@gorski: I had given that some thought before I posted my reply. When that happens...I'll take the truck.
Oh, yeah, mumma!!! Me wanna take me space truck and go for dinner, round me darlin's house on Mars, sure... But we need another few Tesla's (the real Teslas) to get to that point, I'm afraid...
We still do not know how much it is going to cost us (everybody) to go "clean" Not really clean because the demand of electricity will go through the roof. Many places in the U.S. already experience brown outs and power failures when it gets very hot outside and everybody cranks down their thermostats. If we replace all our gas/petrol cars with EV's we might not be able to meet that electric demand, and we all know what happens then $$$$$$$. How much can you afford in a kw per mile/kilometer charge during a major heat wave when demand is at a peak? You know they'll have us by the short and curly's when all the gas cars are gone. Here in the U.S. that means only the monopoly energy co's will set the prices (face palm)
It is not just A/C Joe, Many many houses nowadays are heating with electric also. Some people simply refuse to see just where the electricity being used to charge these EV's is actually coming from.
@Joe C: I don't know about the individual consumer prices, because there's no infrastructure set up. Corporations like Frito-Lay have made investments in electric vehicles. Hopefully, we'll be able to use the test data to determine feasibility on a large scale. @JFKI: I agree with you. Electric power will still be generated by fossil fuels, or possibly nuclear. But the trick is to try to cut back on the garbage that automobile exhausts emit. Catalytic converters have done good, but we need to do better. Not to side-track, but what we really need is a biodegradable plastic that doesn't produce toxins when it decomposes.
In my area 15-30% is nuclear. See the spoiler in https://forums.mydigitallife.net/th...bout-electric-cars.74979/page-10#post-1373555 What we really need to do is liquefy today's plastic and pump it back down the spent oil wells and go back to using glass.
We can go renewables in a short period of time, the science and tech are already there - what is missing is political will, due to real interests of fossil fuel industry and overall structural inertia regarding the necessary changes to the marketplace and businesses involved in this substantial change! However, Germany, for instance, is not a small state and they have shown the way already, reaching over 80% of their electrical energy consumption via renewables, having rejected nuclear and stated their strategic goals of leaving oil behind! Sun alone provides us with all the energy we need on a yearly basis in a matter of hours if... Well, we could already do a helluva lot if only... The strategy has to be wholesome, involving state powers and incentives, of course... https://electrek.co/2017/10/05/egeb...els-alone-dusty-solar-panels-lose-up-35-more/ https://electrek.co/2017/10/04/nissan-ev-ecosystem-free-power-leaf-vehicle-to-grid/
time for a reality check Germany's electrical power sources in 2016 I think renewable energy is a great idea and Germany should be commended for their effort in doing so, but take off your blinders and wake up. Your enthusiasm has you believing in things that are not here
I posted this link here so that realistic comparisons can be made. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy_in_the_United_States
While not dealing with electric vehicles specifically, the following video does deal with the problem of energy generation and has some innovative potential solutions. Spoiler: Nova Documentary - Power Surge
https://thinkprogress.org/germany-j...ctricity-from-renewable-sources-ac4a323c840c/ https://www.ge.com/reports/rock-roll-massive-acdc-converter-size-arc-de-triomphe-installed-sea/ https://energytransition.org/2016/0...ts-2020-target-for-renewable-power-this-year/ https://cleantechnica.com/2014/05/15/germany-reaches-nearly-75-renewable-power-use-sunday/ https://energytransition.org/2016/05/germany-nearly-reached-100-percent-renewable-power-on-sunday/ Germany nearly reached 100 percent renewable power on Sunday by Craig Morris 11 May 2016 "After surpassing 80 percent renewable electricity for a few hours last year, Germany may have briefly reached around 95 percent on May 8. But the news is not only cause for celebration – a boundary has also been crossed. We are now entering the hard territory. Craig Morris explains." I think they are showing the way, when it comes to big players but hey... let's play the ostrich game and pretend that the whole world is the USofA...
How about this: https://electrek.co/2017/10/05/elon-musk-tesla-rebuild-puerto-ricos-power-grid-batteries-solar/ Elon Musk says Tesla could rebuild Puerto Rico’s power grid with batteries and solar The story continues: https://electrek.co/2017/10/10/pors...f28d236f42bc1&uid=917878446&nid=244 272699400
Will this be "good enough"?!? And then there's this... announcer... Oh, my... Mamma, she seems much more than good enough for me.... YUM!! What an... accent... LUVely!!!
It seems battery technology is advancing rapidly increasing energy capacity. But I wonder whether a battery can explode releasing all that energy if... A battery gets short-circuited, externally or internally. The car catches fire. The battery gets overheated during charging, e.g. due to faulty charger or its old age.
Weather will also play a major factor in using batteries, In my area of the U.S., we can get to -20f (-29c) in the winter and they are not rated for those extreme temps.
In Tesla's they use their own power to keep themselves at a minimal operating temperature even when OFF, apparently, hence no problem... No short circuit seems possible in the new batteries, as it was just explained... Interesting: https://electrek.co/2017/10/13/comm...2bc2df0e71ebd&uid=917878446&nid=244 276893704
http://fortune.com/2017/10/13/tesla-fires-employees/ http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/10/13/4819750/ https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/tesla-recalls-11000-model-x-suvs-for-wonky-seat-cables/