OT: Electric Vehicles--anyone driving them or seriously looked at them?

[tellyho]

Originally Posted by dgauthier

This might be why these problems seem to take so long to solve. They're *hard*...

Wife works for a new england electrical provider, on their team tasked with making MA's carbon zero by 2050 law happen. There are SO MANY things that need to be done to do this, structurally, that they're still finding new barriers. It will be a process.

[72gmc]

Just returned from the Netherlands, where we saw so many Opel electrics and other teeny cars snuggled into small spots along the canals. That is an environment where an electric car makes a ton of sense to me. Better electric infrastructure, for one reason …

[BdaGhisallo]

Originally Posted by tellyho

Wife works for a new england electrical provider, on their team tasked with making MA's carbon zero by 2050 law happen. There are SO MANY things that need to be done to do this, structurally, that they're still finding new barriers. It will be a process.

Those laws are going to get repealed once reality sets in. It simply ain't gonna happen absent a massive and wholesale adoption of nuclear power, and the appetite for that is not there.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by saab2000

This is interesting and I believe it to be true. They caved to the anti-nuclear lobby and have been shutting down nuclear plants.

I know it’s tangential to this and I don’t wish to get anyone riled up, but I do believe that nuclear power is a smart part of any electrical future. Learning lessons from past mistakes, it can be very safe and very clean. That’s my $.02. It’s very misunderstood by many people.

"But, but, but what about"...put nuke accidents DECADES ago or any really poor design, like Fukushima...here..The USN have been operating nukes on SHIPS and subs for how long? How many accidents? Here's where the conspiracy club says, 'we just haven't heard about them....' type drivel.

Gee, the tech from 3 mile Island or Chernobyl 'might' have changed and improved..a 'bit'...Gonna have to do something instead of just changing one 'source' to another. With a mostly all electric infrastructure, the amount of energy produced will have to expand hugely. 'drill baby drill' is pablum for a certain segment of the now wealthy, soon poor, political segment.

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by jwalther

GT with the performance upgrade (480 hp, 700 lb/ft torque, 0-60 in the mid 3s).

How is the handling, suspension and such? It's obviously just the grumpy old man in me but honestly this just sounds like a dangerous amount of power and acceleration for a regular street car.

The fact that anyone, (like new drivers and teenage boys) can be behind the wheel of a car with performance formerly relegated to supercars on all season tires and "comfort" suspension scares the hell out of me.

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

"But, but, but what about"...put nuke accidents DECADES ago or any really poor design, like Fukushima...here..The USN have been operating nukes on SHIPS and subs for how long? How many accidents? Here's where the conspiracy club says, 'we just haven't heard about them....' type drivel.

Gee, the tech from 3 mile Island or Chernobyl 'might' have changed and improved..a 'bit'...Gonna have to do something instead of just changing one 'source' to another. With a mostly all electric infrastructure, the amount of energy produced will have to expand hugely. 'drill baby drill' is pablum for a certain segment of the now wealthy, soon poor, political segment.

Nuclear power can be quite safe, but it requires the discipline the USN appears to exhibit.

The US is still the world’s leading nuclear power producer. France is Nr. 2.

[zap]

Originally Posted by 72gmc

Just returned from the Netherlands, where we saw so many Opel electrics and other teeny cars snuggled into small spots along the canals. That is an environment where an electric car makes a ton of sense to me. Better electric infrastructure, for one reason …

I was in Germany last month but did not see too many electric vehicles. A lot of station wagons.....

I just went through some of my receipts from the trip this morning. Just before returning the Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake I filled it up (16.4 gallons)......US$150.

I thought, wouldn't it be great if fuel prices were that high in the US. Bet a lot Suburbans , etc. would disappear from American roads.

jwalther, that is a sharp looking Mach E.

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by zap

I was in Germany last month but did not see too many electric vehicles. A lot of station wagons.....

I just went through some of my receipts from the trip this morning. Just before returning the Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake I filled it up (16.4 gallons)......US$150.

1. love me a good wagon!!
2. was that gas or diesel? I know there used to be more diesel vehicles in Europe vs gas as gas was much more expensive.. not sure what the landscape is like now..

but, to your point.. I imagine EVs would be a lot bigger in Europe based on fuel prices and the fact that, I think, trips are often more local compared to trips/commutes in the US (plus if there is a longer commute, public transit seems eons better than what we have here)..

[AngryScientist]

I was in Italy for a couple weeks this past month.

I saw very, very few EVs.

Liquid fuel was very expensive, but I think power is even more limited there.

I stayed at three seperate airbnbs. I was told by each host that we have an air conditioner, a dish washer and a washing machine. Do not try and run more than one at a time or you will blow the main breaker. Not much excess power to charge cars it seems, especially in the rural areas.

[fourflys]

hmm, interesting..

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

I was in Italy for a couple weeks this past month.

I saw very, very few EVs.

Liquid fuel was very expensive, but I think power is even more limited there.

I stayed at three seperate airbnbs. I was told by each host that we have an air conditioner, a dish washer and a washing machine. Do not try and run more than one at a time or you will blow the main breaker. Not much excess power to charge cars it seems, especially in the rural areas.

[BdaGhisallo]

Originally Posted by fourflys

but, to your point.. I imagine EVs would be a lot bigger in Europe based on fuel prices and the fact that, I think, trips are often more local compared to trips/commutes in the US (plus if there is a longer commute, public transit seems eons better than what we have here)..

Sales of EVs in Germany plunged by 55% in Jan 2024 after government subsidies ended in December.

It's almost as if there is little natural demand for these things.

[zap]

Originally Posted by fourflys

2. was that gas or diesel? I know there used to be more diesel vehicles in Europe vs gas as gas was much more expensive.. not sure what the landscape is like now..

Gas.

I saw fewer diesels in Germany last month vs 10 years ago. Some in my family switched from diesel to gas as diesels were starting to get banned in some towns. I saw a number of 10+ year old diesels on the Autobahn spewing black soot like an old WW2 battleship setting up a smoke screen. Pretty disgusting.

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by zap

Gas.

I saw fewer diesels in Germany last month vs 10 years ago. Some in my family switched from diesel to gas as diesels were starting to get banned in some towns. I saw a number of 10+ year old diesels on the Autobahn spewing black soot like an old WW2 battleship setting up a smoke screen. Pretty disgusting.

fair enough, it's been 15 yrs since I was over there, so things have certainly changed, I'm sure!

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by BdaGhisallo

Sales of EVs in Germany plunged by 55% in Jan 2024 after government subsidies ended in December.

It's almost as if there is little natural demand for these things.

The demand clearly waxes and wanes. There can be little doubt that the tax breaks and subsidies create artificial demand. It’s too bad the vehicles can be polarizing. At the end of the day it’s just a car. Where I live there are tons of EVs from all brands, but Teslas are the most prominent. And Teslas (for all the CEO’s shortcomings) are selling. They just reported a very good Q3.

We’ll see what the future holds.

I take delivery of a 2024 Miata either later today or tomorrow. I wanted a mostly analog car while they’re still available. Can’t wait to try it out but not looking forward to pumping gas again. But looking forward to being able to adjust the heat with a physical knob, turn wipers on an off with a physical stalk. Turn lights on and off with a physical control.

That’s my biggest gripe on my Tesla - everything is done through the screen with layers of menus and sub-menus. At least mine still has physical turn stalks. The new ones do everything through haptic buttons on the steering wheel.

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by saab2000

That’s my biggest gripe on my Tesla - everything is done through the screen with layers of menus and sub-menus. At least mine still has physical turn stalks. The new ones do everything through haptic buttons on the steering wheel.

yep, that's an issue on a lot of new ICE cars as well..

and congrats on the Miata!! I had an NB (99, autoX prepped) that was so awesome.. should have never sold it! (who cares it didn't fit a carseat!) I would like to pick up an ND one day.. enjoy, Miata is ALWAYS the right answer..