EV Subsidies, Fantasies and Realities

Townhall.com ^ | March 6, 2021 | Paul Driessen

[centurion316]

I wonder what Texans with EV’s did when the lights went out?

[Fresh Wind]

They flew to Cancun?

[joshua c]

Do EVs even run in extreme cold?

[norwaypinesavage]

"within a few years, GM, Volvo and many other manufacturers will be making mostly or only EVs"

Everyone needs to be reminded (again), that we've been through all of this before. In the 90s, California, in all their wisdom, passed a law requiring that ten percent of all the cars sold in California starting in the year 2000 had to be electric. GM, in all their wisdom, poured $2 billion into the GM EV. The problem was that when the year 2000 arrived, no one would buy them. All the problems with EVs have today, few charging stations, short range, small size, high cost, etc., were even more true then. GM even tried leasing them, at unbelievably low lease prices, but few even tired that.

So California quietly rescinded the law, and shortly thereafter GM went bankrupt. I'm quite sure that had GM been able to keep the lost $2 billion on the EV, they could have avoided the bankruptcy.

The same will be true again. There is simply not enough electrical generation capacity to charge an all electric US fleet, nor is there adequate transmission line capacity to get the power to the cars. Even the Democrat party can't spend enough trillions of dollars to put that online, even with natural gas and nuclear generating plants, much less with wind mills and solar panels.

It is a pipe dream of ignorant children, not a viable economic plan of adults.

[BobL]

I expect the EV apologists to show up here soon touting the wonderfulness of plugging in your car every night.

[norwaypinesavage]

"Do EVs even run in extreme cold?"

They do just great, with a couple of 'minor' caveats. Batteries, like all chemical processes, tend to lose about half their energy for every 20 degrees F colder than their room temperature rating. That means their range is cut roughly in half at 40 degrees, into 1/4 at 20 degrees, and 1/8 at zero. Of course, you can use heating to keep them warmer, but that takes power, too.

Then, at zero degrees, some people like to turn on the heater. Note that range is determined with the heater off, so that cuts the range even more. Then you also need to think about lights, wipers, and defrosters, all which cut the range.

So, just remember to bring along a couple of extra warm coats, emergency warning beacons, ear muffs, and mittens, and maybe a cell phone with a good gps, in order to make it easier to find your body. But keep it tucked close inside your coats. It, too, will lose power in the cold.

[FreedomPoster]

I’ve been saying for a while that anyone pushing for all EVs that isn’t also advocating for a crash plan to develop and deploy massive numbers of nextgen nuclear power plants, probably using thorium, is smoking too much hopium. You can’t power anything anything like the economy we expect on wind and solar.

[crosdaddy]

“Do EVs even run in extreme cold?”
Pretty sure that most of the world wide billion dollar plus, auto industries, set aside a few dollars for extreme (Hot&Cold) weather testing of new vehicles.
The batteries themselves, have active heating and cooling.

[crosdaddy]

Not an “EV apologist”, ( I’m single and own 3 ICE cars ;-), but a lot of people wouldn’t have to plug them in”every night”.

[Pollard]

Biden wants all new light/medium-duty vehicles sold by 2035 to be EVs

This is a medium duty truck

I live in the ozarks, hill country, rural, where a minimum round trip might be 100 miles. Ain't gonna work. I suppose it would do regenerative braking. How about the rockies where you drive uphill for a few hours? Ain't gonna work. Would the truck above need a 50 amp 240 volt circuit to charge in a decent amount of time? If they want to do electric cars, fine but leave the trucks alone. Interstate only 18 wheelers? Maybe if it's not too heavy of a load. Concrete trusses for a bridge riding on a flat bed with three back axles? Insanity

[jdsteel]

I have an electric vehicle on order. Ford Mach E SUV.

Why?

Unless I get “Bidened” with a tax law change I will get both the $7,500 tax credit and (because I own a business) can write off the price of the vehicle in one year. My commute is a 10 minute drive. I can charge it at home overnight cheaply. And it is car #4. By my using the EV for short driving purposes, which are the hardest on ICE vehicles, I can extend the lifespan of my other vehicles. Plus, the financing deal offered by Ford will give me the opportunity to turn it back in to them after 3 years which ends my worries about battery life.

I am working the insane system that exists to my advantage as much as I can.

[Jim Noble]

Do EVs even run in extreme cold?

Yes but you can't use the heater.

[Jim Noble]

I live in the ozarks, hill country, rural, where a minimum round trip might be 100 miles

And I live in the woods, on a lake, close to Canada - but their plans do not involve our children and grandchildren living anywhere like that.

[snoringbear]

“ A 2021 Tesla Model S Long Range can go 412 miles on a multi-hour charge;”
************

I will believe the Tesla long range numbers when I see how it fares on a road trip from Dallas to El Paso at 70 ~ 80 mph in July, AC on full blast and Willie on the radio. 😂

[ActresponsiblyinVA]

Someone needs to calculate how many windmills or solar panels it takes to charge an EV for one day. Require that many to be put in service for each EV sold.

[cyclotic]

So you’re proudly taking money from the rest of us so YOU can feel good about yourself. Real conservative principles there.

If you want an EV, buy it yourself at full price, not subsidized by we the people.

[Labyrinthos]

When do I get a thank you note for helping you to buy a car?

[DUMBGRUNT]

If you want an EV, buy it yourself at full price, not subsidized by we the people

It is a safe bet that he pays a pile of taxes and is simply following the law.

Please do not ask me about the able-bodied lifelong welfare recipients, parasites, and they are allowed to vote.

[DUMBGRUNT]

—”Would the truck above need a 50 amp 240 volt circuit to charge in a decent amount of time?”

And a whole more if you want a fast charge.

” Since watts is a function of volts * amps, to achieve 250 kW at ~315 volts, the peak current has to be somewhere close to 800 amps, which is unprecedented for EV charging!”

50 amps 240 volts = 12,000 watts (12 KW)-— Tesla Superchargers max out at 250 KW !!!

https://cleantechnica.com/2019/03/08/supercharger-v3-shocking-power-smart-strategy-by-tesla-charts/#:~:text=800%20is%20a%20big%20number,up%20by%2020%25%20or%20so.

That said, the state of Illinois has fleets of them just like that one, same color too.
And they never come close to being driven over one hundred miles in a single day.
At the same time, a school teacher friend drove a gravel truck in the summer.
Paid by the load, stopping for nothing...as long as the quarry was open; 200+ miles on a good day!