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Are US EV sales a disaster or a booming segment? The answer may be both

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Re: Are US EV sales a disaster or a booming segment? The answer may be both

#11
I just purchased a new truck within the last 6 months and I was considering Ford's F-150 Lightning but ended up going with a diesel 2500 Silverado instead. The lightning boast 350 miles but it's not clear what kind of mileage I would get when pulling my camper. I also like to travel to some of the more remote parts of the US and I just don't have the confidence that it wouldn't become a pain in my butt.

As for anecdotal evidence I don't see a lot of EVs driving around in my mid sized midwest town (~200k pop). At most I notice 2-4 Teslas a week and as of today I've seen my first Rivian. If they're popular they ain't popular around here.

Re: Are US EV sales a disaster or a booming segment? The answer may be both

#12
post #5

To get a decent daily cross the city charger installed in my garage, I have to spend some $3,000 just on electrical work because I have to upgrade service. Currently unsubsidized because my government doesn’t believe climate change is real. This is before the average $700 to install the charger. Vehicle prices have skyrocketed, and while my family makes well in to 6 figures, cars are just not a thing we want to spent…

If government truly believed in climate change they would ban passenger cars. Both for taxis and private use. Or gave out very limited purchase licenses.

Re: Are US EV sales a disaster or a booming segment? The answer may be both

#13

For people living in apartments, with the building providing no way to charge your vehicle, especially when parked outside, the value proposition is a lot less tempting. Takes 5 minutes to get gas, gas stations are everywhere, but having to find a charging station for your EV and having to sit there for an hour or longer is just not appealing if the tradeoff is the good feelings of one's microscopic contribution to s…

I agree. That said when I borrow my parents Tesla, I just charge while at work. Additionally, it’s free :P

Re: Are US EV sales a disaster or a booming segment? The answer may be both

#14
post #11

I just purchased a new truck within the last 6 months and I was considering Ford's F-150 Lightning but ended up going with a diesel 2500 Silverado instead. The lightning boast 350 miles but it's not clear what kind of mileage I would get when pulling my camper. I also like to travel to some of the more remote parts of the US and I just don't have the confidence that it wouldn't become a pain in my butt. As for anecdo…

Yup I don't think EVs are suitable for towing, yet.

> We had been warned to expect the range to be cut in half when towing, but the effect of towing these travel trailers proved even more significant. With the smallest and lightest trailer, we measured a range of just 115 miles. That figure fell to 100 miles with the middleweight camper and sank to a mere 90 miles with the 7,218-pound Grand Design trailer. [1]

Maybe when solid state batteries make their way into EVs by the end of this decade, that will change. [2]

[1] https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/ford-f150-lightning-elect...

[2] https://spectrum.ieee.org/solid-state-battery-production-cha...

Re: Are US EV sales a disaster or a booming segment? The answer may be both

#15

EV utility is less than ICE cars, but far worse than commuter rail. Most of the pollution in the bay area is from car tires. So if they really want to clean that up, they need to switch to light rail and inter city express rail

Honest question, tires, or brakes? I was under the impression brake dust was the worst polluter. I'm sure tires aren't great either, but they should be equivalent between EV's and ICE cars. Brakes last significantly longer on EV's and therefore would help with pollution.

Re: Are US EV sales a disaster or a booming segment? The answer may be both

#16

EV utility is less than ICE cars, but far worse than commuter rail. Most of the pollution in the bay area is from car tires. So if they really want to clean that up, they need to switch to light rail and inter city express rail

The thing about mass transit is that the more people who switch to rail/bus, the better the experience of having a car becomes.

Re: Are US EV sales a disaster or a booming segment? The answer may be both

#17

EV utility is less than ICE cars, but far worse than commuter rail. Most of the pollution in the bay area is from car tires. So if they really want to clean that up, they need to switch to light rail and inter city express rail

That's wild, didn't know that. Is anything doable about car tires short of not driving a car? Are people perhaps looking into better materials for this problem?

For at least one of the most toxic additives in tires, Washington State's Department of Ecology and some West Coast tribes are leading the push to prohibit, with the caveat that researchers are still looking for a suitable replacement:

https://ecology.wa.gov/blog/january-2023/saving-washington-s...

https://apnews.com/article/epa-tires-toxic-chemical-salmon-t...

Re: Are US EV sales a disaster or a booming segment? The answer may be both

#18

For people living in apartments, with the building providing no way to charge your vehicle, especially when parked outside, the value proposition is a lot less tempting. Takes 5 minutes to get gas, gas stations are everywhere, but having to find a charging station for your EV and having to sit there for an hour or longer is just not appealing if the tradeoff is the good feelings of one's microscopic contribution to s…

My apartment complex won't even let you park an EV inside or under any of the structures because of the fear they have of EV fires.

Re: Are US EV sales a disaster or a booming segment? The answer may be both

#19

For people living in apartments, with the building providing no way to charge your vehicle, especially when parked outside, the value proposition is a lot less tempting. Takes 5 minutes to get gas, gas stations are everywhere, but having to find a charging station for your EV and having to sit there for an hour or longer is just not appealing if the tradeoff is the good feelings of one's microscopic contribution to s…

> having to find a charging station for your EV and having to sit there for an hour or longer

A Tesla can supercharge 200 miles in 15 minutes

Re: Are US EV sales a disaster or a booming segment? The answer may be both

#20

EV utility is less than ICE cars, but far worse than commuter rail. Most of the pollution in the bay area is from car tires. So if they really want to clean that up, they need to switch to light rail and inter city express rail

I'm aware that car tires create a lot (most?) of the microplastic pollution in the Bay Area, but are you sure it's most of all pollution? Do you possibly have a citation?
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