Lays out a lot of hurdles and asks the $64k question
and people who drive EVs, who will respond to this piece by saying, something to the effect of āBryce just donāt understand.ā Or, āwe have to switch to EVs because of climate change.ā Or maybe, ālook at all the automakers who say they are going to switch to EVs.ā
I am aware of those arguments. Iāve been hearing them for years. And my reply is equally simple: If EVs are so great, why havenāt they taken over the market? Why do EVs still only account for 2% of all U.S. auto sales?
Iāll take the approach that while I am happy they are playing in the upper end of traditional manufacturer margins, their products are still too expensive. If they would start dropping prices it would lead to much faster adoption.
Iāll buy an EV when they donāt cost so much more than and ICE and I can charge up at any gas station in 5 minutes or less. Ok Iāll go 6.
They are simply not a mass market option at this time.
And where is all the electricity coming from for this huge uptake of EVs?
Iām SURE all that juice is created sustainably.
Username checks out
You wonāt ever fill EVs at stations like you do a gas car, at least not regularly. The only time you will do so is on a long road trip. Day to day, you will charge at night at home or at work, or possibly at some shopping destinations. You charge at the places where your car already sits for long periods of time.
Since this is a sports board, stadiums / arenas would make good charging locations. Your car is already sitting there for hours, why not top off?
Nearly all EV owners start each and every day with āa full tankā. It isnt like owning an ICE vehicle.
Really is going to be a huge challenge deprogramming the public about how ICE vehicles are fueled. Itās so ingrained.
I will agree with you though on price. Tesla can now produce their bread and butter cars for about $32k manufacturing cost each. That is getting very close to competitive with ICE. I suspect solid state batteries will put them over the top. But in the meantime, they need to cut pricing some.
I would be mad about how those profits are paid for by tax credits, but they exhausted their share of those a couple of years ago. What they are doing now in terms of profits is not propped up. Time to cut pricing back around $5k or so. The sooner they get down to a competitive price the better.
I also think they need a small driver gauge cluster and/or heads up display like VW, Ford, and Hyundai/kia are doing in their EVs. Wonāt add much to the cost per unit, but will increase adoption.
Also, watch out for Chinese cars.
Iām sure there will be some resistance, but Iām old enough to remember when Americans felt the same way about Japanese cars, and look at where they are now.
This is one of the two giant Chinese cell phone companies.
I am finally going electric. I have narrowed it down to a Minn Kota or a Motorguide, likely the Xi5. Itās a real game changer for me.
Canāt wait to buy one for my wife. I will hold out as long as I can.
RoadandTrack.com: Koenigseggās Tiny Electric Motor Makes 335 HP and 443 LB-FT of Torque.
Koenigsegg's Tiny Electric Motor Makes 335 HP and 443 LB-FT of Torque
Holy crap. That thing is tiny!
Those peak power and torque figures are only available for 20 seconds, which is common among EV motors. After 20 seconds, the figures drop to 134 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. Thatās fine for the Gemera, which has three electric motors and a 600-hp three-cylinder.
That explains it a bit better, but still, thatās a lot of power in a small package. Average weights for modern engine blocks are between about 350 lbs at the lightest and well over 600 lbs for some V8s.
The issue the japanese have improvement ingrained in their culture. The chinese thoughā¦ not so much.
Fair assessment.
