Electric Vehicles here to stay, for good or bad?

[Brains]

There's a reason ONE and only one 100% electric car company has really made it, and it wasn't the simple aspect of the vehicles being electric. Nobody but the "I'm smugly 'saving' the Earth" idiots (or those in Commifornia wanting the passing lane sticker) actually wants a Prius. There are a handful of people who want the efficiency, if they're driving a ton of miles, but they don't actually want the car itself.

Tesla understands something important. If you want to sell something, people need to want to buy it. It's much like the same concept of why none of us buy HiPoints, despite (allegedly) functioning fine and being significantly cheaper than Glocks. Both are bricks, but the HiPoint is even more ugly and has the laugh factor to go with it. Nobody wants to be the guy who shows up to the range with his HiPoint just like nobody calls his friends over to check out his new Prius.

Tesla spent time designing a car that looks good, and looks unique. It looks high end. Oh, and it just happens to be electric and loaded with cutting edge, almost working tech. The Prius, especially the new ones, look like a 5 year old designed a spaceship with wheels. The Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, etc. all look boring and borishly pedestrian. It's no wonder they struggle to sell the things. The best selling hybrid ever is well past the honeymoon phase; people aren't buying the Prius anymore. Meanwhile Tesla is eating their lunch. Hopefully Tesla does have a design refresh or two in the wings though, because the Model S and X are getting a little dated.

That said, I still love and will continue to drive my American pushrod V8's.

 

[kbaxter60]

There's a reason ONE and only one 100% electric car company has really made it, and it wasn't the simple aspect of the vehicles being electric. Nobody but the "I'm smugly 'saving' the Earth" idiots (or those in Commifornia wanting the passing lane sticker) actually wants a Prius. There are a handful of people who want the efficiency, if they're driving a ton of miles, but they don't actually want the car itself.

Tesla understands something important. If you want to sell something, people need to want to buy it. It's much like the same concept of why none of us buy HiPoints, despite (allegedly) functioning fine and being significantly cheaper than Glocks. Both are bricks, but the HiPoint is even more ugly and has the laugh factor to go with it. Nobody wants to be the guy who shows up to the range with his HiPoint just like nobody calls his friends over to check out his new Prius.

Tesla spent time designing a car that looks good, and looks unique. It looks high end. Oh, and it just happens to be electric and loaded with cutting edge, almost working tech. The Prius, especially the new ones, look like a 5 year old designed a spaceship with wheels. The Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf, etc. all look boring and borishly pedestrian. It's no wonder they struggle to sell the things. The best selling hybrid ever is well past the honeymoon phase; people aren't buying the Prius anymore. Meanwhile Tesla is eating their lunch. Hopefully Tesla does have a design refresh or two in the wings though, because the Model S and X are getting a little dated.

That said, I still love and will continue to drive my American pushrod V8's.

I would tend to agree with most of that. You are correct that many of those models are boring (and I believe some are being phased out, like the Volt). One good thing about the free market, if people like the Teslas, then other manufacturers will have to up their game to compete. I, personally, also appreciate a nice V8. But a Tesla, with the "Ludicrous Mode" available is sure tempting.

If you're wondering which models sell, here's a report card for most of this year. Some are selling pretty briskly, too:
https://insideevs.com/news/357565/ev-sales-scorecard-june-2019/

 

[Bithabus]

The new electric Porsche looks nice. I'd never drive a Tesla

 

[kbaxter60]

... I'd never drive a Tesla

I think I could. (my graphic didn't make it; see next post?)

 

[kbaxter60]

 

[Brains]

I've never even sat in a Tesla, but I've had multiple people separately tell me they feel cheap on the inside. Opinions?

 

[McCrapper]

My buddy Jack, retired AF Fighter pilot. Keeps detailed and very accurate log books. Bought Pirus, 5 yr 7 mo later battery goes belly up, $5,132.15 to replace. Jack calls me and says: YOU were right, would have been cheaper and saved more money if I had gone with a gas model, $5000 bucks buys a LOT of gasoline!

This is no different than all 8 injectors going out in your 6.7 diesel after 5 years and 7 months or having a new transmission in the same time frame. Its a machine it will break and it is just a anecdotal example of your buddy paying too much for a service.

The technology in a Toyota Hybrid and a Tesla are far different. I don't have one but would never be opposed to it if it suited my lifestyle.

 

[avvidclif]

Precious little hydro in Texas.

But lots of hot air

 

[DoubleDuty]

If they were reasonably priced for me and could completely replace my 8 cylinder Truck and my 4 cylinder car I would buy one

 

[ZX9RCAM]

If they were reasonably priced for me and could completely replace my 8 cylinder Truck and my 4 cylinder car I would buy one

Which vehicles CAN do that?

 

[Bozz10mm]

Even BMW is getting in the game with an electric pick-up.

 

[Brains]

Looks like it suffered a partial birth abortion

 

[TAZ]

I think they are here to stay and quite honestly it’s for the best. They are not for everyone or every occasion, but the majority of driving in this country is the daily commute to and from work. What would you rather have idling in traffic. A giant V8 spewing crap for an hour or an electric that was powered by a NG power station. I also hate having all eggs in one basket. Variety = competition = better for consumers.

The technology for the cars is getting better and the supporting infrastructure is growing. Long term I think it will be a good thing for all involved.

 

[Ole Cowboy]

This is no different than all 8 injectors going out in your 6.7 diesel after 5 years and 7 months or having a new transmission in the same time frame. Its a machine it will break and it is just a anecdotal example of your buddy paying too much for a service.

The technology in a Toyota Hybrid and a Tesla are far different. I don't have one but would never be opposed to it if it suited my lifestyle.

You missed the point.

1) Jack did not pay too much, he checked at Autozone and they did not have any Prius battery pacs in stock, in fact, ONLY Prius did.

2) The take away was $5000 bucks for a battery would have bought a LOT of gasoline, far moe miles that he drove using battery power.

All the hype on electric cars (AND Solar) is based upon a FLAWED Life Cycle Model. Something Corp America does NOT like to talk about or acknowledge. But the military does it differently. A full Life Cycle Model MUST include out-year replacement and support costs. MANY things FAIL when replacement and out-year maintenance costs are factored in. As a result the military often is seen as buying the same thing over and over again, we only do that when it's cheaper to buy new rather than replace and maintain old systems. For this reason, the military is leading edge and Corp America is trailing edge.

 

[pronstar]

Prius battery packs are cheap.
Failed modules even cheaper.
Both easy to replace.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[pronstar]

Even BMW is getting in the game with an electric pick-up.

View attachment 178102

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[HKShooter65]

Y...

All the hype on electric cars (AND Solar) is based upon a FLAWED Life Cycle Model. Something Corp America does NOT like to talk about or acknowledge. But the military does it differently. A full Life Cycle Model MUST include out-year replacement and support costs. For this reason, the military is leading edge and Corp America is trailing edge.

Perhaps, though Tesla's 8 year, 120,000 mile battery warranty is addressing it pretty well.

By today's societal attitude of use use-then-toss my 20 year old pickup is ancient.
For most consumers an 8 year life is plenty long.

Cobalt, nickel, manganese in addition to lithium and other elemental components are readily recyclable from batteries and, from what I've read, it it potentially far cheaper a source than is mining once the underdeveloped infrastructute is fully in place.


Let us not equate hybrids with electric cars like the Audi e-Tron.
Hybrids are a semi-pointless evolution of century old fossil fuel technology. A baby step.
Electric cars are a whole new mode of personal transportation. A leap. Revolutionary in many ways.

 

[Ole Cowboy]

Nice try guys, but in order to have used and recon'd you MUST have USED stock to work from. At that time used and recon'd was sparsely available at best, so he had no other choice but to go to Toyota. IIRC it was 2002 or 2003 when his went belly up.

 

[oldag]

Prius battery packs are cheap.
Failed modules even cheaper.
Both easy to replace.

View attachment 178151

View attachment 178152

View attachment 178153

View attachment 178155

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Sure, cheap. Reconditioned. There is a reason why those cheap batteries come with such a short warranty...

 

[Brains]

You missed the point.

1) Jack did not pay too much, he checked at Autozone and they did not have any Prius battery pacs in stock, in fact, ONLY Prius did.

2) The take away was $5000 bucks for a battery would have bought a LOT of gasoline, far moe miles that he drove using battery power.

All the hype on electric cars (AND Solar) is based upon a FLAWED Life Cycle Model. Something Corp America does NOT like to talk about or acknowledge. But the military does it differently. A full Life Cycle Model MUST include out-year replacement and support costs. MANY things FAIL when replacement and out-year maintenance costs are factored in. As a result the military often is seen as buying the same thing over and over again, we only do that when it's cheaper to buy new rather than replace and maintain old systems. For this reason, the military is leading edge and Corp America is trailing edge.

The military is basically never on the leading edge of anything. Only the lesser known divisions have the new stuff.