Vehicle Anxiety

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Rednaxs60

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Location
Victoria, BC,
Was out for breakfast the other day with a friend who owns an electric Smart Car. During the summer he told me the range for this car around town was a solid 150 Kms. Pretty good for an around town, don't leave the city car.

He has informed me that he is going to sell the Smart Car because he is having distance anxiety with it. I asked what he meant by this and was told it has to do with the range of the vehicle coming into the cold season, charging stations, and the likes.

The EVs that have a greater range will also fall into this category. Colder weather, especially where there is snow, commuter congestion, need to operate the defrost and heaters, having to start the car and let it warm up inside so you can see and be relatively comfortable, is going to be a challenge for those with an EV.

Charging stations will be at a premium. Are there charging stations available. Supply and demand.

Driving to work and finding a charging station to get a charge will be challenging. Using a charging station in the morning, then letting the EV sit for the day may not be the best way ahead. The fact that you should move your EV after charging it will require you to stay with the EV until this is required, or you have to return to the EV to move it. there will probably be a number of people wanting to use the charger.

Not using the EV may not be an option. Is there a transportation infrastructure that allows you to park your EV and still get to work, go shopping, and other necessary outings. What about taking the children to their after school activities?

What is one supposed to do? One solution that is prevalent amongst the EV crowd is to own a second vehicle, an ICE vehicle that clearly demonstrates that the ICE vehicle is not going to the boneyard without a fight.

The EV phenomenon that is being promoted today, that the big four killed back in the early 2000s, and the fact that the EV has been around for over 100 years is going to be a challenge for countries to make good on its promise to kill the ICE vehicle.

Supply and demand for the resumes necessary to produce the EV is not a renewable resource. China owns and controls more than 75% of the world's rare earth minerals necessary for battery production. It is claimed that there may be some 75 years of supply available, after which not much is known.

This could be refuted by the supporters of the EV phenomenon and the way ahead by mentioning that by this time, new technologies will be available. This may very well be the case; however, research and development is costly and will come with a significant price should a new or newer technology come on line.

The EV phenomenon is having a significant impact on the petroleum industry, and will continue to do so for years to come. The shutting down, or even reducing the production capability will change the pricing structure and the cost of petroleum fuel for the masses.

It is my assertion that the ICE vehicle is not going away anytime soon, nor will the future be able to eliminate the ICE vehicle.

Canada's prime Minister has gone on national TV and stated that he guarantees that Canada will meet its environmental targets going into the 2030s. A bold and arrogant statement considering our Prime Ministers have a four year tenure to get things done. If the present Prime Minister is not in office after the next election, all bets are off.

The general population will/may accept government intervention in the short term, but not the long. Restricting our freedom to travel, where we want to go, how we do it and such will only be tolerated for a short time, even up here in the frozen north.

We are having new blinds installed. The business we are using informed us before committing that it is not possible to purchase blinds that have exposed cords. This is because there have been incidents where children have been harmed because of the exposed cords. Instead of the parents being held accountable for this, child proof your home, our government has mandated industry to no longer sell blinds with exposed cords. This is the same as the EV phenomenon. When the fuel price escalated here in Canada, our Prime Minister publicly stated that if you don't like it, buy an EV or use an alternate form of transportation.

The Premier of BC did much the same. He went further and recommended that the good citizens of BC could car pool, or go out an hitch a ride with another motorist, or use the inefficient, sore fully lacking public transportation system.

I was asked if I would buy an EV, answered no. Do like the hybrid.

I'm not slamming the EV community, nor am I promoting the ICE community. We must do what we need to do to meet what we believe in, and how we intend to achieve this aim varies from person to person.

A long rant. Have a great day!:cool::cool:
 
My EV is not workin out so well, either...

ev1.jpgev2.jpg
 
This is one of the small Mercede's smart cars. Don't know if it is an early model or not.

Cold does affect the range, as does speed. The faster you travel the less range you have. Cold kills the range, and with the need for heat and keeping windows clear, range is further decreased. If you live in a climate such as Dan does, or even the moderate winter climate of Victoria, still a good choice for around town.

As more EVs come on line and used, I would suspect that the people who have bought these with the ownership profile being able to find accessible free charging stations whenever, and particularly where it is convenient, is going to be a challenge.

EV owners want free power, and a lot of charging stations are being changed to a pay system. New charging stations are a pay system when installed. Ontario has this issue and social media vilified the places that were once free, but now a pay system. Brother was quite amused with this. Want to drive a vehicle, pay for the fuel.

I'm waiting for the fall out when our governments start charging a yearly vehicle levy because of the road tax that is presently being lost to get people to purchase an EV. I have read that Australia is having this issue. Governments do not give anything away for free.

This past summer during our 17,000 Km trip, only saw one EV - a Tesla, at a charging station, this one was outside Thunder Bay. Mom and Dad were doing their best to entertain their kids. Play toys and such in the parking lot. Looked more like a roadside pull off. The place they stopped at had a restaurant, but it was closing. Time of day was getting on. Entertaining kids in a parking lot is not fun.

If an EV meets your driving and personal requirements, go for it.
 
EV is pretty much ideal here in So Cal. There are MANY Tesla's. In just about any group of cars there will be a couple.
At 1/3rd the electricity cost as gas, we might be buying one.
 
Go for it Dan. Come up here and we'll race for pink slips - oops showing my age.:cool::cool:

Know a fellow up here who has one, and has done a few long trips with it. Did the four corners the past year. Had to stick to the trip plan Tesla put out, but they enjoyed it. Any side trip/deviation from the charging circuit needs to be carefully considered.

If I only drove on lower Vancouver island, or the lower BC mainland, maybe, but I travel a bit further than that. If you are traveling north of Prince George, EV isn't happening. Getting to Prince George might be an issue too. Definitely not the vehicle to go to Tuktoyaktuk.

Found this trip for my 70th birthday. Ev might be challenged:
https://flytrippers.com/perfect-itinerary-for-an-epic-usa-roadtrip-all-48-states-at-once/
 
Read an article a while back about this fellow's trip south for the winter. He was very complimentary about the EV. Electricity cost for the trip was a whopping $85.00.

Then the article got better. Charging stations were not that plentiful and hard to find. The entrepreneurial spirit in the US had pay charging stations, and the cost varied significantly. Tesla charging stations were great for the Tesla crowd, but for other makes, need an adaptor. Charging stations were not always available where needed. He concluded that at this time in the EV craze, the charging challenge when travelling was not worth the headache.
 
Go for it Dan. Come up here and we'll race for pink slips - oops showing my age.:cool::cool:

Know a fellow up here who has one, and has done a few long trips with it. Did the four corners the past year. Had to stick to the trip plan Tesla put out, but they enjoyed it. Any side trip/deviation from the charging circuit needs to be carefully considered.

If I only drove on lower Vancouver island, or the lower BC mainland, maybe, but I travel a bit further than that. If you are traveling north of Prince George, EV isn't happening. Getting to Prince George might be an issue too. Definitely not the vehicle to go to Tuktoyaktuk.

Found this trip for my 70th birthday. Ev might be challenged:
https://flytrippers.com/perfect-itinerary-for-an-epic-usa-roadtrip-all-48-states-at-once/
I'll own all your vehicles Lol. Tesla dual motor in performance mode is very fast but that's not why I'd buy it. They're a comfortable and fun car to drive even conservatively.
Yeah I'd imagine a Northern and Alaska trip would be challenging if even possible in an EV.
 
Personally, believe the hybrid is the better choice. Takes advantage of the existing infrastructure, reduces total emissions, fuel efficient and can handle bad weather! Last year in Virginia, there was a major storm that caused I-95 to be backed up overnight with vehicles stuck for over 20 hours with no way to get off the highway. Some folks ran out of gas trying to stay warm. As DOT came to help, they were able to just give a few gallons of gas to get stuck cars going. If all of those cars were EV's, they would all have to be towed since there would be no way to recharge them to get them off the highway. We also experience coastal flooding. Folks cannot get to their "electric" chargers during floods without risk. ICE's can be made even more efficient when used in a hybrid application. Plus, the cost of a hybrid vs EV is about half the cost. Here is a nice comparison (dollars and cents):

 
Dan - you'll have to catch me first!:ROFLMAO:

Great video Gerry. Rationalizing what you do just on what is being put out there in the media outlets without delving further is a recipe for disaster. A person will be very disappointed with the end result.

Electricity supply, can't have nuclear or coal, hydro electric will be at a premium, not enough acreage to put in solar farms to compensate, geo thermal to operate steam turbine generating stations, and wind power farms are unsightly. Catch 22 in my books.

Hybrid is the way to go. Thinking a hybrid vehicle just before the supposed ban, too many elections and "experts' to go through in the next 13 or so years.

Scotty's video has some very good points. He didn't compare where a person lives because it changes the equation significantly as well.

There will be advances in battery technology, and power production here in North America will be at the forefront. The cost to do a wholesale change in our society is going to be astronomical, something like putting a moon base into operation.

The EV phenomenon is like the house prices of today. You can get a very good return on your investment, be starry eyed and sell your house for a considerable profit, but you still need a place to live and you will probably want to stay in the same area. Your hastily thought out plan now goes out the window, and the resounding oops and huge pucker factor kicks in. Seen it happen many times.
 
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