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.

[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]

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.

[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.