Electric vehicles and alternate fuel sources

So much of the anti-EV info published relies on old data. The fact is that Australian households are switching to solar power with battery storage faster than most other countries in the world. There are at least 6 Teslas driving around in our little suburb and all of them that I'm aware of are parked at houses with solar panels on the roof. I've just paid the deposit on solar installation with battery at my house and I've specced with sufficient battery capacity to charge an EV when I eventually make the switch away from ICE for the main family car in 3-4 years time (I won't be converting the Scout to electrickery though).

Solar panels do add to the mix but domestic energy only counts for 21% of the total electric consumption.

You are alerted by 6 Teslas in your suburb as something significant against the thousand conventional vehicles in the same suburb. They are no indication of anything except as pioneers and pointers to the future they are hardly a "wave". They will become a wave in a few years when firstly cost is reduced. Range is still a major problem despite all the claims, they require forward planning, take a long time to charge and in many situations just can not do the job.

Before a flurry of protest - all this is being, not has been, addressed. But it will be a few years before the general public fully embraces the idea due to lack of convenience and expense unless they are forced into it by government intervention.

Enthusiasts love expressions like "the science is in", "proven" and "outdated information" but this upheaval in the transport world is the biggest thing since the invention of the motor car. There is absolutely no doubt most will be driving electric vehicles in even our advanced lifetime but it won't happen until a car costs the same and goes as far on 1 minute notice as a present day Corolla. As I said, everybody has the answer but thousands of companies and people around the world are still trying to work out what x and y are in the original problem to get to that answer.

We just have to be aware of how much work is still required and how this change will affect our economy, convenience and indeed way of life. Like they say about sail boats "The wind is free, it is just catching it costs a fortune" the same as solar power. Nothing for nothing and I am sure they protested the expense of sewers, water pipes and sealed roads.

Lang

As I said Lang, dont shoot the messenger

No matter what arguments for or against are put up the key driver is going to be dollars and cents

The biggest problem with googling for so called answers is that google finds searches in line with what you last looked at which means no matter what side of the fence we may sit on we get information we like to get and not balanced unbiased reaserch

There is always going to be grid constraints no matter how the grid is built because we as a growing population are putting more and more strain on the grid and it grid as a result is been constantly developed

"The grid cant handle it" argument really is a load hog wash in almost every instance
The developing countries are going to be streets ahead of the developed countries because they will be building their power grids to suit up coming technology were developed countries will be wanting ev's to run on old grid designs

Both are achievable and most likely will be achieved within yours and my life time


Paul

The Greens in the German govt have a solution.......they are ending all subsidies on vehicles and chargers.....and will discourage all private vehicle ownership...the Greens longer term aims (2035) include ripping up the autobahns and planting trees in the space taken up by roads.

Paul

Google does not write anything (don't blame the messenger) they are an open library where anybody and everybody can put stuff up whether it is fact, opinion or outright lies. I believe I have enough education and discernment to be able to select information from the vast pool available as I would do at any reference library which has many books by authors opposing each other. I try very hard, as no doubt you do, to get information that is verifiable or comes from recognised experts or those with first hand experience. I never use information from any forum unless it meets those requirements.

I can't think of any subject on this or any other forum that makes me want to shout it from the rooftops or engage in a drawn out battle with opposition. Opinion will always have the last word and when I run out of either interest or verified information I can let it go.

Both of us put up complete crap from time to time in the best of faith unaware that somebody, somewhere has clearly disproven our comment but we never found it in our search. I quite often get a smack in the ear from another forum member who puts up a photo of a red rabbit in Afghanistan when I had said all Afghani rabbits are green. We can just do our best.

Putting in statements like "roundly disproven" or "hogwash" to rebut an argument just says "I can Google better than you can Google" I really enjoy finding stuff to support, enlarge upon or refute. I have responded to a lot of your input with photos, stories and information and think you are a really good value, in fact one of the best, contributor to our collective knowledge but done-deal statements on a subject as fluid, complex and far reaching as electric vehicles and their charging at this stage are very premature.

Lang

Good oh Lang

All points taken on board and ..... well and nothing really

I wont get into long drawn one upmanship on this
I'll just present the facts as I understand them to be and try to be as unbiased as possible

Things are happening at break neck speed in this clean green world been shoved down our throats and I dont have agenda either way and am mearly trying to inform people of what is likely to be around the corner and sort the grain from chaff in whats fact and myth from both sides of the EV movement

Whether you or anyone chooses to listen or not is of little consequence, it is what is and not something Im going to argue about on the forum or elsewhere as it does the forum no good and wastes my oxygen
I will however report what is happening as unbiasedly as I can for people to hopefully prepare them selves and be informed

Not ever trying to start a bun fight here just trying to report the facts

Paul

Here are the latest figures for electric car sales in Australia

www.energymatters.com.au/renewable-news/...tesla-leads-the-way/

What I have not seen is the cost of new electric cars. Here in the UK a petrol Skoda Fabia (a family hatchback - don't know if the are sold in Australia) have a staring price of £15,305 'on the road'. The similar sized electric Skoda ENYAK range starts off at £34,850. Home charging facilities are extra.

JCB Working on an alternative to Electric .

Eightpot wrote:

What I have not seen is the cost of new electric cars. Here in the UK a petrol Skoda Fabia (a family hatchback - don't know if the are sold in Australia) have a staring price of £15,305 'on the road'. The similar sized electric Skoda ENYAK range starts off at £34,850. Home charging facilities are extra.

Your asking about the cost difference between a EV and a equivalent petrol car I take it

From what I know and I have never shopped for one the EV is as you describe, a bucket load more
That been said I guess the only people buying them for huge coin arent that concerned about the initial cost
The purchase is reported to be falling very quickly and reportedly will be competitive with a normal car very shortly
The range issue is well and truely solved these days as is the ti,e to charge and charging points etc
So I guess cost issue will be solved very shortly as predicted

Paul