Electric Vehicles

[LOREN]

With the push toward more and more electric vehicles, has the increased demand on power plants (not necessarily environmentally friendly) that produce the electricity been taken into consideration? Also, I thought LPG powered trucks and other heavy equipment was was a good, clean alternative to diesel.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I don't think the usage is wide spread enough yet to affect the demand. Moving forward though is a different story. Surprise, surprise, this hasn't been thought through and planned for very well.

 

[bayareabriar]

Yes, it has been taken into consideration.

The grid supply/storage will not support the demand at peak hours by 2025 on pace with 2035 CAFE standards.

what will happen is charging locations will be shut off at certain times, software will limit charging time options, electricity will become very expensive at peak hours to encourage people to use electricity at off peak hours.

nuclear plants will help with supply but probably won’t be built, only decommissioned.

 

[STP]

Electric vehicles are certainly the future. As far as overall performance and acceleration, they’re hard to beat. I love the sound of a combustible V8, and have a couple. I also love them paired with a manual transmission, but both are slowly dying. The latter is almost dead

 

[anotherbob]

nuclear plants will help with supply but probably won’t be built, only decommissioned.

The hate of nuclear plants demonstrates how much fear isn't a rational thing. The dangers we have accepted versus the new dangers we don't understand. People will cite these fears of such plants and yet not compare them to the ravages of coal. They'll talk about cancer from radiation without compare it to things like the "joys" of black lung. My point while I love people I have to admit humans are kind of crappy animals.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Nobody wants another Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, or Fukushima Daiichi. My company makes self contained fuel delivery units for internal combustion engines and our monthly order just surpassed three million units. Electric may be an alternative but it's a long way from being the norm.

 

[johnnyreb]

The grid supply/storage will not support the demand at peak hours by 2025 on pace with 2035 CAFE standards.

The rolling blackouts of last winter due to wind chargers icing & freezing up as far south as Texas should be an indicator we can’t just give up on coal just yet. But it will be ignored just like the current lesson on the “just in time” supply chain.

 

[captainsousie]

Well, the powers that be have decided that my old state, Wyoming should be the home of at least two new nuclear plants. At least those in population centers can feel better that they get their power while not having to worry as it's poorer rural areas that get devastated by mistakes/accidents.

 

[3rdguy]

With GM, Honda, Jaguar, Fiat, Mini, Ford, Volvo, Bentley, Mercedes and others announcing they are going all electric...you can't stop what is coming.
I will be buying one in the next 2-3 years but not sure if it will be a truck or sedan. I like the idea of less maintenance which I do 95% myself right now. I have driven 2 EV so far that my friends own. Not sure why I would want to buy an ICE vehicle that has less power, is slower and has more parts to replace then an EV. I am not a tree hugger but I like money and I see spending a lot less of it with an EV. Plus they are FAST...I kinda like that!

 

[Sweet Home Alabama]

Thus the concept of infrastructure widens.

 

[stevecourtright]

Classic capitalism. The market mostly responds to demand. And being risk averse, few want to be first and nobody wants to be last. So, it's going to be herky-jerky until the path to the $$ is abundantly clear. Until then the consumers will have to suffer the uncertainty, experimentation, dead ends, unfixed technology, and the occasional winning combination.

 

[danish]

I am glad that there are alternatives to the fossil fuel and nuclear industry. Driving electric can also be 'fun' and is much more energy efficient than ICE. The big oil industry will fight for existence and some will try to spread fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD). Of course there will be new and future challenges with electric infrastructure but I trust in us humans, being able to create greener, safer, innovative and disruptive new technologies. Seems suddenly electric cars, like Teslas etc. are now all over the place here in Denmark, although we are still far behind the Norwegians

 

[Country Bladesmith]

Nobody wants another Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, or Fukushima Daiichi.

Exactly. I’m not saying fossil fuels are trouble-free, but when nuclear goes bad it has the potential to leave an area uninhabitable for millennia. Not a fan. I’m not up on current reactor tech, but I know there’s no “off switch” on fissile material. A core has to be cooled 24/7 to avoid a meltdown. Coolant pumps go offline and you have a disaster on your hands. I’m leery of it.

 

[dmcmtk]

It's something I've thought about recently. Avg. driving mileage x Power needed to supply the electricity x total vehicles on the road = minimum grid capacity.

 

[mso489]

I'm not steeped in the future of electric vehicles, but I have been amused that they are talked and written about as if they have no carbon footprint. I assume, but don't really know, that their carbon footprint is much better than gas and diesel, but I don't know how much better. Likewise, there is no plan for recycling battery materials so they won't be a health hazard. Likewise, the magic of nuclear power assumes that the long history of humanity will solve the problems of nuclear waste, which must either be effectively recycled or maintained safely into perpetuity, through all the human twists and turns of history, which isn't likely. People have huge spikes of success followed by prolonged disillusionment. I'm hopeful and optimistic, but my critical analytical mind says uh-oh. Right now, the range, charging time, and availability of charging stations, plus the technology of repair still burden electric vehicles with real drawbacks.

 

[cigrmaster]

Eventually fusion reactors will take over fission reactors and oil and coal and all other forms of power will be toast. One day we will fill our cars with water and off we will go.

 

[fireground_piper]

I’m curious what we are going to do with all of that unused gasoline that’s still created from the refinement of crude oil. Gasoline is just 1 of many useable byproducts from the refinement of crude so what’s the plan for it?

 

[ashdigger]

Nuclear is the way to go. Chernobyl is only a problem because the Russians added longer rods but didn’t raise the container roof to accommodate them. Then they ran an unauthorized test.

Besides, nobody builds graphite reactors.

Fukashima still is producing power.

The fear mongering of nuclear is ridiculous. Here in Nevada everyone shits their pants when the politicians gin them up about transporting nuclear waste, but have no issue allowing chlorine and bromine tankers rolling through the heart of Vegas.

 

[danish]

I'm not steeped in the future of electric vehicles, but I have been amused that they are talked and written about as if they have no carbon footprint. I assume, but don't really know, that their carbon footprint is much better than gas and diesel, but I don't know how much better. Likewise, there is no plan for recycling battery materials so they won't be a health hazard. Likewise, the magic of nuclear power assumes that the long history of humanity will solve the problems of nuclear waste, which must either be effectively recycled or maintained safely into perpetuity, through all the human twists and turns of history, which isn't likely. People have huge spikes of success followed by prolonged disillusionment. I'm hopeful and optimistic, but my critical analytical mind says uh-oh. Right now, the range, charging time, and availability of charging stations, plus the technology of repair still burden electric vehicles with real drawbacks.

I am daily reading about electric vehicles in various media with interest but am also no expert. Anyway, I think it is quite clear that electric cars ARE a lot greener than ICE, both locally and and with less carbon footprint. Partly due to the efficiency. Even when charged from a coal-fired powerplant, of which there will be less in the future. There are not only plans for recycling but electric car batteries are already given a 2nd life today, as eg grid storage but since these car batteries are fairly new, and longer lasting than expected, there is a shortage of used batteries for this purpose. The unwanted but now diminishing amount of cobalt in the batteries is recyclable, whereas the cobalt used in refining oil is not. Refining oil requires a lot of energy. I agree with you about the unsafe nuclear but the drawbacks you mention regarding electric cars, I think you exaggerate. I have had some problems, years ago, with one older 1st gen. electric car, due to a special service required but the others I leased, where trouble free. My brother's 2015 Tesla has been almost maintenance free. For years. No oil shifts and even the brakes last a lot longer on an electric car . The charging may be a problem if you live in a flat in the city but I understand that most here and in USA can charge at home, at night when the grid is idling, for their weekly commuting. New charging stations are opening every day for roadtrips, whereas more gas stations are already closing in Scandinavia. ICE cars are soon banned from many cities in Europe.

 

[smudgersmissingleg]

Electric vehicles are definitely the future, here in the UK petrol cars are being banned from 2030 onwards.

Here's me driving my EV?.