Monday, January 30, 2023

I Really Like the Idea of Electric Cars

Even if they are in many places coal-powered.  This 1/27/23 Motor Trend article is why I do not expect to ever buy an EV although hybrids seem a reasonable solution especially the new incredibly fast hybrid AWD Corvette.   Although spending $100K+ seems like something I would only do if I won the Powerball.

5 comments:

  1. The one about range and charging frustration on road trips?

    I'm reminded of a comment I used to make frequently, that one should not need to be an engineer in order to successfully replace a light-bulb. Now that "typical" LED "bulbs" in retail stores are dimmable and work in enclosed fixtures I think that most of the causes of dissatisfaction and premature failure are gone, but we're still in the "need to be an engineer" phase for battery-electric vehicles. I've a colleague who was a super-early adopter for the first 3 Tesla models, and his cross country driving trips were an extremely well-planned adventure that took into account all the factors that affect range and charging speed. I keep seeing articles about EV's where my first thought is that the authors are critical because their unreasonable expectations were not met.
    Perhaps they've been led down the garden path by the car-rental agency or advertising?

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  2. If were in the market for a new one (2009 Santa Fe mounts my battery-powered scooter lift, something my wife's 2018 Elantra cannot do), I'd readily go for a hybrid. Actually, I'd like to downsize the Santa Fe, but the the combination of downsizing and switching means of power is pretty much a show stopper, given the lift requirement. Hell of it is she won't drive the Santa Fe!

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  3. Just one comment: I wanna see the guy totin' a can of electricity down the road shoulder to start his car that ran out of juice.

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    1. That is what the ten-mile long extension is for.

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    2. The life boat kits in WW2 Navy planes had a generator you braced between your knees and turned the cranks on top with your hands like a bicycle. That was enough to charge the radio. I wonder how long it would take to charge a car. Maybe a stationary bicycle stored in the trunk could do that.

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