And why not?

GM appears to be kinda-sorta picking up the mantle:

https://www.autotrader.com/car-news...neral-motors-future-269753?LNX=SOMEDFBGENPOST

Sure. We've got Tesla (still a bit.....or a lot pricey).......The Nissan Leaf.....The Chevy Bolt......a couple others. But now....finally.......the factors of performance versus range versus price are starting to converge.

Growth in infrastructure???

Personally I'd buy one with the right combination of performance, range, and price. Oh yeah....and appearance. I never liked the 'cheaper' ones with the hatchback.....or fat rear-end look to them. I like the SUV or the sleek sedan look.

Hell. No reason why most of the passenger-car fleet can't be, in a reasonable time, largely electric motor vehicles.

Thoughts?

 

Let the free market dictate the supply and demand, and I see nothing wrong with them.

 

I'm all for that, of course.......And keep Government subsidies out of it.

The car companies are going to have to take a leap of faith and some risk.....which is what Capitalism is all about anyway.

Get me reasonable performance (and electric cars have just about unbeatable torque any way you cut it), reasonable price, and reasonable range (for me the 250 to 350 mile range) and more folks will start buying. More start buying and the infrastructure will start popping up on it's own (not to mention you can turn your house into a refueling station also.....for a price).

I wouldn't NEED a tax credit or anything. I'll gladly fork over the dough for such a vehicle.

 

On edit, the 'infrastructure' is already there (there's power pretty much everywhere....right?). Just a matter of 'mating' the power source(s) to the vehicles.

 

I don't see a good near future for them as anything more than a commuter vehicle. Especially for the Southwest where we still tend to build out instead of up. Here are some generic mileage notes from Dallas.: To Houston 240 miles. Tulsa 260 miles. San Antonio 280 miles. Little Rock 320 miles. OKC 206. Lubbock 350 New Orleans 500.

A 250 - 350 mile range is marginal, at best, ONLY if the batteries are operating at peak performance throughout their shelf life. Which is highly unlikely.

So, you really can't go anywhere outside your immediate "home"area. Or, be sure you keep your AAA Premium Plus membership paid up.

I'm not a bit EV interested until they can hit a reliable 450+ miles. Maybe not even until 500+. That way as your batteries degrade you should still maintain 400 or so. Those batteries will never be better than the first day they are at full charge.

 

Here's some interesting information from March of this year...

"While EV manufacturers do provide warranties against excessive capacity loss, some warranties are better than others. BMW, Chevrolet, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Smart and Volkswagen will warranty their batteries to various levels. On the other hand, Fiat, Ford, Mitsubishi and Tesla specifically exclude capacity from their EV warranty, providing only for the actual failure of the battery – not any loss of capacity."

The entire article is a good read for you EV leaning folks. Encouraging info for your driving pleasure.

https://www.fleetcarma.com/todays-electric-car-batteries/

 

Until finding a charging station at gas stations becomes more common anyway.........

Same thing with gas engines. 300 miles is fairly common for range with Dino vehicles.....So THEY have to fill up too.

Of course, as things stand now, filling up a gas tank is a helluva lot quicker than even a 'quick' charge for an EV.

Yeah....there's issues. For me, having one mainly as a grocery-getter/commuter would be the thing anyway. Which NOW gets to price. I don't want to spend $30-K to $40-K for a grocery-getter/commuter.......

 

I'll read the article when I have more time....

But there's aspects beyond 'pure' capacity of the batteries....

Go to Chevy and read up on the Bolt. The tech is fairly new and developing, but they have the steering column 'braking' (at lower speeds) which not only avoids power usage from USING the standard brakes......but actually provides some 'charge' while underway. Extending the range a little.

The sky's the limit. Strategically placed solar panels which can also charge while underway?

Etc., etc..........

I'm not quite at the point in going "all-in"......but at some point there will likely be a tipping point (range, infrastructure, price.......et al) where EVs are common and many of the worries we have now won't really be much of a factor.

 

they are already testing magnetic roadways so your car charges as you drive, I heard this is being designed for the big trucks so they won't need to have as big of batteries

 

Huh! (scratching head......)

 

OK. Just read it. Good article. Actually makes a pretty good case for EVs....with the caveat on the battery capacity and degradation. Even that doesn't sound too unreasonable. If it DOES drop to about $4,000 (price of a battery pack)........Just fork over $4,000 every 100,000 miles and call it even.....

 

Something like this will likely be my first venture into the electric vehicle transportation device.

#ad

 

This part of it is a fairly new integration with EVs. Like your link/story stated, "not really practical right now".....but both issues are being worked on. Even so, I mention it only as an (possible) auxiliary for an EVs range. Surely you're not doubting that the battery technology IS becoming more efficient, lighter, and ultimately more affordable?