Car maintenance DIY

[AliOop]

After owning an EV, I will say that I was unaware of the eventual expense related to needing to replace the batteries at the cost of about $5k. Talk about sticker shock!

Not to mention that the production of, and eventual disposal of these batteries has a huge environmental impact of its own. I used to be all about EVs but have become disenchanted with them after learning more about this.

It is amazing that we can send people into space but cannot (maybe will not?) come up with a truly environmentally friendly way of powering our transportation.

 

[Andy7891]

After owning an EV, I will say that I was unaware of the eventual expense related to needing to replace the batteries at the cost of about $5k. Talk about sticker shock!

Not to mention that the production of, and eventual disposal of these batteries has a huge environmental impact of its own. I used to be all about EVs but have become disenchanted with them after learning more about this.

It is amazing that we can send people into space but cannot (maybe will not?) come up with a truly environmentally friendly way of powering our transportation.

I was listening to Elon Musk on a podcast the other day, (he is the creator of Tesla, the EV company) and his main reason for starting the company is to give us humans a sustainable or renewable source of energy, as oil will run out sometime. Batteries, lithium, etc., will eventually run out too, but he wanted to avoid societal collapse if we all relied on oil and it suddenly disappeared. Not saying I agree with him one way or the other but maybe there is some merit to that train of thought. I’m guessing that us resourceful humans wouldn’t simply “drive off a cliff” so to speak (not prepare for total depletion of oil) but he did it so good on him. He also wants to go to Mars probably for the same reason- to save us as a species, possibly.

Riding a bike or horse or walking is environmentally friendly as heck, or improving mpg or kWh per mile ratios, are things we can do. Let's just hope this species and all the others and can survive and thrive as long as possible. Long winded post over!!

 

[earlene]

The future of battery technology for Electric Vehicles is actually bright.

In the works:

QuantumScape, a solid state battery, using Lithium-metal technology will be longer lasting (further driving range), charge quickly, take up far less space, bring costs down. It is estimated these will be available for use in 2024 or 2025.
See: QuantumScape pursues ‘breakthrough’ in lithium batteries — with tips from Bill Gates and A new EV battery shows big promise | Greenbiz

Lithium-Silicon Technology, which will do the same due to be available for use by 2028.

My husband keeps telling me there are plans afoot to create battery banks along major arteries where EV owners will be able to trade out their exhausted battery for a fully charged battery. Apparently someone has this in the works, too, but I personally have not read the stuff he's been reading on that particular topic.

However, my point is that technology continues to advance to create a better battery for Electric Vehicles.

What they're doing in Sweden is also quite innovative. Outside of Stockholm there is a stretch of road that charges EV batteries: see this link: World's first electrified road for charging vehicles opens in Sweden

So not only does advancing technology address the battery situation, it also addresses Infrastructure to support conversion to Electric Vehicles.

These are just a few examples of what I see as a bright future for electric transportation. The European Union has done a lot along these lines, which I find very impressive.

 

[Andy7891]

Thanks for the food for thought- well, your post and linked articles got me thinking, anyway. I think that we will all be staying closer to home, and having things produced closer to home, in the future also. I think with gas/oil of course running out sometime soonish, and EV at the moment being in kind of their infancy, we will find a way to minimize transportation (costs) of things we produce and consume. I can see robotics playing a role in this (gardens in shipping containers run off of solar and batteries, people working from home (a la pandemic)). These are just a few ideas that came to mind while reading your post. I just think our whole model of driving, the range we are used to achieving, is going to be reduced in the future. I have more hope now of batteries being less of a burden on the planet because of what you posted. Nothing like educating ourselves to help look into the future with a clear vision.

 

[penelopejane]

I think something will be invented that makes batteries as we Know them totally obsolete. Maybe hydrogen power or something totally out there. It won’t be until we get away from fossil fuels that we’ll spend time and money on there totally different ideas through necessity.

They say if you change your oil every 10,000km (6,000 miles), or every 12 months, you will extend the life of the motor substantially. I get the mechanic to do it.