Electric Vehicles on the horizon? Do your homework

[ttabbal]

For electricity cost, most higher cost areas have off peak options. You tell your car when you want it to charge and it handles that for you. I went with solar, which easily handles the load. And if your area makes EV not cost competitive, that's a choice you have to make for you. Like I said, it isn't the best choice for everyone. I think it would work for a lot of people, and some people just don't want it. That's fine too.

Personally, I much prefer the car to be quiet. Loud engines annoy me, particularly the ones that you know are loud intentionally. 4 bangers with an open exhaust sound like a sustained fart. Now an old school blown big block, that's a different thing entirely. Even them I'd prefer to be loud at the track though. There's just no point elsewhere. Shrug.

For more solar, people are making interesting setups that combine solar and farming. As prices drop, I hope we'll see more rooftops and parking lots get panels. Shade the cars and make power. Maybe even sell the power to charge up.

And 30kwh/day... If only. Even in winter I'm above that. In summer with near 24 hour AC, 130kwh/day is closer. Lol. I should look at some upgrades in that area as I likely need a new HVAC in the next 5 or so years.

 

[Cadillac]

I’ve been into cars and motorcycles my whole life. Career mechanic and bought the wife a Chevy bolt in November of 19. She had a mini likes little cars and the trans wasn’t doing good so we decided it was time. I had talked to her about ev and it’s perfect for her. 30mile round trip for work and occasional shopping. The bolt has a 240 range. She plugs in once a week car is programmed to charge in off peak hours.
Car came with a 110 charger which gives you 4 miles per hour charging on 8amps. Switch to 12amps it goes up to 5or 6 miles per hour plugged in. I purchased the 220 charger wired myself on its own circuit and master shut off next to charger because it’s outside dealer charged 500 for charger. You get 25 miles per hour plugged in. She does leave it plugged in overnight when the temp gets below freezing because it does warm the batteries. We live in Chicago so winters suck bad. Other than that she only plugs in when needing a charge. Electric bill didnt change much at all. I can swing the bill depending on how much time I spend on the machines.
I think they are good cars and have a niche. This little bolt would put a lot of cars to shame and you wouldn’t even think it. Sport mode will put you in your seat and the goodyears can’t handle it.
She said it took her about two months to stop looking at gas prices which is a GREAT feeling and now with the circus in town gas prices ain’t getting any better for acouple years.
I still have a hot rod,daily drivers x2 motorcycles,dirtbikes, and a boat so petro will still be apart of my daily life but it’s one less vehicle I gotta fill up.
They need better battery technology that’s the strangle hold on the industry. Battery disposal is gonna be ugly. Unfortunately they don’t think of that when inventing the technology. We will see in the near future won’t we?

 

[Superburban]

The parts tend to be interchangable. WIres are way easier to mix/match between models than castings, so the difference between a 2015 Chevy Bolt inverter and a 2035 Nissan Whatever is a wiring harness.

The 3rd party aftermarket for EVs is likely to be BETTER than ICE engines. The electrical bits (like a standalone ECU for an ICE) are the most interchangeable parts on a car, once the entire drivetrain is electric, that becomes even easier.

To summarize my point, what is easier: Adapting the transmission from a 2019 Chevy Silverado to a Kia Soul, or buying a $20 wiring harness/or small circuit board to swap the important parts from 1 EV to another? Not to mention, the electrical parts are much less error-prone than the mechanical ones.

Okay.

 

[matthewsx]

Here’s some information on battery recycling from a respected source.

Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Finally Takes Off in North America and Europe

Li-Cycle, Northvolt, and Ganfeng Lithium are among those building recycling plants, spurred by environmental and supply-chain concerns

spectrum.ieee.org

Yes, battery technology needs to continue to advance. But, how much of the petrol burned in cars can ever be recycled?

John

 

[vtcnc]

I found this doing a quick search

The greenhouse gas of most relevance to the world steel industry is carbon dioxide (CO2). On average, 1.9 tonnes of CO2 are emitted for every tonne of steel produced. According to the International Energy Agency, the iron and steel industry accounts for approximately 4-5% of total world CO2 emissions.

Maybe I’m just dense but how do you get nearly two tons of weight out one ton?

I’ve crammed 10 lbs of crap into a 5lb bag, but never had to take it out!

Seriously though can someone point to the math on this? I’ve seen this claim of some figure or another but it just seems to defy logic. Is it the weight of the oxygen bonding with the carbon molecule?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Eddyde]

Maybe I’m just dense but how do you get nearly two tons of weight out one ton?

I’ve crammed 10 lbs of crap into a 5lb bag, but never had to take it out!

Seriously though can someone point to the math on this? I’ve seen this claim of some figure or another but it just seems to defy logic. Is it the weight of the oxygen bonding with the carbon molecule?

It is the total amount of CO2 released from the production of steel which requires an enormous amount of energy, including the energy used in the mining of ore, transportation etc. The energy source is typically directly or indirectly from burning coal and other fossil fuels.

 

[jwmelvin]

Maybe I’m just dense but how do you get nearly two tons of weight out one ton?

That said a ton of steel produced, which means a lot more raw material if coming from ore; though I thought that was rare for steel, as most of it is recycled. But even for recycled steel, the energy required to process it involves carbon release, so I imagine it’s considering all that (as it should).

 

[vtcnc]

It is the total amount of CO2 released from the production of steel which requires an enormous amount of energy, including the energy used in the mining of ore, transportation etc. The energy source is typically directly or indirectly from burning coal and other fossil fuels.

OK, its a supply chain output. Got it. That makes more sense. I ask because I recall a homework assignment my kids got at school about calculating a gallon of gas consumption during a road trip.

 

[Eddyde]

As far as the EV vs. ICE vehicles. It was once said by many "The automobile will never replace the horse"...
The Internal combustion engine reigned for over a hundred years, but the fossil fuels they burn are screwing up the environment and their sources are becoming scarcer. Thus the phase out of the ICE and the move towards renewable energy has begun. We are in a period of change, a change that is inevitable.

 

[vtcnc]

As far as the EV vs. ICE vehicles. It was once said by many "The automobile will never replace the horse"...
The Internal combustion engine reigned for over a hundred years, but the fossil fuels they burn are screwing up the environment and their sources are becoming scarcer. Thus the phase out of the ICE and the move towards renewable energy has begun. We are in a period of change, a change that is inevitable.

I agree. However, I'm less optimistic about our ability to determine the least harmful way of deploying this new technology vs. effectively replacing old technology without a lot of grief and hand wringing by everybody.

With that said, recognizing that we have to break a few eggs to make an omelet is part of the process - i.e., it requires patience and understanding and a willingness to solve problems with each other to get to a better place.

As for myself, I'm just not ready or able to make the switch. However, I can't wait for the day where I can get in my EV and have it drive (or fly) me to work while I watch or listen to Hobby Machinist member videos on YT.