One of my friends an I have conflicting views of EV’s. His notion is that EV’s are the best thing since sliced bread. I grant this, with crucial caveats, since EV’s do have advantages over fuel powered cars. Apart from the electronic complexity, the drive line is simple, the motors provide torque at zero RPM, they can be very powerful, minimal pollution if the juice is generated by renewable generation, are some of the advantages.
But, being realistic instead of idealistic, battery technology and range aren’t there (and they won’t be — you can’t break the 2nd law of thermodynamics), the necessary charging equipment and infrastructure is minuscule, among other related difficulties such as required recharging time. And then there is the problem of high and low temperature operation limitations. Naturally, most folks being naive and/or oblivious to the latter problem, recently found themselves chagrined when confronted with it. They are expensive, heavier than comparable gas cars (battery weight). Materials for battery manufacture and motor components are limited in supply and will cause environmental pollution and destruction when produced in the quantities needed for a fleet of EV’s.
EV’s provide a good short trip transportation — if you have the money to spend for one and fast home charging equipment.
Drive an EV for a week, and you learn enough to realize that most anti-EV posts have no clue what they’re talking about, know nothing about the vehicles, and have no intentions of learning.
As I have stated previously, lots of people seem to like them, as I see lots of them. The most obvious are Teslas and Rivians, which look different, but also many others as well. There were lots of drawbacks to switching from horses to automobiles in the last century, too.
I spoke with a volunteer firefighter yesterday. He said if an EV is on fire out in the open they were instructed to leave it to burn. Apparently they burn so hot it takes too long to put them out and too much water. He said if one is in the garage they try to pull it out of the garage and then let it burn, and then try to save the house.
Don’t worry, your EV’s battery will blow up and kill you long before you get to that figure. My son’s gas powered truck engine caught fire a few years back. Everybody got out OK without even breathing hard.
Many EV’s are rated by mpg, why, I don’t know, but it might make the transition from the ICE vehicle easier. 65 mpg is about right for an EV with a range of 430 miles. Although, the owner might be complaining about the much lower range during cold weather. True, our EV batteries do react negatively to cold temp extremes. Some EV’s have even stopped running altogether. But, so far, my Nissan Leaf is doing quite well, even in the cold weather.
Miles per gallon, and total range per tank full, are not the same thing. Both are estimates that are easily affected by actual driving and environmental conditions. Both can be different during different length trips or how the vehicle is used – for the same vehicle.
People who point fingers that “nobody gets the actual range that an EV advertises” conveniently forget that the same thing happens with petroleum powered vehicles. Hence the common petroleum vehicle disclaimer “your mileage may vary”.
Of course, mpg also drops for conventional cars during cold weather. Fuel economy tests show that, in city driving, a conventional gasoline car’s gas mileage is roughly 15% lower at 20°F than it would be at 77°F. It can drop as much as 24% for short (3- to 4-mile) trips. And usually your conventional car’s manual tells you about it.
Cut Chip some slack, people! Have all of you never mis-(spoken/written) about something obvious? Probably meant “per charge” instead. More to the point, batteries are the pits in cold weather climes (e.g., ND or SD) and also in the hot climes (e.g., TX or NM) — as you would know if you watched the TV/Cable/Satellite this past week. EVs are not the be all, end all the greenies claim!
“In 2000, the Clinton Administration assigned electric vehicles with a fuel economy multiplier of 6.67. So, an electric vehicle getting the equivalent of 40 miles per gallon would receive a credit for 266.8 miles per gallon due to the multiplier under the CAFE standards.”
A# 466 6 months ago
One of my friends an I have conflicting views of EV’s. His notion is that EV’s are the best thing since sliced bread. I grant this, with crucial caveats, since EV’s do have advantages over fuel powered cars. Apart from the electronic complexity, the drive line is simple, the motors provide torque at zero RPM, they can be very powerful, minimal pollution if the juice is generated by renewable generation, are some of the advantages.
But, being realistic instead of idealistic, battery technology and range aren’t there (and they won’t be — you can’t break the 2nd law of thermodynamics), the necessary charging equipment and infrastructure is minuscule, among other related difficulties such as required recharging time. And then there is the problem of high and low temperature operation limitations. Naturally, most folks being naive and/or oblivious to the latter problem, recently found themselves chagrined when confronted with it. They are expensive, heavier than comparable gas cars (battery weight). Materials for battery manufacture and motor components are limited in supply and will cause environmental pollution and destruction when produced in the quantities needed for a fleet of EV’s.
EV’s provide a good short trip transportation — if you have the money to spend for one and fast home charging equipment.
sykerocker 6 months ago
Drive an EV for a week, and you learn enough to realize that most anti-EV posts have no clue what they’re talking about, know nothing about the vehicles, and have no intentions of learning.
DangerMan 6 months ago
As I have stated previously, lots of people seem to like them, as I see lots of them. The most obvious are Teslas and Rivians, which look different, but also many others as well. There were lots of drawbacks to switching from horses to automobiles in the last century, too.
Al Fresco, the Librarian 6 months ago
Gallon of what, anti-freeze?
davidthoms1 6 months ago
Does Chip Bok drive a huge pickup truck which gets 12 mpg? Bet it’s got a cover on the bed so he can’t accidentally put anything back there.
DC Swamp 6 months ago
I spoke with a volunteer firefighter yesterday. He said if an EV is on fire out in the open they were instructed to leave it to burn. Apparently they burn so hot it takes too long to put them out and too much water. He said if one is in the garage they try to pull it out of the garage and then let it burn, and then try to save the house.
These things are not ready for prime time at all.
BB71 6 months ago
EVs are fine if you never leave town and have your own charging station.
Radish the wordsmith 6 months ago
Per gallon of electricity? Anti science right wingers are truly ignorant.
s49nav 6 months ago
Don’t worry, your EV’s battery will blow up and kill you long before you get to that figure. My son’s gas powered truck engine caught fire a few years back. Everybody got out OK without even breathing hard.
Radish the wordsmith 6 months ago
You mean right winger Elon lied?
preacherman Premium Member 6 months ago
Many EV’s are rated by mpg, why, I don’t know, but it might make the transition from the ICE vehicle easier. 65 mpg is about right for an EV with a range of 430 miles. Although, the owner might be complaining about the much lower range during cold weather. True, our EV batteries do react negatively to cold temp extremes. Some EV’s have even stopped running altogether. But, so far, my Nissan Leaf is doing quite well, even in the cold weather.
Retrac Premium Member 6 months ago
Go hybrid. Mine works great in all weather conditions.
Joe1962 Premium Member 6 months ago
EV’s go about 30 miles then you need to find a charging station, Plus EV’s cost about $50. 000
ferddo 6 months ago
Miles per gallon, and total range per tank full, are not the same thing. Both are estimates that are easily affected by actual driving and environmental conditions. Both can be different during different length trips or how the vehicle is used – for the same vehicle.
People who point fingers that “nobody gets the actual range that an EV advertises” conveniently forget that the same thing happens with petroleum powered vehicles. Hence the common petroleum vehicle disclaimer “your mileage may vary”.
DrPawl 6 months ago
65 MPG equivalent is still pretty good, better than any gas-powered car:
https://www.truecar.Com/best-cars-trucks/cars/by-gas-mileage/
ferddo 6 months ago
Of course, mpg also drops for conventional cars during cold weather. Fuel economy tests show that, in city driving, a conventional gasoline car’s gas mileage is roughly 15% lower at 20°F than it would be at 77°F. It can drop as much as 24% for short (3- to 4-mile) trips. And usually your conventional car’s manual tells you about it.
gopher gofer 6 months ago
the future is so scary when you’re a wingnut…
fjblume2000 6 months ago
Cut Chip some slack, people! Have all of you never mis-(spoken/written) about something obvious? Probably meant “per charge” instead. More to the point, batteries are the pits in cold weather climes (e.g., ND or SD) and also in the hot climes (e.g., TX or NM) — as you would know if you watched the TV/Cable/Satellite this past week. EVs are not the be all, end all the greenies claim!
gorbag 6 months ago
“In 2000, the Clinton Administration assigned electric vehicles with a fuel economy multiplier of 6.67. So, an electric vehicle getting the equivalent of 40 miles per gallon would receive a credit for 266.8 miles per gallon due to the multiplier under the CAFE standards.”