Times are changing

[cobrajeff96]

It seems almost every automaker is hell bent on going full electric, completely phasing out models using fuel within the next 10 years if not already. What I'm thinking will happen is that while many people will still either choose to use fuel to drive (or be forced to because they don't want a reason to try affording a brand new EV) the government will do everything in its power to price us away from the pump by taxing gas to the max. They'll just make it overly costly for us to pay for fuel as a coercion to buy new EVs. It's kind of sad in a way (or many ways). I do not forsee good times ahead for petrol heads like us.

 

[ttocs]

I think while it seems like a great idea and might be if/when we are ready for it, but I don't think the world is ready for a switch like they are trying to do in the timelines you mention. Everything from the fact most garages don't have a 220v socket to the lack of charging along the highways. I think the time to get any engine performance stuff you have been dreaming of has come because it might not be long before they are illegal or just not made anymore.

 

[whiplash473]

I think marketing has blown the realism of it way out of proportion. Petrol and diesel are relied upon far too heavily for that to happen in our lifetimes. I have been thinking the same way for years, @cobrajeff96 but over the last year or so I started really paying attention to how integral the combustion engine is and I just don’t see the EV trend lasting much longer than the Jnco jean fad. Hybrid is a different story, I think that’s going to be the plateau for quite some time.

EDIT: This is what started leveling out my worry of the EV thing. Since then I’ve started to pay attention more and more. Check it out. It’s well worth watching - as goes for all of his videos.

 

[96blak54]

Well, supposedly the technology of these salt batteries are rapid developing and are suppose to be safer and longer lasting with thousands of deep cycle charges over lithium while not needing deep earth mining.

I hate the thought of electric transportation. I love internal combustion technology. And i may, in my life time, witness a "no cumbustion engine" society.

If you guys havent heard or seen the construction of a new car battery manufacturing plant about 45min south of Louisville here in Kentucky, check it out! It is an unbelievable HUGE construction site. Devastatingly HUGE! Its shear size is a bold statement to the future presence of battery vehicles.

 

[96blak54]

LOOK: Progress being made at Ford's new battery plant in Kentucky

WLKY's Mark Vanderhoff visited the construction site and WLKY Chopper HD flew over it.

www.wlky.com

 

[RAU03MACH]

BULL SHIT NO THANX

 

[cobrajeff96]

Fair points, but my somewhat cynical mind thinks our federal government (as will most other federal governments of the world) will intervene heavily into markets and forcibly steer course to see that it comes reality.

I don't believe in it, at least not currently. If they can crack the range and charging impediments and make EVs comparable to or even surpass the ICE, then they'll have my money but I'll always have the Stang and they could never take it away. My worry is that as the overall ICE fleet among private citizens trickles down a bit so to will the demand for gas at the pump - that's it's own natural force but what I'm especially skeptical about is that the gov't again would further meddle into it all by making fuel so expensive that they'll essentially extort money out of people so that they're forced to buy EVs.

 

[maillemaker]

The problem is price. I have only bought new cars since 1992. First was a 1992 Mustang LX. In 1994 I bought a Mustang GT. A month ago I bought my first used car in over 30 years. Why? I've been priced out of new cars. A brand new Mustang GT today is over $50K. I'm not spending that kind of money on a car. I've got 2 kids to put through college starting in a year. So I bought a used Mustang GT for less than 1/5th the cost of a new one.

Even the cheapest econobox electric car is $30K.

Problem is, there won't be any used car market for them (which is why manufacturers love them). Nobody is going to buy a 10-year-old used EV when it will probably need a new battery that will cost at least $5K to replace (and that's being charitable on cost). If you're going to finance the used car + battery you might as well finance a new car. Of course dealers will happily take used dead cars as a trade for a pittance as they have the infrastructure to swap out the batteries and flip them for a huge markup.

But yeah, I could see them putting punitive taxes on gasoline at the pump. Just read a news article today that New York City is going to start putting caps on how much meat you can buy.

Going green means going without.

 

[ju015dd]

Never gonna happen. Our grid can't handle it for one. I personally work on my towns grid and it's a shitbox....lol

 

[RAU03MACH]

they may force our hand to do it
Thay may tax the gas vehicles.
Thay may raise the price of fuel.
Thay might even tell insurance companies not to insure anything within the scope.
its defiantly going to be a fight

 

[maillemaker]

Of all the arguments "the grid can't handle it" is the weakest.

100 years ago there was no grid. Grids can be built.

The electric power industry now has a massive hardon because every single cent spent today on gasoline is now going to go into their hands if they can sell electricity instead to replace it.

They will be tripping over themselves to build out the grid to rake in that sweet, sweet cash.

 

[ju015dd]

Of all the arguments "the grid can't handle it" is the weakest.

100 years ago there was no grid. Grids can be built.

The electric power industry now has a massive hardon because every single cent spent today on gasoline is now going to go into their hands if they can sell electricity instead to replace it.

They will be tripping over themselves to build out the grid to rake in that sweet, sweet cash.

You work on or build power lines? Good luck..lol

 

[ttocs]

we are already having rolling black-outs in the summer from the lack of supply in some areas. My brother down in texas had his come on/off a few times over the past 2 summers. Now plug in a high current charging station to each out/corner and yes the grid can be built up, but it needs to be if it is going to keep up.

 

[maillemaker]

You work on or build power lines? Good luck..lol

You don't have to work on or build power lines to understand how power company executives think.

 

[maillemaker]

we are already having rolling black-outs in the summer from the lack of supply in some areas. My brother down in texas had his come on/off a few times over the past 2 summers. Now plug in a high current charging station to each out/corner and yes the grid can be built up, but it needs to be if it is going to keep up.

Remember, every time the power shuts off the revenue stream also shuts off. There is massive financial incentive for that to not happen.

 

[ttocs]

Remember, every time the power shuts off the revenue stream also shuts off. There is massive financial incentive for that to not happen.

they are not doing it to cut down on revenue they are doing it because they can't supply the power needed.

 

[maillemaker]

they are not doing it to cut down on revenue they are doing it because they can't supply the power needed.

You missed the point.
They will build the grid so as not to miss out on any revenue. Supply always rises to meet demand when there is cash to be had.

 

[cobrajeff96]

They will be tripping over themselves to build out the grid to rake in that sweet, sweet cash.

And you know what? The fed gov will probably heavily subsidize it, contract it out, etc. With our tax money, go figure. It'll be another double whammy on us.

 

[maillemaker]

And you know what? The fed gov will probably heavily subsidize it, contract it out, etc. With our tax money, go figure. It'll be another double whammy on us.

Just like it always has since the 1930s.

Rural Electrification Act - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Communications Act of 1934 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

A robust electrical and communications grid is essential to the prosperity of the nation. This kind of thing is what governments exist to facilitate. Modern life, liberty, and happiness depend on plentiful and robust energy and communications.

 

[ttocs]

you make it sound like they can snap their fingers and upgrade the grid or maybe do a firmware update but it is not that easy. Those charging stations are high current demanding and most of the houses that have been made prior to today would need to have their entire electrical service to their house upgraded. This would mean thousands of $$$$ for the current homeowners to upgrade their house to take advantage of cheaper transportation. Now imagine that suddenly every house in my neighborhood(built in the 70's and I have no idea how many hundreds of houses there are just in my small area) does this upgrade, suddenly all the wires/substations and everything in the chain to my small area needs to be upgraded. Now take that times 1000 for all the other neighborhoods and then lets talk about where this power will come from? Nuclear has been off the table for some time now, coal is certainly not a "green" way to charge your car and natural gas is also not ideal when you consider climate warming/change. So that leaves us with solar/wind and a few other small things to upgrade a grid that needs MAJOR upgrades, not small ones.

With that being said I see that it is the way things will be going and if it is done right I think it could be a good thing but I think they are pushing it a little more then the system is ready for. I have a hybrid and love filling it up with 8 gallons and getting 400 miles out of it and I think that is a better alternative at the current time until the grid can support this.