GM is pulling the plug on gas and diesel by 2035

[dtech]

Electric only folks can be pretty $hitty, I've run into some up here. A friend who owns a small local shop had an out of warranty Prius in that he said was a $3k battery job, not sure what all had to be done, nor do I have all the details but thats a pretty hard hit that I'm guessing would be much higher at the dealership.

Personally I've not heard a whole lot of anti-EV owner sentiment with the exception of some owners of larger vehicles such as pickups wanting to crush slow moving prius' headed up I-70 to the mtns, have seen some amount of anti-mini cooper owner feelings expressed as might= right ?

EV batteries are commonly warranted for 8yrs and 100k miles, many are lasting longer than that and there continues to be large investments resulting in improving the technology - both from a performance and longevity standpoint, and like lead acid batts they are recyclable so eventually that should contribute to lower replacement costs.

Many experts feel that much of the US electrical grid is not up to supplying future demand and updating that will require large capital investments, will be interesting to see who ends up paying for that should it ever happen. And of course EV vehicles don't pay taxes on gas that contribute to highway upkeep.

Oil and gas companies still are up there amongst the top spenders in lobbying US congress, so their interests aren't going to be unheard.

Advertisement

 

[DeathRanger]

Changes will need to be made and shift from using our energy to move energy, (using fuel to deliver fuel around the country), and instead generate energy locally.

Most electric cars are about 3-4 times as efficient as gas car so overall energy needs can be reduced.

EV's don't pay gas tax but in more and more states they pay a special electric vehicle tax for not using gas

 

[Sashimi_Moto]

To the point about "Well the ranger loses half it's efficiency while towing" - that's sort of true and vehicle specific not ICE specific because my E450 only goes from 9mph to 7pmg when towing, which isn't half. Also the "recharge" time is 5 minutes and the "recharge" stations are everywhere but the primary issue with the ranger is capacity (fuel tank) which isn't the case on many other ICE trucks that tow.

So that's where I'm at with EV - It needs to travel as far as my bladder in 1 sitting while towing (250-300miles, and recharge that same range in 10-15 minutes or less.

If the battery packs can't last more than 10 years or so that also a concern, unless the changing of the pack is cost effective - which it would be overtime, however it could be expensive from a labor standpoint if the batteries become integrated into the unibody/frame design (structural).

The Tax is AND isn't a concern. If I swapped my fleet to be fully EV, I'm totally fine paying an alternate tax equivalent to what I would pay in gas taxes on my previous vehicles. However HOW they go about calculating it is a concern because WA/OR have considered tracking miles driven which I don't prefer. I think the best way to tax EVs should be based on weight (any vehicle for that matter) and during the time of registration. EVs are naturally heavy and vehicle weight accounts for road damage more than any other factor next to freeze/thaw.

 

[VegasP11]

That "hybrid engine" in a freight train is a V-16 supercharged diesel engine, coupled to a generator to produce the power to the drive trucks to move it. There is NO battery reserve, shut off the diesel engine, no power!

Ask me how I know.

The point I was making is that it is a "hybrid" engine. You must be a hog head too.

 

[dtech]

The Tax is AND isn't a concern. If I swapped my fleet to be fully EV, I'm totally fine paying an alternate tax equivalent to what I would pay in gas taxes on my previous vehicles. However HOW they go about calculating it is a concern because WA/OR have considered tracking miles driven which I don't prefer. I think the best way to tax EVs should be based on weight (any vehicle for that matter) and during the time of registration. EVs are naturally heavy and vehicle weight accounts for road damage more than any other factor next to freeze/thaw.

I thought OR actually does track n tax vehicle miles driven. Depending on how the vehicle is tracked - it raises big brother concerns.

 

[DHH]

EV batteries are commonly warranted for 8yrs and 100k miles, many are lasting longer than that and there continues to be large investments resulting in improving the technology - both from a performance and longevity standpoint, and like lead acid batts they are recyclable so eventually that should contribute to lower replacement costs.

Batteries are getting better and better. Who knows what we will have even 5yrs from now. I agree that batteries are recyclable, but the problem is, there isn't even close to enough capacity to meet the demand, so they end up trash. Plus recycling also uses a lot of energy. It's no different that the plastic, paper, etc that gets "recycled". A large percentage of it can't find a place to be recycled and just ends up in the incinerator. That's why there's the saying, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle". Recycle is actually suppose to be the last choice......because it's the least efficient choice.

Most electric cars are about 3-4 times as efficient as gas car so overall energy needs can be reduced.

I have to disagree on this. EV's are no where near that efficient if you factor in everything and arguably may not be any more efficient that a modern ICE.
A lot of EV vs ICE comparison reports are several years old and aren't valid today.
ICE's are a lot more efficient than they were only a few years back.

 

[DHH]

Over the next decade will be the time to buy a big v8 muscle car if you don’t have one. The muscle car wars will not be around for ever.

Well, it will be.....just electric.
I'm old enough to have the misfortunate of driving in the 80's.
Back then, I didn't ever think we'd see a fast car again, yet the current war puts the last big war (60's) to shame. I'm quite enjoying it.
The current Ranger would be a street king back at the drags in my younger days. That's why I'm so impressed with the 2.3. The 4 bangers I remember were so anemic you couldn't even go up a hill without your passenger having to get out and help push.

 

[dtech]

Batteries are getting better and better. Who knows what we will have even 5yrs from now. I agree that batteries are recyclable, but the problem is, there isn't even close to enough capacity to meet the demand, so they end up trash. Plus recycling also uses a lot of energy. It's no different that the plastic, paper, etc that gets "recycled". A large percentage of it can't find a place to be recycled and just ends up in the incinerator. That's why there's the saying, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle". Recycle is actually suppose to be the last choice......because it's the least efficient choice.

Oh - speaking specifically on lead acid batteries - over 90% of lead acid batteries are recycled and the lead used in new battery production, a good deal of that is ensured by core charges and state regulations as lead is known not to be good for people and other living organisms.

So why can't this be the case with lithium - which can be recycled, at one time lead acid batteries were discarded, but the negative impacts to putting it in landfills, plus the decline of mining of minerals associated with lead production - in the US has driven up the cost so it's very cost effective to recycle lead acid batteries.

I don't even think they mine for lead anymore in Leadville, CO , the smeltering of lead produces a lot of toxic emissions as well so not environmentally friendly.

 

[RANGER_MARC]

Guys, the fact is, all-electric is coming, sooner than we thought, and Ford will be a part of it for business reasons if no other--adapt or die. All of the problems discussed above are valid concerns, or most of them anyway, but they will all be solved and then some between now and 2035. I really want to stick with Ford and especially the coming generations of the Ranger, and so I really hope that Ford will get out in front of this thing, and fast, with hybrids, PowerBoost, and full E ASAP! (Just keep the power up so that we can enjoy riding into the future....)

 

[VAMike]

Makes you wonder if there was ever a time when this country just did hard things instead of complaining about how hard they were.

 

[egilbe]

I can see solar power plants set up everywhere. Raise them off the ground and grow mushrooms underneath, in the damp and dark cast by the panels. When it rains, collect the rainwater running off the panels to power hydrolectric generators until the sun comes back out. Use the discarded rainwater after it has exited the power generator to water the mushrooms, or to feed the local water system to a nearby town.

All kinds of things we can do that is more regional, and less central.

 

[FoD]

Funny that nobody has mentioned the elimination of toilet paper and bottled water by 2028 as a concern.

 

[Trigganometry]

Funny that nobody has mentioned the elimination of toilet paper and bottled water by 2028 as a concern.

 

[pull string get cookies]

Funny that nobody has mentioned the elimination of toilet paper and bottled water by 2028 as a concern.

T

This is a freight train, they are huge V-16 diesel powered generators. Each train that I deal with has five of these engines and 140 plus cars. There are electric engines, but they are not used on the open lines.

I worked at a sawmill just out of high school and they had a piece of equipment for lifting large bundles of logs, LeTourneau log stackers. It also had a diesel engine that was coupled to a generator that powered an electric motor at all four wheels.

Funny that nobody has mentioned the elimination of toilet paper and bottled water by 2028 as a concern.

Anyone that has ever seen Demolition Man has no concern about TP , we’re ready!

 

[BGDOGY]

Looks like Ford is on the EV bandwagon too.

https://media.ford.com/content/ford.../06/24/ford-expands-climate-change-goals.html