How far will you drive to save money on gas?

[Singuy]

Is there even enough cobalt on this planet to ever get to 50% EVs on the road? Maybe in 20 years we won't rely on cobalt for lithium batteries.

And for those who haven't looked into cobalt mining, skip it. You don't want to know. Ignorance is bliss.

Cobalt usage as a percentage in batteries are dropping big time. The biggest battery manufacture in the world right now CATL are mostly cobalt free.

[Singuy]

Realistically, how long do you think it will be until EVs represent a majority of cars actively on the road? I will be shocked if they crack 50% in under 25 years.

You are not wrong. If all sales become EVs tomorrow, it will still take 20 years for ICE cars on the road to be replaced by EVs.

However accessibility is key to adoption and that's getting better with new tax incentives and just overall price drops as more EVs hit the road.

Truth is, major auto makers doesn't have great incentive to bite off the hand that feeds them(gas car division) to spool up EV production(as it's not profitable). All of them are either not even trying (Toyota) to just making up numbers as guidance (GM).

[Singuy]

With California banning gas engines by 2035, experts have estimated that California would need 10 nuclear power plants to serve all the power needs. We currently only have one and it's already scheduled to be shut down due to age. Just to build one nuclear power plant takes 10 years once it's even been approved. I only hope I'm still around in 2035 to see how this plays out!

Charging a car to get 350 miles is equivalent as running ONE AC unit for 15hrs on cold or 4hrs on heat. Lots of people in Fl runs 3 A/C units in their 3300 sqft house 24/7 and they are not even home. However anti-EVers are pushing this grid overload problem with EVs for whatever reason as if it uses some kind of unreasonable amount of power. A small 4kwh solar system that cost 7 thousand bucks will cover the entire power usage of your car. Yes, imagine spending 7 thousand dollars to prepay for 30+ years worth of gas. Most people spend 7k on gas every 1.5 years. This is 120k over 30 years spent on gas. Gas is the new cigarette, not only it's bad for people's health, but the money spent creeps up over time in a big way.

[ua_guy]

Preach. This is something we can agree on!

[rennigade]

A small 4kwh solar system that cost 7 thousand bucks will cover the entire power usage of your car. Yes, imagine spending 7 thousand dollars to prepay for 30+ years worth of gas.

Not all people own homes. Lot still rent. Should landlords be forced to install solar? What about apartment buildings? Who gets to charge for "free" and who has to go to a supercharger down the road and pay?

Sas to say but isn't it funny how humans keep producing more technology to try to fix the problems we create. Never ending cycle. Humans are the issue. Maybe we should all pray for a nuclear ww3. Would solve a lot of problems if most of us weren't here.

[disneysteve]

accessibility is key to adoption and that's getting better with new tax incentives and just overall price drops as more EVs hit the road.

Certainly cost is a barrier to adoption. There needs to be an adequate supply of used EVs that people can buy for 5K or 10K or 15K. Heck the most I have ever spent on a car in my life is 26K.

I think an even bigger barrier, though, is the lack of infrastructure to support them. Most homes aren't equipped for charging. We'd need to install something in the driveway to charge EVs if we switched over. Multi-family dwellings like apartment buildings need charging ports throughout the parking garage or lot. You need charging ports lining every residential street in the cities and every commercial street like parking meters. We have gas stations on every corner but hardly any places to charge an EV right now. Until that changes, which is a major endeavor, I don't see them becoming more than a niche product like they are now.

[ua_guy]

I think about what if ICV fueling stations start incorporating EV charging stations at existing ICV fueling locations. I think the future is full EV charging times in <20 minutes.

Nobody worried about adding 100 Million + people to the US in the last 40 years and somehow utility companies rose to meet the demand. This is capitalism, and, they don't get a free pass now.

7-11 (Convenience store chain) is evaluating installing EV chargers at many 7-11 locations.

[disneysteve]

I think about what if ICV fueling stations start incorporating EV charging stations at existing ICV fueling locations. I think the future is full EV charging times in <20 minutes.

7-11 (Convenience store chain) is evaluating installing EV chargers at many 7-11 locations.

It takes 2 minutes to fill up a gas car. If it takes 20 to "fill" an EV, the stations will need to be able to charge enough for the service to offset the fact that they can only handle one car every 20 minutes instead of 10, but I'm sure they'll figure it out somehow. Of course, there's also the issue of having to sit there for 20 minutes while your car charges, especially in bad weather. I don't want to be sitting in a freezing cold or blazing hot car for 20 minutes.

Residential charging will probably be where most people plug in, but as I said, there's no system in place yet to do that. I grew up in Philadelphia. We parked on the street, and not necessarily near our house. They're going to have to line the streets with charging ports. I'm sure EV chargers will become more common in new single home construction but the challenge is retrofitting the 150 million existing homes and 20 million apartments, plus business and commercial locations, stadiums, airports, theaters, etc.

Wawa, another convenience store chain, has Tesla chargers at some locations I've seen.

[ua_guy]

Of course, there's also the issue of having to sit there for 20 minutes while your car charges, especially in bad weather. I don't want to be sitting in a freezing cold or blazing hot car for 20 minutes.

EV's can generally cool or heat while they're being charged. I have a buddy who owns a Polestar. He eats his lunch or surfs his phone or takes a quick nap while he's charging on the go, in the comfort of his EV. He lives in North Central WA, so freezing cold in the winter and blazing hot in the summer. Of all the people I know who own EV's, filling time during a charge really doesn't seem to be a problem.

But yes, I agree, "EV" is a change that will take place over time, and is likely to be accelerated if/when (more likely, when) technology enables very fast charging times. Not everyone is able to charge at home, but in the near future, they may not need to, either.

[myrdale]

Humans are the issue. Maybe we should all pray for a nuclear ww3. Would solve a lot of problems if most of us weren't here.

Look up the Georgia Guide Stones. They were blown up last year, but their message is inline with your opinion.

[disneysteve]

But yes, I agree, "EV" is a change that will take place over time, and is likely to be accelerated if/when (more likely, when) technology enables very fast charging times. Not everyone is able to charge at home, but in the near future, they may not need to, either.

That would be great, and really is what is needed for widespread adoption: fast convenient readily accessible charging locations on par with gas stations today.

[scfr]

I don't. In the past when I had to fill up more regularly, I had a couple strategies. When I had a longer commute, I'd watch prices on my way to work and then stop on my way back at whatever place was the cheapest. Later, when I had a shorter commute and lived near a HEB which had pretty good prices to begin with, and I'd buy HEB gift cards w/ 6% cash back and use the GCs to buy gas. Now I have a plug-in hybrid and pass a Costco on my way to & from work, so when I want to add gas (which isn't very often) I just stop there.

[disneysteve]

I'd buy HEB gift cards w/ 6% cash back and use the GCs to buy gas.

I used to do the same thing with Speedway. I’d buy discounted Speedway cards from one of the online gift card sites and use those to buy gas. There was a Speedway on the way to my office. That worked until Speedway pulled out of this region and all of their stations closed or changed brands.

[disneysteve]

It is nice to see prices down again. It was $3.01 today so I'm sure under-$3 is available if I look around, and our local stations will probably break $3 in a day or two if prices continue to trend down.

As expected, I was able to fill up for $2.98 today. Unfortunately I didn't need to go past BJs as I'm sure they're even cheaper but I'm not complaining.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I've seen these Rivian trucks on the roads, very nice but living in an apartment makes it impossible as rennigade pointed out..