Sorry but battery electric vehicles won’t replace gasoline engine vehicles

Besides reading this article which happens to be 2 years old is still relevant today. A lot of the articles about BEV adoption is unrealistic nonsense that everyone will be switching away from gas/diesel combustion engine vehicles to battery electrics.

Without engines electric cars might be sputtering out

It may work in places like Norway where the population is only 5 million. In comparison the United States has over 300 million people. China’s EV sales only account for more than just 3% (figuring this info wasn’t easy and could be incorrect) but globally gasoline vehicles still account for over 95% of sales. The oil industry nearly collapsed and will more than likely have a nasty repercussion if gasoline vehicle sales drop in favor of battery electric. So even with looming bans of combustion engine vehicles the combustion engine vehicle sales will not only increase but continue to skyrocket as less public transportation is used for daily commutes due to the coronavirus outbreak. Not only that the oil industry will more than likely invest in combustion engine vehicles and potentially sell them cheaper than the dealer price will. Already Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge has accelerated production (before the coronavirus) so they were already prepared for a shutdown and pushed much of the inventory onto dealers. The dealerships were not happy but with extra inventory at hand they didn’t have to deal with the shutdowns of auto factories limiting the amount of vehicles being sold. But as factories are reopened the inventory levels should return to normal.

Auto sales are suffering especially for gas vehicles, but it’s to be expected when people don’t want to go outside. Some people and companies may think that electric vehicles are on the rise and the sales supposedly are not bad but they still haven’t surpassed gasoline vehicle sales. China sales overall really sunk as the outbreak was really bad there.

While over 95% of vehicle sales are going to gas (this includes hybrids) vehicles it isnt looking optimistic for electric vehicles and that wont change much, at least for the next several years. I still think the carpocalypse is still going to happen when countries try to ban combustion engine vehicles auto sales will be crushed. I mean if 1 out of every 1,000 is buying electric worldwide and that accounts to 50,000 electric out of 50,000,000 (this isnt accurate numbers) gasoline that’ll look more like 10,000 electric out of 50,000,000 gasoline sold. Eventually it’ll happen no matter what because most people wont even look at or touch a battery electric. When people go look at a car most of them dont even question the source of power. They go in and expect to buy a car that runs off of gas or diesel. This is why straight gas Honda Civics are still being sold despite having a hybrid battery option the majority still prefer straight gas.

You dont need to plug in a hybrid because the battery gets charged by the engine and brakes. Some are plug in hybrids but again most people wont consider a car they gotta plug in.

For now especially with public transportation commuters they will be buying an economical vehicle in which both Honda and Toyota offer gas and hybrids. So expect more Camry’s, Corolla’s, Civics and Accords being sold. The used market may dry up from many car buyers and will later on switch to new. It’s not easy finding a used Honda at the moment, though if you look hard enough you can find one. They’re just so good that new car buyers are still holding onto them. Either way except a ton of sedans being sold over the next couple of years.

So where does this leave the future of the car? No matter what people say or what governments will try and do electric cars wont sell a ton. They can fine the auto industry for not having electric vehicle sales but it doesn’t really matter. Battery electric vehicles are not practical. They can add recharge stations and put some chargers into residential areas but the truth is, they wont ever gain traction over the combustion engine vehicle. People wont buy a car you have to plug in. People wont buy one because they wont remember to plug it in. We’re used to going to a gas station to refuel and it refuels in minutes. When you forget to plug in an EV, it can take hours.

Electric vehicles are not the solution but an alternative energy source that’s 100% clean that’ll work in existing gasoline vehicles. That is far more practical and more than likely already underway by the oil industry. Eventually you can fuel a vehicle from home, it doesn’t have to be battery electric either. We all want clean air but it’s pointless to argue how or what to use to get there. It doesn’t even matter which is better because we worked with combustion engine vehicles for over 100 years and not one person has said, “well gee whiz, this car is so energy inefficient I wish I had a car that was far more efficient” because gasoline vehicles are energy efficient enough. You wont notice the difference other than that gas tank is smaller and lighter than any electric car battery. In fact I think electric car batteries are less efficient due to the weight/size of them. A Tesla weighs 5,000lbs while a Honda Civic only weighs under 3,000lbs. An extra 2,000lbs just for the battery. While some pony/muscle cars can weigh up to 4,500lbs its mostly due to the extra power/engine size. Other electric vehicles weigh roughly the same.

While electricity costs are low its because the demand generally is not there but in places where EVs are being driven, electric costs are going up. If EVs were replaced by gasoline vehicles today the electric cost would double and even triple. This is not just for EVs but you’ll be spending up to 3x to run any electric device at home. California already has electric costs at $0.31kW/h or higher. Illinois currently has $0.12kW/h. I shouldn’t have to pay more just so the people down the street can charge their vehicles. And I’m glad the neighbors dont have an electric car. I’ll be even more glad they wont consider  buying one. Because battery electric isnt the only clean renewable out there.

Hydrogen is the best bet, but i hope there is a better alternative to gas for the cars already on the road today. Because eventually we’ll have to abandon gas. It just should not be a car that you have to plug in to recharge it every night. Battery electric vehicles may be able to tow a lot but not for very long. Gas and diesel still has better towing range. Dont expect that Cybertruck from Tesla to get 100 miles towing a boat.

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Battery electric vehicles are an inconvenience and a hassle

Oh no not another electric vehicle post. Sorry, not sorry but with this extreme push for battery electric vehicles or BEVs I have to show the negative sides of them and why its best to wait around for hydrogen fuel cells.

 

1. Limited range

Batteries can only store so much energy and even with the advances the more range you’re looking for the more expensive they’ll be. A Tesla model 3 costs around $40k when you factor taxes, charging equipment and hire an electrician to get the most out of recharging. But let’s face it, for $20k I can get more range out of a muscle car.

2. Recharging time

Even though you may charge at home and ‘wake up every morning with a full tank’ it still takes time to charge and our electric grid is unreliable at best. You will be waking up one day without power and your 220 mile Tesla is now a 50 mile range vehicle with no place to charge because well.. no power. Most gas stations will have a backup generator allowing motorists to continue driving around. But you are stuck with a 50 mile driving range. Doesnt work if you daily drive more than 20 miles, even if you do manage to make it into work you will still need a recharge. Imagine having to wait hours and hours in a public charging station because everyone else who owns a Tesla or other EV will be waiting in line because they lost power. Either that or they traveled too far and need a recharge. A minimum  of 30 minutes for an EV or a 5 minute refueling time for gasoline those who drive gas will not generally be affected by power loss, unless the gas station you went to doesnt have a backup generator… it’s best to ask.

 

3. Range is limited in the cold

My friend had a Tesla with a 300 mile range. When it was 20F he woke up to a half charge with a range of 100 miles. He thought well, I only work 20 miles away it’ll be fine. It was fine driving into work but upon driving home from work he got about 5 miles before the Tesla quit on him. He got rid of it and bought a Honda. 🤣😂

The cold is bad on lithium ion batteries. They don’t like the heat and they certainly dont like the cold. Adverse temperatures is bad for any battery, this is why you need to have your gas vehicle battery checked out every year, especially at winter time they can be an issue, in very cold weather. Stop and go driving is generally harder on them but using a battery electric car on the highway, that range doesnt come back because the car is doing everything it can to generate heat, however driving 60+ mph it takes longer for it to heat up so that heat is often wasted by that cold wind.

Gas cars are not impervious to cold weather either but well maintained gas vehicles will operate better in cold climates. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are the best in cold weather. Another reason why we need more of these vehicles.

 

4. The electric grid won’t handle a BEV takeover

You know I read in the Chicago Tribune that best charging times will be after 2:00A.M. I leave for work by 3:30A.M. there is no way it’ll finish charging by the time I have to leave for work. Even then this is another inconvenience, you gotta charge on their rules, not when it’s convenient for you. Not everyone has the same routines and here again, the recharge time and power reliability. You can gas up your vehicle any time you need to but charging is different. Sure you can charge anytime you want, but you won’t get the best rates. And when this happens rates for electricity will still go up when too many are plugging in. We bought energy efficient appliances because we wanted to save money on electricity but not only that its because the grid is taxed by energy draining devices.

 

5. Lithium ion materials are not easy to get

Even with all these BEVs coming out, there is a lithium ion supply shortage. We dont have a reliable supply, like gas it’s a finite resource. And when resources become scarce the prices go up. If you need a replacement battery and you sold your gas clunker for a shiny EV but the battery died, well who’s to say they’ll have a replacement on standby for you. If all their loaner vehicles are in use, you may be stuck paying for a $35 daily rental for however long. Could be a week or it could be months. In reality, you’re better off sticking to a gas vehicle. You may need a replacement engine or transmission which isnt that common, at least they have the parts needed to get you back on the road as quickly as possible. May take a few days to a week but that’s nothing compared to how long people had to wait for a replacement Tesla part.

 

6. How long will that battery last? The cost of owning a BEV

I don’t know. Often times they’ll say it’ll get 300k easy but when gas vehicles get that much and more you want to think more in terms of, how many years will the batteries last. Currently you can get 30+ years out of a Honda or Toyota.. basically any well built vehicle will last you if you keep up on the preventative maintenance. Regular oil and other fluid changes are needed for your vehicle’s survival. Fresh fluids equals a happy vehicle that will take care of your transportation needs but also regular checkups and taking it easy on the gas when you dont really need all that horsepower going. Leave it for the highway ramps.

Anyways the only real ways to treat a battery right on these EVs is charge it only to 80% and leave 30% left. Not exactly leaving you with much range there, along with the cold you’re just not going anywhere fast. Ideally you want a garage but if you park on the street or in an apartment complex that just isnt possible. The same with being at work, you have to leave the vehicle outside. Adverse weather will degrade the batteries. I can’t even keep all my cars in a garage. Let alone they are parked outside at work for 10 hours. BEVs just wouldn’t work.

But at the most I’ve seen a battery last is 10 years. But most of them last 3-7 years depending on various reasons I wont get into but somehow EVs could top all those batteries? The cost alone wouldn’t be worth it seeing as it would take in my case, 10 years before seeing savings from driving a BEV.

Even if the batteries were to die in 12 years or so, it’s still not worth it. Batteries are another environmental concern and the fact that eventually we will have to dispose of them. Regardless if there was a 2nd application for them. What happens when they are no longer usable?

I dont know either but the oldest BEV battery I know of is at least 8 years old. It’s only a matter of time before we find out the cutoff point and I’m not willing to risk a battery dying 8 years down the road and your warranty has expired. Non Tesla batteries are more prone to failure but eventually even Tesla batteries will drop like an anchor. Right now its the tipping point for these batteries. Will they last longer than 10 years or will they all start to die out after the warranty has ended. This will definitely create major problems for anyone who owns a BEV.

By the time these batteries start to fizzle out, hydrogen should be around the corner. There are hybrids as well but the batteries don’t really last in those vehicles and it’s a gamble whether the vehicle will function adequately when the battery no longer holds a charge. In my opinion buy a Honda or Toyota if you want to spend the least amount of money. Those vehicles last forever and get pretty good gas mileage. Wait for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and ignore the BEV evangelists. They really are not helping and neither is the government that is trying very hard to get people to buy an expensive piece of battery powered machinery with no telling how long they’ll last. They very well could end up being a financial nightmare for the owners if that battery one day will just quit. And that will happen eventually.

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EV batteries are a fire risk

Yes another EV post but this one should be taken seriously as there is a fire risk with the batteries.

Tesla driver dies in horrible crash and the battery won’t stop burning

There is Teslas on the road who get into accidents and survive. Internal combustion engines (gas vehicles) do also catch fire some are defects others are from poor maintence and some are just freak fires.

EV batteries, lithium ion do not generally cause a fire or explode. Usually that happens due to defects, improper battery replacements or using an incorrect cord. EV batteries also store a ton more energy so recharging them would require an outlet that is capable of handling that sort of power.

However the biggest threat is that if the battery is punctured, the battery can explode. Tesla does use materials to protect the battery in an accident but they can still be punctured. Look up lithium battery explosions on YouTube and you’ll understand how dangerous these batteries can be.

Until they can come up with a safer method for a futuristic cleaner vehicle it’s best to stick with gas vehicles. An EV enthusiast will try to claim otherwise that they are safer but the fact the batteries reignite the fire they are a major hazard. Don’t let these people try to force you into buying an EV.

There are a few hybrids that use nickel metal batteries, these are far more safer. Whether they are good for vehicle usage is another story but avoid any vehicle using lithium ion batteries. Not only they are a fire hazard, the gas released from them are toxic.

I’m waiting on hydrogen that will work on existing internal combustion engines.

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Climate change, forced EV adoption and buying a new car

Remember when I wrote about how EVs or electric vehicles are not the future? Yeah well more car makers are investing a lot of money in being optimistic about EV adoption. A few countries have heavily invested in replacing gas with EVs. California is pushing EVs but isn’t exactly pushing when much of the state already would embrace this newish technology and Colorado wants to do the same.

Illinois governor JB Pritzker recently signed off on the Paris Accords so now Illinois has to reduce its carbon emissions by 28% and that deadline is 2025. That means reducing the amount of gas vehicles and coal plants.

Now I’m all for cleaner energy but not at the expense of spending more money, or affecting what I can or cannot buy. I don’t know what will actually happen because really this carbon reduction goal is way out of reach. Especially when many people already purchased a new vehicle.

And I’m looking to buy a new car but still not enough money saved and most likely won’t have it until 2021. Between now and 2021 this gives this dumb governor enough time to come up with moronic laws or regulations pertaining to what kind of vehicles you can get. In which I hope not because I’m looking for a new Dodge Challenger. Yes, but the V6 option which has more than enough horsepower to drive during the summer. Hopefully by then I’ll have some way to fix the rust underneath my aging Grand Am that I want to keep on the road for awhile at least until I can get a truck or SUV. The Grand Am will be for winter driving and eventually be retired in a barn somewhere so when I’m an old geezer I can still take the car out to drive if I want some nostalgia. Most people wouldn’t hold onto their vehicles for very long and generally because they don’t take extra care with them. That’s another subject matter though.

I don’t know where this JB Pritzker guy is making Illinois heading towards but with a couple of states already pushing EVs out and 11 other states considering this, I worry what’s going to happen. I’m a firm believer in people spending the money they earn on what they want and need. A car can be both, you need one and you might as well buy one that you can enjoy.

The reason for me wanting the V6 Challenger and not the V8 isn’t for the sake of the environment or for trying to avoid an EV so if I use less carbon emissions it might be ok it’s mostly because I wouldn’t need all that horsepower, if I could even handle 500+. 300 hp is enough for now and I save money at the pump. 30mpg highway is pretty good and that’s what im looking for at the moment. I get about the same with the Grand Am but it’s possible that I may get more than 30mpg with the Challenger saving even more money since I’m not really a leadfoot and mostly stick to speed limits. We’ll see what happens there. On a side note Dodge is implementing a mild hybrid which is an advanced stop and start system. If you let off the gas to coast the car shuts off while the 48v battery takes over basic functions like power steering, brakes, A.C. or heat, lights and radio. Sounds interesting but is fairly expensive. I doubt the 2020 will have it and may not be employed until 2025 when car companies have to meet certain emission deadlines.

Now like I said I’m all for cleaner emissions saving the environment, blah blah blah. However that doesn’t mean changing to a Tesla or other EV because this is relatively new technology and there’s a big paradigm shift in the way these vehicles are refuled. Most people who don’t own a garage will never see the benefits in owning an EV. And the costs may not drop down anytime soon although Tesla and the other major car makers are trying very hard to make it possible.

They got many issues ahead and I don’t really have anything against EVs. It’s that they’re not ready for prime time because of the different fueling methods and the additional costs that come with them. There’s also a lack of options making it less appealing. It shouldn’t be rushed because we’ll still be here in 50 years still trying to change for the sake of the environment. There’s a lot of theories going around. Yes we should cut our pollution and dependency on fossil fuels but there is plenty of time. There really isn’t any need to toss away billions of dollars all at once or jobs as if everyone switched to EVs there’s going to be a lot of lay offs. Less moving parts is less maintence, less parts being produced and sold in part stores. It’s going to cause another recession. For me I would prefer to keep driving a gas vehicle, there’s always alternative fuels for gas that hasn’t been discovered yet. So I wouldn’t want to own an EV because the technology is too different for an expensive vehicle. And it’s powered by batteries. So it wouldn’t be a very good idea to toss away billions of dollars towards junking gas for EVs.

EVs are good in the sense that not everyone wants to maintain a gas vehicle and it’s an alternative fuel source but for right now, it’s not a replacement for gas as the technology is different and takes longer to refuel, not everyone has access to a charging outlet rated for EV charging. I don’t want an EV and shouldn’t be forced into it and neither should anyone else. This also includes hybrids.

One last thing to note while Tesla has shown that it has incredible acceleration the Dodge Hellcat and Demon (both Challenger trims) is still faster due to more horsepower. The only reason Teslas are quicker in the 0-60 tests is they are heavier, all wheel drive and this reduces wheel slippage. Their stock tires are most likely better as well. Dodge doesn’t put proper racing tires on. There’s a couple of videos on a Tesla vs a Hellcat or Demon where the rematch shows the Dodge winning after some proper tires. So while Teslas are quite impressive in launching power it’s really just dumb luck the massively heavy battery is actually a benefit. Most other EVs don’t have this sort of power.

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