Electric for everyone - the impossible dream

[Cory S]

depends WHICH synth-fuel.

The most sane config with economically sound technology available TODAY is Thorium (from coal) nuclear reactor (it doesn't have fuel piles that MOST be cooled for decades) and it also burns legacy nuclear waste. Couple that with technology going back all the way to WW2 to reduce coal via (optionally improved) Fischer-Tropsch to create non-oil-based diesel and gasoline.

We have how many centuries worth of coal in this country alone? And it would also go a long way to putting a dagger in the economic importance of the entire middle east.

The silenced crude oil estimators say there’s well over 400+ years of crude oil under our own soil alone. Its here for us to use just like any other resources we’ve claimed and use. Until humans are extinct. Which will happen eventually. Could be 300 years, could be 3000 years. It’s going to happen.

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[tdstuart]

Trust me. I’m the king of owning a boring daily car, but at 39-41mpg every tank, my 2017 Corolla costs me almost nothing to drive. It’s just about paid off as well.

I am thinking about buying a cheap daily.

Mustang is too expensive for me haha. Since the car is running again the maintenance costs are really going to add up. Looks like I will go through tires about every 10k miles and they cost me $400 each. Add in my $100+ oil change costs every $5k miles, than my $50 in gas every 2 days… A cheap shit box sounds great!

 

[shogun32]

You're doing something wrong to spend that much on tires and oil.

I drove a 2011 WRX tonight. What a hoot! 30k miles on rebuilt motor with a slew of big HP add-ons. Now if I can only buy it for single digit price.

 

[tdstuart]

You're doing something wrong to spend that much on tires and oil.

I drove a 2011 WRX tonight. What a hoot! 30k miles on rebuilt motor with a slew of big HP add-ons. Now if I can only buy it for single digit price.

I have to buy 10 quarts of oil and I change every 5k miles. RIght now I am running valvoline vr1. Costs $120 for 12 quarts. Then $20-$30 for the ford performance filter.

I ran michelin pilot super sports 305/35R19 tires all around. They lasted about 10k miles.
I am now running the same tires on the front but Nitto nt55r2 radials on the back (same 305/35R19).
Michelin tires cost $400 nittos cost $380. Cost me about $1700 this last time and I got 30% back in warranty from 2 of my old michelin tires.

Yes I can buy cheaper tires but then the car won't hook. Car wouldn't hook on the super sports. Now it hooks on the nittos. What I could do is run worse tires in the front, especially some skinnys but then I lose breaking performance and turning performance.

 

[shogun32]

valvoline vr1. Costs $120 for 12 quarts.

Can you elaborate? There's all kinds of grades under that label. And none of them come close to being that expensive. I bought a case of fp oil filters for 7 each.

 

[tdstuart]

Can you elaborate? There's all kinds of grades under that label. And none of them come close to being that expensive. I bought a case of fp oil filters for 7 each.

Valvoline vr1 full synthetic 10w30. On Amazon is where I found the price. And where are you getting the filters from?

 

[shogun32]

Valvoline vr1 full synthetic 10w30. On Amazon is where I found the price. And where are you getting the filters from?

3 five qt jugs for 90. Filters came from levittown I think.

 

[tdstuart]

3 five qt jugs for 90. Filters came from levittown I think.

Where can you find 5qt jugs?

 

[shogun32]

Where can you find 5qt jugs?

Sorry case of 6 for 36. Jugs was 20w50

 

[tdstuart]

Sorry case of 6 for 36. Jugs was 20w50

Where?

 

[shogun32]

Where?

Amazon for one.

 

[tdstuart]

Amazon for one.

I see it for $60
https://www.amazon.com/Valvoline-10W-30-Synthetic-Racing-Motor/dp/B006NT84P0

 

[junits15]

ICE vehicles last a long time and retain a lot of residual value. The average age of an ICE on the road today is something like 11 or 12 years. EVs are nearly throwaway once the battery is cooked. They aren't going to last like the ICE vehicles do.

This is one argument I see circulated a lot, however it has very little to back it up. First generation teslas are still running strong, for some reason people hear "electric car" and assume the battery degradation will be similar to a cell phone they bought in 2009.

We're talking about a temperature controlled battery pack with tight cell monitoring, balancing, and individually fused cells. Its using literally the most advanced charge control algorithms in existence to compensate for and actively slow down degradation. The lifespan of one of these packs is well over 10 years.

Even if the pack wears out (which is does gradually not all at once), it is one of a small number wear items on the car. The complexity of an EV is vastly lower than an ICE vehicle.

Also I don't know where the idea that you have to throw the car away because of a worn pack comes from, its completely serviceable and parts are available now. The motor in your mustang costs $10k to replace before labor but we don't complain about that.

The battery argument bugs me, I've spent a lot of time working with and learning about lithium management in my career. I've seen lithium cells designed to survive in space, under water, under pressure, and countless other far higher risk environments than a car. These things are dependable and predictable, far more than a motor. Why do we expect cell phone Ni-Cd performance from the best lithium pack in the entire world? We do we see a new technology and just assume its impossible instead of appreciating the achievement?

 

[shogun32]

The packs are "trash" at like 25pct degregation. I don't know if Tesla SW will let you keep using it till it gets down toward 60 or if it just throws a wrench and bricks the car.

So even though the batt has oodles of life left, there is no where for it to go. Nobody has an economic way of recycle the parts. The only hack to date is to pile them on top of each other and use them as slow charge banks for line conditioning and glorified ups. And they love to catch on fire the older they get.

And we know just how ecologically sound that is!!

And once it gets to 30pct it really is garbage. And we're back to inability to recycle.

EV is no different than if the oil industry just dumped the bunker oil and asphalt/bitumin dregs into the river or a big hole in the ground because they hadn't figured out what to do with the stuff. Thankfully oil engineers have actual degrees and look for ways to maximize every molecule and don't design whizbang geegaws that can't be reprocessed.

 

[JoeSpeed]

https://s3mag.com/ford-walking-back-ev-promises/

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