After purchasing a hybrid and much research on an EV as our next step to "change the world", I had a philosophical moment to share and get folks thoughts on the big picture we're involved in here...
Today, ICE cars are more than just transportation to work or lacrosse practice... They're a primary creator of jobs, wealth and power for the country... But they have increased in price to the point where a normal car is approaching 2 years average worker salary in many cases when you consider the full operating price of the vehicle (time value of money, insurance, taxes, etc.)... Add to this the financial industry that pays for assembly plants, supplier part inventory and wholesale and retail financing and we rely on the "gas economy" more than we care to admit. The fact that there are increasing numbers of car companies from all over the world selling into the US attests to the fact that other countries get the cash bonanza and annuity that cars create for automakers and are sucking capital from us in the form of ICE engines, fancy car stereos, etc....
So now, we're close to EV's really becoming mainstream and just like the days of the railroad barron's, a major power shift is going to happen when the winner of the EV race appears and the car and oil companies start to retrench and consolidate. Lower oil revenue means oil consolidation. Simpler EVs SHOULD equal lower overall cost of ownership and less oil refinery, port fees, tanker trucks, supplier parts, etc. How many car companies will there be when the overall profit is less on a cheaper product (a la the PC-laptop-tablet evolution of computers and shakeout of the PC tech producers)
The question is "What's our next trick"? How does the average American family change their financial situation as a result (better or worse)? What happens to the infrastructure in the US we no longer need in the ICE industry (my bet is on the utility companies winning where oil shrinks). And does American influence change when we no longer pay off most of the 3rd world with oil money to get our way? Yes, I know this is a lot to respond to, but I felt philosophical over my coffee on a Sunday morning...
Today, ICE cars are more than just transportation to work or lacrosse practice... They're a primary creator of jobs, wealth and power for the country... But they have increased in price to the point where a normal car is approaching 2 years average worker salary in many cases when you consider the full operating price of the vehicle (time value of money, insurance, taxes, etc.)... Add to this the financial industry that pays for assembly plants, supplier part inventory and wholesale and retail financing and we rely on the "gas economy" more than we care to admit. The fact that there are increasing numbers of car companies from all over the world selling into the US attests to the fact that other countries get the cash bonanza and annuity that cars create for automakers and are sucking capital from us in the form of ICE engines, fancy car stereos, etc....
So now, we're close to EV's really becoming mainstream and just like the days of the railroad barron's, a major power shift is going to happen when the winner of the EV race appears and the car and oil companies start to retrench and consolidate. Lower oil revenue means oil consolidation. Simpler EVs SHOULD equal lower overall cost of ownership and less oil refinery, port fees, tanker trucks, supplier parts, etc. How many car companies will there be when the overall profit is less on a cheaper product (a la the PC-laptop-tablet evolution of computers and shakeout of the PC tech producers)
The question is "What's our next trick"? How does the average American family change their financial situation as a result (better or worse)? What happens to the infrastructure in the US we no longer need in the ICE industry (my bet is on the utility companies winning where oil shrinks). And does American influence change when we no longer pay off most of the 3rd world with oil money to get our way? Yes, I know this is a lot to respond to, but I felt philosophical over my coffee on a Sunday morning...