[NavyVet]

Well, ya know what they say about car rental companies ...

[birdawg]

Remember when GM put Diesel engine’s in cars, That was another mistake.

[lawgolfer]

An honest answer by an EV owner!

An EV used for short distances, say 100 miles/day, is an excellent idea. This is particularly so in an urban setting. The owner should have a garage where the EV can be charged overnight. An alternative would be an owner who has a sufficient number of charging stations at his/her place of work available for charging during the work day.

As for using an EV to travel for any distance, they are not, and never will be, practical. If you doubt this, read about the experiences of professional drivers in road tests of EV's in the automobile magazines. The true believers will tell you that in a short time there will be thousands of charging stations across the country. The fact is there can never be enough operable charging stations to service a number of EV's comparable to the number of IC's used in everyday travel.

One fact that believers never discuss is that charging stations are being concentrated in single locations, unlike gasoline stations. Automobile drivers do not all stop at single locations. IC drivers go varying distances before refueling. The result is that the number of IC's stopping to refuel are staggered over many miles and locations. By concentrating EV chargers in large numbers sufficient to fuel hundreds of thousand of EV's every day there will be massive traffic jams at the charging stations. I have had believers tell me, "Oh well, there will be stations placed every mile or so along the highways". Good luck with that! The "range anxiety" of finding an available charger will increase exponentially. Also, I can't imagine that many men, and fewer women, will be willing to trust their safety to sitting for 30 minutes alongside a highway to get a 50% charge allowing them to drive 100 miles and repeat the process.

People who do not regularly drive on our Interstate Highways have no concept of the staggering number of vehicles of all kinds using the roadways. There will never be an infrastructure sufficient to, conveniently, and, quickly, refuel the same number of EV's. I just read on Google that there were 290.8 million vehicles of all kinds registered in the US as of 2022. Anyone who believes these can be replaced by EV's and that a functional transportation system will exist, is living in a fantasy world.

My comments only address the feasibility of replacing the nation's fleet of IC's with EV's. The separate problem of providing enough electricity to fuel 290.8 million IV's is mind-boggling, particularly as the true believers are, likely, to be the same people who oppose nuclear power plants. Please don't tell me we can cover the deserts with wind towers and solar panels. That fight is already taking place between the true believers and the friends of the desert, a variant of the friends of the forest.

If you want a good laugh, search for a video of the EV's, lined up, hoping to charge their Tesla's, at the Madonna Inn, or any other charging station, on Interstate 5 in California at Thanksgiving or Christmas, to be able to make it to S.F. or L.A.

[Topspinmo]

Originally Posted by Dantes

I wonder why they cost so much
Using child slaves to dig up rare
Earth u would think the cars would b cheaper and no EPA laws to follow ???

400% or more mark up it the American way.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by merrymini

Tesla is a terrific car but all EVs have their limitations. They will definitely have a place in the future, but replace all ICEs with EVs? No. Not until some technological breakthrough happens with batteries. People who want to shut down coal fired plants are living on another planet but then, they will be dead when that is supposed to happen so they do not care. Just feed the righteous crazies for the moment and you get their votes.

It is NOT practical or possible to replace all ICE vehicles with E-vehicles instantly. It will take time. Both the US and Europe have made a good start. In Europe about 20% of all NEW vehicles are E-vehicles and in the US, it is about 8%. Electric vehicles have advantages of greater acceleration and increased reliability. As more people purchase E-vehicles, greater research will produce better batteries. E-vehicles are like newborn babies in their developmental history. ICE vehicles are like VERY old seniors. many more charging stations will appear in the next 2 years.
.........Even Electric Golf Carts have many advantages. Their lower center of gravity increases their acceleration and increases SAFETY from roll-overs.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive

Interesting points.

I think one common misconception is that people here are "opposed" to EVs. That is certainly not the case: I know plenty of people who one one (or two) and are happy with them. More power to them. If an EV fits your needs, wonderful. People are certainly free to choose them. However, the statement "No one is forcing them to buy", if the administration has their way, would prove to be untrue. See below.

I think, bottom-line, that folks here are opposed to what they see as some pretty blatant social engineering, based on concepts that at best are legitimately challengeable and at worst a power-grab. The proposed EPA emissions limitations which would mandate a 13% annual emissions reduction and an overall 56% cut in fleet emissions, for example. The administration's plan to use taxpayer dollars as as grants to automakers to retrofit for purposes of manufacturing more EVs. The proposal to dramatically cut greenhouse-gas emissions by heavy-duty vehicles (trucks, buses, and the like beginning in 2027 with ever-more stringent reductions annually to 2032--an especially problematic area because America's economy runs on such vehicles, and such restrictions would inevitably mean a significant increase in the cost of domestic goods and services. Other examples exist as well.

There is, or should be, no problem with letting the market decide, and with Elon involved the market could very well swing eventually in favor of EVs regardless of government interference. But anything that smacks of social engineering is a surefire way to raise the hackles of many--probably most--Americans. That is what you're seeing here--not opposition to EVs but opposition to what is seen as arbitrary government meddling.

I don't know how things are seen in the UK regarding such matters, but I go back to a quote by former President Ronald Reagan: "The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help." Maybe the citizens of the UK don't see government in that way, but a whole lot of Americans do.

Markets can't DECIDE everything because markets are just a small subset compared with the influence of the national government. Markets can't decide how BIG to make the CIA, but the US government can. Markets don't decide where large interstate highways go, gut government does. Markets don't decide when to start a WAR, governments do.
........The US government takes all factors into consideration such as limited amounts of fossil fuel, pollution from fossil fuel, health risks associated with fossil fuels, which countries are US enemies, increasing global temperatures due to fossil fuel - and then asks the question, "how to we decrease fossil fuel use". Then, US government may decide to stimulate the use and purchase of non-fossil fuel burning automobiles. Markets can't decide that, so government MUST!

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Dantes

I wonder why they cost so much
Using child slaves to dig up rare
Earth u would think the cars would b cheaper and no EPA laws to follow ???

As sales go up, fixed costs get covered, and price goes down.

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

As sales go up, fixed costs get covered, and price goes down.

As sales go up, the pool of remaining consumers who want one will quickly dry up.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by BrianL99

The United States Gov't is forcing automobile manufacturers into the EV business and it's been going on for 20 years and getting worse.

It's the simplest conspiracy on the face of the earth. The government has imposed CAFE & emission standards on the manufacturers, that are impractical to meet with ICE. So unless someone can figure out a way to make an internal combustion engine run on salt water, there's no alternative other than electricity.

The CAFE regulations are also destroying the original solution to ICE, hybrids (a logical solution, but that doesn't impress the Greenies or make a large enough impact on CAFE).

I don't see CAFE regulations as terrible things. They help cut down on pollution, which helps older people to breathe better. They make countries that HATE the US like Russia, Iran, and others in the Middle East LESS rich. Decreasing pollution decreases Global Warming.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

Thanks for posting that, someone might have missed the last thousand times you posted it.

Repetition is designed to promote understanding. Understanding.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

As sales go up, the pool of remaining consumers who want one will quickly dry up.

When little Johnny's parents get an E-vehicle, little Johnny's friends' parents will also want an E-vehicle.

[Blackbird45]

Originally Posted by BrianL99

The United States Gov't is forcing automobile manufacturers into the EV business and it's been going on for 20 years and getting worse.

It's the simplest conspiracy on the face of the earth. The government has imposed CAFE & emission standards on the manufacturers, that are impractical to meet with ICE. So unless someone can figure out a way to make an internal combustion engine run on salt water, there's no alternative other than electricity.

The CAFE regulations are also destroying the original solution to ICE, hybrids (a logical solution, but that doesn't impress the Greenies or make a large enough impact on CAFE).

Look the government no matter who has their hands on the wheel can barely control anything. You believe the government can force the auto industry to manufacture electric cars, that is comical. Politicians put standards in place because of the pressure they receive from their constituents.

There used to be an old saying which a version was attributed to Plato in 380 BC, which became “Necessity is the mother of invention”. In today’s world that is no longer the case. If there is no profit at the end of the tunnel whatever the necessity is will not be met.

Look Ford built the Edsel in 1957 it lasted 3 years before it came off the market. The demise was due to market pressure, why because it was a bomb nobody wanted it. A substantial number of people want electric cars and what is even more important is a large amount of the American investor are willing to invest in stocks that support that goal. Do you think all these people are worried about the planet or that the government is going to kidnap their children. No, they believe that there is an alternative to ICE and they believe EVs are the answer. They are putting their hard earn money on the table because they believe it’s a winner. If there is any pressure companies will bend to is the investor, no investors no company.

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

It is NOT practical or possible to replace all ICE vehicles with E-vehicles instantly. It will take time. Both the US and Europe have made a good start. In Europe about 20% of all NEW vehicles are E-vehicles and in the US, it is about 8%. Electric vehicles have advantages of greater acceleration and increased reliability. As more people purchase E-vehicles, greater research will produce better batteries. E-vehicles are like newborn babies in their developmental history. ICE vehicles are like VERY old seniors. many more charging stations will appear in the next 2 years.
.........Even Electric Golf Carts have many advantages. Their lower center of gravity increases their acceleration and increases SAFETY from roll-overs.

"Increased acceleration"? Sounds dangerous... Will the police be handing out tickets?

Oh, and my memory must be failing... What type of EV do you drive?

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

Thanks for posting that, someone might have missed the last thousand times you posted it.

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

When little Johnny's parents get an E-vehicle, little Johnny's friends' parents will also want an E-vehicle.

Only if they're lemmings...

I'll buy an EV when it's the best choice FOR ME, not when a neighbor buys one...

Only simple minded people don't think for themselves...