Pros and Cons of Electric Vehicles

[odanny]

This guy has owned a brand new Tesla S since 2013, and shares his thoughts. I'll cut and paste part of what he writes about.



As far as cons, there are only two. First, charging times are still a little long when on a road trip. Sure, after driving for 3+ hours, I’m ready to stop, go to the bathroom, and maybe get something to eat. In the time it takes to do all those things, I can charge up for another 3+ hours of travel. However, if I’m in a huge hurry and want to just stop, pee, and get something from a drive-thru, the charging time will frustrate that. But charging times are dropping swiftly. Today, there are 800V cars available that will charge from 10% battery to 80% in about 15 minutes. That is not going to add substantially to the time it takes to travel long distances. Even now, the record for an EV traveling coast-to-coast across the US is under 44.5 hours. Granted, that’s a full 17 hours or so longer than the gas-powered record, but that was set using a specially prepped car with extra gas tanks and travelling at hyperlegal speeds topping 130mph in places. So probably not a reasonable comparison. Safe to say, even today, you can get anywhere you need to be in the continental US in a reasonable amount of time in an EV. But, as mentioned, we will need to keep expanding EV charging infrastructure if we’re going to keep up with consumer demand.

The second con of having an EV is dealing with bigotry, especially from those who fear change. Video of diesel pickup trucks maliciously coal-rolling electric-car drivers are easy to find. Some self-proclaimed “car guys” proudly proclaim they’ll never own an EV because they somehow believe that an exhaust note is awesome. Sadly, they don’t realize that that noise is just wasted energy. Why they would prefer converting the gas they’re burning into noise and heat instead of torque and horsepower escapes me, but they apparently can’t let go of the historical characteristics of performance cars. That’s despite the fact that the quickest (0–60 mph) production car in history is now an electric car or that the record-holder for the quickest sprint up Pike’s Peak is also an electric car. The future is electric, but some are resistant to let the past go.

Tesla charging stations

 

[FA_Q2]

They are expensive (initial cost not upkeep) and cannot do the travel I need to do. That is the case for most people. My daily driving can be done with one but when I want to go cross country - something I do every year - they are simply not practical. When the infrastructure for chargers gets there and battery tech allows for that I will adopt in a heart beat.

The idea that 'bigotry' is holding them back is asinine. For every person that rejects an electric car for asinine reasons there are a hundred others just like me that would buy one if it were practical.

 

[Votto]

They are expensive (initial cost not upkeep) and cannot do the travel I need to do. That is the case for most people. My daily driving can be done with one but when I want to go cross country - something I do every year - they are simply not practical. When the infrastructure for chargers gets there and battery tech allows for that I will adopt in a heart beat.

The idea that 'bigotry' is holding them back is asinine. For every person that rejects an electric car for asinine reasons there are a hundred others just like me that would buy one if it were practical.

You have to understand, this is going to be shoved down your throat. You have no real choices here and the GOP won't save you. In a very short time, you will have no choice but to own an electric vehicle.

In the interim, until we get there, anyone who opposes this will be labeled a bigot. It's just what the Left does. They have no real functioning brain to try any other approach.

Just remember, you will soon have a car with the reliability of a battery that is akin to your cell phone.

LOL.

May the Left roast in eternal flame

 

[Confederate Soldier]

'Cos electric cars are for... nevermind.

 

[toobfreak]

This guy has owned a brand new Tesla S since 2013, and shares his thoughts.

First of all, the Model S looks like a shitbox. Like an old Ford Taurus. A plain, cheap, economy sedan if it were an ICE, yet is touted as a "luxury EV." Then it costs between $80,000 and $130,000, which makes it an impractical car for most people to afford.

First, charging times are still a little long when on a road trip. Sure, after driving for 3+ hours, I’m ready to stop, go to the bathroom, and maybe get something to eat. In the time it takes to do all those things, I can charge up for another 3+ hours of travel. However, if I’m in a huge hurry and want to just stop, pee, and get something from a drive-thru, the charging time will frustrate that.

I like to travel a lot farther than just three hours when I travel much less have to stop and sit there for a long time charging while I know there is a charging station handy available.

Today, there are 800V cars available that will charge from 10% battery to 80% in about 15 minutes.

I can refill my ICE car from 10% to 110% in about 5 minutes. Stopping and recharging to 80% over and over will eventually leave you with only a tiny amount of recharge! And with more frequent stops. 80% of 80% of 80% = only about a 50% charge!

we will need to keep expanding EV charging infrastructure if we’re going to keep up with consumer demand.

Where is all that electricity coming from to charge all these cars when damns like Hoover are down to 35% capacity and hydro output is down 33%? People in their homes are being told to conserve electricity while you're out there sucking it dry to power a car? I think not.

The second con of having an EV is dealing with bigotry

Yes, look out for all those EV car bigots who just hate stupid ideas and are willing to speak out against them.

The future is electric

The future is low polluting renewable energy.

View attachment 523945
Tesla charging stations

Meantime, that means that if you need a recharge at points like A, B, or C, you could need to drive well over 100 miles or half a tank, just to get back to the nearest Tesla station!

You can have your choice of a few hundred Tesla charging stations, or you can have your choice of 159,000 gas stations in the U.S. with about 2,000,000 gas pumps. It's a no-brainer.

or

 

[Votto]

'Cos electric cars are for... nevermind.

These issues are not up for debate, they are up for propaganda. And if our spineless politicians can't get their precious majority to agree to it, then they will simply leave it up to the bureaucrats who are not elected to usher in a myriad of regulations to make it so.

These things have been predetermined for you. But feel free to believe you have some illusion of self determination by disagreeing with them or even trying to vote against them. They do get a good laugh from that.

 

[Confederate Soldier]

These issues are not up for debate, they are up for propaganda. And if our spineless politicians can't get their precious majority to agree to it, then they will simply leave it up to the bureaucrats who are not elected to usher in a myriad of regulations to make it so.

These things have been predetermined for you. But feel free to believe you have some illusion of self determination by disagreeing with them or even trying to vote against them. They do get a good laugh from that.

I don't care one way or another. Whatever floats your boat, go ahead. It's not my preference though, and you will get teased about it every now and then.

 

[Captain Caveman]

I live in a UK city with a population of 100,000. I've just looked on a electric charging point map and the city shows 18 charge points. So if my maths is correct, charging will probably take a month because if road users all had EV's, there will be some mighty long queues.

I know that EV's will not happen overnight, but, charge point infrastructure is not following the green huggers enthusiasm speed. My mate lives in a street of terrace house. Cars parked on either side of the road with a space down the centre middle for one car to drive along. Your front door is on the pavement, so you would have to run an electric cable over the pavement to charge your car, assuming you managed to get parked outside your front door. But, hah hah, the answer is, "Charge from lamp posts". One side of the street has two lamp posts to service over 50 houses. So why not go to a charge point and.........oh, hang on.

So the main con is, reality is not keeping up with the EV dream. And the other con is, wait until you have to start paying tax per mile for driving these extortionate priced vehicles as tax revenue fades from ICE use.

 

[toobfreak]

I live in a UK city with a population of 100,000. I've just looked on a electric charging point map and the city shows 18 charge points.

I don't see the problem. In that case, if the government allots you four charging time slots per month, 24/7, then that should allow 16 people per every 15 minutes to plug in and charge each week.

Hey, you can afford to LOSE a charging station or two!

Just hope your time slot isn't at 4AM and across town!

 

[odanny]

Don't worry dinosaurs, you'll be dead and gone, maybe even me too, before EV's are what most people are driving. But with fast charge times and long life batteries a near certainty, and no costly maintenance, EV's will, by consumer choice, be the most widely owned cars. Like I said earlier, when 4K big screen TV's first came out, few would spend that kind of money on one. Now everyone has one, cause they are affordable.

 

[FA_Q2]

I live in a UK city with a population of 100,000. I've just looked on a electric charging point map and the city shows 18 charge points. So if my maths is correct, charging will probably take a month because if road users all had EV's, there will be some mighty long queues.

I know that EV's will not happen overnight, but, charge point infrastructure is not following the green huggers enthusiasm speed. My mate lives in a street of terrace house. Cars parked on either side of the road with a space down the centre middle for one car to drive along. Your front door is on the pavement, so you would have to run an electric cable over the pavement to charge your car, assuming you managed to get parked outside your front door. But, hah hah, the answer is, "Charge from lamp posts". One side of the street has two lamp posts to service over 50 houses. So why not go to a charge point and.........oh, hang on.

So the main con is, reality is not keeping up with the EV dream. And the other con is, wait until you have to start paying tax per mile for driving these extortionate priced vehicles as tax revenue fades from ICE use.

The charging situation seems to be going BACKWARD.

On my last road trip I found some EV charging stations at one of the truck stops we were getting some gas at. Had not seen them at any of the other stations so I walked over and took a look. 5 stations, every single one was out of service. All broken for a long time.

I see more broken stations than new ones anywhere that is not in the middle of a city.

 

[odanny]

The charging situation seems to be going BACKWARD.

On my last road trip I found some EV charging stations at one of the truck stops we were getting some gas at. Had not seen them at any of the other stations so I walked over and took a look. 5 stations, every single one was out of service. All broken for a long time.

I see more broken stations than new ones anywhere that is not in the middle of a city.

What you're likely seeing is resistance to EV's, they were broken because they were vandalized.

 

[FA_Q2]

What you're likely seeing is resistance to EV's, they were broken because they were vandalized.

No, they were not vandalized. They were broken because they were in disuse, that was obvious.

 

[toobfreak]

and no costly maintenance,

Just wait until it comes time to replace all those batteries or worse, a motor! And a Tesla driven just a couple years depreciates by almost half. First law of physics: there ARE NO FREE LNCHES, meaning that for everything you gain in an EV, you will find you've LOST something as well.

EV's will, by consumer choice, be the most widely owned cars.

You mean by GOVERNMENT CHOICE-- -- BIDDUM government. Most people will buy EVs because they are are FORCED into them, by cost and market availability and other forces, just as they abandoned the LP for the CD----- because they literally just took LPs off the shelf.

Some people will find shitbox EVs fit their lifestyle but a LOT of people won't like them. It has nothing to do with being "anti-progress," it has to do with CHOICE and what fits a person's needs best. There will always be gas powered cars and people who want to buy them because they are a better fit to their needs.

 

[Captain Caveman]

I don't see the problem. In that case, if the government allots you four charging time slots per month, 24/7, then that should allow 16 people per every 15 minutes to plug in and charge each week.

Hey, you can afford to LOSE a charging station or two!

Just hope your time slot isn't at 4AM and across town!

My brother was given an electric van to use for work. After 80 miles and 80 miles back, it was down to about 10% range left. If it wasn't for him having a driveway to have it plugged in overnight, his next day's work would be tricky.

If you're using these things daily, other than nipping to the shops on an ad-hoc basis, you have to leave it beside an electric socket outlet. Sometimes, due to one thing or another, you may have to park in two or three different places or streets, an ICE vehicle presents no problem and if you must charge overnight, most nights, you have to park in the same place.

So as EV's trickle into existence, a third of motorists will have to change their habits because a third of UK motorists cannot charge from home.

Either the battery gets better, or something better than an EV gets developed, and whatever that is, it needs a greater reserve power source and a one that can be refilled quickly.

 

[odanny]

No, they were not vandalized. They were broken because they were in disuse, that was obvious.

Yea, sure

 

[toobfreak]

My brother was given an electric van to use for work. After 80 miles and 80 miles back, it was down to about 10% range left. If it wasn't for him having a driveway to have it plugged in overnight, his next day's work would be tricky.

At my old job, that would mean I'd need a "refill" every single day! I'd have to plan my evenings around needing the car to sit and charge each night. The kind of power you need to move a car 150 miles up and down hills at high speed start and stop, you can't push that kind of power through your house wiring to recharge an EV in the 15 minutes everyone keeps saying.

I used it think it bad enough I had to refill my tank ever 5-6 days or so!

 

[Captain Caveman]

Don't worry dinosaurs, you'll be dead and gone, maybe even me too, before EV's are what most people are driving. But with fast charge times and long life batteries a near certainty, and no costly maintenance, EV's will, by consumer choice, be the most widely owned cars. Like I said earlier, when 4K big screen TV's first came out, few would spend that kind of money on one. Now everyone has one, cause they are affordable.

EV's are the black and white CRT's of TV technology. They're a start, but nowhere near useful enough. Fast charge times degrade batteries and the earth is being dug up to get lithium. EV's are such a consumer choice, secondhand ICE car sales are rocketing in the UK.

Make EV's affordable and energy reliable like an ICE vehicle, and I'll buy one. Until then.

 

[odanny]

EV's are the black and white CRT's of TV technology. They're a start, but nowhere near useful enough. Fast charge times degrade batteries and the earth is being dug up to get lithium. EV's are such a consumer choice, secondhand ICE car sales are rocketing in the UK.

Make EV's affordable and energy reliable like an ICE vehicle, and I'll buy one. Until then.

Your analogy is both awful, and inaccurate. I guess you are holding out for spaceships.

 

[toobfreak]

Your analogy is both awful, and inaccurate. I guess you are holding out for spaceships.

DO PLEASE BE SPECIFIC THEN, rather than just shooting off your big, fat, dumb mouth telling us how WRONG somebody else is. Just which then is so inaccurate and how:

1. That fast charges DO NOT degrade the condition of a battery.
2. That it isn't going to take a colossal effort to mine and produce all of these zillions of additional batteries we will suddenly need with an environmental impact of its own.
3. That many will not flock to seeking out nice, used ICE cars for 1/10th the price that are bigger, roomier, more comfortable, have more features and go farther on a tank of gas.

Mind you, we don't want to hear just more bloviating bullshit but the actual physics of how you are right preferably with some (linked) supporting evidence.