Today, would you buy an EV vehicle.

[hiddentacocatneddih]

To those who think the grid can handle it no problem, there is quite a bit of industrial curtailment in the summer where heavy industrial users are told to shut down and conserve power. In the winter it can happen as well but it's more common in the summer.

Now imagine we add much more load to the grid right at sun down, our curtailment could be longer and more common and eventually be pushed across to more users like home owners trying to charge their cars

 

[nickfank]

Clearly my sarcasm has eluded you.

Clearly my sarcasm has eluded you.

Yes, it has. I tend to assume discussions like this are about facts, so I took your statement to imply that it makes a difference whether a process is natural or caused by humans.

From my point of view, "too hot for humans to survive" is a bad situation no matter what causes it.

 

[nickfank]

To those who think the grid can handle it no problem, there is quite a bit of industrial curtailment in the summer where heavy industrial users are told to shut down and conserve power. In the winter it can happen as well but it's more common in the summer.

Now imagine we add much more load to the grid right at sun down, our curtailment could be longer and more common and eventually be pushed across to more users like home owners trying to charge their cars

Back when the Model T was the next great thing and gas stations were few & far between, many people pointed out that horse can refuel anywhere, but there just aren't enough gas stations to make those newfangled gadgets practical on a large scale.

Of course the grid can't handle it without modification. ...That's a reason to work on the grid, not give up. What makes it fun to be a human is when we respond to challenges by getting off the couch and doing the work.

 

[droy]

Actually, they're right since fuel taxes pay for road maintenance in most, if not all, states

I almost agree with you totally, IF the fuel taxes would be applied to our highways I would have no problem with that or any reasonable taxes. I drive for a living & know how badly money is needed for the highway system. Years ago our politicians have successfully managed to get a great portion of that fuel tax revenue redirected into the state’s general fund which allows them to plunder those funds as THEY see fit. Drive through Louisiana & you quickly realize highway maintenance is not a high priority with them. It irks the hell out of me to hear them talk about the horrible road conditions & then have the audacity to say another tax is needed. Directing the fuel tax money where it is supposed to go would solve a lot of our problem, imho.
Off my soapbox, for now………

 

[nickfank]

You have touched on one of my concerns. New technology relies on computers, and based on some of the comments here they are updating on a regular basis. I have several questions and concerns...
-How will that work for somebody like me, who often isn't near any type of signal? Even satellites are dicey in places, as I've found with my InReach, and when I had Sirius.
-Computers are obsolete in a very short period of time. My i-phone, which is just 3 years old, no longer has internet capability since things went to 5G. How long before the computers in your car will have to be upgraded to new hardware?

No doubt my concerns are being addressed. It's also highly unlikely that I will get an answer here on TBN except to be called a dinosaur and a hater, because that's what we do here.

Yet I will find my answers someplace.

You're not hater or a dinosaur, just someone I disagree with and want to share my experience with. Your concern is valid, and I'll respond to it with facts and actual experience.

A computer only becomes obsolete when you want it to do something different & have to buy a more capable model to do that. You can still have a regular landline phone, but you *chose* to buy an iPhone, presumably because it does something you wanted.

Some actual experience: Neither of my EVs have ever had the wireless internet connection turned on for them, because I'm too cheap to pay $40 a month for a service I don't need and I'm not trusting enough to let someone have remote access to the control systems of a car that I'm driving. It's sort of the EV version of "OnStar" They both still function just fine without it.

I *did* install an upgraded motor controller on the 2016 EV a few years ago because it gave me more power & efficiency for $80.

Several years before that, I re-jetted the carburetor on the Kohler engine in my UTV because it didn't idle well with the factory jets.

I suppose I could say my old controller was obsolete, but the same reasoning leads you to the conclusion that my old carb jets were obsolete. The truth is that in both situations, the vehicles worked as well as they always did, and I just chose to make them a little better because I enjoy that.

 

[nickfank]

I almost agree with you totally, IF the fuel taxes would be applied to our highways I would have no problem with that or any reasonable taxes. I drive for a living & know how badly money is needed for the highway system. Years ago our politicians have successfully managed to get a great portion of that fuel tax revenue redirected into the state’s general fund which allows them to plunder those funds as THEY see fit. Drive through Louisiana & you quickly realize highway maintenance is not a high priority with them. It irks the hell out of me to hear them talk about the horrible road conditions & then have the audacity to say another tax is needed. Directing the fuel tax money where it is supposed to go would solve a lot of our problem, imho.
Off my soapbox, for now………

In Ohio, owners of EVs pay higher licensing fees so we continue to support highway maintenance even though (in my case) the fuel is sunlight & can't be taxed. I don't mind. That's fair.

 

[CH4Ohio]

Back when the Model T was the next great thing and gas stations were few & far between, many people pointed out that horse can refuel anywhere, but there just aren't enough gas stations to make those newfangled gadgets practical on a large scale.

Of course the grid can't handle it without modification. ...That's a reason to work on the grid, not give up. What makes it fun to be a human is when we respond to challenges by getting off the couch and doing the work.

Good point. But the government didn't build gas stations using confiscated taxpayer money. The free-market and enterprising industry leaders saw the demand and profit potential and filled the gap.

 

[Jstpssng]

In Ohio, owners of EVs pay higher licensing fees so we continue to support highway maintenance even though (in my case) the fuel is sunlight & can't be taxed. I don't mind. That's fair.

There have been various methods suggested to compensate for loss of tax revenue. One suggestion was to have a GPS in every car.

Neither of my EVs have ever had the wireless internet connection turned on for them,

Thank you. You just answered one of my questions. I envisioned leaving town for the week, staying at one of the remote camps I work from, plugging into the generator for the night... then not being able to go anywhere the next day because I wasn't anywhere near an internet signal. ;eek:

 

[CH4Ohio]

In Ohio, owners of EVs pay higher licensing fees so we continue to support highway maintenance even though (in my case) the fuel is sunlight & can't be taxed. I don't mind. That's fair.

True. But it's also interesting that regenerative-braking hybrids in Ohio, that don't plug in and run solely on gasoline, also pay that higher registration fee. Simply because they're called "hybrid".

Another example of the legislature ALMOST getting it right . . .

 

[RoyJackson]

True. But it's also interesting that regenerative-braking hybrids in Ohio, that don't plug in and run solely on gasoline, also pay that higher registration fee. Another example of the legislature ALMOST getting it right . . .

But those hybrids still use the roads...that are maintained by fuel taxes...and, with Hybrids and EV's...must determine how you pay your fair share