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Interesting article but too many holes to hold much weight. In no particular order.. You only don't pay for the charging electricity when using a superchargin

Interesting article but too many holes to hold much weight. In no particular order.. You only don't pay for the charging electricity when using a supercharging station. If 'free' travel involves spending an hour a day at a service station waiting for the car to charge, then it doesn't seem quite so free! It would be more convenient to charge overnight at home but then you pay for this energy. A minor point, but name any consumer device made in 1985 still receiving regular updates, software or hardware. Finally, Selling a vehicle that only needs replacing every 50 years isn't going to be much of a business plan. Negativity aside, I think its a great idea. I rarely drive more than 60 miles a day and I'd love to have an electric car. I'd even hook it up to some solar panels and I'm sure the economics would be comparable to a fuel car. If only the cars were a shade cheaper.

saraid216 14y ago
> Selling a vehicle that only needs replacing every 50 years isn't going to be much of a business plan. It makes me sad that this is true. Is this really the only place we can go now? We have to produce crappy product in order to artificially create turnover so that income remains steady? It makes me hate capitalism.
- HeyLaughingBoy 14y ago
  Are you serious? Your definition of a crappy car is one that doesn't last 50 years? I've heard of high standards, but really...
  - saraid216 14y ago
    It's a problem in virtually all industries. Lasting solutions simply aren't a good business model.
    - HeyLaughingBoy 14y ago
      That's odd. Last I heard, farm and construction equipment manufacturers were doing a great business selling stuff that stood up to decades of hard work. Of course, they cost multiples of what a cheap family car (itself capable of a decade+ of use with proper maintenance) does, but that's a minor issue. And there are those annoying over-the-road trucks that easily rack up well over 1,000,000 miles and keep going. But it's a crappy business model, so they should all be out of business tomorrow! Of course you can build a car that will last 50 years. The problem is that very few people would be willing to pay the price, so no one bothers making them. FWIW, I have a garden tractor in my garage that's coming up on 30 years old and I expect to get at least another 10 years out of it.
      - saraid216 14y ago
        > The problem is that very few people would be willing to pay the price, so no one bothers making them. Do you have any idea why this is?

saraid216 14y ago

> Selling a vehicle that only needs replacing every 50 years isn't going to be much of a business plan. It makes me sad that this is true. Is this really the only place we can go now? We have to produce crappy product in order to artificially create turnover so that income remains steady? It makes me hate capitalism.

HeyLaughingBoy 14y ago
Are you serious? Your definition of a crappy car is one that doesn't last 50 years? I've heard of high standards, but really...
- saraid216 14y ago
  It's a problem in virtually all industries. Lasting solutions simply aren't a good business model.
  - HeyLaughingBoy 14y ago
    That's odd. Last I heard, farm and construction equipment manufacturers were doing a great business selling stuff that stood up to decades of hard work. Of course, they cost multiples of what a cheap family car (itself capable of a decade+ of use with proper maintenance) does, but that's a minor issue. And there are those annoying over-the-road trucks that easily rack up well over 1,000,000 miles and keep going. But it's a crappy business model, so they should all be out of business tomorrow! Of course you can build a car that will last 50 years. The problem is that very few people would be willing to pay the price, so no one bothers making them. FWIW, I have a garden tractor in my garage that's coming up on 30 years old and I expect to get at least another 10 years out of it.
    - saraid216 14y ago
      > The problem is that very few people would be willing to pay the price, so no one bothers making them. Do you have any idea why this is?