Payroll Person

As an aside, I home charge using my tt30 outlet. Our small rv does not need a 14-50 outlet. There is an aftermarket tt30 adapter for the Tesla mobile evse which auto sets the amps correctly. This is what the park owners don’t get (at least for the Tesla branded evse) the evse properly sets the max draw to 80% of the outlet amps. And the user can set a lower draw as well. In my case, I charge at about half the max amps which is what I need for my usual driving needs. This is where an enlightened park owner could offer ev charging. Add a pedestal on a new circuit, with their own evse so the park has control over the max draw. There are options where it requires a touch card to charge as sort of a lock. I suspect there are solutions like ChargePoint which can be installed at little or no cost (and generate a little revenue if desired) for the park owner. My locality has elected ChargePoint for their solution. At a couple of places, it is free for the 4 hour parking limit. At another, is it .25 an hour. The former are almost always in use (locals and tourists), the latter less so as it is a bit out of the way for tourists.

Rv parks seem to be ok with ev charge or not. Most seem not. Either ignorance of how ev charging works, not interested in figuring out how to monetize, or just laziness. Those with rivian trucks are the test subjects. I have close knowledge of how out favorite local place was built. They have elected to have a no charging policy. They have transformer capacity, not yet tapped. If they expand as planned (more electric sites) I hope they will setup stand alone charging stations. Other parks have a policy of one connection to your rv, and do what you want from there. A few have stand alone ev stations, and at leas on will let ev’s charge when a site is not in use. Many parks barely have enough power as is, so newer parks with enlightened management is the only likely charge ev at park possibility. Given the pedestals I have seen, I am always willing to tell the host it is generator for me while needing ac, based on visual inspection and volt/amp readings. Have not been denied yet as those types of parks know they have issues. For my handle, I try to stay anonymous. I go back to the old BBS days, privacy less needed then as there were fewer issues with privacy, but today; privacy is a must for me. The one exception for me is a private professional group I still elect to participate in.

23 M3 RWD. We drive it as primary now. 02 wrangler gets some action as top and doors off fun and flat tow. Covid deal 2020 grand Cherokee is great, flat tow and a bit more comfortable. Tesla rode a bit rough until I set tire pressure for load instead of for range. About 3k mi on Tesla since mid feb. No probs needing service. But, like many report, it needed an alignment - which I can and did do (string) at home. Strongly considering an extended warranty. Not Tesla’s. Xcelarate. There are about to add a batt and drive extension. Even if we don’t, that you can buy one speaks to the longevity. I have my eye out for an enclosed trailer as we would use some extra space on the road and would like to bring the Tesla. That would mean ridding the grand Cherokee, at about what we paid for it (crazy times).

NorCal PGE. And we get a discount (CARES)… our roof size limits us to about 60% of our usage for solar. With our net meter rules, it no longer makes sense to oversize. The state is changing to a monthly access fee and lower kWh in the next 24 months, further cutting Solar savings benefits. As many opine, utilities want us to use solar, but they don’t want us cutting into their generation business. Looking at our ev charge stats, we are at about 175 in charging to date replacing about 950 in gasoline, since mid Feb. This ratio will get even better since we played with supercharging a few times when not needed. our main charging is now free. If we take a second long trip in a week, we charge at home at just under .17kwh (year around). Super charge near us is about .45kwh. I can also L2 charge within a Segway ride for .04kwh. our home main use is a swim spa, hot tub, and ac. The first two time shifted nicely to off peak. The latter as well, pre cool to 66 at the end of off peak. Tesla M3 with the LFP batt is the easiest. The others currently available are ideally used at the 20-80% methods, making their higher range somewhat unusable. We have LFP in our MH which have shown little degradation after about 18months, and they are constantly plugged in. The LFP with a good bms seems ideal as charge and use with little thought. Tesla LFP is not eligible for the full federal credit any longer; but we bought within the window. We too would be paying cash for Solar, which means a loss of interest on the money or a present/future value calc. Our high interest savings is 3.75% at the moment, so our solar would also cost 125 a month in lost interest. Or another way, is getting Solar would have to save us at least 250 a month for the 20 year old expected life to just maybe break even. Just not possible in our situation, and likely not in many/most without a lopsided net meter system. One other factor, given my profession, is the cost of waiting for the credit, unless one has enough withholding which could be lessened to get access to the “credit” sooner. On our example 40k system, credit is 12k. The time waiting to be the 12k costs another 37.50 a month in lost interest. Point being, the value of ev and/or Solar is individual, and has many factors often ignored.

Time of use rate from the utility. 85% of our usage is now at off peak rates. Our electric, before having an ev, was about 400 a month averaged over a year. With the ev charging added, but lower rates off peak (.17 vs .26) we are down to 200 to 250 a month. We keep the ac at 72 year round for medical reasons. We have evening pot smoking neighbors, so the windows are usually closed, so as I type this, it is 66 outside, but the ac is on (to cool once in the part peak to get to the start of off peak). Once we get a bit better at timing, we should be more at the 200 a month. Have not bought gasoline in 3 months, although we will need to do. For safety. to get Solar will be about 40k before credits. (Almost a must go get batts flyover our rate structure.) probably another 5k for panel and other upgrades to make it as useful as possible for us. we are 2 years or less from another rate structure change which will likely lower our kWh rate at least 20%. we can and do use free chargers which cover our about town usage, charging while at the gym. For us, Solar, with our current utility system, is a money loser. It is not always a magic money saver for all. In our case, just being eligible for the ev time of use plan and the r wilting savings, is covering the Tesla payments (after healthy down) as we had planned. with the CA net meter change, and the not widely talked about structure change coming, CA Solar is likely now a “because I want to” versus a money saver.

Understood. For us, we get a few outages a year. A small gen for the food, and the rv gen for the comforts get us through. Just the vagaries of CA which will cause our new rate structure to lower our price more. Getting on the ev tou has lowered our bill $100 month, even adding ev charging kWh per month. Adding Solar would be a net loss of ~200 a month in our specific case.

Cancelled ours recently. It was break even at best for us, but we were going to anyway. With CA changing rate structure soon (separate monthly fee for access, lower than current kWh rate), we would not be break even in the expected equipment life.

Charge on non travel day can be an issue. Rv parks will (just as with getting full 50a capability) glacial speed support ev. Some do already, even if it is just offering passing charging during the day. With an enlightened host, you can often charge at your site or another site, by timing for lighter load or setting charging amps to a modest level. With modest usable ev range, likely a very low charge amps will keep you going. See the many reports of people who car camp with a Tesla. Charging on a travel day would be no different than normal driving an ev, other than likely having to unload the ev to reach a fast charger. whatever one thinks about EM, Tesla rules charging with the many locations and speed of the super chargers. it is interesting, the crossover of battery with ev and rv. LFP in the model 3 is directed to be full charged as needed, and actually, at least once a week. Same tech used for many rvs where the rv era are so worried about storage charge. I have had lfp in our rv for about a year. Constantly charged as our life boat. Only slight degradation noticed.

The infrastructure at the spot I use was paid for by a private entity for a different (for profit) purpose in the past. The ongoing cost is paid by the downtown merchant to encourage even more tourism. Their cost for the power is ~.60 an hour or less for time used. we live in a high tourist area where local government is funded by 50% or more by tourist activity. So the tourists are paying for the free power ability. We are about to get our third supercharger in our city to feed the tourists and also the locals who don’t want/need to or can’t charge at home. I don’t count on the free power or go out of my way to use it, since home charging is so cheap. being in CA, our rates are not cheap. I can get free downtown. .04 kWh at the bus transfer station, and supercharger is currently .42 kWh. Supercharging is about the same per mile as gas compared to a ln average gas vehicle. For home, my rate is currently .17 kwh off peak and is projected to be .13 in a couple of years because of a different rate structure. for me, the big saving was getting the ev time of use rate. Off peak is about 40% of our former single rate. We time shifted heating our pool and spa, try to do laundry off peak, time the ac to pre cool off peak, and only charge ev off peak. We cut our bill by 200 a month with only moderate effort. With another 200+ monthly fuel savings, it is a no brainer for us. We were looking at a leaf but the range was questionable for us. Once Tesla became eligible for the state and fed rebates/credits again, we got one the next day. It won’t work for all as many/most do not have the ability to be flexible, use as much power as we do, etc. for our mh, we got a shorter class c a few years ago as it fits us fine. And I can maintain it unless I need a lift. It is on an e450 so we can tow just about anything we want, including a car hauler. We have about 4000 ccc and 7500 usable tow capacity stock.

Lfp batts are a game changer. Charge full with no extra degradation of consequence. Bought a m3 tax credit vehicle. Total net after credits is about 33k. While CA has issues, having a household member on SSI gets a great utility discount. A new rate system coming about 2025 will lower it another 10% or more. Candidly, it makes Solar a money loser as our rate is so cheap, so we are still not going Solar. Likely the goal of the utilities… Have not bought gas in two months. For around town, our pattern is free energy as our city has several free chargers we can use. When we do charge at home, effectively we are paying .25 a “gallon”. .will keep our tj wrangler for fun and flat tow, but will likely let our trailhawk GC (just before pandemic price increase bargain buy) go. We can get just about what we paid for it in 2020. I am happy I did not get a maverick. I can see getting a car hauler rather than teaching spouse to shift a manual (tj) as long trips, I like her to be able to drive as a backup. Plus she could bring more stuff!

Indeed. And there are plenty of experts giving advice which no longer applies or never was accurate. One topic for rv is isolator, separate charger, etc. I got into “it” once with an expert who contradicts the manufacturer’s advice and ignored my own report (with images). For tesla lfp, there are old timers who set flag on never charging to 100%. There seem to be few warranty claims as the actuaries would be shortening the warranty, yet there are still many never 100% and never SC when not absolutely needed types. If one wants to try to reduce degradation and save the 2-5% capacity, great, but for most, over the 1500+ cycles or calendar life, a use as needed seems reasonable. Seems reasonable not to get the the bms low cutoff is good, although there are ways to wake the batt up in many cases. It happens to us with our mini segways when we forget to keep them charged (I made a rig to essentially force power in past the bms).

An interesting comparison is the Tesla model 3 lfp packs. The first “change” is they are suggested to be 100% charged at least once a week. The information is there is little degradation reduction by trying to manage soc in the middle somewhere. One issue is range calcs are less accurate when there is no static 100% for a period of time. It is interesting to see the different trains of thought on lfp when looking at the ev community vs mh community vs off grid community. Much is the same, but their are things some argue that others have deemed not important. The tesla warranty on the batt is good, and it is reasonable to believe the batts will make it to as least the end of warranty. They base the warranty on no more than 30% degradation. For me, it ties nicely with charge and discharge for ease of use and for needs, with not so much time focusing on health of batt.

Tt10-30 is simply misunderstood by most. With my home, No more room for high output with ac, range, swim spa, hot tub, dryer, and hot water. House is 1993, so well under in terms of circuits for modern use and 160a main service at present. The tt10-30 serves us well for MH, and Tesla as needed. I thought about an auto switch for dryer/Tesla, but it would involve more wiring or a long extension, and we seem to do fine with 120 @ 24a for the Tesla off peak. If we elect solar, a service panel update will allow a full L2 charging outlet in the garage.

Use it a post exclusively. Use virtual numbers for online items which don't accept digital pay. Use tap to pay with physical card on occasion. Never use debit card only credit card.

One thing to remember. You don’t need to argue. Just inform you are dissatisfied, leaving, and ask for a refund. Record the interaction using your cell phone if legal in the state. Dispute with the card issuer. You will likely win since the merchant has to elect to pay to fight, and have evidence supporting the charge. Likely, their cost to fight is more than the refund and chargeback fees.

Medicos will often consider reimbursement/income when talking about insurance, versus coverage and costs. Just had the same discussion with my med student son who, like most of his classmates, is on government insurance because of no income. Irony defined. Med students are poor, and often remain poor for a significant time after getting their MD/DO while they serve their training hospital for a relative pittance per hour. As for me, second generation Kaiser lifer. Will swap to their advantage plan when the time comes. Not a perfect system, but we know it well and how to get what we need.

I used to be a CA certified lamp and brake person. Had to go to Sac and take a test. It was 45 years ago, I was not even 15 when I qualified. It did get me an outside the family gig at a service station. I was the youngest not a pump jockey and did the same work as the only timer. Interestingly, I got pulled over for a brake light being out. A quick notice from the LEO and we were on our way. It was a car we don’t drive often. Pulled into a safe place for both of us and kept hands visible. Just got a new DL last week which he spotted.

I can attest. Federal parks have a federal jail in them. Well, at least one housed a young and dumb person who did not bother clearing up a failure to pay ticket which meant “their” 😀 DL was not valid. On the other hand, the garage did not care I rode my MC out once I posted bail. I suspect they may check DL before leaving with technology being better. Same park a couple of years ago, a ranger helped my son park a disabled vehicle and left a note on it not to tow it. The kids were able to take their back country hike, and get it towed home after. Kindness goes far.

That is something. For me, and others who got the same model and it’s cousin, something failed. 4 belts and sleeps at least 5.

I think the rvia is manufacturer controlled. It is pointless. I took off the sticker day 1. The places that say you must have it use it as a reason to block home built. in my case, the unit did not meet rvia as there were fewer belted seating than bed spaces. Of course, belts in the house could be string since they do not have to meet fed standards. From what I remember reading, the rvia sells the stickers to the makers of the makers agree to meet the standards. I don’t remember seeing any actual inspection stats.

Fun to say my phone, though I prefer the other OS, makes my life so much better. It allows me to have two major carriers active and seamlessly switches to the better at any given location. Coupled with Starlink, I am free to be mobile at will. I tried the two carrier setup on the other OS, but those makers lock down features to appease the carriers. While I plan on working for most of my life, it can be from anywhere at any time. More importantly, connected means we can get help wherever we happen to be, as well as get video chats from kids and grandkids no matter where we are. just an opinion though, as I see the device as giving me freedom, not chains.

Those that need it have multiple cell providers and Starlink. Those that don’t don’t. Talking with a camp owner, they provide wifi as a convenience at email type speeds. My own testing showed they offered much faster 5 years ago, but based on usage. They lowered their service to save $. I can still stream using their service.

SS when deducted is post tax. IOW, it is not excluded from tax calculations such as FWH. So some will say SS contributions were taxed when made, and in some cases, are taxed when benefits are received. If it was done like a retirement plan, where contributions were pre tax, then benefits fully taxed (at likely a lower rate for many compared to their earning years), it may be more clean. As it is, SS ends up taxed twice for some. Like anything, one must look at their own situation and try to get the best results for themselves.

Picking up and traveling same day is risky these days. Just the unknown time at the dealer could leave you traveling late. It could prove fruitful to wait, if you can, for the above reasons, and with the apparent upcoming lack of buyers for the available units. Might be trending to a buyer’s market. How much the dealer paid for the identical unit is not your concern. Old tactic. The newer one has cost them less in flooring, and the other more, so I would be bargaining on the older, but that is me.

If you get residential service, the advertised numbers are fairly accurate.