I bet you just would, fruitcake. THIS SHIT RIGHT HERE, PEOPLE. If Mayor Pete and his ilk have their way and push electric cars/ make ICE cars illegal (because you know that's what they really want to do; just like the Republicans want to make abortion illegal. It was never about "states' rights".), cars are going to become like cell phones. How many of y'all have bought a used cell phone in the past ten years? What do most of y'all do when your smartphone craps out? I'll bet most of you just buy/ lease a new one, because the repair is about 75% of the cost of a new one. Now, I'm sure that the cost of new/ remanufactured batteries will go down as more EVs get into the market, but there is still the fact that once the battery is bad, THERE IS NO REPAIR FOR THE USER. Let's say they get the price of the battery down to $5,000. There is a 100% chance that battery will eventually fail, and you will be hit with that cost later on. Yes, replacing a whole engine can be just as expensive, but if you maintain it properly, MOST ICEs made since the late '90s are actually very durable. Shit, my Firebird is from 1989, and still on the original engine. Also, like Wexton said, there can be a WHOLE LOT of shit wrong with a conventional car, BUT YOU CAN STILL USE IT. An EV is just going to be bricked. Now stay tuned for @Aetius or @kindalas to chime in and tell me that I've got a sick obsession with internal combustion engines*, and that I want people to die. *I do.
@dixiebandit69 I can tell you are very passionate about this topic. (But let's keep the politics out of the WDT as much as you can) I will say though, that me and hubs get our phones used off Swappa.
Batteries generally don't brick, they lose capacity. And as second life as grid-scale energy storage becomes a more common use for older car batteries, the one in your car will maintain some value as it ages. Between lower production costs for new batteries, the ability to get some reuse/recycle value out of passing your old battery along, and the general savings of the rest of the motor being much simpler and cheaper + electricity being much cheaper than gasoline, the economics will probably work out acceptably well in the end.
My previous Porsche, the DP 935, was designated a "gross polluter" in California. When I brought it into Canada and started the registration process, the old cunt behind the counter started in on me on how her Prius was so much better for the environment. I then started asking her about where the batteries came from, where they went when they were worn out, etc, and tried to explain to her that my 1982 twin turbo porsche was actually better, long term, for the environment, than her car. There is so much misinformation around the EV car scene... all while people shit on nuclear power generation. It boggles my mind.
I will say, though, that I'm boondocking with my airstream right now (totally off grid), and with my current setup, I'm running about a 5 amp abundance with my current solar panel setup. That means running all the shit in the trailer, including a cooler/freezer (4 amp draw), my starlink (8 amp draw), and my inverter inefficiencies (2.5 amp draw), I'm still 5 amp to the good side and keeping batteries charged up. I'm happy for that.
I've been trying to do research on where the timeline curve is for a hybrid v. EC on energy efficiency and it seems like the most environmentally friendly option at the moment is getting the most efficient hybrid you can. Hopefully as our energy grid and battery technology evolves it becomes more favorable to ECs. There's a ton a interesting battery technology development/research happening that could produce less resource intense and expensive batteries. Still probably 10 years out though, but I find it exciting.
Our oldest son is one of them. He turns 21 in a couple weeks and still doesn't have his license. He's failed the road test a couple times now, not because he's a shitty driver, but I think he gets nervous. Plus, the examiners here in our county are notorious assholes, and some of the things he got dinged on I was like, "WTF?". Overall though, he isn't really comfortable driving and is perfectly fine taking public transportation when he's at college. He's still not overly concerned about getting his license. His younger brother? He couldn't get his license fast enough.
My cousin failed her driver's exam in California, went to her summer house in Wyoming, and passed their oh-so-strenuous "the road is straight and empty and there's no intersection for the next three miles" test. Probably the only kid in her high school with a Wyoming driver's license.
We're gonna have him take it in a neighboring county next time I think. The ones here failed him for seriously stupid shit. When he told me I nearly called the DMV but then remembered the only two things they care about down there are break time, lunch time, and quitting time.
I've been buying refurbished phones since I got my first smartphone, but I get what you're driving at. I noticed today that the prices on used vehicles are starting to realign with anything other than "are you fucking kidding me" but I know that won't be the case with EVs.
My twins waited till they were over 18 to even try and get their license here in California. Part of that is from 16 to 18 there are a mess of restrictions on when the driver can operate the vehicle and who can be in the auto with them. I was very surprised on how strict the driving part of the test is in California now and they certainly did not pass on the first try.
How are these people failing driving tests? Passed it first time at 15. Due to some issues had to take it again at 32 and passed it first time cold. Unless you have trouble parallel parking its an attention to detail test at best.
It’s heavily dependent on the area you live in and who is evaluating the driver. I know many folks who failed on the first try. Back when I took it, there was a woman who was notorious for being difficult. Of course I drew her as an evaluator. I passed, but at one point she yelled at me “You just ran over a dog!”. I hadn’t, but she was unhappy with the degree to which I checked my mirrors so she was attempting to demonstrate the possible consequences. Scared the crap out of me.
In BC, you have your 'L'(learners) for a year and your 'N' for 2 years. The L has massive restrictions, the N has a few. But you start getting your good drivers discount as soon as you getting your L, so even if you aren't driving it is a good idea to get your license because it gets you your discount even if you aren't driving. These are magnetic stickers that you have to display when you are driving.