Reality check on electric cars

[Nordberg]

And, if you own a Tesla, the savings in gas costs per year are more than made up for by it having the most expensive insurance (except for a Maserati) of any car in the US...

Why would I want Tesla? You note the ICE/Trumpys always say Tesla, one of the most expensive EVs. I suppose we should compare insurance Tesla To Rolls Royce.

 

[Into the Night]

What a magpie. Chirping the same wrong shit over and over.

You are describing yourself again. Inversion fallacy.

259 miles.

Whoopie. You seem to think this is somehow fantastic.

as it slowly diminishes in range is equivalent to your tank of gas.

Gas tanks don't get smaller. Batteries hold less of a charge as they age. Range of the vehicle is reduced.

You do know ICEs get worse mileage as they age, don't you?

No, they don't. Just maintain the car.

Does that scare you?

No. I maintain my vehicles.

I have never once had to wait hours at a charging station.

Never said you did. A lot of people do though.

I know nobody who has.

Argument of ignorance fallacy.

That is only relevant if you are traveling hundreds of miles.

Nope. It is the only option for a lot of people driving EVs. They have no garage.

That is why level 3 fast chargers are installed on highways.

Which damages the battery.

And as they get better, and they are getting better, charging time gets smaller.

Which damages the battery, reducing total range even faster.

 

[Into the Night]

And, if you own a Tesla, the savings in gas costs per year are more than made up for by it having the most expensive insurance (except for a Maserati) of any car in the US...

In addition to the higher cost of the car.

 

[Into the Night]

Why would I want Tesla? You note the ICE/Trumpys always say Tesla, one of the most expensive EVs. I suppose we should compare insurance Tesla To Rolls Royce.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! A Tesla is no Rolls Royce!

 

[T. A. Gardner]

Why would I want Tesla? You note the ICE/Trumpys always say Tesla, one of the most expensive EVs. I suppose we should compare insurance Tesla To Rolls Royce.

It's the leader in sales--such as that goes. The rest of the pack are mostly vehicles the companies making them would rather not be making them.

 

[Nordberg]

Here is the maintenance costs on a typical ICE. https://www.carscoops.com/2019/12/b...topping-maintenance-costs/#Echobox=1672434066 It is an expensive car, like Tesla at the top of EVs.

 

[Hawkeye10]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1608259569037512704

 

[Into the Night]

Here is the maintenance costs on a typical ICE. https://www.carscoops.com/2019/12/b...topping-maintenance-costs/#Echobox=1672434066 It is an expensive car, like Tesla at the top of EVs.

That is not a typical ICE nor typical maintenance costs.

My maintenance cost for my 2017 Subaru since I bought it new:
Regular wash and interior cleaning, one new set of tires total, 2 sets of wipers total, and about $30 in oil change per year. It has required no other maintenance. I drive this car a LOT, including regular trips across country.
My tractor gets greased on a regular basis. It's oil change isn't due for quite some time.
My truck was older (2007) and required repairing damage done by incompetent mechanics used by the previous owner. I have restored it's condition, and it requires little maintenance now. Just oil changes about once a year, and the usual tires, wash, and clean. That thing is a workhorse, able to easily tow 6000lbs. That truck is now worth more than when I bought it.

Your POS Chevy Bolt requires regular wash and cleaning, just like any car. It requires changing tires out when worn, and replacing wipers when worn or UV hardened. After only a few years, it's resale value is shit. The battery ages over time, reducing range at full charge. Replacing it is EXPENSIVE! It can only be serviced the dealer. You cannot do your own work on it like I can with my ICE cars. It costs more than an equivalent gasoline car too. A lot more.

My tractor works in the field. There is no place to charge an EV there. All I need is a diesel fuel can to refuel it in a few minutes, right there in the field.
Both of my cars I refuel by simply driving into any convenient station and refuel it in minutes (instead of hours, like yours). I can continue on with my trip in just a few minutes. You have to wait hours to continue such a trip.

Of course, you don't take your Bolt on trips. You barely drive it at all.

 

[Into the Night]

Lithium mining. Note the little dots down in the pit and making their way up the long winding road. Those are huge mining trucks. All of them run on diesel fuel.

 

[Into the Night]

Lithium extraction settling ponds. That's sulfuric acid you see there leaching into the soil.

 

[Into the Night]

A lithium ore ship. These babies run on diesel oil, crossing oceans to get ore to China battery manufacturers. An entire fleet of these things shuttle ore to China.

 

[Into the Night]

A lithium battery manufacturing plant in China.

 

[Into the Night]

Back on ships again, the finished batteries head to EV car manufacturers, including Tesla and General Motors. More diesel fuel spent shipping batteries or their components around.

 

[Into the Night]

Once the ship makes port, trucks carry it to the manufacturers. More diesel fuel used.

 

[Into the Night]

A plant operated by GM to combine lithium cells into battery packs for their EV cars such as the Chevy Bolt. After this, it's back on semi-trucks again to ship the finished packs to where the cars themselves are being manufactured.

 

[Into the Night]

Trucks carrying batteries or their components must have these labels on them as required by the DOT. Note the class 1.4G explosives warning, the oxidizer warning, and the specific warning concerning these batteries. This, of course, requires specially rated drivers to handle shipping these materials, as required by the DOT. This makes the truck shipping that much more expensive.

 

[Into the Night]

Finally the GM factory floor, where the EV's are built. Here the battery packs that have so far required enormous amounts of strip mining using diesel engines, toxic sulfur tailings, shipping across a couple of oceans by diesel burning ships, hazmat rated trucks which all burn diesel fuel, are mounted into the car. This image shows the motor assembly and testing area.

 

[Into the Night]

And finally a car like the Chevy Bolt. Back on hazmat labelled trucks again (this time car carriers) to get this finished product to the dealerships.

The pride and joy of Nordberg.

This vehicle has a range of 260 miles on a full charge.

 

[Into the Night]

Of course, to charge the car, you must use electric power. This power plant burns natural gas.

 

[Into the Night]

Nordberg claims to charge his car on solar power (at night!!!).

Solar panels ain't cheap. The produce little power and are subject to all kinds of damage, requiring replacement (EXPENSIVE!!!). Attempting to charge an EV like the Chevy Bolt would require days, not hours if using only solar power panels.

Damage caused by birds. The panels had to be replaced.

Damage caused by hail. The panels had to be replaced.

Damage caused by rodents, which resulted in a fire. The panels had to be replaced, along with their associated wiring.

Damage caused by high winds. The panels and all mounting hardware and associated wiring had to be replaced.

Damage from snowfall. Only some panels had to be replaced. NONE of them produced power until the snow and ice melted.