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+--- Thread: The biggest myths about electric vehicles (/thread-12404.html)
The biggest myths about electric vehicles - C C - Jun 14, 2022
https://www.freethink.com/technology/myths-about-electric-vehicles
INTRO: As electric vehicle (EV) sales skyrocket, more than doubling in 2021 compared to 2020, and automotive companies announce massive investments in batteries and EVs, the transition from gas to electricity-powered vehicles is looking all the more inevitable. Still, misinformation abounds during this exciting technological change. Here are seven of the biggest myths about EVs... (MORE - details)
MYTHS COVERED: Electric cars will always be more expensive ..... Electric cars will overload the grid. ..... EV batteries don’t last. ..... The range of electric cars is still too small. ..... Charging will always be too slow. ..... We won’t be able to recycle EV batteries. ..... Electric vehicles are worse for the environment.
RE: The biggest myths about electric vehicles - Kornee - Jun 14, 2022
Well at least the author is honest. In italics, just past the article proper ending:
"Disclosure: The author owns various stocks tied to electric vehicles."
But he is probably right on all except point 2 - infrastructure upgrade costs.
In the US it may be true that the total national grid generating capacity only needs a relatively modest boost of ~ 25% from current level.
But that's not going to be the real issue. It's the need to supply the huge upgrade in domestic power handling capacity for home charging option.
How much additional infrastructure cost is involved in a nation-wide adequate-density of public charging station networks is another issue.
This was covered briefly in a previous thread but I've lost track of where.
RE: The biggest myths about electric vehicles - Magical Realist - Jun 14, 2022
I will never get an electric car until charging stations are as common as gas stations. I can just see myself panicking over the recharge light on my dashboard racing around looking for a charging station!
RE: The biggest myths about electric vehicles - Yazata - Jun 14, 2022
Quote:MYTHS COVERED
"Myths" mean whatever the author disagrees with.
Quote:Electric cars will always be more expensive
I don't know about "always" but they appear to be more expensive right now. Most of them sell for $50K or above. There are some cheaper ones, but they tend to be lower end models with smaller batteries etc.
What's more, their competitive pricing only comes as the result of aggressive government subsidies. Subsidies that are very political, since the full federal subsidy is only available for vehicles made in unionized factories by UAW workers. Don't expect to get a full federal subsidy if you buy a Tesla.
Quote:Electric cars will overload the grid.
The author says himself that if everyone had a EV, electricity usage would rise by 25%. (It might be more than that.) But he shrugs off his own words by saying that the grid will be expanded by the time EVs are universal.
Here in California, they are currently debating making all internal combustion cars illegal by 2035. (Activists are shrieking that's insufficient and want gasoline-powered cars off the road by 2030.) Yet California's power grid can barely handle the demand that it sees now. Every summer we have rolling blackouts. So if the environmentalists' green-fantasies are to come true, somebody is going to have to invest big bucks in the grid and in electrical generating capacity. (The activists aren't going to like that either.)
Quote:EV batteries don’t last.
I don't know about EV battery lifespan. But the author admits that their capacity gradually declines. Which will inevitably translate into a gradual drop in range.
Quote:The range of electric cars is still too small.
The author admits this one is true, but argues that most city driving requires less range. Which may be true, but even he admits that EVs aren't the best choice for long road trips.
Quote:Charging will always be too slow.
The author seems to think that drivers should be happy that its getting down to the 20 minute range. The days of pulling into a gas station, tanking up and hitting the road again will soon be over. You are gonna be there for a while. Tesla publishes lists of cafes and shopping centers near their charging stations.
What's more, we are still a long ways from a charging station on every corner. Tesla probably has the best network of charging stations, but there's often just one in each town and you have to use their web application to find it. If you want to drive any distance, you have to plot out your route before hand.
Quote:We won’t be able to recycle EV batteries.
His answer is basically that they are working on it.
Quote:Electric vehicles are worse for the environment.
The author insists this is ridiculous, arguing that EVs use energy from their batteries far more efficiently than internal combustion engines use energy from their fuel. But where does the electricity that goes into the battery come from?
He may be right that EVs are better for the environment, but I'm not convinced.
RE: The biggest myths about electric vehicles - RainbowUnicorn - Jun 15, 2022
(Jun 14, 2022 09:55 PM)Yazata Wrote:Quote:MYTHS COVERED
"Myths" mean whatever the author disagrees with.
Quote:Electric cars will always be more expensive
I don't know about "always" but they appear to be more expensive right now. Most of them sell for $50K or above. There are some cheaper ones, but they tend to be lower end models with smaller batteries etc.
What's more, their competitive pricing only comes as the result of aggressive government subsidies. Subsidies that are very political, since the full federal subsidy is only available for vehicles made in unionized factories by UAW workers. Don't expect to get a full federal subsidy if you buy a Tesla.
Quote:Electric cars will overload the grid.
The author says himself that if everyone had a EV, electricity usage would rise by 25%. (It might be more than that.) But he shrugs off his own words by saying that the grid will be expanded by the time EVs are universal.
Here in California, they are currently debating making all internal combustion cars illegal by 2035. (Activists are shrieking that's insufficient and want gasoline-powered cars off the road by 2030.) Yet California's power grid can barely handle the demand that it sees now. Every summer we have rolling blackouts. So if the environmentalists' green-fantasies are to come true, somebody is going to have to invest big bucks in the grid and in electrical generating capacity. (The activists aren't going to like that either.)
Quote:EV batteries don’t last.
I don't know about EV battery lifespan. But the author admits that their capacity gradually declines. Which will inevitably translate into a gradual drop in range.
Quote:The range of electric cars is still too small.
The author admits this one is true, but argues that most city driving requires less range. Which may be true, but even he admits that EVs aren't the best choice for long road trips.
Quote:Charging will always be too slow.
The author seems to think that drivers should be happy that its getting down to the 20 minute range. The days of pulling into a gas station, tanking up and hitting the road again will soon be over. You are gonna be there for a while. Tesla publishes lists of cafes and shopping centers near their charging stations.
What's more, we are still a long ways from a charging station on every corner. Tesla probably has the best network of charging stations, but there's often just one in each town and you have to use their web application to find it. If you want to drive any distance, you have to plot out your route before hand.
Quote:We won’t be able to recycle EV batteries.
His answer is basically that they are working on it.
Quote:Electric vehicles are worse for the environment.
The author insists this is ridiculous, arguing that EVs use energy from their batteries far more efficiently than internal combustion engines use energy from their fuel. But where does the electricity that goes into the battery come from?
He may be right that EVs are better for the environment, but I'm not convinced.
how will service stations entertain customers for 25 minutes ?
i bet they will do everything they can to not have EV customers because they dont want people on site for more than 5 minutes.
RE: The biggest myths about electric vehicles - Kornee - Jun 15, 2022
Some of the criticisms above are misplaced. The massively funded battery technology scene in particular is hotly contested and changing rapidly. I posted a short while ago in another thread a link to Chinese company CATL's recently announced 'breakthrough' sodium battery tech:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KNRS8UOWMU
Now Elon Musk has expressed great enthusiasm for an Ozzie company GMG's even more spectacular 'breakthrough':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFDI9iAw-6Y
Quote:
"Elon Musk Shocked New Insane Battery Can Charge in 10 Seconds, Change Battery industry!
You can charge the battery in only 10 seconds in the near future. You didn't hear wrong. That became reality when recently, scientists in Australia developed a new extreme-fast battery that breaks all the laws of physics. It can defeat the current fast-charging batteries such as quantum battery charges in 3 minutes, Storedot's ultra-fast charger can charge in just 2 minutes, etc.
So what is this new battery? And what makes this battery have such a terrible fast charging speed?
Stay tuned to find out! But before we start, please show your support by subscribing to the channel, and ringing the bell so you won't miss any of our interesting videos in the future.
Researchers from the University of Queensland and the Australian Graphene Manufacturing Group (GMG) have presented a new graphene-aluminum-ion battery that is supposed to charge 60 times faster than current lithium-ion batteries, and it is a more sustainable battery prototype with a lifespan three times the length of current lithium-ion batteries, with an estimated lifetime of 3,000 charge/discharge cycles. Meanwhile, a typical lithium-ion battery lasts about 1,000 cycles.
In addition to the fast-charging capability, GMG promises that one Graphene Aluminum (or Aluminium for my Non-American friends) Ion battery cell will be able to store three times as much energy as the best aluminum-based cells.
Moreover, Dr. Ashok Nanjundan, GMG’s Chief Scientific Officer shared that: "graphene aluminum-ion batteries also provide major benefits in terms of battery safety with very low fire potential, and lower environmental impact."
Elon Musk Shocked New Insane Battery Can Charge in 10 Seconds, Change battery industry!"
Regardless of veracity of such super fast charging claims, my skepticism relates to imo an obvious but afaik never discussed bottleneck.
Recharging at anything close to the purported '10 seconds to full charge' implies humongous electrical power input through any charging conduit, and from any charging supply. Can't see that is ever going to be possible. There are fundamental limits to the Volts x Amps product a charging station can safely accommodate in replenishing an EV.
Always look for the weakest link in the chain!
Modular battery swapping is one way around it but that option seems to be niche e.g. electric bikes/scooters, and anyway requires a doubling at least of overall battery inventory.