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Sales of electric cars up by 43% in 2020

theguardian.com

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

#471

Post by djrogers »

nkingsy wrote: post #455
olivermarks wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

'backyard' Solar panels won't recharge an EV

With a charger that goes down to 750w you can charge your ev off grid with an inverter. I currently do it with 12 100w panels. I run ac/dc converters to supplement additional dc from the grid to charge at 1500w, but have a 750w charger for emergencies that will charge directly from the sun with no grid. It does require a small buffer battery to work reliably.

at 750W, even with perfectly efficient energy transfer, you're looking at adding ~2.75 miles of range to your car every hour it's charging. That means during winter, if it's sunny, you might be able to charge your car all day and get 25 miles from it.

You'd be a lot better off with a jerry can and a $500 gasoline generator....

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

#472

Post by nickik »

kristopolous wrote: post #235

The "iphone" of the electric car still isn't here. I've been saying it's coming soon for a while, cars that are so vastly superior to gas cars that it re-frames the gas car as being legacy technology just as the smartphone from apple finally got the consumer interested in smartphones and view flip-phones as inferior. I think however, it's going to come from left-field (not from Tesla) and for the first time I'm tossi…

The economics have already turned, EV are invitable. The difference is that EV require completely new supply chain.

Demand for Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel is growing like crazy and that takes time. Battery factories are very hard to build, supply of chemical engineers are very hard to find. More time then what was required for the IPhone.

While I am a believer in 3-wheelers, that is not the IPhone moment. The simply fact is, the lifetime cost is better then a gas car. With gas cars being a legacy technology your resale value will be destroyed.

In a few years buying gas cars will seem silly.

I think you let what you like to see influence your view on this. The killer app is simply cars that are like cars we have but better because they are EV.

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

#473

Post by ajmadesc »

kstenerud wrote: post #124
missedthecue wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Autocracies seem to be the most efficient form of governance. It's a shame that this also means that they can do evil things very efficiently, given no one can stop them.

Autocracies are only short-term efficient. Once their initial aims are met, they become terribly inefficient, then corruption sets in, and then they must be forcibly removed. It's good for other nations who can benefit from their trailblazing, but bad for the nation itself because they're basically fucked in the future when the bill comes due. Centralization is long-term the worst kind of governance, inevitably becom…

Only short term efficient so far. All systems eventually suffer from rot, but efficient authoritarianism lasting more than one lifetime isn't impossible. Perhaps their political system there's more power in skimming growth than extracting rents. The history of democracy as we know it is very very short. Don't believe the cold war propaganda.

What system has lifted the most people out of poverty? It ain't American.

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

#474

Post by puzzlingcaptcha »

dairylee wrote: post #408
puzzlingcaptcha wrote: post #331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Plenty of small city cars to choose from too: Renault Twingo electric, Skoda CITIGOe, Volkswagen e-Up, Honda E...

Don't forget the Renault TWIZY.

Arguably that's more like a four-wheel scooter. I generally draw the line at Smarts (although I think the new Twingo uses the same platform as Forfour).

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

#475

Post by natch »

chrisBob wrote: post #438
natch wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks! I wonder if the “valuable vs AWD” part is updated to reflect what EVs can do vs old fashioned gears-and-transmission AWD.

EVs typically have a different motor for the front and back wheels, so they would have most of the same traction benefit of a 4x4 system. In the case of companies like Tesla, I think they market as AWD because that implies a system designed for slippery roads, and not off road trails. 4x4 or 4WD can differ a lot but all typically include a locking center differential so that even if both front (or rear) wheels have n…

Model Y has an “off road” mode but that’s about all I know — don’t know how it works.

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

#476

Post by recursive »

djrogers wrote: post #471
nkingsy wrote: post #455

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With a charger that goes down to 750w you can charge your ev off grid with an inverter. I currently do it with 12 100w panels. I run ac/dc converters to supplement additional dc from the grid to charge at 1500w, but have a 750w charger for emergencies that will charge directly from the sun with no grid. It does require a small buffer battery to work reliably.

at 750W, even with perfectly efficient energy transfer, you're looking at adding ~2.75 miles of range to your car every hour it's charging. That means during winter, if it's sunny, you might be able to charge your car all day and get 25 miles from it. You'd be a lot better off with a jerry can and a $500 gasoline generator....

750W is a lower bound.

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

#477

Post by tonyedgecombe »

brianwawok wrote: post #315
tonyedgecombe wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suspect the bottom end of the market is going to disappear. Right now I could buy a car for £1000. It won't be great but it would be good enough to get somebody too and from work and the shops. That won't be feasible when a new battery costs £5000 or more.

New or used? In the US the realistic floor for a new car is 20k. A few smart cars and such for less, but not anything sold seriously.

Used of course, you can't buy a new car for £1K anywhere.

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

#478

Post by natch »

titanomachy wrote: post #156
natch wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you claiming that EVs don’t have AWD? My car begs to differ. Or...? Sorry I’m not versed on the finer points of 4x4 versus 4WD versus AWD terminology so maybe it’s me that’s confused, feel free to fill me in.

For me it was a matter of cost, there were lots of inexpensive used ICE cars with AWD but no electric ones. The cheapest AWD Tesla seems to be $47k new which is vastly more than most people spend on a car.

If you do an analysis of all factors the Tesla is not so bad on cost. Sure you can get way cheaper cars in terms of up front price. But the price comparison is more fair if you factor in the safety and the savings on gas and maintenance. Not to mention resale value and helping do a small part for the future.

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

#479

Post by olivermarks »

reissbaker wrote: post #216
olivermarks wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Needs 7-9 panels approx 5ft x 3ft. A roof array might work but a backyard is ambitious unless you're on flat land and facing south west https://news.energysage.com/how-many-panels-do-you-need-for-...

The article is citing needing 6-8 panels between 320-330 watts to charge a Tesla Model S; 8 if you live in the northeast United States (it's not backyard orientation, it's about where you live geographically), 6 if you live in the southwest United States. The "small" Tesla panel arrays that I mentioned are 4.08 kilowatts [1], which is more than enough even in the northeast to charge a Model S, or any EV. They take up…

Do you own Tesla solar panels? I've heard mixed reports about them. I live in Northern California where there is a big solar presence but most of the solar people I've spoken to (installers and owners) say Tesla is too expensive and not particularly great.

I'll be doing solar panels on our roof when the battery storage tech becomes viable and PG&E start being sensible about individual electricity production.

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

#480

Post by free_rms »

throw0101a wrote: post #396
free_rms wrote: post #360

Earlier quoted context omitted.

China as a nation dealt with 'change' in the form of white men on awesome ships with awesome guns coming and having their way for 100 years. Going from their nadir in WWII to what they are now in 70 years seems awfully adaptable to me.

China was at the same level, or higher, in development as Europe in 1600. By 1700, and certainly by 1800, Europe's interest in science, which then led to developments in advances in technology. This technology is what allowed the "white men on awesome ships with awesome guns" to have their way. Perhaps if China was so top-down they could have also developed themselves more. Toby Huff examines this disparity in his bo…

I think it's more about multipolar vs unipolar.

The time period you describe includes multiple massive european wars between nation states who were incentivized to improve industrialization, logistics and yes technology.

China's periodic bloody uprisings don't create the same incentive, they basically didn't have foreign policy until it came knocking.

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