Not sure how close the Federal EV tax incentives are to expiring. They will expire once Nissan hits 200k EV's sold in the US.
It isn't just gas when you factor in EV/GAS vehicles. You also have to factor in maintenance costs which are lower in a EV.
You also need to figure in electricity costs, unless you plan on freeloading to charge. The "every man" EV just isn't a thing. They cut down on everything to save weight, get better range, and decrease costs, but it just isn't enough. Tesla can get away with a lot because they are selling a $100k car. More weight, better aero, more performance, and you pay for it. When they can get the batteries down (mostly in size, but also in cost), we can get the EV for the masses.
My problem is, what if you have to go somewhere further? My daily commute is under 50 miles, but I had to make an emergency run to the ER not too long ago & that's what my fear is - not having enough when you need it. Stuff like the 200-mile range Chevy Bolt or Tesla Model 3 seems like a much better idea because then you get a cushion to cover 99.9% of contingencies, assuming your usage range fits within that. The new Volt OTOH seems like the perfect hybrid...50+ miles on a single charge, plus you can just use it like a regular gas car the rest of the time. And of course, I'm sure the new Prius will get even nuttier MPG than before.
If you think that is going to magically produce 200lbs battery packs that can power a midsize sedan 400+ miles per charge in the winter, well, wishful thinking is a nice way to put it.
Don't get me wrong, I hope Tesla comes up with some real game changing battery tech and makes it available for license (for cheap) to everyone. I just don't see any lithium-ion battery doing that. Not to mention our reliance on Middle Eastern oil is just being moved to Chinese rare earth metals. But, I also don't believe Chile and Australia are going to be competitive price wise with the land of no real regulations.
I am a huge proponent of BEVs, but you are absolutely right. Hopefully the gigafactory makes huge inroads on this energy storage problem. You would have to be a fool to not see the superiority of an electric motor over an Otto cycle ICE, or even a diesel for that matter. They do make a beautiful cacophony while slapping metal parts around in a horrible semi-circular motion, but just fail in every manner imaginable in being efficient while sucking down their abundant energy source of liquid fuel.If you think that is going to magically produce 200lbs battery packs that can power a midsize sedan 400+ miles per charge in the winter, well, wishful thinking is a nice way to put it.
Don't get me wrong, I hope Tesla comes up with some real game changing battery tech and makes it available for license (for cheap) to everyone. I just don't see any lithium-ion battery doing that. Not to mention our reliance on Middle Eastern oil is just being moved to Chinese rare earth metals. But, I also don't believe Chile and Australia are going to be competitive price wise with the land of no real regulations.
The 6.2L LSA in the CTS-V weighs 467lbs, and the transmission weighs about 230lbs (both dry). The gas gank is 18 gallons, which is about 110lbs, and let's call it ~40lbs for the tank itself. Add another 40lbs for oil and transmission fluid, and ~30lbs of coolant, plus the radiator, and we're looking at close to 1000lbs of engine, transmission, fuel and fluids.
If you think that is going to magically produce 200lbs battery packs that can power a midsize sedan 400+ miles per charge in the winter, well, wishful thinking is a nice way to put it.
Don't get me wrong, I hope Tesla comes up with some real game changing battery tech and makes it available for license (for cheap) to everyone. I just don't see any lithium-ion battery doing that. Not to mention our reliance on Middle Eastern oil is just being moved to Chinese rare earth metals. But, I also don't believe Chile and Australia are going to be competitive price wise with the land of no real regulations.
They don't need to produce a battery pack that is 200lbs. A electric motor is about 4 times more efficient at transferring energy to moving the vehicle than a standard gasoline engine. The biggest focus of Tesla is bringing down the price of the battery which is exactly what the Giga-factory is meant to do. Also the raw materials for the giga-factory battery production are being sourced from North America not China. One way Tesla intends to bring down the battery price is to move raw materials and battery production closer to together and also have the vehicle plant close to the where the batteries are produced.
i don't get how this is even possible. american labor is so much more expensive, and batteries for cars are not something that you need to overnight, so shipping it via ship would be pretty cheap. and all the base metals and chemical plants are in china.
i suspect this is just elon musk fluff on why we shoould buy equity offerings to wait for the gigafactory (in some hope that people buying 100k model Es by then and he can continue to get financing). since unless this battery plant magically is cheaper environmentally or labor wise than china or the government is basically paying for it. then makes no sense
It is not cost. I don't care if the battery costs $50, if they can't bring the weight to energy capacity down, it won't work. I never said I wasn't impressed. I am talking about practicality. If you want to sell a car to the everyman you will need RANGE increases and price decreases. Sure, nobody drives 400+ miles for between shots, but it is a huge selling point. I can't charge a car at my residence and I can't charge it at work. If I could go to a super charger and get a full charge on a 300+ mile range Tesla (that costs $35k) in like 5 or 6 minutes (charge time, not necessarily total time), I'd be happy, but I make a lot more money than the majority of Americans. We need a cheap car that doesn't need to be charged every night and doesn't take awhile to charge.Don't forget the exhaust!
This whole weight argument is silly and stupid. The real issue is the battery's COST if you want to get into it. And considering an EV is nearly zero maintenance, can be filled at home and has a zillion other benefits (nearly silent operation, no tailpipe emissions so you can control pollution at the source), the cost isn't even as important as it sounds upfront.
There no plan to make a 200 lb battery that can propel a car 400 miles. That's not a goal right now, for anyone. Maybe in 500 years.
So let's get back to reality here, smackababy... you're talking about trips to Uranus and we can barely get to the moon at this point. If you aren't impressed enough with EVs and need one that weighs 200 lbs and goes 400 miles, I think you're going to be disappointed in these threads for the next few centuries.
Lol but why does a tesla need to weigh 700 lbs less?? It already out accelerates almost anything on the road. It's super safe. It's not even too shabby with handling for what it is and it's running low rolling resistance tires
If a model S was only $20k then almost everyone would drive one despite its weight. A few weirdos would be sitting on the sidelines waiting for their 400 mile dream car. The rest of us would move on with the world.
Combining all of these improvements we can achieve a predicted 40-50% improvement on range between the original Roadster and Roadster 3.0. There is a set of speeds and driving conditions where we can confidently drive the Roadster 3.0 over 400 miles.
So if Telsa is able to create a 400+ mile range vehicle; why are the others still at the 100+ range?
Inquiring minds want to know
From your link.Under a certain set of speeds and driving conditions the Roadster 3.0 can be driven 400 miles on a single charge, the company says.
From your link.
It would have been nice for them to identify the parameters needed.
How many people will drive in the optimal conditions
However, it does open the door for others to attempt to follow.
I need a <$40K with 300 range to jump into the poo.
The Volt's system is definitely appealing. I wish it got better highway mileage off electricity; ultimately it's still a fat, heavy American sedan with only average aerodynamics, but they did a fantastic job in terms of practical usability. Only thing I'd want perhaps is a Volt hatch.
the Volt is a hatch. Cd is actually pretty damn good on the Volt as well.
we put a double vanity cabinet in ours and shut the hatch, also have had everything i needed including an 8 foot long 3 in steel post to build a 6 foot x 5 foot gate in it with the hatch closed.
plus have enough in reserve to not get stranded in the event of a road closure.
if you aren't running the AC or heater, an electric sitting idle won't use any of its remaining energy reserves unlike an ICE. plus, an electric crawling along in stop and go traffic doesn't use much power either. funny thing for me is that going 70mph chews up battery faster than than when i'm driving only 15mph.
if you aren't running the AC or heater, an electric sitting idle won't use any of its remaining energy reserves unlike an ICE. plus, an electric crawling along in stop and go traffic doesn't use much power either. funny thing for me is that going 70mph chews up battery faster than than when i'm driving only 15mph.