The Spin continues: "EV sales have increased exponentially since prehistoric times"

[MountainGoat]

Have to say that Chevrolet Volt was best of both world. Electric drive and unlimited range with a generator.

Other alternatives with similar technology:
- Pacifica PHEV
- Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV
- Mazda MX-30 R-EV

I really cannot understand why this EV+generator drive train model is not more widely adopted as it is most efficient and economical long term setup and anything big has utilized this since 60's and the trend is increasing. e.g. diesel-electric trains, diesel-electric dumpers, diesel-electric ships, diesel-electric excavators, diesel-electric lawn mowers, etc..

Too much range actually. "Why do you need to leave your 15 minute city huh???" I have already had to make some trips cause my local grocery didn't have what I was looking for. Stuff just missing from the shelves. Now I'm supposed to have range anxiety coupled with food anxiety? F that.

We had the Prius come out in 1995, got 55mpg. Now the new Prius gets a whopping 57 mpg. I'm supposed to believe in 30 years they couldn't increase the efficiency more than 2 mpg? If you could buy a decent hybrid for a decent price and run on fumes interest in EVs would be practically non-existent. The original Prius was a neat little commuter. I bought a used one and ran it for three years for a total cost of around $2500.

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[Markubis]

It is what it is. Are you expecting it to turn around and go the other way?

The electric rates will start following this curve as well.

 

[JohnnyO]

I think EV's are right for some people, like if you live in a place where it takes an hour to drive four miles, but I disagree with the government forcing all of us into them.
People should be able to buy what they want without being incentivized or penalized by the government.

 

[WhyNot21]

The electric rates will start following this curve as well.

Yes, we live in a capitalist country. Things are priced according to supply, demand and greed. I'm 100% sure it will go up, which in turn will make solar off-grid more appealing.

For me, it has a long way to go before coming anywhere near the cost of gas. Here in overtaxed IL, we pay 45c/gal tax, not adding any location based additions. So, if I could achieve 30mpg's in my Ranger, it would cost me ~$4.00 currently. My electric rate is 10c/kWh, so to go 30 miles in our Tesla, it costs less than $1.

A trip to visit my aging parents, who live 100 miles from me, uses 11 gallons of gas roundtrip. I can easily make that same trip in the Tesla on a single charge. It's not just a grocery getter, as some seem to label them. How many people work more than 100 miles from their home?

I think I've stated this before, but I don't agree that people should be forced to abandon their ICE vehicles. They are still a necessity for a lot of people. I also believe that the dates being set will be relaxed as they get near.

 

[9zero1790]

the focus on range charge time charge cost seem to be the popular issues.
what about the impact on the planet to obtain the materials for everyone to have an ev. or the cost and impact of creating a new infrastructure nation wide. the point of ev was to help the planet.
a large fuel and charge station near me had a couple rows of charge spots. about fifty yards away is a well concealed and boxed diesel generator thats painted pretty and has plants all around... I asked the manager how the setup worked and was told the genset was fed from the tanks and it makes power for the charge stations. The cost of the genset operation is paid by the "owners" and they - the station, gets a check for the fuel used and space rental. catch 22. robbing peter to pay paul is whats happening. bio fuels is still my vote for move in the correct direction.

 

[RDJTX]

You've paid less than half than the national average for that charge so far.

For the rest of us increasing the demand for electricity is going to raise the cost of that infrastructure enormously.

Having a private source of electricity via solar panels would be a long term investment - maybe longer than the EV you buy it for - but I'd bet the government will meddle with that eventually as well. The current return on investment on solar panels is currently measured in decades.

. All true.

I am very glad I got my solar install done in 2012. My ROI was about 4 years I actually think it was closer to 3 years but I really haven’t cared enough to run the numbers. Nowadays if your ROI is more than 5 years it’s not worth doing IMHO

 

[JesseS]

You've paid less than half than the national average for that charge so far.

For the rest of us increasing the demand for electricity is going to raise the cost of that infrastructure enormously.

Having a private source of electricity via solar panels would be a long term investment - maybe longer than the EV you buy it for - but I'd bet the government will meddle with that eventually as well. The current return on investment on solar panels is currently measured in decades.

All depends on your KWH rate, sun exposure, and array size. I have a 6KW systen (a little larger than average), with 2 13.5 KWH Powerwalls for storage, so I still send power back to the grid, but I don't use any grid either. I power my house, charge the storage, and still have some excess. My system is 12 years old and has paid for itself, with zero maintenance costs so far. If I get an EV I would add a few panels on the garage to cover the added load. But as we don't drive much we have no reason to get one.

 

[Racket]

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