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Regarding battery life, we bought a used 2016 Nissan Leaf three years ago for $8K. There's a series of lights that indicate the overall health of the battery. So far, the battery has lost one light, indicating a slight degradation of the battery. Typically, the original Leaf would advertise 81 miles on a charge. Right now, when the car is fully charged, the indicator is telling us we have 74 miles at 100 percent.
We also have a bluetooth device that allows us a more in-depth view of the battery. So far, things look pretty good.
There is certainly a business to be had out there to service electric cars and offer battery replacements. These are fairly common in Europe, but not hear. In many cases, owners are able to upgrade their batteries for around $5500. If I could upgrade this car so it had a range closer to 300 miles, I'd be happy to drop that amount for it, but I feel like I've already gotten my money's worth.
They have a $100 deposit. I can let them hold it, but it is doubtful that I will proceed if my name comes up in the order queue.
I foresee a lot of folks backing out and taking a $100 refund, once they price one out with all their wants and needs.
Lithium prices are up 600% this year. Rising costs of the materials needed for electric vehicles are going to result in price increases across the board.
... which would be good news for Piedmont Lithium, if they can ever get permission to build their mine about 25 miles west of Charlotte. They have opposition and the State is moving slowly. Another company is preparing to reopen its lithium mine near Kings Mountain. Nobody likes mining from an environmental perspective, but all these EVs require lithium and it's got to come from somewhere. At present it comes mostly from Australia, Chile, and China.
How is stripping the land away better than pumping oil from deep in the ground? Sounds way way worse. I'm guessing people don't know where their batteries come from. They just assume its "green"
How is stripping the land away better than pumping oil from deep in the ground? Sounds way way worse. I'm guessing people don't know where their batteries come from. They just assume its "green"
I guess you'd have to look at it with a little bit of an open mind, and forget about all the propaganda that the anti-EV crowd puts out. Certainly EVERY product has pros and cons, but for a battery, let's say the life is (only) 5-10 years, and you drive (only) 12k miles per year. That is 60k-120k (low estimate) for the life of the battery. Our resident Nissan Leaf owner may indicate that the life is MUCH MUCH longer.
Anyway, how many batteries are made from one mine? They last How long? And what other resources are needed to power the car. (Like Electricity that has to come from somewhere, maybe even Natural Gas or other Carbon fuels?)
Compare that to how much a tank of gas lasts, and how much is needed to get that out of the ground (Chemicals, Fracking, Massive Water Resources, Refineries, Pipelines or other midstream transportation, etc.).
Certainly, there is more than ZERO impact from the EV, but I'm pretty confident that the footprint is much less than an ICE. Add to that the much cheaper maintenance cost, the cleaner usage of the vehicle itself, and there is a good use-case for it.
I've said on the political forums (where your comment actually belongs) that EVs are not for everyone. They are not for the frequent long-distance driver. Not for the very rural user, etc. At least not "yet", but they have their use case, and I think the evidence is pretty overwhelming that when used as intended, they are less invasive than 'pumping oil from deep in the ground'.
And BTW, I am not anti-oil. I make my living primarily from the oil industry. I think the legit players do a pretty good job of looking out for the environment and mitigating the risks. Nothing is perfect. Not Oil, not EV's.
Mining is a destructive business, but lithium mines for vehicle batteries require much less area than coal mines. Moreover, there is a hope of recycling lithium. Most components of solar cells in widespread use (silicon, phosphorous, arsenic) are readily available.
As for electricity generation, yes, a significant percentage of it in North Carolina is carbon-based. The percentage has been decreasing, however, even with the ongoing conversion from coal to gas. Also, the large generating plants are more efficient than millions of individual ICEs and it is easier to scrub the gaseous output of the large plants. Coal ash is a problem, but it's less of a problem every year as more of the electricity comes from gas, solar, wind, etc.
They have a $100 deposit. I can let them hold it, but it is doubtful that I will proceed if my name comes up in the order queue.
I foresee a lot of folks backing out and taking a $100 refund, once they price one out with all their wants and needs.
Not to mention all of the existing EVs for whom the $7500 tax credit will be orphaned once the Inflation Reduction Act is signed. Some articles I've read say as many as 70% of the vehicles currently eligible will be orphaned on day 1, unless significant modification to the legislation occurs before it's signed. This the push from the EV manufacturers to have customers sign "binding" agreements now before the bill is signed.
How is stripping the land away better than pumping oil from deep in the ground? Sounds way way worse. I'm guessing people don't know where their batteries come from. They just assume its "green"
The research has been done and it is still greener. It is also way less damaging long term as far as global warming. Also, electric cars are far cheaper to operate than a gas or diesel car. Maybe open your mind to things other than Fox News talking points.
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