My EV Doesn't Use Gasoline

I’ve had the Fisker Ocean One for about a month now. It’s a great conversation starter. I have yet to take the car on a longer trip. Between the weather, holidays, and some personal matters, it’s just been a city car so far.??

I do get many questions in person and online, and that’s good because I love to talk about the car. Most questions are about the Fisker Ocean itself or, more generally, about owning an EV.?

In this post, I will focus on owning an EV. Even though they are getting more popular, and Tesla has become the number one selling car in America, many people are still unaware of the EV experience.?

I do have a lot to say about the Fisker Ocean One and will do so soon in an upcoming post. Here’s a quick preview:

The car drives beautifully and has plenty of power. It is comfortable. The build quality is outstanding. The main negatives are the new company's fumbles in logistics and communications.?

Today, the Fisker Ocean is a good car. I expect it will be great later in 2024. That’s because the models available today are missing many promised features. I’ve had one software update so far, and I'm waiting for another that’s SLOWLY rolling out. The software bugs are steadily disappearing.???

This is my second EV and the first by an all-EV company. That’s an important distinction because Fisker built this car from the wheels up to be an EV. Other brands tend to re-use designs and methodologies and it shows. What I am hinting at is that EVs are an opportunity to re-think cars, but there is also pressure to normalize and minimize changes.

EVs certainly do share many characteristics with petrol cars. They have a “gas” pedal, brake, and speedometer. Off the steering wheel stalk are turn signals and wipers. There are four wheels, and many things work as expected. You don’t need a separate license to drive an EV. But EVs are also very different from petrol cars. Starting with the obvious, EVs don’t use gasoline. Charging the car at home can take 8 hours but only costs about $9.?

Some EV characteristics contradict what we know about cars. EVs get better mileage (range) in cities than on highways. Stopping or slowing a vehicle with its brakes is essentially wasting energy. EVs can use a generator to slow the vehicle. This charges the battery and extends the life of the brake pads. This is why EV delivery vans are attractive, but EV long-haul vehicles disappoint.?

The point is that you have to look at EVs differently. The Fisker Ocean doesn’t have an operable hood. Sure, it can be opened, but it requires special tools to keep the owners out. It’s humorous how much this bothers some people.?

Why do people open their petrol hoods? The most common is to check or add oil (no need) or to check the coolant (nope). I had to put diesel fluid in my Sprinter van (nada). Yes, the Ocean does consume wiper fluid, so they put the refill on the side. Electric motors don’t require owner attention. So, the most common reason EV owners open their hood is for storage. This front trunk is sometimes known as frunk, and no self-respecting person wants a frunk. Fisker decided no frunks.

In petrol cars, AC is an add-on, and heat is free. That’s because heat is a byproduct of the explosions in an internal combustion engine. Petrol cars require elaborate cooling systems because the heat can get out of control. Neither heat nor AC are free in an EV. The Ocean has heated seats and a heated steering wheel. The car uses a heat pump for heating and cooling, and AC or 8 panes of glass can open for cooling.

The selected drive mode also impacts the car’s climate system.?Lots of cars have modes such as Sport, Snow, or Trailer. These modes alter the shift points. My Fisker Ocean One has three primary drive modes: Earth, Fun, and Hyper, and more modes are coming.?

Earth mode offers the longest range. It only engages one of the two motors (FWD instead of AWD) and is optimized to save energy. Fisker advises using Fun or Hyper on days with extreme temperatures because these modes direct more power to the climate system. Hyper mode offers the fastest acceleration at 0-60 in 3.7 seconds. EV drive modes tend to change more than shift points - because they can be in software-based vehicles.

Petrol cars also generate electricity. A running petrol car charges its (small) battery. There’s no free power in an EV - except for the solar sunroof. It can’t generate much, but it’s not particularly expensive, and glass roofs are in. A solar roof in a petrol car would be silly.?

2024 is going to be a big year for EVs. Sales of EVs are skyrocketing, more than 100 models are on sale, and charging infrastructure is getting better. EVs represent about 9% of all cars sold in the US. Sales have increased 50% YoY for three years now.?It's great to see so many options.

From the Atlantic:

If you wanted an electric car five years ago, you could choose from among various Tesla models, the Chevy Bolt, the Nissan Leaf—and that was really it. Now EVs come in more makes and models than Baskin-Robbins ice-cream flavors. We have more luxury sedans to vie with Tesla, but also cheaper five-seaters, SUVs, Hummers, pickup trucks, and …however you might categorize the Cybertruck. Nearly 40 new EVs have debuted since the start of 2022, and they are far more advanced than their ancestors. For $40,000, the Hyundai Ioniq 6, released this year, can get you 360 miles on a single charge; in 2018, for only a slightly lower cost, a Nissan Leaf couldn’t go half that distance.

I am excited about the changes, but I don’t believe EVs are the answer to our climate and carbon problems. They are a step in the right direction. We need to change our dependence on cars. Public infrastructure and E-bikes are a bigger part of the solution than e-cars.?

For now, the reason EVs are growing is because they are superior over petrol in many ways. They are quieter, faster, simpler, and less expensive to build, maintain, and operate. Yes, there are lots of trade-offs and objections, but they are becoming fewer and smaller every year.