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Originally Posted by infamous
... until we learn to generate electricity from another source, I believe making this transition to electric powered automobiles is premature. Another factor to consider is the cost of manufacturing these vehicles. At the present, it's still too expensive. And that doesn't take maintenance into the equation either. At best, I think it's a toss-up, too many unanswered questions like, what are we going to do with the pollution caused from the disposal of these spent batteries and the nasty stuff contained within them?..........Just my two cents........................Infy
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As to the 'unanswered questions', I will try to answer them.
-First of all, why do we need to generate electricity from another source? I have just shown that, even using existing sources, efficiency is increased and pollution decreased. What do I not understand?
-The cost of manufacturing EVs: You're thinking about expensive EVs like the Tesla, but EVs do not need to be expensive. An electric motor is extremely simple, and has only one moving part. Economy of scale is what's needed to make them cheap. China is presently building large numbers of EVs, and they are indeed cheap. Here's a Chinese EV due for import next year:
milesautomotive.com/products_xs200.html
It will sell here in the US for $28500, but in China, you can be certain it sells for far less. The US importer has to pay for crash testing and certification for US roads. Once he recovers his cost, I predict this car can get VERY cheap.
-Maintenance costs: far, far lower for EVs. Electric motors have only one moving part, remember? No oil changes, Tune-ups, radiator flushes, mufflers, etc. The only ongoing maintenance cost used to be battery replacement. But thanks to battery advances, newer cars like the Tesla and the Chinese EVs are coming with 100,000+ mile battery packs.
-Pollution from spent batteries: Li-ion batteries are not an environmental hazard, according to the EPA and most local municipalities. The same can not be said for used motor oil and coolant, can it?
Besides, there are substantial financial incentives to recycle the expensive batteries.
