1 year ago I started driving the vintage electro daily. I've logged 4600 miles without any trouble. That's about 80 full charge/discharge cycles. The battery is specified for 5000 cycles down to 80% original capacity.
Assuming 20 mpg as an ICE vehicle and $3 per gallon it would have consumed $690 of gasoline. At 315 Wh per mile and $0.10 per kWh I only paid $145. $545 of fuel savings over 1 year! Plus no oil changes.
The AC was repaired one more time at a shop then slowly went out again. It must have a refrigerant leak, I plan to have it repaired at the shop again. Having AC in an old car is awesome. Windows rolled up! It worked great before it went out, instant cool.
I plan to plumb cabin air into the trunk for cooling purposes. Just a little hole and a fan between the rear speakers behind the back seat. When the summer sun beats down on my trunk the batteries in there get too hot and my BMS shuts me down to prevent damage. Also the DC/DC converter overheats. As a workaround I leave my trunk cracked and try to park under trees.
I've began starting out in 2nd gear. The torque of the electric motor makes starting in 1st gear very jerky. If I floor it in reverse the wheels really tear out. It's fun to do when giving someone a ride.
I'd like to take some more data on efficiency now. I think I've come to drive it better, primarily by staying out of 4th and 5th gears. When I stay in 3rd gear my top speed is around 55 mph. But I occasionally use 4th to get up hills.
I do not miss pumping gas!
