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I fully support all of you buying nothing but EVs going forward. If they stopped producing ICE cars tomorrow I could happily live the rest of my life buying the cars produced up to now.
Buddy of mine that owns a performance diesel shop (hence my former hobby / habit of 1000 WHP Diesel Trucks), just got a used Tesla Model S P85 ( I think ). He's in love with it. After being used to 1000-2000 Ft. lbs. of torque in our modded diesel trucks, He's in love with the instant torque of the EV's. Claims I'm going to want one too.
We'll just have to see. As a novelty and a fun 0-60 or 1/4 mile vehicle, I'm sure I'll love it. But without sound and a soul to it like my TTS (Or diesel's even), I can't say I'd ever go there for a full time vehicle.
Ah.... but.... what if you had a kit to replace your engine for a battery/motor system for .... say $10K.... that didn't change the handling dynamics/weight etc... but gave you 600 foot/pounds of torque and over 300 miles on a charge. That is what I am talking about here.
"It's a no for me." (Simon Cowell voice)
I'm sorry, I just couldn't possibly have less interest. If things change to the point where I can't enjoy real sports cars, I will simply ride my bikes more. I said no to social media, too. And it's been great.
Folks.... um.... the internal combustion engine will be dead. So will most of the automobile-related business in the USA and world.
My friend just got a new Tesla (traded in an older model). I don't know the model numbers... but four door sedan with all wheel drive. 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds....... did you just read that? 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds. Unbelievable.... just unbelievable. He put it in "ludicrous mode". Does anyone really know what that kind of full torque feels lilke? Sheesh.
Look, it is not a Porsche sports car ... the interior is still spartan... modern but you would never describe it as opulent... Good looking car... not spectacular, but a nice looking car. The car rode perfectly flat, no swish and was smooooth. Summary? I would never buy one... BUT... when this tech is properly applied to a sports car and my Porsche blows up.. well.... I will probably jump.
The big issue is how this disruptive tech will transform the auto-related industries all over the world..... and put millions out of work. Seriously.... just put people out of work. These cars have so few parts and subsystems.... the entire supply chain will be shortened. Maintenance costs will plummet... less parts and less complexity = less trouble. Electric cars will be, simply cheaper to buy and own.
As technology improves and innovation creates, job skills have always been upped. Each time this happens, millions of people lose their jobs and are simply left behind. Example: The industrial revolution put millions out of agriculture jobs.. the evil Henry Ford built tractors. Job requirements moved from physical strength to skills (agriculture to blue collar).... then to education-fueled skills (blue collar to white collar).... now to more complex education and flexibility skills (white collar to knowledge worker)....... The emergence of the electric car is the perfect example of an actual enabler of labor demand change.... and job loss... big job loss. The Grapes of Wrath all over again.
Change is a 'comin.
Peace
Bruce in Philly
I wonder if this is how the horse buggy makers felt when Henry Ford started banging out Model Ts. New technology always creates better opportunities for everyone (everyone that has the strength and will to participate). Will people be left behind in the short run, yes they will be. But in the long run new technology creates even more needs (and jobs).
As Dylan once said: For the times they are a-changin'.
These cars are aimed at the next generation not so much our generation who grew up with petrol engines. Their first car will be an EV and it will continue from there
Battery technology still isn't there to interest me (range and convenience of not having to charge on longer trips). Battery life and range will suffer in cold, or in extreme hot, running A/C. And what about cost of replacing the batteries x number of years down the road? Factor that in vs. oil changes and spark plugs. Bad enough on an iPhone, but I imagine the cost of a large battery for a Tesla is quite high.
Personally, I think Tesla's look kind of generic and the Model 3 is so plain on the inside, save the huge iPad glued to the dash.. Initial cost is really high, but what car isn't expensive today? I know someone who has one, they love it. Loads of cargo space, but they spent the night at our house and the thing really didn't charge much on 110, so they had trouble driving the two hours back home the next day.
As I get older, the appeal of being on the pointy end of technology has lost its appeal. I'll sit back, let the bugs get worked out, and maybe then I'll jump in. But until the price goes down Teslas are not economic, they are expensive playtoys. A Toyota Camry with and ICE engine is more economic. You will never save enough on gas to cover the price delta in the current environment, and when government subsidies go away the equation just gets worse....
The OP does raise an interesting point about the global impact of a large-scale shift to electric vehicles. Think about the impact on gasoline demand, motor oil and things for lubrication. That shift, and growing desire to move away from many plastic applications and styrene will have interesting implications for oil companies and the Petrochemical industries (adjusting the refinery balances).
01-03-2019, 02:51 AM
