Battery based electric vehicles of today and tomorrow.

[Grumpycat]

Lots of interesting facts in this discussion.

In future I guess, if electric proceeds as suspected, is who will maintain the present road system?
There is only one electric grid, no special one for cars so therefore everyone on the grid will be maintaining our roads?
I.E. each and every taxpayer be it a teen or retired person even though he has no vehicle?

You pay taxes on license plates that do not go to support roads. Why tax cars to support schools? Why do you think taxing electricity to support roads is any different?

If you would bother to research the issue you would learn many states now levy an in-lieu-of fee on EVs for license plates. In Alabama the EV fee is $200/year which is equivalent to 21,000 miles per year at 30 MPG.

Then the question of grids being able to handle the charging loads as well as many homes with minimal amperage.

EV is about the equivalent use as an electric dryer. So what is the problem?

While pollution is a main point are we only displacing the source?

Is not a problem at all. Bad old dirty coal generating electricity powering the worst Tesla emits the same pollution as a gasoline automobile getting 30 MPG. The popular Model 3 is equivalent to 50 MPG. And then there is the ability of the EV to effortlessly use nuclear, oil. gas, hydro, solar, wind, etc. Use electricity generated from any source, or any mix. A modern ICE is very sensitive to being fed the precise formulation of gasoline or diesel used to pass EPA emissions tests.

Seems to me that all the arguments somewhat sound similar to 'perpetual motion' of yore.

Only to those who choose to be deliberately ignorant.

Recycling plastics may just be minor compared to recycling the batteries of EV's.

Batteries do not consume their materials which makes them perfect for recycling. Spin artists would have you believe lithium and cobalt are consumed, must be mined new for every battery. Lazy thinkers expect there to be as much lithium in a battery as lead in batteries they are familiar with. A lithium battery contains 0.15 to 0.30 kg per kWh. Worst case my 85 kWh Tesla has 25 kg of lithium.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Grumpycat I have to run down to Clarksville TN for an airbag replacement soon in the Forester so if I have time I may run on down to Nashville to test drive a Tesla as you suggested.

The Nissan dealer in Jackson has been checking out my dying Leaf battery that is only 38 months and 24K miles old so I finally called last Thursday to see if they had my new battery for our 2016 Leaf SL. He said the list price for the replacement was $12,500 and I said no way. Last night online I learned just weeks ago Nissan decided to replace the bad 30 kWh batteries with the 40 kWh batteries like in the new 2020 Leafs and that is the list price from Nissan.

One guy posted a few days ago his 2016 range was down to a range of 60 miles from the new 107 mile range. Now he is reporting an expected range of 168 on the Guess-O-Meter and and after driving 132 miles he was showing 20% of battery left so the GOM reading may not be too much overstated. Nissan does have a new CEO after the last 2 blew out and he has stated his only objective today is to stabilize the US market so we will see how that plays out.

Friday I spoke with my Leaf National customer rep because the service writer mention the word "buy-back". She said if they verified my battery had trigger the warranty that I would be getting a new battery without question. After she talks with the servicing dealership that she would call me by Wednesday. At this point I am pumped.

 

[drssg]

Grumpycat I have to run down to Clarksville TN for an airbag replacement soon in the Forester so if I have time I may run on down to Nashville to test drive a Tesla as you suggested.

I would suggest contacting Tesla ahead of time, if you are interested in a test drive. I believe the norm is to sign up for it on the web. I don't know if they would support you just showing up for a test drive.

I test drove a Model S before the Model 3 was available. I told the sales guy right up front that I had no plans to buy the S, and I was just interested in the general technology and maybe a Model 3 later. He seemed perfectly fine with that, and we went for a drive in a $100k car.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

I would suggest contacting Tesla ahead of time, if you are interested in a test drive. I believe the norm is to sign up for it on the web. I don't know if they would support you just showing up for a test drive.

I test drove a Model S before the Model 3 was available. I told the sales guy right up front that I had no plans to buy the S, and I was just interested in the general technology and maybe a Model 3 later. He seemed perfectly fine with that, and we went for a drive in a $100k car.

I may just do the airbag thing one day and get it done and then later plan a Nashville run. I am not sure I can get up out of a Model three. Maybe I will run across one that I can sit down in and see if I can get back out with all my physical limitations from the arthritis. Maybe I should just wait until they have a Model Y since they are to start shipping soon I think. If they turn my Leaf into a 150 range EV when they do the battery swap then I can take it to Nashville.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Elon Musk's $1, Tesla Robotaxi for China and India - YouTube

Elon Musk's $10,000 Tesla Robotaxi for China and India

I can see this after reading Ashlee Vance's 2015 book about Elon Musk. He is serious about getting everyone into an EV.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

1 All-Electric Vans and Passenger MPVs of 2 (Pricing and Technical Data) - YouTube

Europe is getting serious about EV vans and small trucks.

 

[buickanddeere]

1 All-Electric Vans and Passenger MPVs of 22 (Pricing and Technical Data) - YouTube

Europe is getting serious about EV vans and small trucks.

The why is because of being forced by regulations to build EV's. Then the tax payer is on the hook to subsidize the EV's.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Sales of Electric Vehicles in US 21-219 - YouTube

This is a short dynamic graphing of the history of US EV sales. A lot of this history I missed because it was only last summer that I realized that EV's in a technical sense had hit the tipping point. The Model 3 results opened the minds of many that change was not coming but had arrived while many were saying EV's will never be more than a fad for the rich showoffs. I could not own the 2016 Nissan Leaf today if only the rich could own EV's.

 

[buickanddeere]

The Nissan Leaf was sold below cost, so they would sell. To allow Nissan access to the ICE vehicle market in the US .

 

[Gale Hawkins]

The Nissan Leaf was sold below cost, so they would sell. To allow Nissan access to the ICE vehicle market in the US .

That is true for every EV that has been sold in the world if one factors in develop, building and marketing cost. The only new car I ever owned was a 1973 Datsun 1200 bought in Murray KY so Nissan has had access to the USA ICE vehicle since the late 1960's.

YouTube

Deereandbuick check out a fresh update about Tesla to help you post from a more EV informed position.