Train said:
So because his opinion and outlook differs from others he's an "EV hater?" :lol:
He's right, if EV's were all that, there would still be people on a waiting list. Nissan sold under 400 last month. It's obvious they are not ready for prime time.
The article seems reasonable to me.
It would be reasonable, if his facts were valid.
1.
Batteries can't compete with fossil fuels for energy density. Sure hydrocarbons fuel carries more capacity per ounce than a battery. But who cares if batteries can perform the task? My LEAF works perfectly for my needs. Am I everybody well no, but there are plenty of Americans (and a whole lot more Europeans thanx to an actual mass transit system) who can use an EV.
2.
5 years to recover cost - Well we've heard that one before but the synopsis is that a Volt is not even close to an equal swap with a Cruze. Some say it compares to a BMW 320, which is a stretch, but not by much, so conservatively the payoff is closer to 2yrs on an actually comparable car.
3.
Battery will be gone before payoff. Since the Volt battery utilization is so closely restricted (middle 50%) it will not be degraded much if at all in 5yrs, my guess is more like 10yrs before replacement required. LEAF is a completely different story as the lack of regulation of battery utilization allows for a abuse. But an 80%/day charger should be fine up to 5yrs. Either way by the time a battery replacement is required given current technology trends it should both be cheaper and have better capacity .
3.
Juice comes from burning fossil fuels. Sure in many parts of the US,
but not everywhere. More importantly where the source of electricity is fossil fuels, it is US fossil fuels, which means the money stays in our economy so Americans help Americans instead of the double whamy of paying foreign countries for oil and then also paying to protect many of those countries (Canada, Mexico, & Venezuela not withstanding).
4.
EVs are a flop. Well given the unrealistic expectations that EV enthusiasts raised sure. But the LEAF outsold the first year Prius (in a smaller car market) and sales have been demand driven. There are not lots full of Volts and LEAFs around the country. Given the VOlts price IT SHOULDN'T SELL as well as it has, but it has sold which says that when prices come down (and they will) it will compete with an ICE. One cannot expect the American public to switch to a whole new way of driving overnight, especially given the failure of infrastructure to appear (for which we can blame Obama and Congress) to support such a switch. It will take time. Given the side benefits of the technology (improved batteries,
So the supporting argument for Mr Lane's conclusion is wrong. And what is his alternative? Status quo? Market forces? The government won't stop the subsidization of fossil fuels because our economy is dependent on them. Given that waiting for the market to get us off fossil fuels will mean the switch will come far too late and our economy will be enslaved by some other country who has developed the alternative or worse yet there is global collapse b/c nobody made the switch in time. Either way even the Bush Administration realized that the only way to avoid said disaster is for the government to push us in multiple directions so we can figure out which one is best early on, which is what is happening now.
Small minded guys like Mr. Lane need to pull their head out of the sand and either stop complaining or come up with a better idea. And no, oil is not the better idea.
I've heard the litany of excuses why Leafs aren't selling in the numbers people want but blaming the consumer for not buying a product because, wait, I have to say this outloud: "because the consumer has an attitude problem" is just denial on so many levels.
