About those Electric Cars…

[CaddmannQ]

Well our state intends to ban new sales of gasoline cars by 2035. That’s quite a long ways off. Anything could happen including the invention of better cars.

But in the meantime, if you bought that electric car to fight the gas crunch and save money and ensure that you could get to work…



Because of the heat wave, the power companies are not able to keep up with your electric charging needs.

Now where does this eventually go? We know that Tesla can change the software on its cars at any time over the Web.
once the government decides that you can’t charge your cars during certain hours of the day because of the power crunch, they will pressure Tesla to shut them all off.

Well the onslaught of new citizens and the demand for more cars increases here, amazingly in spite of the exodus from California, but I don’t see any prospects of building a new power plant. They’re tearing down our power plant in Morro Bay. And they’re going to keep the controversy of Diablo Canyon nuclear plant online.

Anybody remember Fukushima? One substantial earthquake and we are Fukushima’d.

 

[Ernst]

Cadd, the other issue on the entire west coast is the power companies who shut down the grid to preclude their liability exposure in areas/conditions ripe for forest fires. Wonder if the majority of these people even know where their electricity comes from especially on non windy days and at night! Plus how much energy it takes to make the batteries for their cars. A disaster coming. To me the answer is balance and let the public make their own decisions.

 

[CaddmannQ]

I think a lot of the most at risk areas have already burned down or had repairs to the system.

Fortunately we’re not in a super high demand area, so even if the power demand doubles in our area it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the total grid. Cutting the power in our town wouldn’t help anybody much.

 

[MikeD]

Thats Insanity.

The grid can't support the mass use of electric vehicles but they can control them more than they can a fossil fueled vehicle

 

[John A.]

california is dumb as a box of rocks.

They also enacted a law recently where if an uvalde shooting event happened in california, the school system and state would be exempt from lawsuits because of anything they did wrong or even complete inaction and dereliction of duty.

 

[nitesite]

It's not just a total California ban in 2035, but by 2028 new car sales must be 38% EVs

 

[John A.]

The people in my area are 99.9999% against EV's.

I live in a mountainous area. Overall battery life, and range is going to be severely less here than many other places in the US.

Let's face it, the manufacturers have cherry picked the best numbers they have been able to get on a flat track and under the most ideal conditions. Which none of use are ever going to experience.

When you have to drive several thousand feet up mountains in elevation change and around curves, batteries are going to have a higher demand, resulting in higher temperatures and decreased range and reduced time they will work before needing replaced. I think 10 years is about the best anyone hopes for in the real world, so the ones that will be mainly used in less than ideal conditions, will be far less than that, resulting in a $10k or more repair to keep your vehicle on the road, which is simply not budget friendly.

That is inevitable and impossible to avoid though.

And if you are going to be towing anything, or hauling anything more than a loaf of bread from the grocery store, it's going to suck balls. Forget pulling your wifes broken down car home, or going fishing out of state towing your boat, or a camper or something.

Here is one of the most honest videos that I have seen on the subject where towing in concerned. The electric ford truck had a range of less than 90 miles. And to anyone that has enough wisdom to think about it for a minute, will realize that if you live out in the country, you better half that distance (45 miles) is going to be your maximum round trip range. So, you better not exceed half of your total range if you want to make it home without walking.

Start about 12:25

 

[MikeD]

Cold shortens battery power as well. Even lithiums work harder to turn cold joints than warm. I'm all for EV's as an option if it fits your lifestyle. The technology and market will work itself out

I'm against have technology crammed down our throats when there is still a long ways to go to make it really viable. The vehicle technology is outpacing the infrastructure to support it.

I also hate how they call it green. The mining for the minerals to make the batteries and electronic components is not green. Plus the fossel fuels used in the plastic and used to build it.

On the upside much of the lead from recycled batteries is used to make ammunition :-D

 

[John A.]

Is there lead in Li-Ion batteries?

 

[MikeD]

Is there lead in Li-Ion batteries?

Good point I do not believe there is.

 

[John A.]

Plus, I think the bulk of the battery producers are not located domestically.

(*That's my most polite way of saying imported from china)

 

[Bobster]

When you have to drive several thousand feet up mountains in elevation change and around curves, batteries are going to have a higher demand, resulting in higher temperatures and decreased range and reduced time they will work before needing replaced.

Advocating for the devil, EVs have regenerative braking which recharges batteries so there is that...

 

[John A.]

Doesn't look like it's very efficient or effective on EPV's.

My alternator on my GPV (gasoline powered vehicle) also keeps my battery charged and I don't have to ride my brakes.

Just sayin'.

 

[Rodburner]

Lol

 

[Bobster]

Doesn't look like it's very efficient or effective on EPV's.

My alternator on my GPV (gasoline powered vehicle) also keeps my battery charged and I don't have to ride my brakes.

Just sayin'.

Some EVs have "one-pedal-driving" which means it acts like a stick-shift car when you let off the gas (electron?) pedal where engine braking decels the car. One-pedal is similar so going down a hill instead of free-wheeling like in an automatic, it would be like jaking in a truck... Road tests I've read will show the EV actually gaining range while going down a hill...

 

[Daryll]

I've just ordered a new Hyundai Tuscon Hybrid.... but at least it still has an ICE engine in it..

Apparently they'll do about 45mpg, where as my current diesel Nissan Rogue will do 55-60mpg on a good run... (Nissan no longer sell diesel cars in the UK)

So in the name of going "green", I'll be doing less mpg...

 

[John A.]

So in the name of going "green", I'll be doing less mpg...

 

[Ernst]

 

[CaddmannQ]

I've just ordered a new Hyundai Tuscon Hybrid....

Good luck buddy. I haven’t heard the greatest reports about Hyundais but I only had my hands on two of them.

 

[Daryll]

Good luck buddy. I haven’t heard the greatest reports about Hyundais but I only had my hands on two of them.

They seem Ok over here, one of the motoring organisations even named them "car of the year". I've watched a few YT vids on the US versions and they're considerable different to the UK (or European) versions.

My wife had a little Hyundai i10 and loved it... never had a thing go wrong with it..