Electric Vehicles?

[highfigh]

Saw my first cyber truck up close the other day. It’s even more horrific. Seen them on the road, but standing next to one made me appreciate true automotive design more than ever. To call it Fugly would be generous.

I recently saw one with the tailgate lowered, and inside was, well, it looked like LUMBER!

 

[j_garcia]

On EV side - I find myself significantly more comfortable driving my EV9 than my old Accord. Even in Accord's 2.0T engine in sports mode - the torque and instant acceleration aren't nearly as good as EV9's

As much as I love driving my STI and it is just as quick, it doesn't have that instant plateau of torque. It also doesn't have the technology and connectivity of a modern car.

Cybertrucks are pretty common here. The very first one I saw in a parking lot, just a quick glance and you could see the uneven panel gaps. There are a few here in my subdivision, presumably because Tesla workers live here since I am close to the factory. Now that it has started to rain, you instantly see the issue with SST. Basically, good luck trying to keep that thing clean. About 50% of them get the wrap, which I think is a better idea, appearance wise. We see matte black, blue, white, and red. It seems only the first gen received the option of a factory wrap and it is no longer available.

 

[Mikado463]

I read that GM has just scuttled an EV support plant (batteries ?) in Michigan, more and more smaller EV entities are heading towards financial skid row..........

 

[j_garcia]

That battery plant closure was announced mid 2023, so it isn't new. They sold it off to LG, their partner in development for batteries.

There is also a Canadian plant that is being converted to produce an EV delivery van.

 

[Mikado463]

That battery plant closure was announced mid 2023, so it isn't new. They sold it off to LG, their partner in development for batteries.

yep, just found the article, apparently it was conceived on the belief GM would be producing 1 million EV's by 2025, LMAO !

 

[j_garcia]

yep, just found the article, apparently it was conceived on the belief GM would be producing 1 million EV's by 2025, LMAO !

Then they better start building power plants and chargers

I was in another town recently on Thanksgiving and went to the one near-by Chargepoint charger. It was badly damaged, clearly vandalism. First time I've seen that, but there are a lot of homeless in that area. We've used that one before, so it was disappointing.

 

[Mikado463]

More EV shutdowns...........

Promising electric vehicle plant in Joliet shuts down abruptly - The Times Weekly

Lion Electric has halted production at its Joliet plant and laid off 400 employees due to a downturn in electric vehicle sales, but Joliet Mayor Terry D'Arcy remains hopeful for the reopening of the site.

thetimesweekly.com

 

[Matt34]

We tried to top up at the only EA station in town after shopping and it was full with 3 cars waiting. So probably 45-1hr would have been spent if we had waited. Home charger is paying for itself in time saved.

 

[ryanosaur]

We tried to top up at the only EA station in town after shopping and it was full with 3 cars waiting. So probably 45-1hr would have been spent if we had waited. Home charger is paying for itself in time saved.

I’ve used a super charger all of twice in almost 2 years of ownership with my model y. all other charging done at home starting at 12:15am and charged up to 80%.
This is the way.

 

[lsiberian]

yep, just found the article, apparently it was conceived on the belief GM would be producing 1 million EV's by 2025, LMAO !

When I was at GM it was explained to me that the leaders of the company were friends with the leaders of the oil companies. The Volt and Bolt were fun innovations, but they never promoted them hard enough to get adoption.

 

[cpp]

Just came back from the doctor, and on I-95 a semi car hauler with 5 cyber trucks on it. Looked like a childrens overgrown lego set in motion. OH, I did enjoy seeing the big diesel Peterbilt 589 as up front power pulling the hauler..

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

Just came back from the doctor, and on I-95 a semi car hauler with 5 cyber trucks on it. Looked like a childrens overgrown lego set in motion. OH, I did enjoy seeing the big diesel Peterbilt 589 as up front power pulling the hauler..

ROFL!!!!

 

[Mikado463]

Dodge Boys, you done good...........

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2024-dodge-charger-daytona-first-drive-review/?utm_campaign=MOTORTREND-Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=SES&utm_type=organic&utm_content=20241212_MOTORTREND-Newsletter&utm_term=embargo-121124-2101-pt-dodge-charger-daytona-first-drive&email_subject=Dodge%20Charger%20Daytona%20EV%20DRIVEN!!!&email_list_name=motortrend&n_emid=e629a0bf364c03ea8835d8ddf319fe42&element_parent=Featured%20Stories&element_name=Driven!%20The%202024%20Dodge%20Charger%20Daytona%20Muscles%20into%20the%20Electric%20Era

 

[3db]

I've been saying this statement ever since the big push for EVs and the claimed reduction of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. "NOTHING IS FREE IN NATURE WHEN IT COMES TO PRODUCING ENERGY. IT ALL HAS TRADE OFFS" Here's an interesting article that indicates that the manufacturing of batteries produces more EV in the life time of the EV vehicle compared to that of internal combustion engines.

The Environmental Impact of Battery Production for EVs

While the principle of lower emissions behind electric vehicles is commendable, the environmental impact of battery production is still up for debate.

earth.org

 

[j_garcia]

I've been saying this statement ever since the big push for EVs and the claimed reduction of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. "NOTHING IS FREE IN NATURE WHEN IT COMES TO PRODUCING ENERGY. IT ALL HAS TRADE OFFS" Here's an interesting article that indicates that the manufacturing of batteries produces more EV in the life time of the EV vehicle compared to that of internal combustion engines.

The Environmental Impact of Battery Production for EVs

While the principle of lower emissions behind electric vehicles is commendable, the environmental impact of battery production is still up for debate.

earth.org

While there is an impact, that article is a year old. Battery chemistries are changing and the requirements and impact of their production are already much better than 1 year ago. Hybrids use Lithium-Ion batteries, while many EVs have switched to other chemistries because they have a different charging cycle vs. hybrids. The lifetime of these batteries is also far longer than many anticipated, with some first generation Tesla Model S's still being on the road as much as 15 years now.

A friend just came back from a few weeks in China and she said the air quality was dramatically improved vs. just a few years ago, likely due in part to mass EV adoption. So while there may be pollution still generated by the process, it isn't driving around the city where you live every day. OK, the impact is indirect instead of direct, but it is still present, though that will change over time as technology improves.

India has an emissions problem because almost every vehicle there is diesel simply because diesel is cheap.

 

[3db]

While there is an impact, that article is a year old. Battery chemistries are changing and the requirements and impact of their production are already much better than 1 year ago. Hybrids use Lithium-Ion batteries, while many EVs have switched to other chemistries because they have a different charging cycle vs. hybrids. The lifetime of these batteries is also far longer than many anticipated, with some first generation Tesla Model S's still being on the road as much as 15 years now.

A friend just came back from a few weeks in China and she said the air quality was dramatically improved vs. just a few years ago, likely due in part to mass EV adoption. So while there may be pollution still generated by the process, it isn't driving around the city where you live every day. OK, the impact is indirect instead of direct, but it is still present, though that will change over time as technology improves.

India has an emissions problem because almost every vehicle there is diesel simply because diesel is cheap.

I suspect the slant of these stories be it pro or con of EVs is very political and the real truth will seldomly be revealed. Its interesting that the article concludes that indirect impact is greater of EVs than the combined direct and indirect impact of ICE. Did you know Lithium is toxic? Mining it also releases toxins in the air not only from the equipment but from the gases that occur naturally with Lithium? All Im saying is that we cannot accept that EVs are a pancea and do nothing to keep reducing the environmental impact. Education is key so that an informed decisions can be made.

 

[j_garcia]

For sure. If you read an article that is produced by a gas company or its subsidiaries, it will obviously be slanted toward their view. If you read an EV or battery manufacturer's article, the same will be the case. It is what you said already, there is no free ride.

Most batteries are still Lithium based, so there is no getting around that, and it is likely the most dangerous aspect of batteries.

 

[Trell]

While there is an impact, that article is a year old. Battery chemistries are changing and the requirements and impact of their production are already much better than 1 year ago. Hybrids use Lithium-Ion batteries, while many EVs have switched to other chemistries because they have a different charging cycle vs. hybrids. The lifetime of these batteries is also far longer than many anticipated, with some first generation Tesla Model S's still being on the road as much as 15 years now.

They are still Lithium-Ion batteries but have different chemistries among their group used in EV. What they try to achieve is some "optimal" combination of charging cycles, storage capacity, current capacity, cold/heat performance, safety etc for common usages.

What I can tell you: I would never depend on an EV in some parts of Sweden/Norway during winter as it's real cold along with great distances to the next house and so forth.

 

[j_garcia]

There are other options for batteries, but they don't have the efficiency , power density and cycle life that Lithium based batteries do. (NiMH for example) That's why hybrids use Lithium Ion batteries almost exclusively, the constant charge/discharge cycles.

It does not get much below the 30s here, but I still noticed my range is lower now in winter. It seems keeping a little heat on in the car is a much bigger penalty than A/C. Oddly, the seat heater seems to be more efficient than the heater, but using both will mean I will have to charge more lol. My commute is ~6 mi one way so it isn't a huge deal, but I noticed it for sure. Ioniqs all come with the battery conditioner, but if I lived in a colder area, I would not have gotten an EV. I still have the STI

 

[Trell]

There are other options for batteries, but they don't have the efficiency , power density and cycle life that Lithium based batteries do. (NiMH for example) That's why hybrids use Lithium Ion batteries almost exclusively, the constant charge/discharge cycles.

But the other options are as of yet lacking. So here we are.

Edit: I'm not sure why you brought up NiMH cells as they won't have the current capacity for an EV,