5 ms·
Electric cars will go mainstream when: 1. They become priced like regular cars 2. They have the range of regular cars 3. They come in form factors similar to r
by nsxwolf 15y ago
Electric cars will go mainstream when:
1. They become priced like regular cars
2. They have the range of regular cars
3. They come in form factors similar to regular cars
4. They are cheaper to own and operate than regular cars
5. They stop being about "the environment". San Francisco is not the entire US.
It looks like we're getting a bit closer to all of these milestones, which is good.
- nsxwolf 15y agoAlso: In Chicago, we desperately need a battery that can make it through a morning commute when it is 15 below zero.
- toomuchtodo 15y agoI live in Chicago. I had no problem putting $5K down on a Model S. Its good enough for my needs. If I'm traveling more than 300 miles in a day, I'm renting a car or flying.
- harpastum 15y agoIs this a serious issue with current electric cars? I would assume there's something you can do with a heating mechanism or something for the batteries when they're in danger of getting really cold and losing their charge.
- nsxwolf 15y agoIt's enough of an issue that Nissan offers a cold weather trim package on the Leaf, which it "strongly recommends" for operation in below freezing climates.
- redthrowaway 15y agoAll of your points are valid, but I think you miss the main one, which Clarkson nailed: electric cars will go mainstream when they don't take three hours for a "quick" charge. They already have the range of gas-powered cars (~300 miles for the S), but once you hit that, you're stuck. It makes long-distance trips onerous, if not impossible. Anyway, they're getting cheaper all the time, batteries are getting better, and when you can convincingly pitch the TCO as being less than a gas car, you'll start to see people jump on it. Infrastructure will follow from there.
- nsxwolf 15y agoThat's a good point too, but I actually think charging time is the one downside car owners wouldn't mind getting used to, if the rest of the issues were solved. With a decent range, say 200+ miles, planning for a 3 hour charge isn't too terrible a shift. Long distance travel is another story. Charging stations at rest stops and restaurants would be a big help there, but I'm worried that the premature installation of those GE power stations, which have been subsequently torn out in many places, have left a bad taste in the mouths of people who can make that happen.
- webjprgm 15y agoLong distance travel is the primary reason I have not wanted to buy an electric car. I only have one car at the moment, so I need it to be good both for commuting and long distance. I can make a 12 hour trip from SF to UT or 7 hr SF to LA. With an electric you add in 3hrs * 2 going to UT and 3hrs * 1 going to LA. That totally changes travel plans because I'd have to stop for the night or else push through on nothing but uncomfortable naps in the car during the charge cycles. So electric is out. If I had 2 cars (if I didn't live in a small apartment complex, and if I had a bunch of kids so I needed a separate van or something) then I'd have one electric for commuting and one gas for road trips.
- lutorm 15y agoThis is the market for a series hybrid.
- whatusername 15y agoSo Better Place and their switchable Car Batteries then? http://www.betterplace.com.au/drivers/solution-for-drivers/driver-wherever-you-want-whenever-you-want.html http://www.betterplace.com.au/drivers/solution-for-drivers/d...
- nsxwolf 15y agoThat would be fantastic.
- nsxwolf 15y agoOH: And for sports cars, find a way to add a clutch pedal and more "gears". I know it doesn't make sense in an electric car, but find a way to make it make sense!
- mncolinlee 15y agoTCO. Total cost of ownership. I ran the numbers here: http://colintheshots.com/node/10 http://colintheshots.com/node/10 They have: 5 cents per mile variable cost of driving. Cheapest insurance for vehicles in their price range due to five star safety ratings. Federal and state incentives. They're cheaper than regular cars, if you can find affordable financing. Right now, financing is the cheapest it's ever been if your credit is good. Think of it as buying your fuel years in advance at low interest rates.
- jasonmcalacanis 15y ago1. Base Model S is $50k after subsidies. 2. I have driven a roadster for three years/12k miles and never had a range issue. It gets 200-240 miles per charge. Very, very few folks break 200. 2b. The Model S has a 300 mile range version. 3. The Model S is better than any sedan in the market in terms of storage because it doesn't have all the parts of a carbon car. 4. they are cheaper to operate in my experience. i can go 200 miles on a $2 charge. of course, the roadster is an expensive up front cost. They will have a $30k cars in five year I'm certain. 5. i drive the Roadster because it's as fast as a lambo/ferrari/corvette, is super sexy and because it say F-U to the human right violating middle east. The environment is way down my list..... i'm for getting off middle east oil and human right way before being green.
- ams6110 15y ago"Carbon" car?? What's the fuel your electric utility uses?
- rflrob 15y agoDepending on where he's based (I'm assuming California), a large fraction is likely fossil fuel based, but there's lots of natural gas (which is at least a low-carbon FF), but also nuclear, hydro, and wind. It's also not unreasonable to assume that a Tesla Roadster owner might have put down the up-front costs for solar photovoltaics on his home.