Electric Vehicles: A Pleasant Surprise? Maybe?

[dewline]

Looking at this for a few minutes:

https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2021/09/electric-cars-have-hit-inflection-point/620233/?utm_source=feed

I didn't think things were moving this quickly on the global scale in terms of cars and trucks. Yes, the manufacturing process is still messy as Hell. But are we making progress of some sort here? I think the answer to that question is "yes".

armiphlage, autopope, you might have some informed context to add here...? Anyone else?

Comments

[cmcmck]

Certainly seeing many more electric cars hereabouts.

[dewline]

And the immediate effects include "easier on my lungs" for starters, so I give thanks for that!

[danieldwilliam]

I think electric vehicles are forecast to hit cost parity with ICE vehicles on a total cost of ownership basis in the early 2020's. Higher cost of production offset by lower cost of fuel. Exact timing depend on which jurisdiction you are in and what petrol prices are there. Europe earlier than the USA. EV costs keep falling as 1) production scales up 2) battery costs come down 3) learning curve effects happen.

Whilst a slight cost advantage for ownerhip in the 2020's might not shift consumer behavour on its own it helps and it's more impactful on fleet managers and commercial owners.

[armiphlage]

Fleet managers and commercial owners are exactly who I thought would have been screaming loudest for electric vehicles. I'm surprised that the world hasn't completely switched over to electric garbage trucks and last-mile delivery vehicles. The maintenance costs are so much lower, and electric power trains are ideal for frequent stops.
That's why the UK used to have the world's biggest fleet of electric vehicles, with electric milk floats.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_float

[armiphlage]

I have heard (anecdotally, no hard data) that the reason car dealers disparage electric vehicles and encourage fossil-fuel vehicles is because of maintenance. Electric vehicles have less complex power trains and thus maintenance requirements, so dealers foresee loosing out on future profits.

[malada]

I'll remind everyone that General Motors had the EV-1 back in 1997. It was fully electric and well liked among those that drove them.

Only a handful were allowed to be sold - most were leased. People who leased them loved them. They wanted them. They had checkbooks out ready to buy them.

General Motors stopped production, took all the leased cars and *destroyed* them. No electric cars for you!

So we could have been driving electric cars for over 20 years. So all the *whining* about how hard it is to build electric cars gets no sympathy from me.

[dewline]

Well, that reluctance is over and done now, apparently.

There are clearly reasons why there was a documentary entitled The Revenge of the Electric Car released in 2011, yes?

[thewayne]

Added to my Pocket reading list. Cool!

The biggest problem, of course, is a network of fast charging stations powered by reasonably clean energy. Norway, and the Scandawhovian countries, have a lot more clean energy than the USA, but we're trying.

[dewline]

Canada is also building up its charging station network more slowly that I'd prefer, but with the travel range between charges rising to meet that issue, that may be resolved quicker than we expect as well.

How to keep track of such things? I expect someone's built web sites and apps for it!

[thewayne]

One thing that will be interesting is the various auto makers, networks, and offers.  For example, VW has a deal with one network that if you buy a new VW EV, you don't pay for charging on the "Brand X" charging network for three years, IIRC (read about it in a Ars Technica review of a new VW EV Suv review last week).  Tesla built out their own network and had a similar offer, since has downgraded their offer.  But could I charge my (fictional) newly-purchased VW EV in Canada for free?  There will be lots of kinks to work out.  But that's communications and possibly treaties/legislation.