Are electric cars the future?

[CalPolyTechnique]

get you one, and when times get bad big brother will limit the amount of recharge you can get. It's awesome, what do they use to make the electricity to charge these turds?

Or, conversely the price of gas controlled by OPEC.

 

[Quickdraw]

Or, conversely the price of gas controlled by OPEC.

Energy independence resolves the OPEC price problem. We have plenty of fossil fuel resources in America. We won't be energy independent if we commit to electric. And, those countries supplying the minerals for making batteries?, well they'll be making them with... wait for it.... fossil fuels.

 

[Captain-Crash]

I'd leave that pipeline closed so the genius can raise the prices more. I remember back in the 70's when we ran out of oil and the world couldn't find anymore.

 

[Sarek]

This conversation is not about electric cars. It’s about oil. Should’ve titled this thread, is oil part of the human future.

Anyway my answer is flying cars that fly with a AI driver. I’m not sure it could even be called cars at that point.

 

[csirl]

Where in Europe? Is every country at 20%? I only ask because in certain parts of the USA going electric it's a lot more forgiving to go electric than in other parts.

Ireland - 18.8% of car sales in 2023 were EVs. Another 18% were hybrid.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

Energy independence resolves the OPEC price problem. We have plenty of fossil fuel resources in America. We won't be energy independent if we commit to electric. And, those countries supplying the minerals for making batteries?, well they'll be making them with... wait for it.... fossil fuels.

We don’t have the heavy crude for refining to be energy independent. It’s also a misnomer to think if we became fossil fuel independent that it would somehow wouldn’t result in increased prices at home domestically. If you don’t have foreign oil competitors keeping the supply market competitive then you’re at the mercy of domestic oil companies. Thats capitalism 101. And then you’d have all the anti-big government whiners crying for government intervention.

You’re also missing the point that while EV battery production and charging require fossil fuels on the backend, the vehicles they produce (EVs) are not reliant on fossil fuels. Fossil fuels needed to run vehicles over time (gas & oil) inflates our needs. That can’t be overstated.

 

[csirl]

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sponsored/arid-41316031.html

interesting article about an Irish family who switched to 2 x EV cars.

 

[Creeper]

Have we ever been good at predicting the future? You look at the predictions going back 40 years or so and they really haven't been that accurate.

I can see electric cars being a thing for a few decades but I don't think it will last, at least not with the electric cars we see being produced now. But I do believe the cars of the future will not be propelled with fossil fuels. Fossil fuels at some point will become rare and expensive as developing countries compete for them and use them up. But the big unknown is what will be invented in the years to come.

We need to find different sources of energy and better ways to store it - or produce it on demand. Batteries, like the ones we produce today, require substances that will become too rare and expensive for consumers, and battery waste products will be worse than what we fear from fossil fuels. Necessity is the mother of invention. I believe this will result in something we cannot envision today.

 

[1942willys]

Have we ever been good at predicting the future? You look at the predictions going back 40 years or so and they really haven't been that accurate.

I can see electric cars being a thing for a few decades but I don't think it will last, at least not with the electric cars we see being produced now. But I do believe the cars of the future will not be propelled with fossil fuels. Fossil fuels at some point will become rare and expensive as developing countries compete for them and use them up. But the big unknown is what will be invented in the years to come.

We need to find different sources of energy and better ways to store it - or produce it on demand. Batteries, like the ones we produce today, require substances that will become too rare and expensive for consumers, and battery waste products will be worse than what we fear from fossil fuels. Necessity is the mother of invention. I believe this will result in something we cannot envision today.

Too many people fixate on standard electricity; and batteries.

Need to think outside the box.

The Electrical grid would need hundreds of BILLIONS more invested in it to power all those electric vehicles so many are rhapsodizing about.

 

[Runwildboys]

Too many people fixate on standard electricity; and batteries.

Need to think outside the box.

The Electrical grid would need hundreds of BILLIONS more invested in it to power all those electric vehicles so many are rhapsodizing about.

That's a valid point.

 

[1942willys]

That's a valid point.

Most people do not understand how stressed the grid is every summer in most of the country. California has brownouts regularly NOW and if there are more EVs it is going to be rolling blackouts all the time

 

[csirl]

Most people do not understand how stressed the grid is every summer in most of the country. California has brownouts regularly NOW and if there are more EVs it is going to be rolling blackouts all the time

Does increased energy efficiency create capacity? Seems like every new version of every electrical appliance uses lot less energy.

 

[zrinkill]

Much ado about nothing.

Synthetic fuel is the future and is being perfected by many many different producers.

Anything else would need the entire infrastructure changed.

​

 

[Tabascocat]

Much ado about nothing.

Synthetic fuel is the future and is being perfected by many many different producers.

Anything else would need the entire infrastructure changed.

​

Have you seen or read about one that doesn’t use any petroleum products at all? Synthetic oil still has a basis from crude, just wondering if a fuel is possible without any form of petroleum.

 

[zrinkill]

Have you seen or read about one that doesn’t use any petroleum products at all? Synthetic oil still has a basis from crude, just wondering if a fuel is possible without any form of petroleum.

Yes they are working on total Synthetic ....... they have been able to do it for a while but the oil industry has kept the price astronomical so it would not be viable ...... private companies are now working on it since 2018 and are close to perfecting it ...... of course big oil is trying to keep it hush hush.

The oil companies and their allies want to postpone it as long as possible ........ the irony is that oil companies love electric and battery power because its still based on crude oil.

 

[Creeper]

Most people do not understand how stressed the grid is every summer in most of the country. California has brownouts regularly NOW and if there are more EVs it is going to be rolling blackouts all the time

I agree, but it goes without saying. Consider how we switched from gas and oil lamps to electricity which is in every home in America. Or horses to gasoline engine cars? Over time gas stations became ubiquitous, as did electricity and light bulbs. The switch of EVs will take many years but I can see a time in the future where gas stations will be as uncommon as pay phones today.

My issue with EVs is the technology needs to be much more refined and improved before it can truly replace internal combustion engines. And I still think batteries will not be the answer. I believe somewhere along the line someone will invent a means of creating electricity on demand that is portable enough to build into every vehicle manufactured.

 

[csirl]

One difficulty with synthetic fuel is making it carbon neutral.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

Too many people fixate on standard electricity; and batteries.

Need to think outside the box.

The Electrical grid would need hundreds of BILLIONS more invested in it to power all those electric vehicles so many are rhapsodizing about.

No, some folks are just prisoners of the moment and pick at the short comings of the technology as if it’s reached its pinnacle.

It hasn’t.

Battery technology is improving exponentially as most technology where investment in time and money is spent (see Moore’s law).

If you’re thinking the present day battery tech will be the same tomorrow (5-10 years) as it is today, I wouldn’t make that bet.

 

[Flamma]

Yes they are working on total Synthetic ....... they have been able to do it for a while but the oil industry has kept the price astronomical so it would not be viable ...... private companies are now working on it since 2018 and are close to perfecting it ...... of course big oil is trying to keep it hush hush.

The oil companies and their allies want to postpone it as long as possible ........ the irony is that oil companies love electric and battery power because its still based on crude oil.

Of course. That technology would be suppressed for obvious reasons.

 

[1942willys]

No, some folks are just prisoners of the moment and pick at the short comings of the technology as if it’s reached its pinnacle.

It hasn’t.

Battery technology is improving exponentially as most technology where investment in time and money is spent (see Moore’s law).

If you’re thinking the present day battery tech will be the same tomorrow (5-10 years) as it is today, I wouldn’t make that bet.

Try 20-30 years