Are electric cars too expensive to tempt motorists away from petrol vehicles?

Post by jessekv » Sat, Dec 16, 2023, 8:24 PM UTC

Kim_Bruning wrote: post #171

relativ575 wrote: post #123

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Did you know that car ownership in the Netherlands, the country renown for its cycling culture, has been on the rise? https://www.cbs.nl/en-gb/news/2020/10/car-fleet-growing-fast...

Besides having world class water infrastructure and great cycling infrastructure and great public transport -- would it surprise you that the Netherlands is also one of the better countries in the world to drive in? To steal a famous youtube channel's title: it's Not Just Bikes.[1] [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8RRE2rDw4k "The Best Country In The World For Drivers" (This might be a slight exaggeration to get m…

Post by thebruce87m » Sat, Dec 16, 2023, 8:36 PM UTC

oceanplexian wrote: post #137

wazoox wrote: post #98

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Petrol fire is much more common than battery fires, which are vanishingly rare. The oil infrastructure must be dismantled as fast as possible. Recycling of batteries is a chicken-egg problem : it's ramping up, but is necessarily lagging behind EV market penetration. It's an eminently solvable problem -- lead batteries are recycled way over 95% already. Remember : a vehicle lasts about 12 to 14 years. in 2035 (12 year…

Petrol cars don’t burn your house down in the middle of the night while the car is turned off. This happened several times with the Bolt EV (A car I owned) until GM had to recall them all and eventually cancel the entire line and stop manufacturing it. These batteries are extremely dangerous and lithium fires can’t be extinguished like a gasoline fire since the reaction creates its own oxygen.

Post by multjoy » Sat, Dec 16, 2023, 8:57 PM UTC

mrangle wrote: post #101

kiba wrote: post #18

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Most people live in urban areas. Even in suburban areas, the bicycle could be a viable form of transportation. My grocery store is literally under ten minutes away by bike, but it is essentially a nightmare to bike to because of a lack of safe cycling infrastructures.

Bicycling is a viable form of transportation, for short distances and recreation. However, it isn't an option for many if not most needs outside of the house even in suburbia. Not to mention the rural areas / exurbs. A Mom of a couple of kids can't transport her weekly food shop on a bike. Ignoring the inherent danger in getting to the store. I feel like this is a planning conversation for before the era when they de…

Post by CraigJPerry » Sat, Dec 16, 2023, 9:05 PM UTC

br3d wrote: post #22

CraigJPerry wrote: post #17

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>> That's why you see so many expensive cars driven by people who can't afford them How is it possible to keep possession of the car if you’re not paying the contractual obligation? Is there some exception for cars? For example, failing to keep up with mortgage payments will eventually see you lose the property.

OP meant "can't afford them" in the sense of "couldn't afford the full price of". There are lots of people here in the UK on medium incomes driving around in £80,000 cars using this finance

Post by Nextgrid » Sat, Dec 16, 2023, 9:26 PM UTC

marcusverus wrote: post #182

Nextgrid wrote: post #132

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> drove it for another 10 What about maintenance? There's a lot of moving parts (often the labor to get to the part costs more than the part itself) and a stroke of bad luck can quickly balloon into 4-digit sums. Paying a flat monthly fee for transport sounds like an attractive option to not have to worry about any of that.

Maintenance costs are easily managed by avoiding brands which generally require frequent or expensive maintenance. Regardless, they don’t hold a candle to the long term savings. If one lacks the rainy-day savings to afford a hypothetical thousand-dollar repair bill, one certainly cannot afford to throw away thousands of dollars every year “to not have to worry” about one’s precarious finances.