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I just called our local Chevy dealer on behalf of PJ who i looking for a Bolt EUV. The Chevy sales guy said they stopped taking orders for the Bolt because it has too many backed up orders. But then this came in my Yahoo Finance news. Excerpt: "In GM's (GM) earnings conference call today, the automaker dropped a bomb on electric vehicle enthusiasts and the automotive industry. "We have progressed so far that it's now time to plan to end the Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV production, which will happen at the very end of the year," GM CEO Mary Barra said while discussing GM’s EV game plan for 2023. That the news was disclosed almost as an aside on an earnings call was a bit unusual. Normally, a company would make a more formal announcement. After all, the Bolt is GM’s top EV seller by a long shot — last quarter GM sold 20,670 EVs, and only 700 of those were non-Bolts. Late last year, GM said it was going to boost Bolt production to 70,000 units for 2023, from around 44K units it made in 2022. Chevrolet Bolt EUV On the flip side the Bolt, which has had its own checkered past with a huge recall due to a battery fire risk, was something of a remnant of GM’s EV past. The Bolt is not built on the new Ultium platform that will power all GM EVs going forward and uses an older battery cell structure made by GM partner LG Energy Solution. “I was initially surprised to hear about GM ending Bolt production, as it’s currently among the best-selling EVs on the market,” said Karl Brauer of iSeeCars.com to Yahoo Finance. “While relatively successful it doesn’t represent GM’s electric future. The Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Equinox EV, and Silverado EV are all based on the company’s new Ultium platform, and all will be arriving this year.” GM did give an update on its upcoming EVs this year, noting that Silverado EV deliveries were set to begin in late Q2 to approximately 340 fleet customers, with production ramping up in Q2. GM also said the Chevy Blazer EV was on track to launch this summer, and the Chevy Equinox EV was set to launch this fall. Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gm-to-kill-off-chevy-bolt-paving-way-for-new-evs-174839847.html

PJ bad news. Forget the Bolt: GM to kill off Chevy Bolt, paving way for new EVs I am making it a separate thread with the link.

I just called the local Springs Chevy dealership for the Bolt EUV but having just shopped every brand and dealership for a PHEV two weeks ago I only saw one Used Bolt but it was a standard range and trim bolt, not the EUV. He told me that they have stopped taking orders for them, because the backlog of orders is too long to fill within a year.

Pat & Pete, I have been registered for Imgur for a while now. Thanks for the heads up! I read the new rules etc. and it seems they are getting rid of off color pics and nudity or some such that folks put on Imgur. I also have my own domain I have to get back online I could easily use to host my own pics rather than just use my FaceBook page. Right now it has a placeholder like the stock pics that come with picture frames! Since I don't post nudity and pornography anywhere, let alone on Imgur, none of the new policies will affect my pics. I did read through the Imgur link you provided.

It is an open forum. Why not just make posts solely by and for other veterans yourself here? 20 or so years ago, I forget, most of us were on the road and traveling and most of us were SKP club members and got the magazine too. I kept our Escapees club membership for several years after we came off the road full-time in late 2003 and kept two part-time fivers from 2004 to 2018. Several of us discussed having a Vet's forum I asked Mark Nemeth, then the SKP Forum Admin, for a Veteran's forum to help Vets get registered with the VA and to know how to get benefits they earned. Because those questions and answers were all over the place. He did a survey and found plenty of interest back then. That was back in the days we did a lot of SKP hugz and We also had a lot of FamCamp personal reviews and opportunities on bases and facilities open only to DOD card holders which could be retirees, medically retired personnel, and DOD civilians as specified in the FAMCAMP directories. One guy started a "Sound Off" thread that we all posted what branch we served in, years we were active or reserve, and where we were assigned. The SKPs forums were a lot more active back then. Are you a member of the Escapees yet? We were for about ten years. If so you can post your SKP number in your sig block as they do not retire them, even after you stop renewing your dues. When traveling we found the Magazine alone was worth the price of admission. Welcome to the forum.

X2

Wow! Another battery approach geared strictly towards longevity and reliability. However, they have not released chemistry details. 2023 WILL be a watershed year. More to come as they disclose more details. Excerpt: "Scania, the heavy truck manufacturer that is part of Volkswagen Group, and Northvolt say they have teamed up to create a battery for heavy-duty electric trucks that will last as long as the vehicles themselves — about 1.5 million kilometers (930,000 miles). That’s important to reassure heavy truck customers that replacing batteries will not be part of the electric truck experience. The world depends on heavy-duty trucks — tractor trailers, box vans, trash trucks, dump trucks, fire engines, and the like — to perform most of the tasks needed to get goods to market. No trucks, no commerce. The diesel engine is the unsung hero of the world’s freight and cargo industries. Its primary feature is an abundance of low-speed torque to get heavily laden vehicles moving from rest. Electric motors also have lots of low-speed torque. In fact, they develop their maximum torque at zero rpm, which makes them ideal for use in any truck designed to carry heavy loads. The problem is, diesel engines produce quite a lot of carbon dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, and fine particulate matter that spew from their exhaust stacks into the atmosphere. It’s true that there are synthetic fuels that can replace conventional diesel, but there is very little such fuel available and it often costs more than normal diesel fuel made from oil. Plus, there’s still some pollution from burning it. The Scania–Northvolt Battery In a joint press release, Scania and Northvolt say that in validation tests, the lithium-ion cell they have developed together has demonstrated an outstanding useful life which will enable battery packs made from those cells to power trucks for 1.5 million kilometers – equivalent to a truck’s whole lifetime. Produced with zero-emissions electricity, the cell’s carbon footprint is approximately one third that of a comparative industry reference. The collaboration between Scania and Northvolt began in 2017 when the two companies joined forces to develop and commercialize an industry-leading battery cell for heavy commercial vehicles. Now the partnership and its close collaboration have come to fruition, as the long-duration cell is being produced at the Northvolt Ett gigafactory in northern Sweden. Scania says it will inaugurate a new battery factory in Södertälje, Sweden, where battery cells will be assembled into battery packs for the start of production of heavy-duty electric trucks. A new super-sized electric truck from Scania is hitting the road in Norway. Photo courtesy of Scania. Peter Carlsson, CEO and co-founder of Northvolt, said in the press release, “At the outset of this partnership, Northvolt and Scania agreed to an ambitious timeline for the development of a high-performance battery cell which would enable their plans for electrifying heavy transport. To have proceeded through extensive development and validation phases, and now be delivering cells from Northvolt Ett which exceed our initial expectations in terms of performance is a tremendous accomplishment for everyone involved.” “Today marks a milestone on the path towards a sustainable transport system. The future of heavy transport is electric, and to enable the shift and to continue delivering on our brand promise towards customers to be premium, Scania needs top-performing battery cells for our electric trucks,” Scania CEO Christian Levin added. “As the development of the battery cell started, we targeted high performance, low operating costs and long lifetime. We decided on a requirement for the cell to enable a 1.5 million kilometers long lifetime for a heavy-duty Scania vehicle. The tests show that this requirement can not only be met, but also exceeded.” As part of the Northvolt’s commitment to establishing a supply of sustainable cells, Northvolt Ett is powered by 100% fossil-fuel-free electricity generated by hydropower and wind power. Due to the fossil-free energy and integration of additional sustainable production features at Northvolt Ett, the estimated carbon footprint of the cell at full serial production is approximately one third that of a comparative industry reference cell! “Northvolt’s mission to build the world’s greenest batteries matches Scania’s purpose to drive the shift towards sustainable transport perfectly. I’m truly looking forward to putting the final puzzle pieces together ahead of the take-off of premium electric vehicles later this year,” said Levin. Here are the cell specifications provided by the companies in their joint press release: • Cell format: Prismatic • Capacity: 157 Ah • Nominal voltage: 3.6 V • Lifetime: 1.5 million kilometers in heavy duty commercial transportation Regarding the claim of a lower total carbon footprint, in a footnote, the companies compare their battery cell to an IVL 2019 lithium-ion NMC 111 cell: “Cradle-to-gate climate change impact calculation was prepared in the manner proposed by EU legislation using the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) EF2.0 database, to provide a projection of cell footprints from Northvolt Ett in full serial production.” Careful CleanTechnica readers will notice that the press release avoids providing any details about the new long-life battery cells in terms of what battery chemistry is used or if there are any changes in anode or cathode technology that contribute to a longer than normal service life. There are also no performance data provided that touch on how the new battery cell performs in adverse conditions such as extreme cold — which has a significant effect on battery performance. We have reached out to the companies for more information and will update this article if we learn more. The Takeaway The lesson here appears to be that battery cells are not a one-size-fits-all proposition. Heavy truck customers care not a whit about 0-to-60 mph times or top speed. They do care about reliability, longevity, and total operating costs. If an electric truck requires a new battery pack halfway through its useful life, that is obviously something that will directly affect operating cost calculations. Battery companies and manufacturers are notoriously tightlipped about the batteries being used in today’s electric vehicles. Tesla, for instance, uses NMC battery cells in many of its cars but LFP in some others. A driver may or may not know from behind the wheel what cells are used in the vehicle’s battery pack. Customers for used EVs know even less about the batteries in the cars they are buying. To the best of our knowledge, the Tesla Semi will use NMC battery cells in the long-range (500-mile) version but may use LFP in the short-range (300-mile) version. We know that Tesla is committed to using cylindrical battery cells in the 4680 format, but we don’t know much about what is inside those “cans.” It seems that Tesla has settled on the format and is now tweaking the chemistry and the electrodes inside to get the performance it is looking for. In the future, there could be several versions of 4680 cells for different use cases — one of the Roadster 2.0 and another for the Tesla Semi, for instance. At one time, Ford had two V-8 engines with exactly the same displacement — the 351 Windsor and the 351 Cleveland — but they had entirely different performance characteristics. Battery technology is changing rapidly. That’s a good thing. The new long-life battery cells for Scania and Northvolt may be lousy at powering a family sedan, but if they help transition the world of heavy-duty trucks to zero-emission driving, that will be a beautiful thing." Source: https://cleantechnica.com/2023/04/23/scania-northvolt-announce-new-battery-for-heavy-duty-trucks/

Very good video for investors in the vehicle industry. Folks talk about a drop in price over the last year but neglect to mention the three for one split of last August. I am very glad I bought more Tesla when it got close to $100 a share. As I have said before this year will bring major changes to the EV transition and we will see some other winners and losers. This year will be a watershed year IMO for all the supply chain raw materials as well as suppliers and battery manufacturing. Which will also impact emerging electric aircraft. Excerpt: "Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest leapt to prominence on the back of high-conviction calls on one the Street's most polarizing names — Tesla (TSLA). And now, the firm is doubling down on its bullishness around the electric vehicle maker with another bold price target for the stock: $2,000 by 2027. Key to the firm's latest optimism on Tesla is the company's not-yet-launched robotaxi business backed by its self-driving technology. In ARK's bull case scenario, Tesla's robotaxi business could bring in $613 billion in revenue by 2027 and account for two-thirds of the company's enterprise value. This bull case scenario would see Tesla stock hit $2,400 per share and the company's market cap approach $8 trillion. Tesla shares closed Monday's trading session at $162.55, giving the company a market cap just over $500 billion. Over the last year, Tesla stock has been roughly cut in half. "We've actually modeled the opportunity in Robotaxis in autonomy, and if you look at the future of Tesla vehicles that are capable of becoming robotaxi enabled, and earning a recurring revenue stream at what we think will be a software as a service like margins, this is an amazing potential for Tesla," ARK analyst Tasha Keeney told Yahoo Finance Live on Monday. "It'll definitely be the highest return on investment per battery produced, as we've analyzed in our new report." Notably, Tesla does not yet have a revenue generating robotaxi business. Timing-wise Keeney believes it's possible Tesla unveils fully autonomous software by the end of the year — which CEO Elon Musk predicted on the company's first quarter earnings call — though she believes mid-2024 is a more realistic expectation. According to ARK's model, the faster Tesla can release this software and capability the better, as the financial payoff for first-mover status could be huge. "We think the market for robotaxis globally could be worth $9 to $10 trillion in the next decade," Keeney said." Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cathie-woods-ark-invest-sees-tesla-stock-at-2000-on-600b-robotaxi-business-125523471.html

May be another expanding part of electric transport to watch. Excerpt: "Joby Aviation Inc., the electric aircraft company working on flying taxis, has increased the size of its contract with the US Defense Department to as much as $75 million. The company plans to announce the new agreement on Wednesday. The California-based company makes electric-powered, vertical takeoff and landing vehicles, or eVTOLs. Its Defense Department deal, which runs through 2025, more than doubled in size from a $30 million value and now includes the US Marine Corps. The contract reflects recent interest from Washington in electric aircraft that are cheaper to maintain than traditional helicopters and have zero emissions. “Continued momentum with government customers has always been an important part of how we go to market,” said Joby Executive Chairman Paul Sciarra. Sciarra said additional military users testing the aircraft will help Joby improve manufacturing, flight operations and other functions before it launches a taxi service to the public -- a milestone the company aims to hit in 2024. Joby has been working with the Air Force for the past two years to test its prototype aircraft that transports four passengers at speeds up to 200 miles per hour and can fly 150 miles on a single charge. The lightweight vehicles aren’t designed for combat and will be used mainly for military logistics including medical emergencies and transporting supplies. Sciarra said that the Army and Navy have also identified eVTOL aircraft as a “critical area of interest” although they are not part of the contract expansion announced Wednesday. Like Archer Aviation Inc., Beta Technologies Inc. and other eVTOL competitors vying to remake urban transportation, Joby must surmount regulatory and logistical hurdles before taking off." Source: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/flying-taxi-company-joby-expands-114500360.html

https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/newsletters/48312

Since I am shopping I found this the best one stop info on all EVs being produced today. It reviews them by category sedans/SUVs/trucks with pictures, quick facts on range, price, with highlights of their reviews. Some cautions: 1. Call first as many dealerships do not have any in stock. One Stealership asked over MSRP because they had the only two in the area and said because we can. Tesla dropped prices several times in the following week. My impression is that they are alienating customers by falsely acting like it is a seller's market. Most folks like me can wait, and the ones with no EV experience will be put off by some of the worst "dealership" ploys for sales that are 14 years out of date. Plus they won't be able to compete with price having to pay so many middle men to pay to sell and repair their ICE vehicles. I was frankly amazed at the stall and delay tactics many used when I said I need your best price as I am deciding whether to buy another Tesla Y 320 mile range two motor AWD long range since I can get one fast now for $49.9. 2. I found with my back and cervical issues several I thought would work are too low for me to get in and out of without twisting my back a bit much. I was surprised at how small several were and how little storage they have. We can't get the Bolt or the new PHEV Prius and several others because of that. So make sure you see one before you order one. I have given up on Rivian as they have failed to ramp up and deliver like Tesla and several others have. 3. As well I have not driven one that handles as well as my Y nor has the storage space. Why? Because there were few in stock and most were not available. But the ones I did drive were more like ICE vehicles. 4. Tesla does not do two-way power yet so it cannot be used as a power source in an outage. Ford and several others can, so if that is your main reason for buying an EV 2023 Tesla vehicles so far are not going to do what you want. I do hope they add that and do not do what Apple did with a separate iPhone, iPad, iPod, and no Micro SD card slots, and expect us to buy PowerWalls AND Tesla cars. Also since Tesla came first with a worldwide fast charging system and EVs for sale all the proprietary EV connectors like Apple's Lightning etc may go away soon too if Tesla decides to open all Supercharger stations to the public. Even Apple has switched to the now standard USB C connectors. Good for them. It becomes no big deal if adapters work properly for other brands. I don't charge outside my garage so no adapters here needed but the 50 amp NEMA 14-50R charger/connector that I ordered with the car to fit the NEMA 14-50R outlet I had installed. 5. I am not interested in year long waits like for the Cybertruck so several brands are out. This is a great article if you are just starting to look. It includes brief highlights/negatives for each, and pics inside and out. Excerpt: "For this guide, the Washington Post looked at the nation’s top-selling electric models of 2022 and estimated their greenhouse gas emissions using MIT Trancik Lab’s carbon counter. We also used ratings from GreenerCars, which evaluates emissions and pollution generated by the manufacturing, charging and discarding or recycling the parts of each vehicle. And we analyzed rankings from Lead the Charge, a coalition of environmental and consumer groups that investigates how companies source their steel, aluminum and battery components. The organization measures the impacts of those supply chains on human health, biodiversity and resource depletion. Some of these electric vehicles assembled in North America now qualify for a federal tax credit of up to $7,500. Buyers will receive the tax credits if their adjusted gross income does not exceed $300,000 for married couples filing jointly, $225,000 for heads of households and $150,000 for all other taxpayers. So whether you are in the market for a luxury sedan or an F-150, buckle up and let our guide steer you in the right direction. BMW i4 This baby screams “Beamer.” It’s got the classic look of the luxury brand, and might be right at home zipping down the Autobahn. But if you are going to shell out this much for a premium German car, you may be disappointed by the handling, according to Motortrend, which cautioned “the steering feels disconnected at points.” BMW has a relatively strong sustainability record and is building more sustainable and ethical supply chains than many other auto companies, according to Lead the Charge. Range: 235 to 301 miles Price: $52,395 to $67,395 Made: Munich Emissions per mile: 215.3 grams GreenerCars Ranking: Above average Tax credit: $0" Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/which-electric-vehicle-is-right-for-you-check-out-our-guide/ar-AA19ZZ70

For investors, and those interested in the EV Transition and vehicle industry growth news as I am, here is the latest from Tesla. Excerpt: "Tesla Inc raised its capital expenditure forecast for 2023 on Monday as the automaker ramps up output at its factories to take advantage of the rising interest in electric vehicles. The company, led by Elon Musk, said in a filing that it expects to spend between $7 billion and $9 billion this year, higher than its previous outlook of $6 billion to $8 billion. It maintained the spending outlook for the next two years at $7 billion to $9 billion. Tesla's shares fell 3.3% in morning trade. The world's most valuable automaker has been raising its production aggressively as it prioritizes sales growth ahead of profit in a weak economy and works towards CEO Musk's bold goal of selling 20 million electric vehicles in 2030. Achieving that goal will make Tesla twice the size of any automaker in history, accounting for roughly 20% of the global vehicle market. The company in January earmarked $3.6 billion to expand its Nevada gigafactory complex, where Tesla will mass produce its long-delayed Semi truck and build a plant for the 4680 cell that will be able to make enough batteries for 2 million light-duty vehicles annually. The company is also ramping up output at its factories in Berlin and Austin, and plans to open a gigafactory in Mexico as the EV behemoth pushes to expand its global output. Reuters reported earlier in the day that Tesla has begun producing in Shanghai a version of the Model Y to be sold in Canada this year, the first time it will ship cars to North America from China." Source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tesla-raises-2023-spending-forecast-145827659.html

Thanks Kirk you beat me to it.

Very doable! I own a 2019 Forester for now, about to trade it. However I like the rooftop tent setups but here are specific camping builds on Foresters! I saw one with a solar shower setup that they said worked great. Check these out: https://www.thewaywardhome.com/subaru-forester-camper/

Payroll, you got a good deal! I am close to buying the tax credit Mod Y AWD two motor, long range now $49.9k. Same here on trading our Forester, we can get/trade almost what we paid for our Forester new dealers want to buy trade it for $20k. $49.9 - 7500= 42,499.99 - $20k=22,499.99 - $2500 Colorado incentive tax credit - $19,999.99. Might pull the trigger next week. I won't go to free chargers either because power is cheap here too for home charging. We put in a 50 amp outlet, 30 miles range per hour charging. There were no rebates for installing them then but now there are so we will add another outlet for hers. They are talking opening the Superchargers up to other brands too. As well there is a push on for a standardized charging plug so all can use any charger system, like computers and phones. I've had my 2020 Y since 2020. I test drove one and waited until the next weekend to sign and they raised the price from $49.9k to 52! If I get this one it evens out. Enjoy your 3. I love my Y! Nice to meet you.

This came out three days ago showing the six EVs that qualify for the full tax credit. Yesterday Tesla dropped prices again! "Only 6 pure EVs on sale today qualify for the full EV tax credit Excluding the Chevy Blazer, Equinox, and Silverado — which aren’t on sale yet — there are only eight vehicles available for the full tax credit. Going even further, if the Pacifica PHEV and Aviator PHEV are excluded from the list since they are hybrids, there are only six pure EVs on sale in the U.S. that qualify for the full tax credit." The: Tesla Model 3 Tesla Model Y The other four are: Cadillac Lyriq Chevrolet Bolt Chevrolet Bolt EUV Ford F-150 Lightning Popular vehicles like the Nissan Leaf, Rivian R1T, and Volkswagen ID.4 crossover no longer qualify for the EV tax credit after not meeting requirements. The changes to the EV tax credit qualifications go into effect on Tuesday, April 18th. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/only-6-pure-evs-on-sale-today-qualify-for-the-full-ev-tax-credit-201216179.html?

Glenn, The article was for folks who are considering owning one, not folks who are not. I will be posting the only seven EVs that will qualify for the full $7500 tax credit. and then only middle class folks who made less than $150k. We are shopping for a plug in hybrid but they are higher priced at $57k for the new Toyota PHEV than a new Tesla. Tesla just dropped the price again yesterday 19 April 2023 to $49,999.99 for the Model Y Tesla long range, two motor, AWD full BEV so we may just get another Tesla new. And that is the new version with their GigaPress die cast single piece construction of the body and chassis. So it us now $2k cheaper than my 2020 model Y cost. But now I get the $7500 tax credit I did not get before. Going there this weekend to see their trade in offer. They can deliver within a month as of last week, and the new Model Y also gets the full $7500 tax credit if the buyers make less than $150k a year. I really wanted to try the PHEV. As little as we drive retired, a 35 mile range on the PHEV battery means it will be an EV for 80-90% of her use. We are getting the white interior this time.

Don't open the link guys. 🖖😉 It's in the post you just answered above but I'll post it again. Alabama moved West of Louisiana? Alabama grew! https://www.plugshare.com/directory/us/texas/huntsville Oops forgot the link!

Glenn, I can understand why many folks think there are fewer charging stations than they realize. However, "There are 33 Charging Stations in Huntsville." Here is the link with a map: https://www.plugshare.com/directory/us/texas/huntsville Here's a cost comparison for two years. Driving and EV gives us the best of performance cheaper by far than buying gas at the volatile prices it has had since I haven't driven much this past month due to ingrown toenail removal on both big toes with a month long recovery. The Tesla App has a section where I can set the maximum charge to prolong battery life and I have mine set for 85% and I charge at 20% which is about twice a month. It also shows my charge stats and cost based on our price locally per kWh. Here is a pic of my screen today showing my charge stats and cost: I post news about the biggest Paradigm shift we have seen in our history. For the longest time only Tesla was building EVs introducing the first one, the Roadster, in 2008 for sale. They began building in their factories ~ 2012 in Fremont CA. We are way past the tipping point and the comments of EVs will never happen here in 2003 have been OBE. I cannot use a compact car because of spinal issues so the Bolt is out as is are many sedans. Folks used to say EVs were too expensive but now realize that the average cost of a new car today is $50k and EVs for folk without subcompact size issues range from the Bolt @ ~ $35 k to the Model 3 and Y at $35k- $52k. The new top tier Lucid cars boast a 500 mile range and compete with the Tesla Plaid. Except they are almost twice the price. I am definitely not trying to get anyone to buy an EV of any brand but in a financial and investment major shift in a giant portion of the economy that affects the oil industry, and the vehicle industry. Europe is way ahead of the US except for Tesla. But from what I am seeing they may be selling more per capita but the US is fast catching up. I have posted about Ford and battery tech and developments too. The most recent development are two Travel trailers that pull some to all of their own weight to make my being able to pull one with my EV doable! Now we have one the LS1 from some of the EV teams of different brands doing it and Thor with a prototype self-propelled Airstream. I love where tech is taking us.

https://www.votervoice.net/AFSA/newsletters/48266

Actually many scientists credit science fiction with inspiring them. As well I read a paper in Psych class years ago that postulated that when a Science fiction novel, most based on some actual science they extrapolate further, becomes a worldwide best seller it can influence the real scientists. Many admit to having their cognitive insight, or AHA! moment, after reading one and going back to work to make it real. This video covers instances of that happening:

No thin skin here. Sorry were you trying for that? should there have been offense? Oops hit the post button too soon. Yes I agree that they are going to be doing things we never dreamed of. Like many folks thought EVs and renewables would never work. Then that they'd never catch on. Now the rest of the vehicle industry is starting to try to catch up on BEVs and PHEVs. So being interested in EVs I followed the only one making highway capable BEVs from 2003 on. I never heard of or thought of putting an EV battery system and motor in a trailer for EV towing either. And I am all for EVs. It does seem like some manufacturers are shooting themselves in the foot however. In a world where the leading BEVs gets 300 - 400 miles per charge in their SUV for ~ $52k Toyota PHEVs (35 miles on battery) are asking more with $57k being a price I saw yesterday when we went shopping over the weekend. We are shopping a PHEV for my wife now and are getting very frustrated shopping. There are some that still only get 10 miles on battery and a long wait list still because the transition to primarily EVs is lagging. We looked at the EVs available from all the other major brands too and they have 250 miles range and less for more then the Tesla except the compact cars. My lumbar and cervical issues from the military make low cars like the Model 3 which I ordered and had to decline because twisting and getting in and out tweaks my back it is so low! Never mind AWD, scarce as hen's teeth! So we may just end up being a two Model Y family although Lynn is a bit scared of driving mine because of the acceleration. However it took years for her to trust plain vanilla cruise control. Her Forester is still like new and has adaptive cruise with "Eyesight" cameras and anti collision as well as handling stop and go traffic without the lane keeping the Tesla has. I think the next big thing in EVs may be the Solid State battery: https://www.reuters.com/technology/how-will-solid-state-batteries-make-electric-vehicles-better-2021-09-07/#:~:text=TOKYO%2FSINGAPORE%2C Sept 7 (Reuters) - Solid-state batteries could,accelerate the shift away from fossil fuel-powered cars.

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That was going to be my suggestion if I understand correctly that you are doing a 2 year "visit" not planning to become citizens here too. Many don't know here that Canada and the US allow dual citizenship so Americans who qualify for Canadian citizenship and buy property there do not have to renounce their US citizenship and Canadians who want dual citizenship can do the same. Lots of rules but those are the basics. So you might want to look at that as an option if not too expensive for future trips. May be financial advantages or liabilities but worth looking into with kids.

On edit: I got interrupted by a refrigerator warranty repair guy and although Kirk already defined one this has reference links too. For Americans like me that don't know what those Canadian programs are, I had to look them up: "Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Old Age Security (OAS) are two of the three main pillars of Canada’s retirement income system. The third pillar includes workplace pension plans and RRSPs." https://www.savvynewcanadians.com/cpp-and-oas-pension-comparison/#:~:text=Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and Old Age Security,they are calculated%2C supplementary benefits%2C and eligibility rules. I also had to look up 457 Plans "457(b) plans A 457(b) plan is similar to a 401(k), but it’s available only for employees of state and local governments and some tax-exempt organizations. In this tax-advantaged plan, an employee can contribute to the plan with pre-tax wages, meaning the income is not taxed. The 457(b) allows contributions to grow tax-free until retirement, and when the employee withdraws money, it becomes taxable." Source: https://www.bankrate.com/retirement/best-retirement-plans/