this post was submitted on 13 Aug 2024
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American here. So this is speaking from an American viewpoint.
EV cars are just big golf carts IMO. If you never leave like a 40 mile radius of your home, and you don't live in a location that sees extreme temperatures, and you don't live in a hilly or rural area, they're probably fine. But beyond that, they will be very inconvenient. Maybe for Europe since theyre so dense over there its easier to adopt, but here in the States you can sometimes go miles and miles inbetween homes.
The cost will most likely even out with ICE, if not a little more for the EV. Some will say "I cut my gas expenses by going electric," like yeah, of course you did. But your electric bill went up, and you have to spend higher initial cost on the vehicle, plus installing home chargers and wait times of like, an hour, for the vehicle to charge. Add all that up is it really a big savings?
Meanwhile, I daily my 1968 Ford Galaxie, which has a carbureted V8 that I bought running and driving for $1500 USD. Thankfully I am California Emissions Exempt, but California gas is expensive and I have to cry at the pump from my 27 gallon tank and $6/gallon prices every other week, but California electric bills are just as expensive. Ran the AC last month (California is literally a desert and Edison won't catch us a break on AC) and the bill was like $1100 USD for the month, and thats with the thermostat set to 80F which is like 26.6C for those that use that system. Can't convince me to go electric even if you gave me one for free.
Good for people that don't care about cars and don't travel much, but impractical for most people, IMO.
You must have really driven a golf cart, as what you describe is nowhere near the real EV experience.
You’re comparing a 2nd hand car to a new EV? Then yes the initial coat is higher, of course. While the 1968 Ford Galaxy is a marvel to behold, it doesn’t compare to modern ICE cars. Even the base VW Golf has better specs… But I digress… Cars like that are the reason we need EVs if we want to control climate change. The amount of CO2 that baby expells is just way of the charts…
Is electricity cheap? No. But I would be more interested to see how much kW/h your AC unit is using. And how much gallons per mile you’re consuming. That is the only valid comparison to make here. And I would seriously encourage you to look at heat pumps.
EVs are good for people who actually look at cars and who know about cars. Not people who are dinosaur guzzling go-carts prejudiced.
I am a professional mechanic, and I have worked at multiple dealerships that frequently service EVs and Hybrid EVs. Most notably Kia, Hyundai, and Jaguar Land Rover. I very regularly serviced both ICE and EV vehicles, since I was certified for both ICE and EV heavy line work. I mainly do engine, transmission, EV motor repairs, etc, basically the big complex jobs that take a long time. Which is another point to mention: EV repairs are expensive in comparison with ICE repairs.
I'm gonna be honest, buying an EV does not really do anything for the environment. It isn't way better than an ICE car, that's just marketing. It just moves the pollution to places you don't see it, like power plants, rare metal mines, etc. I would encourage you to do your research and due diligence. A properly tuned carbureted engine does actually have the potential to pass CA emissions, which are ridiculously strict. Reason most don't is usually old tired engines have worn rings or umbrella seals and burn too much oil thus needing a richer tune.
Its a brand new AC unit, don't know the numbers it outputs but it is what was recommended for the size of the home, which is not a huge manor but also not a tiny apartment. No leaks in the vent tubes or anything, and none of the vents are closed or restricting flow. MPG on the Galaxie is like, 14/15 city, which is actually super good. But that's because I just rebuilt the engine, before I rebuilt it it was running on 200k miles and got like 9/10 MPG. Which was caused by worn piston rings and umbrella seals so old they had literally disintegrated and oil was just dropping through the valve guides.
EVs aren't evil, never said they were. But for Americans that don't live in New York City or Los Angeles, an EV will probably be impractical/unaffordable in the long run.
I understand that EV fans can often feel attacked in these kind of conversations, but let's please try to remain civil in this community, thank you.
I drive between Chicago and stlouis regularly. It's adds 18min to the 4.5 hour drive.