Electric Vehicles - Models Discussion

[REWahoo]

That sucks, I didn't know they don't include the form. Is that the same for I will need for my 30% tax credit for the Emporia charger? (I have H&R too)

Yep.

 

[aja8888]

Yep.

Oh well, looks like I will buy TT and let my daughter use the H&R Block software.

 

[Midpack]

I'm p*ssed. H&R Block does NOT include Form 8911 in their software, not in the Deluxe version I purchased nor in their Premier version. That means I can't file electronically as I will have to manually include the form. Not being able to e-file will substantially delay the refund I will be getting due to the heat pump we purchased which qualifies for a $2,000 tax credit.

I see my choices are forking over ~$40 to buy TT or go ahead and use the HRB program to e-file without Form 8911, then file an amended return at a later date.

Other suggestions?

Just did a search and found several references on an H&RB forum:

“Looks like the workaround is to download form 8911 from the IRS website, manually calculate the credit and enter it under other business credits on Form 3800.”

And I just looked at Form 3800 and Part III Line 1s lists “Alternate Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property (Form 8911)” so you might be able to enter it there (30% of your charging station costs), and do a manual Form 8911 if you get any questions?

 

[REWahoo]

Just did a search and found several references on an H&RB forum:

“Looks like the workaround is to download form 8911 from the IRS website, manually calculate the credit and enter it under other business credits on Form 3800.”

And I just looked at Form 3800 and Part III Line 1s lists “Alternate Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property (Form 8911)” so you might be able to enter it there (30% of your charging station costs), and do a manual Form 8911 if you get any questions?

Thanks for this, I will give it a look.

 

[DallasGuy]

As stated by REWahoo in a previous post, here's information about form 8911 on the IRS website. And here's a statement within that saying that we can use form 3800 under certain conditions. It sounds like since I bought an EV charger for my home I can use form 3800. And it sounds like I don't have to fill out form 8911 either.


"How to Claim the Credit
Use Form 8911PDF to figure and report your credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property placed in service during the 2022 tax year. See also Instructions for Form 8911PDF and Instructions for Form 8911 for Certain Filers with 2023 Short Years.

Partnerships and S corporations must file Form 8911 to claim the credit. All other taxpayers are not required to complete or file the form if their only source for this credit is a partnership or S corporation. Instead, they can report this credit directly on line 1s of Part III of Form 3800, General Business Credit.

We're developing additional forms, instructions and guidance for the 2023 tax year. Check back for updates."


https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/alternative-fuel-vehicle-refueling-property-credit


I actually sent H&R Block a message on facebook asking about form 8911 not being available with their software and this is the answer I got back:

Hello, Kent. Not to worry! Form 8911 was removed during an update because it is no longer necessary. "Partnerships and S corporations must file Form 8911 to claim the credit. All other taxpayers are not required to complete or file the form if their only source for this credit is a partnership or S corporation. Instead, they can report this credit directly on line 1s of Part III of Form 3800, General Business Credit." You can read more information about that here: https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/alternative-fuel-vehicle-refueling-property-credit I know that you're looking to buy our software this year, but if anything changes and you're wanting some additional help I would love to schedule an appointment with one of our tax professionals to file your taxes this year. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything else. -Andrea
Write to H&R Block

 

[Midpack]

^^ I've never worked with H&R B tax software, but the danger with Form 3800 might be claiming 100% of home charging install costs instead of the 30% allowed? Some users might not realize?

 

[calmloki]

Looked at a Kia Niro hybrid recently, thinking small SUV and ability to do 550 miles in a day, something we do 4 times/year during our N/S S/N migrations. Didn't test drive it, but it seemed pretty much like a normal car. Sunday I drove some friends of friends over to a Tesla charging station (a mile away) so they could retrieve their car. Was given the chance to drive it and found it decidedly NOT like a normal car.

No keys, press a button on a stalk and push stalk up to be in reverse. Found the single pedal "you're going or you're stopping" real disconcerting - I do a lot of coasting up to stop signs in other cars. Liked the interior look, the dual motor made fast real quick, thought the tire noise was excessive. Can easily imagine a home charger and nightly cable, have trouble with the idea of a manufactured break time to recharge stretching a ten hour trip. Could learn to deal with a going/stopping pedal. Kudos to Elon for stretching the acceptable norm.

 

[aja8888]

Looked at a Kia Niro hybrid recently, thinking small SUV and ability to do 550 miles in a day, something we do 4 times/year during our N/S S/N migrations. Didn't test drive it, but it seemed pretty much like a normal car. Sunday I drove some friends of friends over to a Tesla charging station (a mile away) so they could retrieve their car. Was given the chance to drive it and found it decidedly NOT like a normal car.

No keys, press a button on a stalk and push stalk up to be in reverse. Found the single pedal "you're going or you're stopping" real disconcerting - I do a lot of coasting up to stop signs in other cars. Liked the interior look, the dual motor made fast real quick, thought the tire noise was excessive. Can easily imagine a home charger and nightly cable, have trouble with the idea of a manufactured break time to recharge stretching a ten hour trip. Could learn to deal with a going/stopping pedal. Kudos to Elon for stretching the acceptable norm.

Once you get used to one pedal driving, you won't go back!

 

[Midpack]

Looked at a Kia Niro hybrid recently, thinking small SUV and ability to do 550 miles in a day, something we do 4 times/year during our N/S S/N migrations. Didn't test drive it, but it seemed pretty much like a normal car. Sunday I drove some friends of friends over to a Tesla charging station (a mile away) so they could retrieve their car. Was given the chance to drive it and found it decidedly NOT like a normal car.

No keys, press a button on a stalk and push stalk up to be in reverse. Found the single pedal "you're going or you're stopping" real disconcerting - I do a lot of coasting up to stop signs in other cars. Liked the interior look, the dual motor made fast real quick, thought the tire noise was excessive. Can easily imagine a home charger and nightly cable, have trouble with the idea of a manufactured break time to recharge stretching a ten hour trip. Could learn to deal with a going/stopping pedal. Kudos to Elon for stretching the acceptable norm.

Hybrids are just like any ICE vehicle in terms of driving experience/controls.

Tesla superchargers don’t take that long, usually 20-30 minutes, and there are idle fees for leaving a car after it’s stopped charging. Your friend drove to a charger, then rode somewhere else, and then you ferried them back? Thats unusual.

One pedal driving is wonderful but it takes a couple days to get used to it. You can choose Roll or Creep if you want the car to coast like an ICe vehicle. However I’ve read Tesla may remove Roll and Creep as options because so few owners want it.

I am enjoying our Tesla including the UI. It’s been easy to get used to, and there are many little features that we find superior to any ICE or hybrid we’ve owned. If you’re not open to change, you may not like it.

Our trips to Chicago were 12 hours, 11 driving plus 1+ hours for fueling, eating, and bathroom breaks. With an EV it’s 13 hours, 11 driving plus 2 hours at Tesla superchargers enroute. Since the Tesla superchargers are near facilities, there is no need to add stops for gas, food or bathrooms - something to do while the car is charging.

 

[calmloki]

Did remind me of learning to drive clutch back when - lots of unintentional stopping and starting.

 

[audreyh1]

Once you get used to one pedal driving, you won't go back!

+1!

It only took me an hour or so.

 

[calmloki]

Hybrids are just like any ICE vehicle in terms of driving experience/controls.

Tesla superchargers don’t take that long, usually 20-30 minutes, and there are idle fees for leaving a car after it’s stopped charging. Your friend drove to a charger, then rode somewhere else, and then you ferried them back? Thats unusual.

One pedal driving is wonderful but it takes a couple days to get used to it. You can choose Roll or Creep if you want the car to coast like an ICe vehicle. However I’ve read Tesla may remove Roll and Creep as options because so few owners want it.

I am enjoying our Tesla including the UI. It’s been easy to get used to, and there are many little features that we find superior to any ICE or hybrid we’ve owned. If you’re not open to change, you may not like it.

Our trips to Chicago were 12 hours, 11 driving plus 1+ hours for fueling, eating, and bathroom breaks. With an EV it’s 13 hours, 11 driving plus 2 hours at Tesla superchargers enroute. Since the Tesla superchargers are near facilities, there is no need to add stops for gas, food or bathrooms - something to do while the car is charging.

They had driven down from Klamath Falls Oregon to La Quinta California and were having dinner and spending the night with our mutual friends - who would be using a long extension cord and don't have a charging station. They walked up to our friends, but car ferry was more pleasant after dark.

Length of time of drive is important - 9-10 hours one day seat time is a great plenty of drive time for me now, and I'd much rather be done by the time the dark is closing in. Also tend to get logy after lunch, so I'm sharper if we just snack on the trip or get something light and fast.

That is only four days out of the year of possible car driving use, which is a pretty picayune percentage of use time. On the other hand, those two 1100 mile trips eat up almost a 1/4 of our 9500 annual miles driven.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

Looked at a Kia Niro hybrid recently, thinking small SUV and ability to do 550 miles in a day, something we do 4 times/year during our N/S S/N migrations. Didn't test drive it, but it seemed pretty much like a normal car. Sunday I drove some friends of friends over to a Tesla charging station (a mile away) so they could retrieve their car. Was given the chance to drive it and found it decidedly NOT like a normal car.

No keys, press a button on a stalk and push stalk up to be in reverse. Found the single pedal "you're going or you're stopping" real disconcerting - I do a lot of coasting up to stop signs in other cars. Liked the interior look, the dual motor made fast real quick, thought the tire noise was excessive. Can easily imagine a home charger and nightly cable, have trouble with the idea of a manufactured break time to recharge stretching a ten hour trip. Could learn to deal with a going/stopping pedal. Kudos to Elon for stretching the acceptable norm.

The Kia EV6 has 5 levels of regenerative braking; 0-3, and i-Pedal. i-Pedal is what you experienced, where if you let up off the accelerator it will come to a complete stop rather quickly. At Level 0, it will roll forward when you let up off the brake pedal, simulating the idle of an ICE. I keep mine on Level 3 now, it didn't take me long to get used to it, but if a friend wants to try it out I'd set it at Level 0 or 1 (still rolls with no pedal pressed, but only a little). Do Teslas not have a similar feature?

 

[GrayHare]

Not including hybrids, does there exist an EV with analog dials for things like vehicle speed, plus physical controls for things like cabin temperature? I'm not a fan of screens in vehicles (too visually confusing) nor the forced software updates that often accompany such tech.

 

[audreyh1]

Not with Tesla. No physical dials except for a couple of thumbwheels on the steering wheel as controls (volume, cruise speed on/off, wiper settings). Otherwise all electronic displays and screen controls. I really like the UI and prefer the number display showing current speed rather than a dial. The Model X has an instrument panel forward of the steering column. It displays a whole bunch of useful real-time stuff including traffic around the car and navigation, but no readout dials.

Voice commands work quite well. You learn some useful phrases. I find touching the center screen to control cabin temperature very easy and got the hang of it quick.

Software updates over WiFi about once a month. That’s just the way it is. We’ve gotten a lot of neat new features since we bought the car. So far, knock on wood, no nasty surprises.

 

[2HOTinPHX]

Not including hybrids, does there exist an EV with analog dials for things like vehicle speed, plus physical controls for things like cabin temperature? I'm not a fan of screens in vehicles (too visually confusing) nor the forced software updates that often accompany such tech.

The Chevy Bolt and Bolt EUV would probably meet your needs. To me the Bolts are the most normal/traditional car like feeling of the EVs out there. There are two screens and they are where you would expect them to be. The speedometer is in front of the steering wheel and a slightly larger infotainment screen in the dash where you would expect the radio to be. The infotainment screen is just the right size and easy to navigate. Its not one of those over sized tacked on I-pad like screens.
The Bolts have just the right amount of physical knobs and switches that can also be accessed from the main infotainment screen. Below the infotainment screen are a nicely laid out set of climate control switches include heated and cooled seat switches in upper trim levels.
The steering wheel controls are very well laid out. They moved the volume control and station/track change to the back side of the steering wheel which makes the front buttons less cluttered and confusing. There is also physical knobs on the left side of the infotainment system.

Some great deals on Bolts right now.

Lots of good interior pics here...

https://carbuzz.com/cars/chevrolet/bolt-euv/photos-interior

 

[audreyh1]

Tesla Model X - nope, not traditional at all. I like it!

No stalks either.

 

[aja8888]

BMW spends billions to push its next-gen EVs into Tesla territory

news from BMW:

On the heels of announcing its record year in sales of all-electric vehicles last year, BMW says it is now investing $711 million (€650 million) to convert its main factory in Munich to exclusively produce electric vehicles by the end of 2027. It’s all part of a multibillion-dollar effort to give its next-gen Neue Klasse EVs a competitive edge against the likes of Tesla.

https://electrek.co/2024/01/11/bmw-spends-billions-to-push-its-next-gen-evs-into-tesla-territory/

 

[Midpack]

From almost no volume when Model S production began 11 years ago, to Tesla outselling VW, Subaru, BMW, Mazda, Mercedes and Volvo in the US last year. And they’ve done well worldwide as well so far, though that’s a very different chart than the US.

 

[Fermion]

Hertz is going back to gas cars

https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/11/hertz-sell-evs-tesla-fleet-gm-polestar-gas/


Do you think EV makers are being short sighted by having the repair cost be so high for their vehicles, almost making them disposable in a crash?

 

[Midpack]

Hertz is going back to gas cars

Do you think EV makers are being short sighted by having the repair cost be so high for their vehicles, almost making them disposable in a crash?

To be clear, they are not eliminating EVs entirely - they are replacing some EVs with gas cars. And Uber drivers have been part of the problem. There’s no getting around Teslas big price cuts beginning in 2023 have been great for new customers (like me) and bad for pre 2023 buyers, individuals and fleets.

And most new cars are disposable in a crash nowadays despite repair costs. If the air bags deploy, the car will probably (not always) be totaled no matter what make/model - even if the repair cost is lower than the payout to the insured. Don’t ask me how I know.

Hertz is selling off a third of its electric vehicle fleet, which is predominantly made up of Teslas, and will buy gas cars with some of the money it makes from the sales.

The news also follows recent comments from Hertz’s global CEO Stephen Scherr about how the rental giant was dealing with high repair costs — in part because many of the Teslas were being used by Uber drivers — and dramatic depreciation thanks to Tesla’s drastic price cuts.

 

[audreyh1]

From almost no volume when Model S production began 11 years ago, to Tesla outselling VW, Subaru, BMW, Mazda, Mercedes and Volvo in the US last year. And they’ve done well worldwide as well so far, though that’s a very different chart than the US.

It took me a while to figure out that that table was all vehicles, not just EVs.

 

[Golden Mean]

Not including hybrids, does there exist an EV with analog dials for things like vehicle speed, plus physical controls for things like cabin temperature? I'm not a fan of screens in vehicles (too visually confusing) nor the forced software updates that often accompany such tech.

Nissan LEAF has an analog speedo and buttons for HVAC. It's about as normal looking (2018+) and operating EV as there is. That said, they are inferior in terms of battery temp management and fast charging. I only make short trips and charge at home so I have no issues with mine.

 

[Zathras]

The Mitsubishi Miev had, as I recall, no digital screens.
Everything was analog dials and buttons.

It is no longer sold in the US. Not sure of plans to bring it back.

 

[aja8888]

Updated Model 3 available in North Amwerica now.

After several months of spy shots and looking at the updated Tesla Model 3 in European markets, the car is finally available in North America. Tesla added the car to its online configurator without much fanfare, but there are plenty of changes to the automaker’s popular sedan.

The new Model 3 is available in the base Rear-Wheel Drive and Long Range AWD models, but there’s no option for the Performance at the moment. Tesla offers two new colors, including gray and red, and the car features a lower, sleeker front end for better aerodynamics. Other upgrades include revised suspension tuning, upgraded interior materials, and better acoustic glass for a quieter cabin.

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/c...odel-3-is-available-in-north-america-44504590