A white puff of smoke came from the side of my car the other day as I withdrew the charger from its driver’s-side port. Then there was a smell of burning plastic. Apparently something had kept the handpiece from fully reaching the contacts, resulting in an electric arc.
For vehicle owners, an acrid whiff of burnt plastic smells like money. And, indeed, the list price on the Honda parts websites for my necessary replacement was more than $600, not including labor. But, considering that this was the first non-maintenance cost that I had been faced with since first leasing the car in fall 2018, I was okay with it.
Regular readers of this column may recall that I have occasionally reported on my now two plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. First was a Chevrolet Volt, which I returned when its lease was up. I bought my current car, a Honda Clarity, called by my friend Mike the “ugliest car ever made,” when its lease expired at well below its Kelley Blue Book value. Even with the looming receptacle replacement, I still think it’s been a huge bargain.
Other than buying a set of tires, a cabin air filter, windshield wipers, and keeping up with the oil change schedule, the Clarity has had no costs other than for electricity — about $2.50 for 45 to 50 miles’ charge — and the occasional gasoline top-up. Unless I am going beyond Riverhead, I almost never need to put more than a few dollars’ worth in the six-gallon tank.
Before too long, I plan to get another P.H.E.V. — or go full electric. Bloomberg News this week published an account of a test-drive of the new $500,000 Rolls-Royce Spectre, a 6,500-pound giant with 577 horsepower creating a top speed of 155 miles per hour, all with a range of about 250 miles on a charge. Yeah, no, that one is not for me, but, as they say about the New York Lottery, hey, you never know.