Neutral: Yes, I have a Leaf. In 2017, we started with a used 2015 Leaf we bought off-lease with 20k miles for $14k. It was a top-spec SL model with every option.

Sure, and there has been for quite a while. There are four plugs used on EVs today, but the only real difference is fast charging compatibility.

Yeah, that’s fair. I will say I did a ton of research on the gen 1 warranties and decided to stay away from the 2014 and older cars due in part to the problems you described. We’ve been very happy with our 2018 car, but time will tell what the battery longevity is. 

Perhaps not, but I can say it was never an issue on the 2015 gen 1 car we used to have, and the 2018 gen 2 car we have now.

Well for 2013, the battery warranty kicks in if you drop below 9 bars in within 5 years or 60k miles, so what you’re describing should have been a warranty claim last year.

Huh, we’ve driven from Portland to Newport, charged via chademo, then driven back on several occasions now in our 2015, and never seen any thermal issues. I’ve driven from Portland to Bend and back stopping at Detroit Lake for a fast charge in 90 degree weather, driving over a mountain pass, and the temperature…

You can monitor the battery temp on the dash, and in my admittedly mild NW climate, it really don’t change too much year round. Yes, range does drop in very cold temps (but so does Tesla, since it still requires power to heat up the batteries), but hot temperatures don’t seem to have any effect on it, as far as we can…

Newer CVT ones do use brake vectoring, but my 3.0R came with a rear viscous LSD, and the 5EAT automatic has an electronically locking center diff (akin to the STI, but not driver-controlled). It continuously adjusts the torque split front/rear based off wheel speeds, driver inputs, etc.

I agree with most of what you said, but most of the Level 3 DC fast chargers around here were funded by the state, not businesses, and are often at highway rest stops or in out of the way parking lots. There’s nothing to do.

Oh please. Some of us take our EVs outside of town. I’ve driven our Leaf across Oregon, and many fast charging stations are just at rest stops or in parking lots. It’s not like I’m charging up at Disneyland or something and chose to sit in the car.

Most of those older systems just tapped into the signal from the parking brake switch, making it very easy to defeat (simply install your own external switch instead). On a Tesla, if video streaming is tied into the Autopilot computer, it has wheel speed sensors, radar, GPS, etc at its disposal to know if the car is…

Here’s proof! The guys I was with in Jeeps and 4Runners said it was probably the limit of what a Subaru could do (thank goodness for the skid plates I installed underneath), but it made it through just fine thanks to some fantastic spotting by the the leader. The trail ended up being challenging for even the more…

Having scratched up the painted bumper on my Outback only to very noticeably expose the black plastic underneath, I’d have been perfectly happy with black plastics to begin with.

Where did the couple go all night then? Did they just pick this guy’s house at random? Why not pull into a gas station or some other public area that probably has an electrical outlet much closer than having to park on the grass? So many questions...

Sure, but I’ve lived in Oregon my entire life, so I’m used to the gas thing. Of course I know how to fill my own, and I do whenever I’m out of state, but I don’t have a strong opinion one way or the other. 

Gas is cheaper in Oregon, but the entire West Coast has great scenic driving roads, whether you’re looking for flat desert roads, mountain passes, or coastal highways, there’s something for everyone.

To be fair, DEQ is only around the major metro areas. You get a little way outside of the major cities, and there’s no emissions testing. The DMV has a tool to check if your address is outside the boundary: https://www.deq.state.or.us/VIP/

I am West Coast born, and that means I’m California raised.

Oregon gas is cheaper, despite the no self-fill rule. 

Sure, but I’m not writing an article either. I agree with what others keep saying here: unions should be judged on their actions, whether good or bad. I don’t think unions “are inherently good”, but neither do I think they are inherently bad.