Community Chat

[JamandBread]

I thank you for the kind post @Cakers3. I happen to agree that a balanced approach to energy is important. I do stand by my posts which are not personal in any way. Regardless of vehicle type, when faced with a long term power outage, NOBODY will be able to gas up or charge up. How that simple statement would ruffle feathers WAS beyond me. But I get it now. Thank you again.

[R6-T4]

The argument about what new technologies do to old technologies just never works for me. (This is not personal to you, I have seen it for years on many different topics, so please take none of this personally.)

Yes, a muffler company will go out of business. Just like many radio companies went out of business when TVs came around. As technology advances, old technology must die off. It is just the way advancements work. But, if you're smart, then you find a new place for your business to turn. Perhaps there is another part on the electric car that uses a similar construction and you simply need to buy some new machines.

Or, you just realize that not all businesses last forever. I live in a fairly small rural town, at one time we had 11 stores you could rent some form of VHS tapes from. Some of them went away when DVDs came out about, and now we have zero thanks to streaming and the invention of Red Box.

Companies that made VHS tapes went out of business or changed. Distributors shut down. It's sad, but it happens. The smart car part companies are already looking at what pivots they can make, or they will be left behind and that is on them. Just because one starts a business doesn't give them a right to exist forever.

[hckynut]

@R6-T4 

I agree with much of what you said, and like you, this is not personal.

You mention many businesses that are now defunct, most because of advancements in technology. 

I do not see electric cars as and advancement over internal combustion vehicles. I see them as nothing more than an option for people that want them and are able to afford them.

As someone who has worked on, and raced, the fuel driven cars since my teens, I do not see any advancement. They get me from point A to point B, and I doubt they will be used any time soon in the Auto Racing World.

While I understand the purported need for this advancement, I do not believe in one of the primary messages of "why some proclaim these vehicles as a  "necessity".

I have also followed electronic technology since a younger teen. From no Stereo Radio, up to and including the latest in being immersed in true sound, not sound that is simulated to be something it is not.

Same with video technology with our 1st TV set, which was a 1.5" RCA, which we bought a magnifier, to bring it up to about a 3.5" picture. Anything video from that TV to the present, I have probably owned. Sure, some companies went under, but only because they could not compete with the big conglomerates.

Many car manufacturers also went out of business for the same reason. If you can't make a profit, you can't survive, irrespective of your ability to make advanced products.

I get your point, and hopefully you get mine.

hckynut(john)

[R6-T4]

I totally get your point. Believe me, I am fully on board with you that not all "advancements" are needed... we're looking at you 8-tracks. ("You know what would be awesome? Music you can't reverse... GENIUS!")

I don't think electric cars are the be all, end all. And boy do you bring up a good point about racing. I'm not a racing fan, so it hadn't crossed my mind. Now I'm just picturing this sea of cars going around a track... very, very quietly.

But nope, we're probably on the same page, maybe just different paragraphs

[Just Bling]

Not to long ago, Toyota wrote an article about electric cars, they are against it right now, in summary, no one has the capacity to manufacture that many batteries and what do you do with all those batteries after they exceeded their life.  

 I ran into a man that was at a charging station next to our local grocery store and asked him if he liked it, he said the car is good if you don't travel any distances and there are different kinds of charging stations, the one he was at will take him over an hour to charge and the costs to charge depends on the stations.

[agb80]

Won't electric cars widen the wealth gap?  Oh yes, but if the wealthiest in our country bought each and every American an electric car that would be just great.  Everyone would have transportation and we could live in our communities without exhaust fumes which means life expectancy would rise.  As it is right now many people cannot afford to buy any vehicle so it's just ludicrous this idea of outright banning the production of gas powered vehicles in 10 or 15 years for the more expensive electric vehicles which of course will exceed our capacity to provide electricity to everyone in their homes.  Rolling blackouts will be the norm but we will have our electric cars that is when we can find an available charging station. 

[gardenman]

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@agb80 wrote:

The manufacture of electric cars en masse will put a lot of companies out of business such as the manufacturer of mufflers, air filters, radiators, hoses, thermostats, carburetors and many more car parts that I can't think of at the moment.  This will not only affect the many hundreds if not thouands of people who own those businesses in the manufacture of gas powered cars and trucks but also the multitude of investors who own stock in their company. 

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You have obviously never poked around inside an electric car. They're more complicated and use more components than a gas-powered car. They use radiators and pumps to cool the batteries while they're charging and discharging. The optimal battery temp is reportedly between 30 and 50 degrees Celsius and battery packs are heated/cooled to maintain those temps. They're not a simple battery and motor type thing. There's a whole lot of stuff inside a Tesla or similar car that needs to be made. More so than for a gas-powered car. 

The guys on the YouTube channel "Goonzquad" have a couple of wrecked Tesla's they're rebuilding and they are far from a simple car. Even when turned off and just sitting there, the car's fans, radiators, and pumps will come on and run to condition the battery. About the only thing a Tesla doesn't have is a muffler but pretty much everything else is still there. Any company making components for gas-powered cars can easily adapt to making similar components for electric cars. They're not a simple car. There are far more components to an electric car than a gas-powered one. If you doubt me, wander over to the Goonzquad channel and watch their disassembly of their Tesla's. They are a very complicated car.

[Peepers1]

We bought a 2021 Mustang MachE California Route1 about a month ago. It is all electric. I love the car. It drives nice and is comfortable on a long trip. We drive about 10 minutes from our house and charge it for free at a fast charging station. It takes like 45 minutes. like once a week or week and a half. When we have gone anywhere and had to pay it was like $20 to charge up to 80% which is like 240 or 250 mile range. The one pedal driving sounds weird but it is easy and I am 64 years old. My husband wanted this car and I had wanted a hybrid but i love the car now. The only issue is finding charging stations on a trip. We stayed at a hotel in NH that had a charging station and that was a lifesaver but the trip to upper Maine was a nightmare.We want to drive out West but that will take a lot of planning and I still want to rent a car for that so we will see.

[Porcelain]

Once we get ubiquitous self driving cars, we will all just subscribe to a car service. (Okay, not everyone. But many will. Because it will be a lot less expensive and will remove the bother of car maintenance.)

The car will pull up to my driveway. And then when I am done with it, it will go and charge itself as needed. Sort of like how a Roomba returns to its charging station.

Low fuss low muss. Many of us will be glad to not have to bother with car insurance, vehicle maintenance, buying gas, and we'll be able to use our garages for other things.

[agb80]

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@gardenman wrote:

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@agb80 wrote:

The manufacture of electric cars en masse will put a lot of companies out of business such as the manufacturer of mufflers, air filters, radiators, hoses, thermostats, carburetors and many more car parts that I can't think of at the moment.  This will not only affect the many hundreds if not thouands of people who own those businesses in the manufacture of gas powered cars and trucks but also the multitude of investors who own stock in their company. 

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You have obviously never poked around inside an electric car. They're more complicated and use more components than a gas-powered car. They use radiators and pumps to cool the batteries while they're charging and discharging. The optimal battery temp is reportedly between 30 and 50 degrees Celsius and battery packs are heated/cooled to maintain those temps. They're not a simple battery and motor type thing. There's a whole lot of stuff inside a Tesla or similar car that needs to be made. More so than for a gas-powered car. 

The guys on the YouTube channel "Goonzquad" have a couple of wrecked Tesla's they're rebuilding and they are far from a simple car. Even when turned off and just sitting there, the car's fans, radiators, and pumps will come on and run to condition the battery. About the only thing a Tesla doesn't have is a muffler but pretty much everything else is still there. Any company making components for gas-powered cars can easily adapt to making similar components for electric cars. They're not a simple car. There are far more components to an electric car than a gas-powered one. If you doubt me, wander over to the Goonzquad channel and watch their disassembly of their Tesla's. They are a very complicated car.

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@gardenmanduly noted professor!