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That recalls Kodak's mistake: not anticipating how very fast consumers/users can switch to new tech, no matter how vested in old technology they were. The switc

That recalls Kodak's mistake: not anticipating how very fast consumers/users can switch to new tech, no matter how vested in old technology they were. The switch from film to digital was a no-brainer for most people. Having driven an EV for two years, I think many will feel the same about electric cars.

sporkenfang 10y ago
Definitely. I'm waiting until the engine fails in my 15-year-old jeep to purchase a new car, but as that's close on the horizon, the only consideration is which EV. Not buying another carbon-emitting vehicle if I can help it.
- gregpilling 10y ago
  One day there will be conversion kits to replace the gas motor with electric. Maybe that will exist in time.
  - grzm 10y ago
    I don't know. :/ Are you thinking about a particular niche? For example, I don't remember conversion kits for regular gas automobiles to switch to unleaded. Not exactly the same thing, but perhaps somewhat comparable? And given the state of engine integration in vehicles today, I'm not sure how easy it would be to replace everything that's different between an electric vehicle and an ICE one. For example, batteries versus fuel tank. Or am I thinking about this wrong?
    - WillPostForFood 10y ago
      Regular gasoline cars run fine on unleaded gas, so no conversion kit was needed. But you are right in being skeptical - it wouldn't make sense to convert a gas powered car to electric. You wouldn't just swap a combustion engine for a electric engine. You'd need to change everything - engine, transmission, gas tank, air conditioning, dash/info center. And then you'd want energy recovery, so you'd change out braking systems. Best case is you'd end up with a heavy, expensive, inefficient, poorly balanced electric car.
      - sporkenfang 10y ago
        > dash/info center Hell no. I'm keeping the tape deck! The rest does sound quite plausible though. At best one would end up with an improperly balanced car from the difference in engine weights alone unless pains were taken to ensure the car's weight and weight distribution stayed the same.
    - gregpilling 10y ago
      conversion kits did exist for the fuel change. It was mostly about putting in harder valve seats. The lead was a useful lubricant for the valves. My idea is that the small block Chevy engine is ubiquitous in the hot rodding world, and it is often combined with a Turbo350 transmission. This combo (or one roughly the same shape) has now been built by GM over 100,000,000 times. They hit that milestone in 2011! http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2011/Nov/100M/1129_100M_Engin.html http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/... So we take the Remy250 motor, used to propel the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid (I own one), the Remy is small, about the size of the torque converter in the Turbo350 transmission. That leaves the shape of the engine as a shape to fill with lithium batteries, and the rest of the transmission case can hold the inverter. There is enough room, I have measured. You may only get 50-100 miles, but it could be a drop-in replacement. Since all the mess is self contained in one blob, it is a matter of yanking the old stuff out and shoving the new stuff in. Basic hot rodding, being done since the automobile was invented. If it could retail for $20,000 to $25,000 the aftermarket industry would eat it up. I am a SEMA member for 12 years, so I know. Any VC want to fund this idea? I have most of the pieces pulled together, just need to pay for some engineering time.
- NovaS1X 10y ago
  If it's a Jeep with the 4.0 you'll be waiting a long time for that engine failure.
notahacker 10y ago
It's a lot easier not to be vested in old technology when the replacement runs for longer without new infrastructure and doesn't cost a couple of months' wages to upgrade, a few more if the old technology is rendered obsolete...
- Roritharr 10y ago
  Smartphones still don't run as long as 2006 dumb phones. People just noticed that was a rarely used feature.
  - ant6n 10y ago
    That's a problem for trucks and buses though.
    - Roritharr 10y ago
      They have a different Problem and might need a different solution. Hydrogen might be cost effective at truck-scale.
      - superdude 10y ago
        Compressed natural gas is used in some buses right now.
      - jessaustin 10y ago
        I'm convinced that ammonia will be used rather than hydrogen for these applications, but it amounts to the same thing.
  - snovv_crash 10y ago
    This is patently false. If you turn off your WiFi, 4G, Bluetooth and NFC, and only use your phone for calls and SMS, a smartphone can easily last a week. More than a dumbphone with the same features.
    - 10y ago

sporkenfang 10y ago

Definitely. I'm waiting until the engine fails in my 15-year-old jeep to purchase a new car, but as that's close on the horizon, the only consideration is which EV. Not buying another carbon-emitting vehicle if I can help it.

gregpilling 10y ago
One day there will be conversion kits to replace the gas motor with electric. Maybe that will exist in time.
- grzm 10y ago
  I don't know. :/ Are you thinking about a particular niche? For example, I don't remember conversion kits for regular gas automobiles to switch to unleaded. Not exactly the same thing, but perhaps somewhat comparable? And given the state of engine integration in vehicles today, I'm not sure how easy it would be to replace everything that's different between an electric vehicle and an ICE one. For example, batteries versus fuel tank. Or am I thinking about this wrong?
  - WillPostForFood 10y ago
    Regular gasoline cars run fine on unleaded gas, so no conversion kit was needed. But you are right in being skeptical - it wouldn't make sense to convert a gas powered car to electric. You wouldn't just swap a combustion engine for a electric engine. You'd need to change everything - engine, transmission, gas tank, air conditioning, dash/info center. And then you'd want energy recovery, so you'd change out braking systems. Best case is you'd end up with a heavy, expensive, inefficient, poorly balanced electric car.
    - sporkenfang 10y ago
      > dash/info center Hell no. I'm keeping the tape deck! The rest does sound quite plausible though. At best one would end up with an improperly balanced car from the difference in engine weights alone unless pains were taken to ensure the car's weight and weight distribution stayed the same.
  - gregpilling 10y ago
    conversion kits did exist for the fuel change. It was mostly about putting in harder valve seats. The lead was a useful lubricant for the valves. My idea is that the small block Chevy engine is ubiquitous in the hot rodding world, and it is often combined with a Turbo350 transmission. This combo (or one roughly the same shape) has now been built by GM over 100,000,000 times. They hit that milestone in 2011! http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2011/Nov/100M/1129_100M_Engin.html http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/news.detail.html/content/... So we take the Remy250 motor, used to propel the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid (I own one), the Remy is small, about the size of the torque converter in the Turbo350 transmission. That leaves the shape of the engine as a shape to fill with lithium batteries, and the rest of the transmission case can hold the inverter. There is enough room, I have measured. You may only get 50-100 miles, but it could be a drop-in replacement. Since all the mess is self contained in one blob, it is a matter of yanking the old stuff out and shoving the new stuff in. Basic hot rodding, being done since the automobile was invented. If it could retail for $20,000 to $25,000 the aftermarket industry would eat it up. I am a SEMA member for 12 years, so I know. Any VC want to fund this idea? I have most of the pieces pulled together, just need to pay for some engineering time.
NovaS1X 10y ago
If it's a Jeep with the 4.0 you'll be waiting a long time for that engine failure.

notahacker 10y ago

It's a lot easier not to be vested in old technology when the replacement runs for longer without new infrastructure and doesn't cost a couple of months' wages to upgrade, a few more if the old technology is rendered obsolete...

Roritharr 10y ago
Smartphones still don't run as long as 2006 dumb phones. People just noticed that was a rarely used feature.
- ant6n 10y ago
  That's a problem for trucks and buses though.
  - Roritharr 10y ago
    They have a different Problem and might need a different solution. Hydrogen might be cost effective at truck-scale.
    - superdude 10y ago
      Compressed natural gas is used in some buses right now.
    - jessaustin 10y ago
      I'm convinced that ammonia will be used rather than hydrogen for these applications, but it amounts to the same thing.
- snovv_crash 10y ago
  This is patently false. If you turn off your WiFi, 4G, Bluetooth and NFC, and only use your phone for calls and SMS, a smartphone can easily last a week. More than a dumbphone with the same features.
  - 10y ago