Happened: The Story of the World's Most Improbable Start-Up
Jun 26, 2022 at 5:21 PM Post #95,101 of 145,694
Weighing in as someone who bought an EV recently-ish and waiting for delivery in (hopefully) a few months.

There's obviously an environmental aspect to it kicking in for a (I assume non-negligible) chunk of households who decide to go the EV route, mine included as we're really trying to reduce our footprint on the planet (being it reducing plastic usage, growing fruit/veggie in the backyard...), but as already mentioned by some of you the shift is as cost-effective as it's ever been.

I personally live in a country where ICE-powered cars and petrol have been for years heavily taxed with the purpose of pushing people towards greener alternatives and, with petrol now flirting with the 2.5 Euro per litre mark, driving any ICE cars has become an incredibly expensive affair. Now, in The Netherlands ICE-powered cars are so heavily taxed at purchase that the price difference one usually observes is completely levelled, making an EV an even more compelling buy (I literally saw a second hand hybrid version of the Volvo XC40 I bought going for a higher price than my new, full EV one, at the same dealership I bought mine).

I'm going to play the devil's advocate for a second: it's obviously still an evolving technology and not quite for everyone yet.
You have people who genuinely travel a lot more than average and for whom the (relatively) short range of most EVs is a hurdle. You have people who can't charge at home (because they live in apartments or other reasons) and charging on the street may be both inconvenient and expensive (although I think pretty much anywhere the unit price difference between electricity and petrol is well above an order of magnitude...so it's a bit of a moot point).

As someone living in the EU, there's only so much time left for you to buy an ICE-powered car and that means you better believe car manufacturers will adapt their ranges to serve the market accordingly, which will push EV solutions further.
As Ableza mentioned above, it's really the ideal solution for most short commutes and therefore for city cars: this is where the EV shines in terms of efficiency compared to ICE (not to mention eradicating emission from the people-packed, relatively small areas of cities) and technology trickle-downs can't come soon enough to make it a viable option for someone looking for a cheap, small car.

Of course, how you source your electricity is the main factor when you consider the "save the planet" factor. My energy provider makes electricity from renewable sources only (and mostly from within the Netherlands, 100% from the EU), which is great, but we're obviously more of an exception than the rule.

What I really hope for is a revolution in solar panel technology, to make it more accessible. I am fortunate enough to be able to feed my house with them and have a lot extra, currently sold back to the grid at market rate and, in a few months, allowing me to charge the car for free once per week. Enough power for a house and for commuting, throughout most of the year, in a country, The Netherlands, renown for gloomy, rainy weather...quite amazing, when you think about it.

Combine the above and, likely, advances in battery technology to improve range, and I can't see many people holding onto petrol cars within a few years, really.


Welp, I've put together a wall of text...
 
Jun 26, 2022 at 6:37 PM Post #95,102 of 145,694
I now have a pair o' Little Bear VU Meters in one of my headphone set ups! They FUNctional...I am such a toad! I put an Integra single disc CD in one of my systems and will be adding one more to the VU Meter set up. I am committing sacrilege by going from the XDA2 via XLR to the VU Meters and from there via RCA to the Magnius. I will need to get another set of XLRs soon lest I go full on OCD here...Did I mention I am such a toad? Well...I am.

I am listening to "Best of Nancy for Frank" on SiriusXM right now. Ella is on. I took a picture and sent it to a couple of my relatives. I know they are shaking their heads and laughing but that is simply because they know me all too well.

In all ways and for always, you all be well.

ORT
 
Jun 26, 2022 at 7:06 PM Post #95,103 of 145,694
I now have a pair o' Little Bear VU Meters in one of my headphone set ups! They FUNctional...I am such a toad! I put an Integra single disc CD in one of my systems and will be adding one more to the VU Meter set up. I am committing sacrilege by going from the XDA2 via XLR to the VU Meters and from there via RCA to the Magnius. I will need to get another set of XLRs soon lest I go full on OCD here...Did I mention I am such a toad? Well...I am.

I am listening to "Best of Nancy for Frank" on SiriusXM right now. Ella is on. I took a picture and sent it to a couple of my relatives. I know they are shaking their heads and laughing but that is simply because they know me all too well.
Awesomeness, I hope it is everything you enjoy!

I really like your music selections and I have listened to them when time allows. I have always been a fan of Ella's, but you made me develop a new appreciation of Karen Carpenter.

Listening to hifi and head-fi is definitely an esthetic hobby.
 
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Jun 26, 2022 at 7:13 PM Post #95,104 of 145,694
Awesomeness, I hope it is everything you enjoy!

I really like your music selections and I have listened to them when time allows. I have always been a fan of Ella's, but you made me develop an new appreciation of Karen Carpenter.

Listening to hifi and head-fi is definitely an esthetic hobby.
That it is, brother. :beerchug: Like mom always said, we all have a soundtrack to our lives so cue up a favorite tune and settle back into the memory of it all!

ORT
 
Jun 26, 2022 at 8:14 PM Post #95,106 of 145,694
One of my friends moved to electric cars more than 5 years ago and has never looked back. He installed a purpose-built home charger.

However, I frequently make a trip to Devon/Cornwall which is 250- 350 miles each way.
Use the right tool for the job.

In many situations, it would be a burden to manage charging an EV on a 500-700 mile round trip. A good use case for using an EV is when you'll typically be back home by the end of the day. For most people, ability to charge at home in the evening would cover almost all of their driving.

That brings up a few questions I have about EVs. What is the time to a full charge?
As others have mentioned, there is a different mindset when driving an EV. With a gas car, it makes sense to minimize going to the gas station by filling that tank full and then running it until close to empty.

With an EV, it is more an attitude of using idle time to charge rather than a goal of charging to full. After you get home, you think about whether to plug in and charge the car for the next day. In your case of a 50 mile daily commute, charging overnight twice a week would probably cover your driving including personal trips.
 
Jun 26, 2022 at 8:44 PM Post #95,107 of 145,694
I drive 50 miles a day roundtrip to work. With gas prices I'm at $70 a week for a fill-up. I don't think I'm ready for an EV, but what do you guys think of a hybrid? They seem to be yesterday's news, but are they still a viable alternative? Are there drawbacks that would cause one to one to rule them out - besides the fact they still use gasoline? 40+ mpg is sure looking good right about now.
For your use case I would suggest an non plug in Hybrid vehicle. All vehicles classes today have their issues and choice of vehicle depends on how you use it.

The problem with plug in hybrid for you is that you will only get electric range for less than one third of your commute. The other two thirds are on hybrid mode. The plug in hybrid battery is 1/3 heavier than and standard hybrid battery and you have to carry around that weight. Hybrid mode fuel economy is 2 to 3 mpg worse for a plug in hybrid vs regular hybrid in the real world.

Battery durability for a plug in hybrid is worse than regular hybrid. When you top off the battery in a plug in, you are stressing the battery more and increase the propensity for dendritic formation on the battery electrodes. This is how Lithium batteries fail. Regular hybrid batteries never drop below 20% or get above 80%. They live fairly easy lives.

In TX, the direct injection Atkinson cycle engines in Toyota and Ford hybrids are going to run well because ambient temperature are mild to warm in general. My daily driver is a Ford Escape hybrid and I regularly get 55 mpg when above 70 degrees

Hope that helps
 
Jun 26, 2022 at 9:37 PM Post #95,108 of 145,694
People can drive EVs if they so desire but they are not saving schiit.
I switched to an EV to save a schiit-ton of time stopping at gas stations. So, I am saving some schiit :p
 
Jun 26, 2022 at 9:49 PM Post #95,109 of 145,694
For your use case I would suggest an non plug in Hybrid vehicle. All vehicles classes today have their issues and choice of vehicle depends on how you use it.

The problem with plug in hybrid for you is that you will only get electric range for less than one third of your commute. The other two thirds are on hybrid mode. The plug in hybrid battery is 1/3 heavier than and standard hybrid battery and you have to carry around that weight. Hybrid mode fuel economy is 2 to 3 mpg worse for a plug in hybrid vs regular hybrid in the real world.

Battery durability for a plug in hybrid is worse than regular hybrid. When you top off the battery in a plug in, you are stressing the battery more and increase the propensity for dendritic formation on the battery electrodes. This is how Lithium batteries fail. Regular hybrid batteries never drop below 20% or get above 80%. They live fairly easy lives.

In TX, the direct injection Atkinson cycle engines in Toyota and Ford hybrids are going to run well because ambient temperature are mild to warm in general. My daily driver is a Ford Escape hybrid and I regularly get 55 mpg when above 70 degrees

Hope that helps
This is my thinking... if I could get a base model Ford Maverick at a good price I'd be in... but they way the market is nowadays I think things won't be "normal " for car buying until 2024
 
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Jun 26, 2022 at 10:11 PM Post #95,110 of 145,694
🤔

I'm 3 mos. from paying off my car. The way the market is today it's probably best to sit pat with no car payment. Even with gas at $4.69 a gallon here, no car payment is tough to beat. The vehicle only has 46K miles and is well maintained, so keeping it another year and letting the market/ supply chain/chipset shortage issues resolve or at least get better may be the most prudent thing to do.
 
Jun 26, 2022 at 10:18 PM Post #95,111 of 145,694
🤔

I'm 3 mos. from paying off my car. The way the market is today it's probably best to sit pat with no car payment. Even with gas at $4.69 a gallon here, no car payment is tough to beat. The vehicle only has 46K miles and is well maintained, so keeping it another year and letting the market/ supply chain/chipset shortage issues resolve or at least get better may be the most prudent thing to do.
I bought my Van for "cash" in 2009 - it runs fine and has only needed routine maintenance only 155,000 km on the clock (96,000 miles)

I think you are smart to keep it... and buy some new Schiit instead...
 
Jun 26, 2022 at 10:38 PM Post #95,112 of 145,694
The market is crazy right now. I bought a new Dodge Challenger R/T last June. Looking at a new Cadillac CT5 V and the dealer offered me $500 less than I paid for my Challenger new. I get a company discount so the price is set, no dealer mark up. I think I’m going to pull the trigger on the deal. My wife just rolls her eyes at me. 😁
 
Jun 26, 2022 at 10:43 PM Post #95,113 of 145,694
Call me weird, but I think we're gonna be making plenty to keep people occupied for a while. It's not a cheap amp, it's not a super-powerful amp, it's not an amp for IEMs, it's measurements are horrifying by objectivist standards, it runs super-warm...plenty of reasons not to buy it.

If you want to be first up, though, I expect it'll go live early Monday morning (think 6-7 AM PST).

Update to the update: boards are working fine. I'll be taking one home, and we'll be ready for launch on Monday.
Did you find some time to relax and listen to the production run this weekend? Or were you just bringing a board home?
 
Jun 26, 2022 at 10:51 PM Post #95,114 of 145,694
Setting my alarm for 5AM CT. Not because I'm buying a FV amp, but because I have to go to work...

and to see how quickly it sells out. 😀
 
Jun 27, 2022 at 12:55 AM Post #95,115 of 145,694
Setting my alarm for 5AM CT. Not because I'm buying a FV amp, but because I have to go to work...

and to see how quickly it sells out. 😀
I’ll probably buy one if they’re not sold out by the time I crawl out of bed. It is a work day so I figure my odds are pretty good.
 

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