TA.b - EV talk 4.20

Many want to deride the numerous EVs (electric vehicles) that are appearing in the marketplace today (hold on to your hats, there are lots and lots more coming). While many current EVs are little more than city cars (which would actually be sufficient for many), there are a quite a few, various Teslas, duplicate Kias and Hyundais, Jaguar i-Pace, Audi e-tron, and the Chevy Bolt for example, that make the newer EVs viable as a "daily drivers" for the masses. One thing is sure, this IS your future, so get used to it.

Why are they our future you ask? Many scientists and general smart folk agree that Climate Change is a major oil-related problem, but few talk about something called "Peak Oil Production. and Supply" Peak Oil Production is a theory that suggest that we will hit a point where oil production will generally decline and not rise again, so to speak, and Peak Oil Supply deals with the larger issue of just how much oil is left down there? In other words, have we taken more oil out of the ground then there are reserves left? (And yes Monica, someday we will run our of the gooey stuff). And let's not forget that petroleum oil is the basis for many plastics, fertilizers, and other stuff we depend on besides gasoline, so when supplies get scarce,...

If there is anything that Covid-19 has taught us is that cars do pollute. Since the stay-in-place orders went in to place, the air HAS gotten sweeter. There is much less air pollution. They have pictures and scans from space to prove it. Los Angeles has had the most clean air days since the 70s since we've stopped driving all over the place (of course the work stoppage has assisted as well in lowering emissions). Having lived most of my life in LA, I can tell you that the sky is definitely bluer. Oh, and air-pollution has been found to exacerbate the effects of Covid-19.

Pricing is another issue. Gasoline (where I live at least) is at a high (still lower then Europe and many parts of the world) but charging your EV at home or at a charging station, is much cheaper. If you have solar panels on your roof, you may be able to drive your EV for free (after purchase and installation costs are recovered). So unless you have a personal oil refinery in your backyard...

One way to look at it, is to see that an electric drivetrain is really just another option, like gas or diesel, four, six, eight, or more cylinder engines, etc. EVs require less maintenance currently (no semi-annual oil changes) and are generally more efficient. (Check out the EPA efficiency listings.) Many folks have singled out Tesla for the change in consciousness, but the change was already underway with numerous wind and solar farms popping up all over the globe (clean energy is now cost-effective). I get it. Change is hard. I have a friend that I talk cars with who really loved his gasoline and even diesel engines. We talked about Tesla vehicles and their general improvements of the automobile in structure, technology, and new drive trains (including all-wheel drive). As a result, he rented one when his truck needed service and came back a convert. Today's EVs are getting better and better. Range anxiety is diminishing with larger batteries and improved efficiency with more charging stations being added every day. I think gas stations and truck stops should add chargers for the numerous EVs that are coming like Tesla's Semi. It would become another source of income for them and we all know that "money talks."