So on the drive in to work this morning I heard a advert about E-Cars.
They said E Cars run an average of 42 miles on a charge and that's more than the average person drives in a day- you can drop the kids at school, go to work, pick up groceries on the way to pick up the kids after school- and still have enough to visit the in-laws in the next county.
All without buying any gas- so apparently, according to THEM, E-cars are THE way of the future.
But- are they really?
Not in my opinion.
I'm not your "average" driver. I drive about 12 miles more than the 42 from a charge will take me and that's just ONE WAY. There also aren't NEARLY enough charging ports at my sites- one site doesnt even have ANY, let alone along the way on my trip to and from work- I cant think if a single place along my route that DOES have one to be honest.
I don't think most towns/cities/counties are nearly ready for an increase in E-traffic issues. E-cars would only be useful and viable in big cities/States like Cali, New York- and maybe a few more progressive cities/states like...tbh- I can't even think of anyplace else except maybe- and I do mean MAYBE- Las Vegas???
And what about the costs? Is the cost of the electricity to charge them actually less or equal to the cost of gas- or does it exceed the cost of gas now? How about repairs on an E-Car? I can tell you right now I dont think your typical hometown garage- or backyard mechanic we rely on has the capabilities to do proper repairs on one of the E-Cars.
I know I'm not ready on a personal level for it.... but maybe that's just me?
2 comments:
I'm intrigued by electric vehicles, and I agree the technology has improved by leaps and bounds over the last decade or so.
I've read enough to be convinced that it's cheaper to charge an electric than to gas up an internal combustion engine. I've also read enough to believe that getting an electronic vehicle repaired is a nightmare, and that's the rule, not the exception.
From a practical perspective, I'm not convinced about the day-to-day range of an electric car. Internal combustion engines are reliable in virtually any environment, but batteries tend to be less efficient in very hot or very cold temperatures, meaning there's about two weeks per year where a battery would operate optimally in my neck of the woods.
I'm also not convinced about the ecological payoff of EVs. Yeah, an EV doesn't pollute. However, most of the power plants creating the electricity do, so we're just moving the pollution one step further away from the consumer. If we had a fully clean power grid, this would be different, but that's not our current state, and POTUS seems to be doing everything in his power to undermine clean energy.
Finally, I believe that we're seriously undermining the amount of ecological damage we're doing to the planet by mining the rare earth metals needed for EVs, then shipping them halfway around the world on ships to build the batteries, then shipping those batteries halfway around the world to the auto plant. And at the end of the vehicle's life, I'm not convinced that we fully recycle our material. Disposal of products at the end of a product's lifespan is one of the biggest Achilles heels of capitalism.
Agree 100%
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