Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Sales of electric cars up by 43% in 2020

theguardian.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

111–120 of 519 posts

Re: Sales of electric cars up by 43% in 2020

#111

Post by theshrike79 »

guitarsteve wrote: post #42
angmarsbane wrote: post #17

One thing I keep getting tripped up on with EV cars is the usability during an emergency. I grew up in SoCal when there were rolling black-outs. Just this week, a windstorm took out my parent’s power for 3 days. I don’t view electricity to be as reliable as gas. What fact am I missing that can change my view on this?

In the Miami area after Hurricane Irma in 2017, we couldn’t find gas for our cars for about a week. I think the pumps for gas stations require electricity (which was also out) plus deliveries were disrupted by downed trees, traffic signal outages, etc. Just an anecdote that gasoline is not always available during crises. We did have electricity at home but neighboring buildings and neighborhoods had outages for a wee…

And even if gasoline is available, it will most likely be prioritised for logistics first. Trucks moving actual goods, buses, ambulances etc.

Also: People coming in with their Ford F-one-million with an umpteen-gallon fuel capacity and hogging all the fuel.

Re: Sales of electric cars up by 43% in 2020

#112

Post by _ph_ »

godmode2019 wrote: post #81

'Global sales' I hope everyone understands in China it is very hard to get a licence plate, the government allows you to get a licence plate if you buy a heavily subsidised electric car. The aim is to stimulate demand to develop an industry. Large cities also banned motorbikes and scooters, with the same aim. This is no way market driven demand, BYD is a very interesting company to look into. It is my understanding t…

Electric car sales are up in Germany by similar amounts. Completely without any force applied. The same in many European countries.

Re: Sales of electric cars up by 43% in 2020

#113

Post by root_axis »

angmarsbane wrote: post #17

One thing I keep getting tripped up on with EV cars is the usability during an emergency. I grew up in SoCal when there were rolling black-outs. Just this week, a windstorm took out my parent’s power for 3 days. I don’t view electricity to be as reliable as gas. What fact am I missing that can change my view on this?

You can't pump gas if there's no power to the pump. Electric is also nice because you don't have to queue up at a fueling station, this is especially convenient in situations where an outage is anticipated like in advance of inclement weather. Also, in a typical emergency situation if you're using your vehicle, it'll be taking you out of the disaster area into a place where electricity (and gas) will be available.

Re: Sales of electric cars up by 43% in 2020

#114

Post by redisman »

01100011 wrote: post #80
guitarsteve wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the Miami area after Hurricane Irma in 2017, we couldn’t find gas for our cars for about a week. I think the pumps for gas stations require electricity (which was also out) plus deliveries were disrupted by downed trees, traffic signal outages, etc. Just an anecdote that gasoline is not always available during crises. We did have electricity at home but neighboring buildings and neighborhoods had outages for a wee…

But it's not uncommon for people to have at least a gallon of gas stored in a typical suburban home. That's 20-30 miles of emergency travel if needed. I don't think most people can easily store enough electricity to give them 20-30 miles of EV range. Maybe that's possible with a powerwall type setup? I'd be happy to pick up a cheap( The math may change as gas prices spike over the next year. I think that will really…

I think the EV would on average have a higher charge than your gas tank level since you charge every day rather than once a week.

Re: Sales of electric cars up by 43% in 2020

#115

Post by theshrike79 »

01100011 wrote: post #80
guitarsteve wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the Miami area after Hurricane Irma in 2017, we couldn’t find gas for our cars for about a week. I think the pumps for gas stations require electricity (which was also out) plus deliveries were disrupted by downed trees, traffic signal outages, etc. Just an anecdote that gasoline is not always available during crises. We did have electricity at home but neighboring buildings and neighborhoods had outages for a wee…

But it's not uncommon for people to have at least a gallon of gas stored in a typical suburban home. That's 20-30 miles of emergency travel if needed. I don't think most people can easily store enough electricity to give them 20-30 miles of EV range. Maybe that's possible with a powerwall type setup? I'd be happy to pick up a cheap( The math may change as gas prices spike over the next year. I think that will really…

You can store fuel even if you have an EV.

Just use it to run a generator, they're generally more efficient than the average gas engine anyway. You can use the electricity generated to power your house and charge your car in an emergency.

Re: Sales of electric cars up by 43% in 2020

#116

Post by theshrike79 »

jjav wrote: post #106
extrapickles wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I only charge my car once a week, as it has almost exactly the same range as my old gasoline car (~300 miles). So if there is going to be a bad storm in the forecast, I will top it up, just like a gasoline car. If the outage is extended, there are plenty of DC fast chargers near enough to me that its unlikely that both me and them would face an extended outage, just like how in a gas car you might have to drive a few…

If the outage is caused by something large enough for it to last a longer time, it's very likely any charging stations near you are also out.

It's also very likely that any gas stations will be out, unless they hand-pump the stuff.

Re: Sales of electric cars up by 43% in 2020

#117

Post by clouddrover »

_ph_ wrote: post #112
godmode2019 wrote: post #81

'Global sales' I hope everyone understands in China it is very hard to get a licence plate, the government allows you to get a licence plate if you buy a heavily subsidised electric car. The aim is to stimulate demand to develop an industry. Large cities also banned motorbikes and scooters, with the same aim. This is no way market driven demand, BYD is a very interesting company to look into. It is my understanding t…

Electric car sales are up in Germany by similar amounts. Completely without any force applied. The same in many European countries.

Car companies must meet the EU fleet emissions standards and the only way most car companies will achieve that is by selling BEVs. Volkswagen and Renault are the top two BEV makers in Europe.

Toyota is in a good position with their fleet emissions because they've been selling hybrids for so long. They're not under as much pressure to start selling BEVs in high volumes.

Re: Sales of electric cars up by 43% in 2020

#118

Post by oblio »

paul7986 wrote: post #27

Can i get an electric car that I can go fill it's battery as fast as I can go fill my gasoline tank? That's when I'm getting one!

You're being downvoted because HN loves electric car, but for the layman, that's their thought process:

1. Does the EV cost as much as a regular car? Most of them are very expensive, comparatively, especially for cheap family cars.

2. Is the range comparable to regular cars? It's not, at similar prices it's 60%.

3. Is it trivial to recharge it, especially quickly? Not true for most of the world.

4. Can the car be bought today? Nope, most are just announced and even for those that are "available" delivery is many months from now.

Re: Sales of electric cars up by 43% in 2020

#119

Post by theshrike79 »

cbhl wrote: post #51
angmarsbane wrote: post #17

One thing I keep getting tripped up on with EV cars is the usability during an emergency. I grew up in SoCal when there were rolling black-outs. Just this week, a windstorm took out my parent’s power for 3 days. I don’t view electricity to be as reliable as gas. What fact am I missing that can change my view on this?

Wikipedia says the 2000-01 California energy crisis was caused by Enron. I believe it will take years of engineering-driven investment (upgrade lines; trim trees; clear flammables from the transmission corridors) to make power reliable in California again, but the California energy companies are bankrupt (again?) after judgments in recent years' wildfires. I believe the reliability problem is worst in California and…

> If you are prepping, I think it still makes sense to have at least one conventional gas-powered car. Just make sure to keep the tank at least 3/4s full; gas pumps tend to go down during blackouts.

If you're really prepping, also have a fucking bicycle. You provide the fuel and they're cheap to maintain.

The irony is that the only time it's actually safe to ride a bicycle in an average American city is during a post-apocalyptic event when there are no cars on the road =)

Post reply on HN