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That may or may not be true, but one thing IS true......everytime there's a strong windstorm in my area, dozens of trees are knocked down, taking the power lines down. That means no electricity for an entire area, sometimes for 2-3 days. Therefore while you believe that electricity can be easily generated, and it may be, it's distribution will continue to be a problem.
Right, the US in recent decades has seemed to be particularly prone to power outages compared to other developed countries. However, the median range of new EVs sold today, which will likely improve by 2030, is over 250 miles. Given that the average daily mileage for the US is under 40 miles a day and that people generally maintain a charge if charging at home of 80% or up, then 2 or 3 days isn't a problem. We already saw worse in California and Long Island and it wasn't a notable impediment over a gas car. For LI, I had friends who actually used their EVs as a power bank of sorts with an inverter to use their EVs to power some appliances at home and recharged elsewhere where the power wasn't down.
Now if you're in a situation where that range is not enough for your usage needs for a few days of power outage, there are actually different solutions out there like whole houses generators including some that can use your natural gas hookup if you have that or battery storage which is becoming more affordable (thanks to EVs to some extent) which can also be combined with solar. There was a picture going around of the only house in a neighborhood in Texas with its lights on and that's because the house had solar and storage.
It's also not just my "belief" that electricity can be generated in an economical manner from a wider variety of sources than fuel for any modern particular internal combustion can--it's actually true. That's because any fuel that can drive an internal combustion engine generally has a similar tried and true pathway towards becoming a generator for electricity. Diesel and gasoline generators do actually exist and can be pretty efficient in converting to electricity. Meanwhile, there are a lot of other sources that also have economical pathways to generating electricity that aren't so true for internal combustion engines. It's a pretty roundabout pathway to converting the work done by wind, solar, hydro, or nuclear plants to fuel for your vehicle. Even natural gas and coal have pretty arduous pathways towards becoming reasonably usable fuel for your average ICE vehicle's engine.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 07-24-2021 at 06:48 AM..
I have to say I think the jump to EVs has begun to accelerate this year. Unless there is some major set back I think 50% is quite possible if not likely at this point. In my local area I see EVs on the road all the time now, perhaps because I’m interested, but still. I think I’m now seeing more EVs than hybrids in fact.
I have to say I think the jump to EVs has begun to accelerate this year. Unless there is some major set back I think 50% is quite possible if not likely at this point. In my local area I see EVs on the road all the time now, perhaps because I’m interested, but still. I think I’m now seeing more EVs than hybrids in fact.
It will be pickup drivers that will be the most hesitant. That segment is where they make most of their money though, so they will have to be careful not to turn people off.
It will be pickup drivers that will be the most hesitant. That segment is where they make most of their money though, so they will have to be careful not to turn people off.
Yea and it looks like some of the upstarts want to go for the pickup truck segment specifically. Rivian's supposedly releasing their first entry this year and Tesla sometime this or next year. I wonder if they'll make any dent in the traditional automakers's market share. I'm also curious as to how much of the pickup truck segment is geared towards commercial use where there's heavy daily usage, because supposedly Ford among others are targeting those segments with the EVs in order to highlight lower total cost of ownership of EVs which would matter more for commercial fleets.
Yea and it looks like some of the upstarts want to go for the pickup truck segment specifically. Rivian's supposedly releasing their first entry this year and Tesla sometime this or next year. I wonder if they'll make any dent in the traditional automakers's market share. I'm also curious as to how much of the pickup truck segment is geared towards commercial use where there's heavy daily usage, because supposedly Ford among others are targeting those segments with the EVs in order to highlight lower total cost of ownership of EVs which would matter more for commercial fleets.
All of my coworkers drive full size trucks, F150s, Silverados, and Sierras. I have tried to explain to them many times some of the benefits of EV tech, such as the convenience of not having to stop at gas stations all the time, but they shake their heads and laugh. They aren't interested in it at all.
I do not think Rivian will be successful, it will be looked at like the Ridgeline, and not considered a "real truck".
Unless there's incredible advance in battery technology, it's not gonna happen. Here's why:
1) Key materials required to make batteries are in short supply. There's not nearly enough of these materials to produce enough batteries to power EVs in numbers sufficient to replace ICE vehicles.
2) The environment impact of disposing all of those batteries makes the environment impact of ICE vehicles seem trivial.
Like all touchy-feely lefty notions, widespread EV usage is a lot more complex than pro EVer's want us to believe. I personally am looking forward to the day when battery and environment issues are solved. Other than range anxiety, EVs are the right answer in the long term.
It will be pickup drivers that will be the most hesitant. That segment is where they make most of their money though, so they will have to be careful not to turn people off.
It's true that pickups are cash cows for manufacturers - low tech solutions require little R&D, so they can slather leather on what is basically a Conestoga wagon and reap massive profits. But, I don't think pickup drivers are as finicky as some people think when it comes to engines. For example, when Ford started offering the 3.5 V6 Ecoboost in the F150, it was widely expected to be a flop because pickup buyers were thought to be old-school V8 lovers. They were wrong, since the V6 Ecoboost powered F150s far outsell V8s. One only has to drive an Ecoboost F150 back-to-back with a 5.0 powered truck to understand why. The turbo V6 is far more responsive and torquey. Now, imagine an electric truck. Responsiveness and torque will be through the roof, even compared to the 3.5 Ecoboost.
I think EV trucks make perfect sense. Used appropriately (trips to the local landfill or home improvement store), range anxiety is not an issue.
Ha. You said "appropriate use" referring to pick up buyers. That market is driven primarily on "What I could do" versus "What I need to do." I (figurative) may not need 13000 pounds towing capacity or 500 mile range but I want it. I also want to drive it every day, so it can't ride like a "Conestoga wagon slathered with leather."
Work fleets will love them. They will figure out exactly what and where and how far. The average buyer will take some time until range increases and charging time decreases.
I know where I live very few truck buyers keep the stock tires, they all change over to the big all terrain tires. My buddy had his new GMC less than two weeks before changing the tires (mostly for looks I think). I’m not sure what that would do to the range on an EV truck.
I’m curious if the tires on that Hummer EV are low rolling resistance?
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