Electric vehicles (EVs), their emissions, and future viability

[Tin Man]

New Porsche Panamera looks awfully close to the Tesla S (on the outside)

 

[tikal]

Betting on better batteries - Short documentary from Germany

http://www.dw.com/en/betting-on-better-batteries/av-43476160

 

[German_1er_diesel]

Tesla is starting to look like the Mercedes AA Class.

Is it just me or is it time to stick a fork in Tesla?

Mercedes A-Class platform vehicle sales in 2017: 620,000
Tesla sales in 2017:103,020

-> Tesla would be quite ecstatic if they were in a position to sell even remotely as many cars as Mercedes does of their FWD lineup.

 

[compu_85]

The Mercedes AA Class is a spoof car / commercial made up by the folks at Saturday Night Live:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k1tbf8muMc

-J

 

[meerschm]

for what it is worth, the springfield mall has part of the parking lot closed off for installation of a large Tesla charging capability

 

[turbobrick240]

Mercedes A-Class platform vehicle sales in 2017: 620,000
Tesla sales in 2017:103,020
-> Tesla would be quite ecstatic if they were in a position to sell even remotely as many cars as Mercedes does of their FWD lineup.

And Mercedes would be ecstatic if the A class sold as well as the Toyota Corolla. If Tesla sells 210k+ cars in 2018 (very likely) that wil be a 100%+ increase. Any of the old guard automakers would be thrilled with that kind of growth.

 

[VeeDubTDI]

for what it is worth, the springfield mall has part of the parking lot closed off for installation of a large Tesla charging capability

I've been following this closely. Construction on the 18-stall site is more than half way done.

 

[oilhammer]

Just in time for malls in general to go away.

Maybe this will usher in a new reason to go to one.

 

[Jetta_Pilot]

I drive 3000 miles every fall to Mexico and then quite often a much longer return trip home in the spring. I do that regularly in 4 1/2 days!
Try and do that in ANY electric car! Not a hope in hell!
A friend had a Toyota Camry Hybrid and his mileage was lousy for similar trips!

 

[oilhammer]

As has been stated many, many times, EVs are not at all suited for that sort of thing, and nobody with two brain cells to rub together is suggesting they are. They are ideal for short trips in urban areas, which is what a LOT of people do. Hybrids are in a similar boat, in that they are not well suited for sustained high speed use... again, not what they are intended for anyway.

We just had to go pick up a Prius V for a customer, and its highway return trip was only 33 MPG. Which is pretty abysmal. But around town, where its new owner will be primarily operating it, will net it close to 50.

Different tools for different jobs.

 

[kjclow]

Just in time for malls in general to go away.

Maybe this will usher in a new reason to go to one.

At least in and around Charlotte, it seems that the only reason to go to the mall these days is either to shoot at or be shot at by someone.

 

[oilhammer]

At least in and around Charlotte, it seems that the only reason to go to the mall these days is either to shoot at or be shot at by someone.

Same in STL. I have not been to a mall (the couple that are left here) in a while, save for the one that is still in a somewhat nice area that is a hold out only because mass transit doesn't go that far. And that one is half vacant anyway. There is a V-stock store there, that is the only reason I am ever there. Also has a movie theater, but I rarely attend that one.

 

[El Dobro]

Tesla put up superchargers at a mall about 15 minutes from home, but they recently put them up at a Wawa about 3 minutes away. If you want your car to wind up in Newark, go to the mall.

 

[Jetta_Pilot]

As has been stated many, many times, EVs are not at all suited for that sort of thing, and nobody with two brain cells to rub together is suggesting they are. They are ideal for short trips in urban areas, which is what a LOT of people do. Hybrids are in a similar boat, in that they are not well suited for sustained high speed use... again, not what they are intended for anyway.

How many people can afford to have an electric toy just for running around town?
A LOT of people can barely afford to have one vehicle, given the upkeep, insurance and fuel costs!

 

[VeeDubTDI]

Let’s get back to the discussion of the expanding EV market, with a little less focus on the future viability of shopping malls.

 

[bhtooefr]

Also, your trip to Mexico is already possible, depending on where in Mexico you want to go.

Add one Supercharger in Matehuala, and you can get all the way to Mexico City in a long range Tesla, it looks like. (As it is now, it's just not practically doable, though, I was putting some ludicrously low numbers into A Better Route Planner and it wasn't able to find a route.)

As far as diesel efficiency relative to hybrids goes... would a comparable, emissions compliant diesel to the Prius v get at least 37 MPG in those driving conditions? (Keeping in mind that the closest omparable VW options would be something like a Touran or LWB Tiguan, ignoring that neither was ever sold here.) If the diesel doesn't get 37, the Prius v getting 33 beats it on actual efficiency.

 

[oilhammer]

How many people can afford to have an electric toy just for running around town?
A LOT of people can barely afford to have one vehicle, given the upkeep, insurance and fuel costs!

I could, if I lived in an urban area. Lots of people could. I'd venture to say most people who own cars could. You can buy used Leafs for less than a used Corolla. Given they cost less to maintain, and the "fuel" is pretty cheap....

But buying new is an expensive proposition, even with all the incentives still in place to do so. New cars are generally more of an expense period.

I am not in need nor want of an EV, but I know a LOT of people that COULD make use of one, could afford one, and would lessen their transportation costs overall with one. They just for whatever reason do not want one, which is fine. But to argue that there are not people that could make good use of one is simply not true.

 

[El Dobro]

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/vw-ea288-evo-first-diesel-mild-hybrid/

 

[El Dobro]

https://cleantechnica.com/2018/05/04/volkswagen-doubles-ev-battery-order-to-48-billion/

 

[kjclow]

How many people can afford to have an electric toy just for running around town?
A LOT of people can barely afford to have one vehicle, given the upkeep, insurance and fuel costs!

Since we already own two cars, what's the difference if one is electric or diesel? When we replace the JSW, which is now my wife's commute car, it will probably have some level of electric assist.

 

[German_1er_diesel]

New Porsche Panamera looks awfully close to the Tesla S (on the outside)

And the Model S looked a bit like the previous-generation Mazda6 hatch when it came out. In the end, fastback 5-doors will look like fastback 5-doors.

 

[turbobrick240]

I definitely see the resemblance to the Panamera- the Mazda, not so much. Though Frans Von Holzhausen, the Tesla model S/X/3/roadster2 designer, did previously do design work at Mazda.

 

[CraziFuzzy]

How many people can afford to have an electric toy just for running around town?
A LOT of people can barely afford to have one vehicle, given the upkeep, insurance and fuel costs!

That's a pretty ridiculous statement - when MOST people ONLY 'run around town'. Frequent long distance road trips are the exception, not the rule.

 

[El Dobro]

I go up and down the East Coast with the Volt and I'm still running at 76% EV.

 

[tikal]

I go up and down the East Coast with the Volt and I'm still running at 76% EV.

Now try to get an average family of two adults, two children plus luggage (going camping for example) in one of the existing EVs on a road trip. Not a good fit yet.

But for everyday city driving EVs are fairly mature in my view as you leave the house with a full tank normally (if you do not forget to plug it in overnight

 

[El Dobro]

Now try to get an average family of two adults, two children plus luggage (going camping for example) in one of the existing EVs on a road trip. Not a good fit yet.
But for everyday city driving EVs are fairly mature in my view as you leave the house with a full tank normally (if you do not forget to plug it in overnight

Looks like this would work.
https://www.tesla.com/modelx

 

[tikal]

Looks like this would work.
https://www.tesla.com/modelx

Well of course, the next 'people's car'.

Too bad it is not a truck

 

[aja8888]

Well of course, the next 'people's car'.
Too bad it is not a truck

You could buy a couple of pickup trucks for what a Model X costs. Or just buy one and then use the remaining cash for a sailboat!

 

[El Dobro]

 

[aja8888]

Now that's cool!