Electric Tacoma coming

I hope I'm not around for that...lol

 

I was thinking the same thing yesterday. As a former landlord of a 70 unit complex. Had enough parking for 100 vehicles. It would be quite a problem setting up charging stations for that many. Most of my tenants were living week to week so this is going to be a big hurdle for the lower middle class and poverty level. I would imagine the feds will subsidize most of this.

 

I just want something that I can drive 5 hours, camp for 4 days and return home with. Canada doesn't have the electric charging infrastructure that the US has.

 

That would be ideal. But just not yet.

 

Right now you can tax deduct 30% of the cost of installing a charging station for your home. I think that credit will go higher as adoption increase. For commercial/high density housing, it can get as high as 100%.

 

Yeh a supermarket near me had 10 chargers installed and cost them zero. Always a car charging there.

 

Portable solar panels can easily charge your car in 4 days.

https://shopsolarkits.com/products/...a5DXcBN60TjCX2F-H8L-VCuwj9k1_MIIaApUzEALw_wcB

 

We might eventually have induction chargers. So parking on top of it would be enough.

 

I apologize in advance for using your post to respond to various others as well.

If the EV's like the Rivian can prove it's claim of 300 mi and 80% charge in 20 minutes, there *may* not be problem making the particular trip you describe without much of a delay. I don't believe you are, but some people are imagining that EVs have to work for everyone, in all circumstances, on some imaginary D Day/date. Boom! We're done. But that's not the way technological change works. It's always progressive as use cases are met - one by one as they are continually identified and resolved.

For example: Plenty of people can attest to the fact that many (most? all?) petroleum gas stations aren't pumping gas at the site of a tornado, hurricane, or earthquake. For varying times in the (not so) immediate aftermath. Not only are they not pumping due to lack of electricity, but they are not getting deliveries either. Yes, there are exceptions, including fuel stations well prepared with generators with fuel able to be delivered by tankers once roads are clear and fuel is available. There is no getting around the fact that natural disasters are just that - a disaster. And disasters are disruptive. More disruptive to EVs *today*? Quite possibly.

Others have implied or outright said, one of the biggest hurdles will be power generation. And I agree. Blackouts typically occur because demand is high at a given time of day. In many areas, when AC usage is the highest. But even if EV charging by custom or regulation evolves to be done in the "off hours" there will be generation problems to resolve. Fortunately, the problem of generation may be able to be addressed progressively, over time, as well. Will we as a country, be able to meet government "deadlines" or perhaps even more importantly, planetary deadlines? I hope so.

As with all cultural changes, we will all change at the rate our tolerance for risk allows. Some of use may have EVs quite soon. Others are so risk averse they will need to be able to pull electricity or hydrogen out of the thin air, on demand, before they stop using petroleum for travel (for example). Of course they can't do that with gasoline, but that will not matter to some. And that's OK. Most people fall somewhere in the middle of the bell curve. But the world *will* change with respect to zero emission vehicles. Indeed, perceptive people will notice that the curve of change has already steepened. Large fleets have committed to purchasing EVs. We can now buy zero emission vehicles from more than one mfg with many more coming in the very near future.

Of course people, organizations and governments are not immune to cultural pressure. Pressure to "stay the current course" and pressure to "move on". So it won't be a surprise to see given geographical areas lurch forward and back over the next 3-4 years.

 

I’m glad I sold out 4 years ago.. was tired of the shell game with taxes. Worst thing was chasing rent and the process of eviction. Could not imagine dealing with all of this during Covid. I see another cash for clunkers brewing to rid the ICE.

 

Are you just spitballing? It would take like 15 panels to get you a few miles of range. It takes a model x 65 hours to charge to full from 120v outlet in your house. How long do figure that would be with a few 100w portable solar panels?

 

Another nice thing about EVs is that it could allow smaller, even local manufacturers. Unlike ICE vehicles, there wont be a massive overhead associated with the cost of developing or buying many components like, engine, transmission, diffs, emission systems, ect. Plus you wont need a massive dealer network for repairs and maintenance since EVs don't need regular maintenance, and repairs are often is just replacing the broken component.

A smaller manufactures would basically only need to develop or buy a basic chassis, electric motor, AC (and few other drivetrain components) and ensure safety standards are met. They can design custom bodies, interiors and trims. I think this is one of the reasons why so many EV manufacturers are popping up even now. This would be great for the economy, and hopefully every other car on the road will no longer be the same. Cars will be much less "cookie cutter" and everyone will hopefully be able to find a car that has things they are looking for.

 

Yeah basically spitballing. I was thinking more about future solar panels, like thin multilayered panels prototypes can capture 40-50% of solar power that hits them (as opposed to ~15-20% of current commercial models). Even those would probably not be enough, but once we reach 80-90% range, it would be doable.

 

Great post, I have a similar outlook and my son is in tech as well. The electric revolution is just getting started and accelerating at an amazing pace and I’m all for it. I’ve been an automotive technician for 35 years an there won’t be my kinda work in 25 years or maybe sooner. But I feel like internal combustion had a good run and it’s time to move on. I’m set to retire in a few years so I’ll be watching from the back of my fishing boat somewhere on the bay, with, hopefully, running out of bait or beer being my biggest worries. Probably won’t be able to afford a pair of those electric outboards but maybe my son will get rich and buy me a couple.

 

@SLAPS 65
A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work 'eh ?

 

I myself, through rigorous testing and research have proven that statement to be absolutely true!

 

RIVIAN uses their "skateboard" platform. Their SUV and pickup use the same skateboard thus reducing separate tooling for the battery and drive system. RIVIAN sold the skateboards to Amazon for delivery vans which are now in use in Los Angeles. Ford bought the skateboards for their upcoming EV

 

Yeah, how long until someone sues for his "right" to free electricity to charge his e-car?

We're watching Rush's "Red Barchetta" come to fruition in our time. Some day in the not-so-distant future, it will be illegal to own a car with an internal combustion engine.

I hope I'm not around when classic muscle cars and European sports cars are relegated to museum showpieces and their throaty growls are only able to be heard on old, scratchy videos.

 

I sure have not seen them in Florida. Oh and wait until you have to change those batteries made in China. They will cost you at least half the price that you would for a new truck.