The trend is gaining momentum.
Why electric cars will take over sooner than you think - BBC News
The BBC's Justin Rowlatt explains why we are accelerating towards an electric car future.
www.bbc.com
I found this a reasonably thoughtful assessment......EvanI'm starting to suspect that grid capacity will thwart/delay EV adoption,
Can you link to that picture? Is there any background on it? I can go take pictures of multiple lots full of ice vehicles broken down. They are called salvage yards and I see no reason there wouldn't be ones that specialize in ev or hybrids.I saw a picture the other day of hundreds of electric cars in a parking lot left there that they picked up because of battery trouble and not enough of power for the recharging stations----just abandoned---looked like a junk yard in the picture and looked just like when they abandon those bikes all over and they come and get them with trucks..Do not know which country this picture was taken in but it sure gave me a very uneasy feeling and our country "really" has a "trash problem" and the "seas" are polluted--terrible.. With the cost of these electric cars they will only be for the better off people and the less rich people will most likely have to drive somewhere with a bunch of other people. They will start at about 50.000 now who among us could afford that plus the up keep of your home...I am not looking forward to the future and I am a pessimist and at this time in my life feeling pessimistic as well--aches and pains--lol clancey
I don't doubt it can be dealt with but atleast in the us we don't have the greatest track record when it comes to infrastructure maintenance and upgrades. And of course the power companies will want money to help them upgrade but then want to keep all the profits made possible by those upgradesI did some basic napkin math the other day, if every car in Alberta (about 4 million of them) was an EV with efficiency of a Model Y, and everyone of those drove 50km everyday, and everyone of them charged at the same time over an 8hr period at night, that would place an additional demand on the Alberta power grid of 4000MW for those 8hrs. The current night time power consumption in Alberta is about 8000-9000MW and 9000-11000MW during the day time.
So with the power grid we already have we are most of the way to absorbing this additional energy demand. Sure extra transmission lines would need to be built along with new generation stations, but this isn't an insurmountable task by any means. For us the biggest issue would be residential power distribution on the utility side, almost every home here comes standard with a 100 amp 120/240 volt split phase service, but many utilities have not sized their end to handle all of these being pushed to the max at once, it is quite possible transformers and even feeder cables would need to be upgraded in many neighborhoods. Of course all this assuming the EV's are charged at home.
I'm not rich by any measure but could afford a used Nissan Leaf for $13k with 30k miles on it. Similar vehicles are available for much less. Also, the cost of operation is very low compared to a conventional infernal combustion vehicle so lifetime cost should be well below conventional vehicles.With the cost of these electric cars they will only be for the better off people and the less rich people will most likely have to drive somewhere with a bunch of other people.
I don't doubt it can be dealt with but atleast in the us we don't have the greatest track record when it comes to infrastructure maintenance and upgrades. And of course the power companies will want money to help them upgrade but then want to keep all the profits made possible by those upgrades
No the batteries aren't disposed on in a landfill they are recycled. And no batteries do not cost twice what the car costs new that simply is not true. Those cars may be at a point that replacing the batteries isn't worth doing but the same happens all the time with ice vehicles. I would bet the batteries were already pulled. Good cells saved to be used to repair other cars in the fleet and bad ones recycled.I am trying to get the image now:
This is a boneyard near Paris, France with hundreds of electric powered cars. Mind you these are only cars used by the City of Paris and not personal vehicles. All of these have the same issue,.... the battery storage cells have given out and need replaced. Why not just replace them you ask? Well two reasons. First the battery storage cells cost almost double what the vehicle cost new, and second no landfill or disposals will allow the batteries to be disposed of there. So these green fairy tale electric cars are all sitting in vacant lots while their batteries drain toxins into the ground.
I cannot get the pictures up and do not know how to do this but there are about 100 or more of these city cars lined up all in neat rows and I will grab someone who can get the picture up for me but I got the beginning of the sentence anyway explaining what the picture is of and I am winging it with my computer skills here..lol clancey
Thanks for doing a little research on the story. I typically would but was busy.I also heard someone talking about this large field of junk EVs. Decided to Google it and here is what I found.
This is just one of many articles explaining what the real story is behind the field of EVs. They are not junk or leaking toxic fluid. They are awaiting resale because an auto sharing company lost money and a contract.Fact Check-Electric cars taken off French roads due to contract termination, not battery fault
Dozens of electric cars were left in a field in France because the company’s contract with local authorities ran out and not because of an issue with their battery storage cells as social media users questioning the environmental benefits of electric cars are claiming.www.reuters.com
I cannot vouch for the truth of the above article, but I would believe that quicker than anything on social media.
Yes, they are making great deals on new Bolts now plus there are some nice deals on lease returns as well for under 20k.I'm not rich by any measure but could afford a used Nissan Leaf for $13k with 30k miles on it. Similar vehicles are available for much less. Also, the cost of operation is very low compared to a conventional infernal combustion vehicle so lifetime cost should be well below conventional vehicles.
Sure, it takes more thought and planning considering range limitations and charging but that's the price that I and others are willing to pay for more sustainable mobility.
BTW, I just happened to write a proposal today to work with affordable housing providers to provide short-term rental EVs at multi-family housing facilities - like the Zipcar model but with EVs.
Ford already makes an electric SUV called the Mustang Mach E, or at least I think that is the name.I might have missed stuff, but have yet to see an electric SUV. Which I think is the best selling class of vehicle these days (considering the wide variety of sizes/classes). Seems manufacturers are missing targets in that? My personal vehicle preference is something like Pilot/Grand Cherokee class. Would be quite interested in an electric something like that. The PHEV Mitsu is getting close, but not quite my cup of tea, yet.
The Tesla model X is an SUV as is the Mustang MachE. And more are coming. The Bolt EUV is taking orders now and the new Kia Nero is SUV ish, while their upcoming EV6 is moreso, though they are calling it a "CUV" to identify with the increasingly popular crossover utility vehicle class.Ford already makes an electric SUV called the Mustang Mach E, or at least I think that is the name.
I did some basic napkin math the other day, if every car in Alberta (about 4 million of them) was an EV with efficiency of a Model Y, and everyone of those drove 50km everyday, and everyone of them charged at the same time over an 8hr period at night, that would place an additional demand on the Alberta power grid of 4000MW for those 8hrs. The current night time power consumption in Alberta is about 8000-9000MW and 9000-11000MW during the day time.
So with the power grid we already have we are most of the way to absorbing this additional energy demand. Sure extra transmission lines would need to be built along with new generation stations, but this isn't an insurmountable task by any means. For us the biggest issue would be residential power distribution on the utility side, almost every home here comes standard with a 100 amp 120/240 volt split phase service, but many utilities have not sized their end to handle all of these being pushed to the max at once, it is quite possible transformers and even feeder cables would need to be upgraded in many neighborhoods. Of course all this assuming the EV's are charged at home.
Ah, I see you mean a more traditional SUV. I think the closest thing would be an Electric F150 with a top on the bed.
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