I think the hard part of all of this talk is knowing 90% if not 99% (per Elon Musk) start ups fail. Failure is common where success is very very rare.
The EV concept is easier for many of us because it is no longer a concept thanks to Elon Musk having moved the concept to reality in real time in front of our eyes. Save the few who had parents or grandparents that thought NASA never put a man on the moon most in the major countries at some level know with EV's it is not IF but When.
The purchase of our 2016 Nissan Leaf SL was for several reasons. One, two and three is I have to touch things to learn. I am OK with concepts but they take decades to take shape in my dense head. When the wife went back to work after breaking her hip the first day of summer when a horse accidentally ran into her in the horse lot I decided to become a Go Get Her so that is a 30 mile trip twice a day. Another factor my son had just finished an associates degree in the field of diesel trucking repair and I realized soon it was going to be about electric semis. Actually the head of the diesel college where he now works as an assistant is looking for a hybrid diesel semi because he told me the people studying in the program are going to spend more years working of self driving electric semis than diesel powered semis.
After six weeks (2500 miles) the traction battery on our Leaf battery health was down to 62% of what it was 38 months earlier when first sold which triggered a warranty claim. Yesterday I learned the new traction battery had been installed and it was ready for me to pick up when I called for an update. I have a ride worked out for tomorrow because it is almost 2 hours one way to the closest Nissan Leaf certified dealership repair center. I had dropped the car off 30 Dec 2019 so EV service is not for the faint of heart perhaps. Actually the Nissan part retailing for $12,495.00 plus labor was a speed bump for some at Nissan but their contract with the Leaf owners is in black and white. At the national level Nissan has Leaf customer reps for things like I ran into to make sure contracts are honored and can save the day for EV owners.
On a plus note a few weeks ago Nissan decided not to replace any of the failing 30 kWh batteries with like batteries that they had not used in new Leafs since late 2017. Now they use the 40 kWh batteries like in a 2020 Leaf. The Plus gets the larger 62 kWh battery.
New our Leaf came with a range of 107 mile but the effective range was down to 60 miles when I bought it. Tomorrow I am expecting to see a range of 150 miles per full charge.
Buying an EV I am finding is the best way to learn/experience the awesome, good, bad and ugly of EV ownership. Since the son is spending $200 a month on gas to get to work I would like to find an EV for him but at min his daily drive 80 miles and can be 120 miles some day. Since his carport is actually attached to the two bay shop his charging cost would be free since I pay the shop meter bill.
Thanks to all helping make this a learning thread about EV's of all types. Coal is not a factor for or against EV's. Who set the world on fire is not an issue for or against EV's. What has been an issue against EV's for over 100 years is affordable battery packs that are good for 300 miles of range between charges. The technology is here today and the price point is improving. One kWh of battery power is good for close to 4 miles of range in normal city driving with no pedal to the metal driving. At $100 per kWh cost that would mean a cost of $25 for every mile of desired range.
Actually a fully charged EV can power a home as a back up generator and provide 120v/240v power at a job site as a bonus of EV ownership. They are also cool for RVing all electric.
