This is kind-of self evident if we assume EVs are inevitably going to take over from infernal combustion engines - which I think they are, even if the environmental gain is not as good as some claim (for now lets just stick with “it’s complicated” on that score).
Tesla has a head start and, by all accounts, builds cars in 10 hours** compared with VW’s 30. Though (see posts passim) even Musk admits quality is sometimes not their strongest point.
If VW don’t get their act together they will find themselves uncompetitive and the old guard all need to ramp up EVs quickly.
** I assume this is final production line time. Obviously they are getting components in which themselves take time to build so it’s not 10 hours from a pile of raw materials to a finished car. In turn this might just mean they are bringing in components which are already more integrated than VW to allow them to achieve what looks to be a massively shorter build time; or they are cutting corners which some might say is Musk’s style
Yes that’s pretty much it and this is before Tesla’s Gigapress comes into play later, Did Tesla have a head start? Never making cars before compared the the competition would be seen as the opposite, what they have done is prove the pundits wrong and not just a little bit.
Not news to me, I think it is to Musk’s credit that he sells his cars at such a small price compared to the cost of building them and investing in the tech for the new production. Who wouldn’t take the tax credits when they are available. How much would that have helped other manufacturers if they had been smart enough to realise it?
How long do you in reality think it is going to take for all the installation of the infrastructure for charging for the man in the street, for people who have no means of charging at home and would have to use a cable running to all these electric cars the government are going to force us into, a large percentage of folks especially in cities do not have a semi/detached house to rely on.
5-10-15-20 years
Good question! Without enough charging points the adoption of EV’s will slow as you have posted it is a fear most have now rather than range anxiety.
From some in the EV world they express it as those that cannot charge at their homes work place units would be an option on the basis that most would be at work for 6-8 hours and that equals slower charger requirement and simple pay to use. It is why I posted about the inductive chargers, just another way around a problem for some.
Baring in mind that in and around cities with blocks of flats etc the majority of vehicles are parked for 80-90% of the time a once a week or once a fortnight trip to a charger more local than many inner city petrol stations wont be too much of a chore.
Looking back a number of years, there were no where near as many petrol stations as there are now with many supermarkets now operating station to get customers in but we managed in those days, its just a change we will go through.
It’s a pipe dream being forced on the population by an industry that will ultimately create unemployment which cannot be financially supported. It seems to me that making a big battery and placing it inside a vehicle undoubtedly means less work than powering that same vehicle with an engine as we know it today but that less work means less workers employed in the current chain of manufacturing hence more unemployment.
Forcing the 2030 deadline is a joke and will almost certainly backfire and as that date approaches it will slip back and back as the world will not have the infrastructure ready to support it.
It suits politicians to stand up and wave the green energy flag as it shows they care, not to me it doesn’t, all they care about is their job and will do what they think the public want just to keep that job .BoJo being the prime example, a man who was for staying in the EU until his u turn to support the Brexit campaign back in 2015/16 and now look what’s happened. He has made Britain a poorer laughing stock nation.
As a child of the 50’s and 60’s l well remember our grrengrocer doing his rounds with his cart pulled by Violet the horse and he was not alone, the rag and bone man used 1 horsepower too. This was some 60 years after the first petrol engines powered vehicles and 100 years and more after steam power had made its presence on road and rail.
Trying to force what some see as a world dominated by battery power in an unworkable space of time is all talk and if it comes to pass it will take many decades to achieve by which time a new power source that trumps battery power will surely have been found .
Sunday morning rant over.
BACKFIRE
another soon to be an archaic word meaning
of a vehicle or its engine undergoing a mistimed explosion in the cylinder or exhaust.
I suppose the term for a battery car will simply be IT MELTED.
It melted, so many care fires in ice vehicles they dont make news any more. Passed a range rover on fire 3 days ago. As the lithium iron phosphate batteries (zero cobalt and nickle) take over they dont catch fire.
Also new litium sulphur with amazing charge density are in production mainly for military spec at the moment but …
I disagree! I think the opposite…in built up areas all the small petrol stations have turned into blocks of flats. And outside the pumps were attached to repIre garages and small shops
Edit: just checked….” In the 1950s there were around 40,000 petrol stations of one sort or another, reducing to around 8,400 now”. This is for UK.
I agree with your disagreement. Numerous petrol stations in the villages around us shut many years ago - all seem to have become rather sad looking places where the odd bit of car / tractor servicing gets done. Now, if people want petrol they have to drive quite a way to one of the big supermarket or Total garages alongside our large towns.
I am thinking UK, yes in France certainly true around us.
Yes in UK numbers have fluctuated, when the supermarkets opened up for fuel many small expensive ones closed. For reference although i haven’t personally verified there are around 25000 charging points currently.
From google.
There are now more than 42,000 charge point connectors across the UK in over 15,500 locations - that’s more public places to charge than petrol stations, with around 7,000 charge point connectors added in 2020 alone. the biggest increase was in the new 150-350kW ultra-rapid chargers space.
According to the RAC at the end of June 2021 there were 39.2 million licensed vehicles in UK. if all were electric then 42,000 charging points makes for an extremely long queue!!
Whilst I agree, as said before most will where they can charge from home and not charging stations. Not all the vehicles are on the move at once otherwise fossil fuels would run out in a couple of days as we witnessed recently with the not fuel shortage (bloody media).
In just my street most cars are sitting dormant most of the time
meaning