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Ford is Throwing $11 Billion at Its Electric Car Problem (theverge.com)
Ford said on Monday it will boost its investment in electric vehicles to $11 billion in the next five years, more than doubling a previous commitment. Company's chairman Bill Ford said the car maker would have 40 hybrid and fully electric vehicles in its range by the same period. It comes as countries around the world put more pressure on car makers to rein in carbon emissions. From a report: It was a dramatic escalation in Ford's crosstown rivalry with General Motors, which has seen its stock prices rise thanks to its commitments to both electrification and autonomy. GM has said it plans to roll out at least 20 new electric cars by 2023, a goal that puts it in a position to bring battery-powered driving to the mainstream. Last week, it unveiled a concept autonomous car without steering wheel or pedals. Meanwhile, the Blue Oval has had a challenging 2017. It remains strongly profitable, but its sale are stagnant, its costs have increased faster than expected, and its margins have failed to meet targets.
As an owner I can tell you both are untrue.
1) I can remove the Cell phone chip any time I want, I choose not to because of the benefits Tesla gives me for having the chip.
2) Many Tesla parts are available through normal places, alternate non OEM parts are also quite available. An entire industry has cropped up selling Tesla Replacement parts. (Note, since the car does not have a LOT of normal parts like timing belts, the entire exhaust system, and more, you may feel like you cant get quite as much from outside groups. This feeling is normal and goes away after 6 months of ownership)
- Right to repair laws also make it so you can get the book and do it yourself
They have done the math. Stop pretending they haven't. It is not even hard to find. The cost per mile of energy is about 10% to 40% for an electric compared to a ICE engine. On average around 20%
https://avt.inl.gov/sites/defa...
A Bolt. It's great. My solar production covers it fine, and it does indeed get the range advertised. Very peppy - can zoom well past most cars at most reasonable speeds, with a light press of the pedal. Oh wait, was it not a sincere question? Sorry...yeah, some of us actually do indeed want EV :P
I have a Chevy Bolt. For my mix of driving it's nearly perfect in every way. For someone who takes many trips over a couple hundred miles it probably isn't practical, mainly because of lack of chargers. Charging is where Tesla really shines. Tesla Supercharges are not usable to charge anything but a Tesla. Their slower changers can be used with an adaptor, but that's mostly pointless on a trip. There are multiple charging networks and each one must be joined. Imagine having to join Exxon or Shell to use their pumps. High speed chargers are somewhat common in urban areas but almost non-existent in rural areas.
As for the car, I NEVER want to go back to an ICE (internal combustion engine) car. The smoothness, quiet, ease of driving and shear convenience just can't be approached by an ICE vehicle. I live in hope that the charging networks get built out so I can use the Bolt on very few longer trips I take yearly. I really love this car.
Range is severely effected by cold temps. Cabin heat is supplied by resistance coils (the Leaf on the other hand has a heap pump) and when temps are down in the single digits(F) up to 25% of the battery is used to keep the cabin warm. Plus, there is reduced battery capacity in the cold. I've seen my full charge range (all estimated of course) go down to 150miles in sever cold. Serious greenies, or people that must have the range wear heavy cloths and turn the heat very low. I'm not in either category so I keep it between 68 and 72 most of the time.
I'm much more sensitive to the smell of car exhaust now and find it more annoying.
Finely, I'll add that I didn't get an EV to be green, although it was a consideration. I was curious and ready to replace my current car. I test drove both the Volt and the Bolt. The Volt is a fine car, but the Bolt is clearly a generation ahead. Once I test drove the Bolt I was sold.
What model of electric car do you drive? Can you tell us about your experiences with it?
Nissan Leaf owner... it's crazy quiet and comfortable. It's cheap not only because electric is cheaper than gas, but because there's almost no maintenance (no oil changes, no muffler, no coolant, no fuel filters, brake pads last longer, etc.) or an annual emissions test to pay for.
Performance is better than most would expect... very quick acceleration off the line. Above ~45 mph acceleration is more sluggish than ICE, but you can still get it up 80+ mph to land you a speeding ticket anywhere in the country. The range drops considerably if you're a lead foot or drive long distances at 55+ mph highway speeds. Efficiency is best as a city driver staying in the 25-50 mph range.
In over two years I have never charged my Leaf anywhere other than in my garage, so the charging station concern is overblown. However, I would not recommend an EV to anyone without a reliable place to charge at home.
My wife has an ICE and we use her car for road trips or swap cars if I need to go further than the Leaf's range, so I am not completely dependent on the Leaf's range. An EV is a great choice for a two-car household where one can be an ICE. If your household only has one car, you need to review your driving needs carefully before going EV and probably budget for the occasional rental.
If you're willing to buy a used EV (I did) there are some amazing deals because most owners lease them.
Also its worth pointing out that a tesla drivetrain has 18 moving parts whereas a non-electric car has over 200 moving parts in its drivetrain.