Too Many Cars Are Too Fast

[oldschoolskier]

Years ago (about 40) as a teen cars had 50 to 200+ horse power, now most entry level stuff starts at mid 100's and climbs from there into 600 range before you get into big $.

Insanely high horse power at reasonable costs for those under 30 which equals stupidity in the making.

 

[Philpug]

Years ago (about 40) as a teen cars had 50 to 200+ horse power, now most entry level stuff starts at mid 100's and climbs from there into 600 range before you get into big $.

Insanely high horse power at reasonable costs for those under 30 which equals stupidity in the making.

But aslo, back then it was not uncommon for cars to be sub 2,000lb, now look at the weights.

 

[slowrider]

Hold my beer.

 

[Alexzn]

Every day? No, but with 15-20 days a ski season with trips over 500 miles a day, recharge time adds up. I do agree that range and bladder size do have some correlation on those trips to Utah, Colorado and other western destinations get a lot longer. With that said, I expect recharge times to trip and I would not be suprised if one of our next vehicles is not a ICE.

I am not saying an EV is an ideal car for a road trip. It is definitely not, at least until they get to 500 miles rated range. But as a commuter car or a local trips car it makes a pretty compelling argument. According to the owners, a 3/Y Tesla would barely make it up to Tahoe from the Bay Area, so a 5-10 minute stop at a charger is probably a must in winter (and longer in a snowstorm). But a round trip from Reno to Tahoe is very much a reality, even with heating at a comfortable level, which effectively means never stopping at a gas/charge station.

A friend of mine has done multiple road trips in his MY Tesla, but that requires pretty elaborate planning (that he really enjoys). His piece-de-resistance: if you finds a campsite with a hookup, you can sleep in the car with the climate control always on . If the CyberTruck ever becomes a reality, it sound like a fabulous road trip car; 500 miles range, 16 inch ground clearance on a adjustable suspension and 3.2seconds from 0 to 60 acceleration. For those numbers I will forget even the stupid yoke steering wheel.

 

[anders_nor]

I've lived with Ev's for 5-6 years, you get REALLY tired of longer trips, and you ned to charge going only a short trip to mountains & back that I can do in my cayenne 3-4 times before refuel

 

[bbbradley]

I don't think you realize how the EVs work, most of the time you charge your car at home and never stop at a charging station.

Really? I don't think you realize how I drive...many times I take long day trips (ski, hike, golf, etc) and there is no place to charge the car at the parking lot.

EV solves some problems but creates others. I expect things to improve and my next car purchase may be my last ICE vehicle purchase.

 

[DanoT]

My guess is that between zero and none of the EV enthusiasts out there live in an apartment building with no prospects for plugging in at home. My next vehicle might be a hybrid, but it for sure won't be an EV. OK maybe a Tesla Cyber Truck, with my portable Honda generator on board.

 

[Philpug]

If the CyberTruck ever becomes a reality, it sound like a fabulous road trip car; 500 miles range, 16 inch ground clearance on a adjustable suspension and 3.2seconds from 0 to 60 acceleration. For those numbers I will forget even the stupid yoke steering wheel.

Just as Tesla wasn't on anyones radar 10 years ago, I am sure that there will options in 5 years that we aren't aware of now, variations that are so out of the box that it will be mind blowing. The Rivian SUV is really intriging right now, but that what fits our needs much more than the Cybertruck.

 

[DanoT]

In terms of electric truck design, imo Ford has hit it out of the park with the Lightening. The lockable, out of sight storage in the frunk (front trunk for you non MR2 owners) AND an open truck bed at the same time makes the Lightening unique in the truck world.

When it comes to trucks, form really does follow function, so while the Cyber truck has the cool, futuristic, out of the box look, it will not out sell the Ford Lightening, assuming the mechanicals are more less equal.

 

[martyg]

My guess is that between zero and none of the EV enthusiasts out there live in an apartment building with no prospects for plugging in at home. My next vehicle might be a hybrid, but it for sure won't be an EV. OK maybe a Tesla Cyber Truck, with my portable Honda generator on board.

I'm in Denver at the moment, and am seeing charging stations everywhere. It may only be limited to DTC area where I am, but I am sure that dynamic will be changing.

 

[martyg]

Just as Tesla wasn't on anyones radar 10 years ago, I am sure that there will options in 5 years that we aren't aware of now, variations that are so out of the box that it will be mind blowing. The Rivian SUV is really intriging right now, but that what fits our needs much more than the Cybertruck.

One if my favorite saying was on a DIA ad in the terminal several decades ago. It was for a MBA program. "The top career fields 10 years from now haven't been invented yet".

I love that sentiment. People and companies who can't adapt will become irrelevent. I love watching, and partaking, in disruption in any field. It provides huge opportunity for those with vision, and generally results in a better product / UX.

 

[Alexzn]

I do not see Lightning as a successful product long term. It is designed based on the gas-powered F150 and electric cars and trucks really benefit from the ground-up design. Initial sales will be strong because people live the F150, but overtime people will gravitate to better performing models and brands. Cyber-truck design is surely polarizing, but it makes a lot of practical sense. Conventional trucks shape has aerodynamics of a brick, CyberTruck is a wedge, which should help with wind resistance, adding to the range on longer drives. And there is zero need for a huge muscular grille on an electric truck and there is no huge engine to cool under the hood. The "truck shape" is one design compromise I do not like on the Rivian. Their SUV is rather compelling proposition, however, even though a truck bed still is really really useful...

My sense is that the battle in the truck space will be between Rivian and Tesla. Rivian has a great 4-motor layout that allows torque vectoring steering and a lot of off-road tricks (tank turn, etc.) . Tesla benefits from a decade of design and manufacturing 100% geared to electrics and a trove of self-driving expertise. Both have a ton of storage in places that are unavailable for regular trucks (frunks, pass-through tunnels, etc. Self-driving (as in driver-assist, auto-steering and adaptive cruise control on a highway) is really a bigger deal than people realize.

Here is the recent writeup on the Rivian from Motor Trend: https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2022-rivian-r1t-electric-pickup-truck-first-drive-review/
The article headline: "The 2022 Rivian R1T Is the Most Remarkable Pickup We’ve Ever Driven". Just like that....

@DanoT: If you have a parking spot at your apartment, you should have a charging plug pretty soon. In a few years it will be cheaper for landlords to install outlets than to lose customers who need to charge their cars.

 

[Ogg]

@DanoT: If you have a parking spot at your apartment, you should have a charging plug pretty soon. In a few years it will be cheaper for landlords to install outlets than to lose customers who need to charge their cars.

I like this idea but the electrical grid is overtaxed already in a lot of places. We probably need a decade or so of building the infrastructure to bring it up to snuff for current demand especially since politics/NIMBYism/etc. always seems to intervene and slow things to a crawl.

 

[Bill Talbot]

This started out so well with fast car talk but has slide into another EV religious experience...

 

[Philpug]

This started out so well with fast car talk but has slide into another EV religious experience...

Thats because EV's have also gotten rediculously fast.

 

[Seldomski]

Tesla in particular have moved the bar as to what 'fast' means. Four door sedan where the 'slow' model is ~4.5 seconds 0-60. So gas engine cars have had to respond in kind. Can't sell a 'sports car' that is slower than a family EV.

 

[DanoT]

If you have a parking spot at your apartment, you should have a charging plug pretty soon. In a few years it will be cheaper for landlords to install outlets than to lose customers who need to charge their cars.

I have a condo apartment which means if would take a vote to undergo the installation costs of plug-ins in the parking garages. And who then pays for the electric charging fees? Retrofitting condominiums is not going to happen.

OTOH there are numerous outdoor parking lots in northern Canada that already have plug-ins for engine block heaters in winter.

 

[Alexzn]

@DanoT i get it. But the convenience of charging in your own garage is unbeatable and hard to pass on. Maybe if you have a plug at work...

 

[scott43]

The difficulty is, you ain't charging your vehicle from zero overnight with any old plug...

 

[Seldomski]

Level 1 is about 3 miles per hour.

EVs are very fast but not so much with charging.

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