Comment on Auto execs are coming clean: EVs aren't working
AA5B@lemmy.world 1 year ago
EVs aren’t working
EVs are the highest growth sector for personal vehicles but are growing a little less than expected, and we can’t make big profits yet
Yeah, I keep reading articles saying the same thing. Auto industry and dealers complaining EV sales are slowing down, yet as you said, it’s the fastest growing category.
Of course products aren’t as great now coming off that high during expensive fuel prices the last few years, COVID related shortages causing prices to skyrocket, etc. Not to mention inflation decreasing the value of people’s income.
Automakers also rely on dealers to sell vehicles and the dealers often make most of their money from repairs and maintenance. More than half the maintenance for ICE vehicles is just non-existent on EV’s. Not a lot of stuff to do when you get your tires rotated and your brakes checked every 5000k miles.
cybersandwich@lemmy.world 1 year ago
This is a huge point. The other considerations are: EVs are balls expensive compared to ICE counterparts and often require $500-2k worth of electrical work at your house (assuming you even own it) to put in a charger. If you live in an apartment, good luck.
And oh, btw, the chargers aren’t standard. Each charging site has different plugs, apps you have to download, etc. Then there is the lack of charging stations that highlights the range anxiety people have with EVs.
Adoption would be so much faster if EVs cost $15-25k and there were adequate standardized charging options available.
DreadPotato@sopuli.xyz 1 year ago
IDK where you’re from, but in europe it’s all standardized and all cars use the same plug for both AC and DC charging. The whole app/rfid tag mess is true though.
tastysnacks@programming.dev 1 year ago
Are we doing it in a stupid way? Yes.
You know exactly where we’re from.
altima_neo@lemmy.zip 1 year ago
AMERICA, FUCK YEAH!
sudoshakes@reddthat.com 1 year ago
AA5B@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I live in a high cost of living area so getting my charger installed was quite a bit more. However, it was slightly less than the cost of the new range/oven circuit I also recently had done. So, I guess it’s as affordable as anything is here
someguy3@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
EVs cost more up front and then cost less with fuel, maintenance, and longevity.
Whoresradish@lemmy.world 1 year ago
This is kind of true. A lot of the maintenance requirements for ICE vehicles is not needed for EVs. So you save money on things like oil changes and if you can charge at home then charging is probably cheaper than gas. But that battery probably needs to be replaced after about 5 years and that is a very expensive maintenance cost.
wtfeweguys@lemmy.whynotdrs.org 1 year ago
Research suggests otherwise.
surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I have a 2016 leaf. I’ve changed the tires. That’s the maintenance. It’s like $3 to ‘fill’, and that’s about the same as three gallons of ICE distance.
The battery is around 90% of what I bought it at.
I have yet to hit any of the problems people are afraid of, but I might just be lucky.
Virulent@reddthat.com 1 year ago
That might be true for older cars that didn’t have good thermal management systems (like the old Nissan leaf) but not true anymore. Electric car batteries now regularly reach over 100k miles with only small degradation. If you baby it, it seems that 200k miles with only 10% range loss is to be expected now
proudblond@lemmy.world 1 year ago
My EV is just over 5 years old and the battery is fine. I know it’s anecdotal but the batteries last longer than projected.
someguy3@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
No oil, timing belt, transmission. EVs are incredibly simple vehicles. Many years ago Tesla wanted a million mile battery, they are constantly getting better.
AA5B@lemmy.world 1 year ago
US has 2.5 common plugs. An old one that’s mostly gone, the standard one, and Tesla. However Tesla opened theirs as a standard, and it looks like they will be de facto standard across the US
The protocols are compatible. The adapter for my Tesla to use the other standards is mostly plastic and dumb. You just need something to fit a different socket
yes, the state of apps sucks. Everyone wants to maximize their profit. However I thought most non-Tesla chargers had a credit card reader, so as long as you can find it and it works, you can use it without an app. Tesla is another story, but does seem t add a lot of convenience with their app
echodot@feddit.uk 1 year ago
Yeah so I looked into this little while ago and I own my own house so in theory I can put the box in. The problem is I only have on the street parking and the house is set back away from the road and there’s a garden between the road in the house.
So how the bleeding hell am I supposed to charge a car? I’d have to run a long cable through the garden, over the fence, over the pedestrian walkway, over the grass verge and to the car. Someone is going to trip over it and then think they can sue me.
Or the government could just install a street furniture like they do parking metres, but I have no way to force them to do that.
surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Personally? I’d have an electrician install a standing charger by the curb. I might end up doing that if my wife switches to a plug in hybrid next year.
I’m not sure how that’ll work with the easement though. But that’s future me’s problem.
abhibeckert@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Personally I’d replace part of the garden with a driveway and parking space. Sure, it’s ugly. But it’s what billions of people around the world have.
Most governments around the world have a schedule to do that… but often they prioritise daytime parking (as in - when you’re at work, not at home) since those can be charged with solar which is far cheaper than other power sources. Also pilot programs in various cities around the world (kerbside parking already exists in a few places) has proven vandalism is a major problem so it’s best if there’s onsite security who can chase off the occasional dickhead.
echodot@feddit.uk 1 year ago
Well I don’t really want to have to do that if I can help it because if I did that I wouldn’t really have a garden anymore, but also I don’t think I can anyway because there’s a grass verge and I don’t think I own that, I think the city does, and I would have to pull that up to lay the driveway.
But also if I rented I wouldn’t be able to do any of that anyway so they still need to go the street furniture route. I don’t think vandalisms are particular problem because if they put down load of them they just become common and people would ignore them. Also it’s a housing street, it’s not a random street in the city so the only people around here are people who live around here and vandalising your own stuff seems pretty dumb. I’m sure it’ll happen but I don’t think it’ll be a major problem.
In my experiences usually some prick with a pickup truck in them. Apparently it’s actually a offence to park in them if you don’t have an electric vehicle, but have yet to see the law enforce. One time I saw a cop parked in one so, there you go.
Mr_Dr_Oink@lemmy.world 1 year ago
They are planning to put them on streetlamps where i live. That seems like an effective idea.
AA5B@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Trench for an underground cable, and mount the charger on a pedestal near your car?
I don’t know about other brands but a Tesla charger can whitelist VINs to only charger your vehicle
acutfjg@feddit.nl 1 year ago
Yep these are all true points, but not unexpected as with any innovation. Just like how computers were immensely expensive, and without standards for decades.
EVs are relatively new in the scope of technology. Capitalism just wants to make you think it’s an issue. In reality this is gonna take time and lack the profits every company is striving for, which to them is a failure.