Frankenchevy
Proverbs 16:18
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2018
- Posts
- 6,098
- Reaction score
- 7,806
- Location
- USA
- First Name
- Jeremy
- Truck Year
- Square
- Truck Model
- CUCV
- Engine Size
- Small
On the repair issue, these things have been proven to last far beyond 100k. The Tesla batteries don’t begin to degrade until 300,000-500,000 miles. Maybe not the cheapy Leafs or the Chevy bolts that like to burst into flames. Other than that, it’s normal car stuff like bushings and ball joints.I will agree that some of the points in the article are certainly biased, but I don't think many of them qualify as "fallacies". I will also agree that EVs have a place in modern society, but it is not the ICE replacement we're being lead to believe.
I do not own an electric vehicle, obviously, so I cannot speak to range anxiety, charging costs, expenses, or "gimmick" feelings, but I do appreciate many of the points that hit close to home. In no particular order, here are some of them.
#11 Cold temperature issues -
This is real. My neighbor across the street has a Tesla Model 3 and a Nissan Leaf. While he does drive the Tesla in the winter months, the Leaf is homebound for 5 to 6 months every winter. He said that it doesn't have enough range during the cold months. I don't recall the quantitative range value, but the thing doesn't leave his garage/driveway. To me, this is unacceptable from a car in Minnesota, Canada, or any northern state. It's like having a summertime hot rod, except it's not cool. Before he bought the Tesla, his Toyota Matrix would handle his winter driving needs.
#13 Repairs are difficult -
I have mechanic friends who don't mess with EVs either. I expect vehicles to last well beyond 100K miles, and eventually the EVs will need work even if it's many miles down the road. They must be repairable, even if that comes well after the 100K mile mark. Conforming vehicles to our modern throw away society is problematic for future recycling concerns.
#15 They are not all that environmentally friendly -
The ecological impact of mining the minerals necessary for lithium batteries does cause environmental harm. The Biden administration recently cancelled federal mining leases along the exterior of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in northern MN. If you ever get the chance to visit the BWCAW, I highly recommend it. The proposed mine was intended to extract copper and nickel, with some cobalt and other minerals. The argument was if the toxic tailings from the mine ever escaped from their open storage pits, they would travel downstream to the BWCAW. This is unacceptable because the BWCAW is one of relatively few places in the country where you can still safely drink the water straight from the lakes. It was a classic case of "Not in my back yard!" The greenies want their electric vehicles and charging stations, but they won't support the mines to acquire the precious minerals. Instead, poor countries in Asia and Africa can become the wastelands.
#2 For most families a battery-electric vehicle cannot be the only car in the household
This may not be a concern to you or I, or many of the other multi-square owning members here, but it is very real in our quickly urbanizing country. My brother recently bought a town house, and more recently bought a pickup (unfortunately not a square, but still a Chevy at least). He doesn't have room at his town house for more than one vehicle, so his commuter Focus was traded in on the truck. An EV would certainly not work for his needs because he does regularly have business outside of the immediate metro area.
I feel for your brother in a condo. Some folks like it, but I couldn’t survive without land. My wife and I have thought about how little we could live on, as we look at properties in other places. We’re just not willing to do less than 20 usable acres. We prefer 100+