So who thinks they will be driving electric in 10 years?

[stioc]

Agreed. Another aspect and this one's personal. I grew up racing cars...I still very much enjoy driving cars and more so in a raw way without all the traction control, VSA etc. However, where I live the traffic has sky rocketed, tons of people here now and driving has become a chore. For me most people drive too slow, and it's not a constant slow it's the slow then fast, then slow then fast...I prefer to go at a constant speed as much as reasonable. The slow/fast usually because people are checking their phones even though it's illegal. Then you have the tailgaters who no matter how fast you're going they just have to be in front of you. So despite my love for driving I'm kind of looking forward to the self-driving cars.. Hopefully with that (and I'm sure this will take time) riding motorcycles will become safer too so may be that's what I'll drive/ride myself in the future

 

[Reddinr]

I got a chance to take a car out on a track a few times a few years ago. My wife (god love her) bought me some days at a driving school which included lots of on-track time. That is on my top 5 list of thrills of a lifetime. (Probably more like raw fear to my in-car tutor though, at least at first.) So, I would miss driving too but you list many of the reasons that highway/road driving can be a real buzz kill. Another pet peeve is that many people can't seem to handle 4-way intersections with any grace at all.

 

[C-Bag]

Actually Uber already has a fleet of self-driving cars (Volvo) and they recently announced removing the drivers from them completely. Hyundai just announced $35B investment in self-driving cars. Audi is bring their models. UPS is also using the technology in their long haul semis. So it's quietly spreading and faster than anyone anticipated.

Automation is here, it's not in the far flung future. The speed of change is going a lot faster than most can comprehend. In a great interview with Joe Rogan Andrew Yang totally laid it out. Long haul truckers have a target on them and they don't even know it. There's not enough people who want to drive a truck and those that are driving now are aging out. I truly don't know if we're all going to be driving or it will all be automated Uber's that get us around it's way to early to tell.
We went this route because there were tax incentives, we needed a new car and I've always wanted one. But Tesla was too much, and the Leaf to little. Even in the Bay Area it can be hard to find a charging station much less the boonies where we are. But the 50mi electric range is surprisingly good for our needs and doesn't cause a load problem because it's 220v single phase with no provision I know of for fast charge. As it is it charges in 4hrs if completely out and is set to start charging after 11pm when the rates go down. Bottom line I don't feel like I've sacrificed anything and it's fun to drive. My next wish list is a battery like a Tesla powerwall so I don't feel so cheated like when they had a transformer failure that only effected 400 of us for 48hrs. All while my solar was worthless because no battery backup.

 

[westerner]

I will stop before I get political and end by saying that no matter what, someone will always want humans to have zero footprint on the planet, yet they have a footprint on the planet.

Yup. As I stated above, and has been said several times in this thread- Battery technology lags behind demand for it. When that one genius finally gets it right, he will be the modern Rockefeller, or Carnegie, or Gates. Until then every thing will be a well-marketed band-aid.

 

[savarin]

My solar feeds back into the grid at 44c a Kw.
This will be ending soon so a major upgrade in the size of my solar and a battery wall is on the cards in the very close future.
Weve always had solar hot water and that saves a heap.

 

[The Model A Guy]

Ill be going electric !!!

 

[tweinke]

Well I think electric will be here sooner than later. Keep your eyes open Ford is preparing to launch several EVs. Sounds like a Mustang will be first.

 

[ttabbal]

I've been driving EV for a year now. For what I'm doing with it, mostly commuting with <50 mile round trips, it's great. I started out charging mostly at home with a level 2 charger. 240V 40A. That will charge my leaf from the daily drive in about 2 hours. A little more for full drain, but it doesn't matter as I charge when a gas car would be sitting anyway. It's no more or less convenient that way. Though never having to stop for gas is nice. These days, I can usually charge for a half day at work, there are 6 charges, but 10 cars, so we swap out. I can go weeks using power entirely from work that they offer for free.

I get a little over 4 miles / kwh. 1kwh is about $0.11 here, though it's tiered as it is most places.

Nobody at home is going to have a fast charger anytime soon. The power lines required are stupidly huge and expensive. The level 2 is about where it's at for home use. That is about as much as an electric clothing dryer or oven will draw. It's not a huge drain on the grid, some people's A/C units use more power than the L2 chargers. The Leaf and most EVs also have a charge timer so if you have lower overnight rates you can use that to take advantage. Some chargers can be set that way as well. If everyone had one, I suspect there would be a setup available like the devices where the power company can control your A/C unit to smooth the load out. So they could stagger the start times for everyone's charge. We all have 100% in the morning, but start an hour or two later.

Fast chargers are more common than you would think at this stage. I have an app on my phone that lists where they can be found. Those can charge my car to 80% in 30 minutes. They cost more, but if you're in a hurry, they are nice. Tesla fast chargers are common even here in Utah. I do wish they would all use a single standard like the L1/L2 chargers though.

EV isn't there yet for every possible use case. I think most people that have a vehicle mostly for commuting could use one if they wanted to, but there are a lot of situations it doesn't work as well for. Given how fast the technology for batteries has improved, 10 years could fill those gaps, but one never knows. I know everyone thinks of golf carts, but they really are decently fun to drive, though with some differences from ICE cars. Worth a look.

 

[bpimm]

I drive an 85 Dodge pickup I have had since 87 or so. Its from the era, where the same parts were used for many years, so many parts are still available. I have no intentions of dumping it any time soon. Compare that to my Mothers 2017 Pacifica, and many of the parts are one or two year, one application only. So 10 years from now, how easy will it be to get an axle shaft, wheel hub, caliper, what ever. That car, when the warranty is over, will likely go. And I will likely still have the 85 as my daily driver, with two 77's for backups. One of the realities of being an disabled vet, is all the financial plans I once had, are just a dream from long ago. The closest thing I will see to electric, is my 70's Era golf cart.

With all the specialty parts, such as the LED lights, sensors, computers, door motors, locks, glass, ect. I do not see the used car market being as big as it is now. It will be new, lease, or the city bus.

Man you drive a new one... My truck is an 83 F350 and like you I'm not planning to get rid of it. it works fine and doesnt cost more than my first house.

 

[C-Bag]

While I understand the appeal of EV's I don't think putting all our eggs in the electricity only basket is a great idea. Too much vulnerability relying on a single source of energy and the people who supply it.

huh?? So relying on petroleum is somehow diverse? I don't get that one at all.