1,000 miles between fill ups

M

mcbrett

2,500+ Posts
This is on west mall- because it has everything to do with domestic energy policy. And rather than get testy- I'd hope people are happy, positive and optimistic when an American firm, GM, develops a 4 seater sedan that is typically traveling 1,000 miles between fill ups according to data on the first users.

This stat was just announced a few days ago:

1,000 miles between fill ups
In reply to:
Click to expand...
 
i like cars with great gas mileage. the vote starts at 40k and they have the advantage of offering a 7500 tax credit. it is still an expensive car geared toward people making 100k a year or more. there is no reason why these cars should cost more than a regular car. i also do not know why it will take years to produce an suv version or even a larger, more comfortable, luxury car. i prefer the hydrogen cars.
 
I know I can't even think about affording that car, and neither can most Americans. So, so what if it gets good mileage? It doesn't help enough people to be significant.

What are the ongoing costs of battery disposal/replacement/recharge? How big is the carbon footprint when you consider coal fired electric plants must be utilized to recharge the thing? How about the new fees our friendly governmental entities are slapping on to electric vehicles to make up for the loss of gas tax revenue?

The bottom line is that there are many hidden costs to owning these vehicles you are conveniently choosing to ignore, in addition to the ridiculous price tag.
 
Yea Government takeovers!
bounce.gif
 
i'm so happy to hear that these vehicles are turning out to be successes.
i will soon be in the market for a new vehicle but will need something much larger - either a crossover or suv. i glanced at hte ford edge hybrid. anyone know much about that? or something better?
 
my aunt had a hybrid tahoe but i think it only got a few miles better than a regular tahoe. there is a demand for the hybrid vehicle with good gas mileage. some high end companies do not make them, acura and infiniti to name two. not sure why, they are japanese companies and ahead of the curve usually. the honda accord hybrid is pretty nice so why wouldnt acura make them?
 
While I definitely believe that the Volt is doing that well, the pool of owners is different than it would be for the general public.

Many of these people are first adopters and are generally concerned with getting the best mileage they can. When it is sold mainly to the general public, you'll see how the numbers turn out with normal, everyday driving habits.

I have no doubt that the mileage will be good, then, too, but it'll probably drop a good bit from what you have now...
 
mcbrett,
I am going to assume you are looking at the parking lot of a professional building of some sort. Mainly white collar folks in an industry/industries where the average person makes more than 100k a year. Just a guess. I am all for lower emissions and even for getting off of oil completely.... there are just a few issues with electrics being the ONLY future.
I believe that electrics and hybrids are a great bridge technology. I am also VERY VERY VERY pleased to see car companies taking MPGs seriously for petrol only cars. Look at Ford having 4 cars that get 40 mpgs or better on the highway. Great!
People who say that having relatively few electrics are going to greatly tax the electric grid... that just isn't true... Now if we ALL got on electric cars? Sure.
I assume the people who own the cars in your parking lot there can afford to pay for $5 gas. Many people are wealthy enough that the price of gas hurts, but not enough to change driving habits. The only way to really do that would really really hurt the poor dramatically.
I believe that the future of driving is hydrogen. Hydrogen is cleaner than electric. Hydrogen is the most sustainable fuel option that has ever been thought of. Hydrogen allows people to have very little change to the way we currently drive; drive, fill up the tank with fuel, drive, fill up the tank with fuel etc. You could drive from LA to Maine the same way you do now (filling stations will have to change fuels of course).
I applaud the success of these electric cars, but they are simply not cars that will or can have broad appeal.
 
mcbrett's quote:

" I'm looking at a parking lot right now- I see about 30 BMWs, Mercedes, a few Porsches, a few Audis, Lexus, a few $50,000 GM and Ford SUVs and plenty more."

These are the cars I am talking about... how many of them cost around 28k? Not many.

Also, 28K is too much to pay for a car if you make less than 100k a year. That is a HIGH price per income for a car. Not saying people don't do it, but it is unwise.
Also, I assume you are talking about the Leaf, because the Volt is more than 28k, even after tax payers pay some for you being a greenie. So 28k, for a car I can't drive every where I drive... That seems a bad deal to me.
 
I wish more people would go out and buy hybrids/ev's so I can fill up the Yukon and Ram for a lot less.

I am happy for GM, hopefully we can get that stock price back up.
 
I'm looking at a parking lot right now- I see about 30 BMWs, Mercedes, a few Porsches, a few Audis, Lexus, a few $50,000 GM and Ford SUVs and plenty more.

I think many Americans somehow find a way to purchase $40,000 vehicles.
__________________________________________________

as mcbrett takes a look at his law firm parking lot or the local grocery store surrounded by mansions.
 
Put me in the hooray category.

Of course the wealthy will be the early adopters. Look at just about any consumer product: cell phones, PCs, flat-panel TVs, etc. As demand grows, production increases, and technology improves, the prices will come down, the varieties offered will grow, and electric/hybrid vehicles will become accessible to a broader population.

And don't complain about mileage fees as a replacement for the gas tax unless you want to drive your EV on congested freeways and pothole-ridden gravel roads.
 
So does this mean we are building more coal plants to generate electricity for these electric cars? I thought the President promised to bankrupt those guys.
 
I can hardly wait for the rolling blackouts when everyone is plugging their vehicles in for recharge. What's going to power all that electricity? The cost of electricity will only replace the cost of gasoline. You'll use more electricity and less gas. 220-221 whatever. Rich man gets his ice in the summer, poor man gets his ice in the winter.
 
GTT,
great point. I don't think EVs will be the long term solution or change, but people complaining about their pull on power now is just ignorant whining. There simply are not enough EVs currently on the road or being sold to dramatically impact the grid for a LONG time.
 
The point that most people miss is the reduction in oil that we will need to import once these cars increase in numbers. Simultaneous focus needs to be on renewable energy production and modernization of the grid.
 
THEU, I think their "pull on power" will not be a huge issue for a while, but electricity is not quite magic. It still requires power generation and it is far from free. In most cases around the country electricity is generated by (gasp!) fossil fuels.

Great news on electric vehidles! I'd prefer it was coming from private industry, but so be it.
 
GTT is correct- the current grid has plenty of capacity- about 18% spare in fact. Electric consumption is down about 8% since 2008 due to the recession anyways.

We could keep the current generation fleet and be fine for 2 decades or so with EVs growing in numbers rapidly- but yes, at some point if market penetration was above 30% or so we would need extra generation and some transmission upgrades.

As to the point some are making about the switch to coal- which is only about 43% correct, (57% are other technologies)- that would be awesome. What is important to note is- as opposed to oil- coal, gas, nuclear, hydro and renewables are domestic- their prices don't fluctuate nearly as much- and the delivery system is many times more efficient than oil.

The underlying advantage for electrics over internal combustions is- Electrics are more efficient at converting energy into motion- period. An ICE wastes energy in heat, transmission, friction and many other areas. Plus- ICE cars have so many parts an EV does not need- such as transmission, carburetor, exhaust system- and many more. EVs are simpler, easier to maintain- and as I said- simply need big time improvement in the battery in cost and capacity. I am very excited about the prospect of improvements for batteries- and just hope they are American made- not Korean and Japanese.
 
I once lived in Addison, in Dallas- I lived in a so-so apartment complex right after finishing at UT earning in the 30's at best. I think half of our parking lot at the time in 2000, 2001- was a $30,000 car or better. The term was a "Dallasionaire"- somehow it seems there are plenty of people who don't earn $100,000/year are able to buy or lease plenty of nice cars.

And no, my lot is not 'super rich' nor am I a lawyer or close to that. Additionally- you are mocking the first generation from these companies- and ignoring the repeated examples of price improvements with economies of scale we have all witnessed in our lives countless times.

I'm sure when they sell an EV SUV for $25,000 some of you will find something new to harp about- new technology is not for everyone, and that is ok.
 
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