This is exactly my point...

People want to get on here and wave whatever flag they support, but in the end we all want the same thing. Efficiency, reliability, affordability and common sense decisions going forward...

 

Well said...

 

Perhaps a different perspective is needed....When I think of EV's, I think of the potential technical spinoffs...specifically small, high energy density storage. When folks like Tom show charts on how much money and time is being spent on the current EV technology I think it's a gigantic waste. We're spending all this effort and money on a battery system that simply isn't practical...environmentally, economically, or functionality. Sure it works....kinda over short distances with long charge times. It's not affordable for majority of the population. Large percentage of population has no place to charge. I feel we need to take most of that money and effort and do what Edison did with the light bulb...make it commercially practical... and then launch EV's in earnest. The battery needs to be less expensive to replace, faster to charge, and/or simpler to replace. Pull into "filling station", pop hood, swap depleted fuel cell for fully charged cell like changing a tire, and back on the road.

Batteries such as they are for today's EV's are only good for a niche market...not the masses.

 

What source of energy will be used to charge all these batteries?

 

Wait...what? We are a truck forum, are we not?

The number-one selling vehicle in the world is an EV. It's priced slightly higher than the average new vehicle transaction and can go 300 miles to a charge. I've had one for six months, and it's far more convenient than any gas burner I've ever owned. It's also my third EV, and I've taken several road trips in each of them. It's a lot easier now than it was in 2019 when I got my Model 3 because of how many more chargers there are.

I went back to an ICE car after two years with the Model 3, and ended up trading for another EV because of how freaking inconvenient it was. I got used to instant heat in the winter, starting every day with a full tank, instant acceleration, and stupidly low operating costs. My "gas" bill last month was $60 for the energy used to go 2,100 miles. A Prius would cost me double in gas, and it can't touch the performance I get from 430 HP instantly on tap. I live in semi-rural Minnesota and usually drive about 2,000 miles per month. You can buy a Chevy Bolt for under $30K, and their new Equinox is starting at that point. That's right in-line with a gas-powered model. I've been saying consistently that EVs won't work for every use case, but the technology is getting better every day.

My other car is a gas-chugging Expedition that keeps its place in my garage because my Model Y can't pull my new boat. I expect it will be replaced with a Lightning or Silverado EV in the next few years when competition brings prices down and the deal makes sense. I can't imagine buying another ICE vehicle because of how inconvenient they are.

 

I don’t think so, either. The industry isn’t there yet, but they will be.

The first four will probably come within the next 2-4 years, but heavy towing over long distances is a hard problem for an EV. Even the most aggressive projections show ICE vehicles being sold in 2040, and I suspect heavy duty pickups will be among them.

 

Plenty of Tesla car discussions in this truck forum as well. In addition, EV's are supposed to solve global warming so its a very dynamic topic that you have to manage in this forum.

 

Whale oil.

 

It's going to take a lot of it. May need to invest in a whale farm.

 

Depends what part of the country you're in where the electricity comes from, some places use nuclear, most use natural gas then there's hydroelectric where they have dams producing power. Wind and solar popping up everywhere.

Personaly I plan on charging my batteries the same way I always have. Using a charger plugged into the wall 😁

 

The offshore windmill people have been working on the whale harvesting but they need a plan on getting them to grow faster. Growth hormones for whales? I’m seeing a whole new industry with these renewable energy whale farms.

 

I’m really sick and tired of this.

We’re not a power grid forum. Thread closed.