If a hybrid battery fails the car won’t function. The battery will need to be replaced in order to drive the vehicle. Hybrid batteries can be about $5-6k or so depending on the vehicle.
My hybrid runs without the battery all the time and if the battery fails the gas takes over. My son has my original hybrid with over 200,000 miles on it and the battery is fine. While the battery was expensive 20 years ago, it can be replaced now for $1250. Also, hybrids are more dependable than ICE cars. The car mentioned above has had no major or minor repairs since it was purchased in 2007.
Lots of good well-informed opinions here, but I am also on team (traditional) hybrid. You get the best of both worlds without relying on the electric grid. Plug-in hybrids are mired in some controversy regarding their environmental impacts, and are thought by some to be the more harmful than even traditional combustion engine vehicles.
Hope it works out for you. I'm a BMW guy (just got my third one in Feb) and will probably look into BMW EVs when there are more model options and charging stations are more widespread.
I was shocked to see, in the report I linked above, that Mercedes, Subaru, Audi and Honda were all ranked worse than average. This is especially true of Audi. I've never owned an Audi and was set to buy a Q5 until my wife and I test-drove it. We weren't 100 yards away when my wife said "Nope". We ended up getting the MB GLB250.
I test drove an Audi (ICE) A6 before I bought my first BMW. Nice looking exterior. Drove fine. But the interior felt cheap. Felt like a Volkswagen (for perhaps obvious reasons). The very high end Audis (gf has the etron GT) do not feel cheap, although it almost tries to straddle the line of trying to be a super car, e.g. it is crazy low to the ground to the extent that speed bumps are a problem. Beautiful looking car, but I wouldn't buy one.
Agreed. I also like the MB and BMWs because the body integrity is so high. Range Rovers and Porsches too. If you keep the body clean and waxed, it will look brand new for 15+ years. I think the Japanes cars (Toyota, Nissan, Mazda and Subaru) as well as the Koreans brands loose color and body integrity. A ten year old Lexus, for example, looks old to me. But a ten-year-old MB, BMW, Porsche or LR look classic.
robbreport.com
www.topspeed.com
That’s good to know. Thanks.
I agree...but the article's reasoning is interesting.
Buicks are about 100% made in China.BTW I really like the new Buicks. I know they are trying to rebuild the brand and are marketing to chicks but the price points are good. Now this….
Interesting. It is actually hard to find cars that are made and/or, assembled in the USA.
I don’t see Tesla on the list.BTW I really like the new Buicks. I know they are trying to rebuild the brand and are marketing to chicks but the price points are good. Now this….
LINK: Ford (NYSE: F) Throws In The Towel And Decides To Make Money “The myth that half the cars sold in the United States would be EVs five years from now, which is what the government was talking about and all that. Car companies were yakking about, that's not going to happen. If you look at people who thought about an EV, I'm worried I can't find a charging station. I'm worried how long it takes to charge. I'm worried how far does it go on a charge. What if it's a cold winter? I'm worried that in the wintertime, the full charge doesn't go in. I'm worried because they eat through tires faster than gas power. There was a survey recently, a month and a half ago, that said about a third of the people who own an EV said that when they get rid of it, they're going to buy another. Yeah. Yeah. And there's always the person that, they somehow want to be climate friendly or eco-friendly and they're thinking, and everybody wants a clean environment. I mean, Teddy Roosevelt was the first one that started pounding the table on the clean environment. And that was over a hundred years ago. But there's one thing about trying to be, do good things for the environment. And there's other fools’ errands like this, where you chase something that there is no infrastructure for.” |
Thanks for the post. I agree with the article 100%. But the problem isn't EVs, it is that various govts tried to shove them down our throats.I'd love to own an EV, but I'll wait until our government mandates me in five years from now to pony-up the $$$ for an EV, even though our charging infrastructure will still be in its infancy as it is today. WE ARE NOT READY TO COMPETE WITH THE CONVIENCE GAS VEHICLES OFFER.
Heads should roll over the electric car fiasco
Story by Matthew Lynn
"Profits at the German auto giant Mercedes plunged on Friday as sales of its slick new range of electric vehicles (EVs) went into freefall. Porsche abandoned its sales targets for battery-powered cars amid waning demand from customers. Ford is losing nearly $50,000 (£39,000) on every EV it sells, while Tesla’s profits dropped 45pc. Meanwhile, battery manufacturers such as Germany’s Varta are getting wiped out.
Over the last few days, it has become clear that the EV industry is on the brink of collapse. Hundreds of billions of euros, dollars and pounds have been pumped into this industry by political leaders and the subsidy junkies that surround them – and it is surely time they were held to account for the vast quantities of taxpayer cash that has been wasted.
In the last few days alone, there has been a steady stream of bad news from auto manufacturers. Mercedes, the company founded by Gottlieb Daimler that pioneered petrol driven cars, is struggling to replicate that success in the battery version. Group net profits were down 21pc on Friday, mostly on falling sales of its new range of EVs. Earlier in the week, its great rival Porsche watered down plans for its electric models.
Across the Atlantic, Ford reported that profits were down by 35pc in the latest quarter amid losses in its EV unit. And Tesla slashed prices and offered generous financing deals to try and revive flagging demand.
It is even worse for component manufacturers. Shares in Germany’s Varta are down by 70pc over the last month amid reports that the company may have to be rescued from bankruptcy after making heavy losses on batteries for hybrid sports cars. This week, the Belgium chemicals group Umicore announced a €1.6bn (£1.4bn) hit, as manufacturers warned of waning EV demand, and it postponed plans for a battery recycling plant.
The list goes on and on. In reality, the EV balance sheet looks to be awash with red ink. It is not hard to work out why. Costs are too high, as companies such as Ford have discovered, with electric cars much more expensive to produce than their traditional petrol rivals, and with shortages of critical materials pushing prices higher all the time.
There is too much capacity in the industry, with companies over-investing in too many factories and distribution centers. Demand for the end product has started to crumble, with consumers increasingly nervous over what may become obsolete technology. Insurance and maintenance costs are proving far higher than expected for many, once the vehicles are actually on the road.
And all that was before the Chinese entered the market with a new range of slick, cheap vehicles. The word “bloodbath” is used too often in business journalism. But right now, it may be the only one appropriate to describe the state of the Western EV industry.
Surely it is time that political heads started to roll for the catastrophe that is now unfolding. Policymakers, under pressure from industrial and climate change lobby groups, picked this “winner” and spent eye-watering amounts of taxpayer money on it.
In 2019, France’s President Macron grandly announced a Franco-German plan to dominate battery production, with €700m invested by France and another €1bn in Germany. The EU proudly boasts that €80bn has been invested in the “EV value chain” as part of its Green New Deal, but when the books are finally opened it is unlikely they will be good.
The situation is even worse in the US. The Biden administration recently awarded nearly $2bn in grants to help restart or expand EV manufacturing and assembly sites across eight states, which feels like throwing good money after bad. It has offered tens of billions in subsidies of more than $7,000 per vehicle sold, and even more in building the infrastructure, including one $7.5bn scheme to install chargers that ended up with only seven actually built (which works out at more than $1bn each for what is basically just a plug).
Even in this country, where our political class was largely too incompetent to back any projects, money was poured into the ill-fated Britishvolt project, and it remains to be seen how much is finally given to India’s Tata for its new EV battery factory in Somerset.
Economists have long warned that net zero provides a golden opportunity for waste and rent-seeking. But some elites chose not to listen. We should start holding them accountable. Lobbyists argued for the subsidies, civil servants supported them, and finance ministers enthusiastically virtue signaled with other people’s money.
But too much investment creates overcapacity. Markets are better at deciding which technologies work than politicians, and if there is a genuine demand for a product then no one has to receive a grant to manufacture it, since the potential profits to be made will be incentive enough."
The carnage in the EV industry is only just getting started and already it has cost billions.
LINK:
Ford (NYSE: F) Throws In The Towel And Decides To Make Money
“The myth that half the cars sold in the United States would be EVs five years from now, which is what the government was talking about and all that.
Car companies were yakking about, that's not going to happen.
If you look at people who thought about an EV, I'm worried I can't find a charging station.
I'm worried how long it takes to charge.
I'm worried how far does it go on a charge.
What if it's a cold winter?
I'm worried that in the wintertime, the full charge doesn't go in.
I'm worried because they eat through tires faster than gas power.
There was a survey recently, a month and a half ago, that said about a third of the people who own an EV said that when they get rid of it, they're going to buy another.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And there's always the person that, they somehow want to be climate friendly or eco-friendly and they're thinking, and everybody wants a clean environment.
I mean, Teddy Roosevelt was the first one that started pounding the table on the clean environment.
And that was over a hundred years ago.
But there's one thing about trying to be, do good things for the environment.
And there's other fools’ errands like this, where you chase something that there is no infrastructure for.”
A lot of auto makers are shunning leather interiors. I recall looking at a $65k Mercedes that came with their version of pleather (MB=Tex). Teslas don't have leather seats. I'm old fashioned and a bit spoiled. I want a plush leather interior.
I suspect that is done a) to lower costs and b) to keep activists from throwing red paint onto their cars.
I'm not sure why most people need much of a charging infrastructure. You would certainly need them along the turnpike and major interstate highways for people and in high rise apartments/condos. But other than that not so much. The gas stations we see now will be gone if the mandates are implemented.I'd love to own an EV, but I'll wait until our government mandates me in five years from now to pony-up the $$$ for an EV, even though our charging infrastructure will still be in its infancy as it is today. WE ARE NOT READY TO COMPETE WITH THE CONVIENCE GAS VEHICLES OFFER.
Heads should roll over the electric car fiasco
Story by Matthew Lynn
"Profits at the German auto giant Mercedes plunged on Friday as sales of its slick new range of electric vehicles (EVs) went into freefall. Porsche abandoned its sales targets for battery-powered cars amid waning demand from customers. Ford is losing nearly $50,000 (£39,000) on every EV it sells, while Tesla’s profits dropped 45pc. Meanwhile, battery manufacturers such as Germany’s Varta are getting wiped out.
Over the last few days, it has become clear that the EV industry is on the brink of collapse. Hundreds of billions of euros, dollars and pounds have been pumped into this industry by political leaders and the subsidy junkies that surround them – and it is surely time they were held to account for the vast quantities of taxpayer cash that has been wasted.
In the last few days alone, there has been a steady stream of bad news from auto manufacturers. Mercedes, the company founded by Gottlieb Daimler that pioneered petrol driven cars, is struggling to replicate that success in the battery version. Group net profits were down 21pc on Friday, mostly on falling sales of its new range of EVs. Earlier in the week, its great rival Porsche watered down plans for its electric models.
Across the Atlantic, Ford reported that profits were down by 35pc in the latest quarter amid losses in its EV unit. And Tesla slashed prices and offered generous financing deals to try and revive flagging demand.
It is even worse for component manufacturers. Shares in Germany’s Varta are down by 70pc over the last month amid reports that the company may have to be rescued from bankruptcy after making heavy losses on batteries for hybrid sports cars. This week, the Belgium chemicals group Umicore announced a €1.6bn (£1.4bn) hit, as manufacturers warned of waning EV demand, and it postponed plans for a battery recycling plant.
The list goes on and on. In reality, the EV balance sheet looks to be awash with red ink. It is not hard to work out why. Costs are too high, as companies such as Ford have discovered, with electric cars much more expensive to produce than their traditional petrol rivals, and with shortages of critical materials pushing prices higher all the time.
There is too much capacity in the industry, with companies over-investing in too many factories and distribution centers. Demand for the end product has started to crumble, with consumers increasingly nervous over what may become obsolete technology. Insurance and maintenance costs are proving far higher than expected for many, once the vehicles are actually on the road.
And all that was before the Chinese entered the market with a new range of slick, cheap vehicles. The word “bloodbath” is used too often in business journalism. But right now, it may be the only one appropriate to describe the state of the Western EV industry.
Surely it is time that political heads started to roll for the catastrophe that is now unfolding. Policymakers, under pressure from industrial and climate change lobby groups, picked this “winner” and spent eye-watering amounts of taxpayer money on it.
In 2019, France’s President Macron grandly announced a Franco-German plan to dominate battery production, with €700m invested by France and another €1bn in Germany. The EU proudly boasts that €80bn has been invested in the “EV value chain” as part of its Green New Deal, but when the books are finally opened it is unlikely they will be good.
The situation is even worse in the US. The Biden administration recently awarded nearly $2bn in grants to help restart or expand EV manufacturing and assembly sites across eight states, which feels like throwing good money after bad. It has offered tens of billions in subsidies of more than $7,000 per vehicle sold, and even more in building the infrastructure, including one $7.5bn scheme to install chargers that ended up with only seven actually built (which works out at more than $1bn each for what is basically just a plug).
Even in this country, where our political class was largely too incompetent to back any projects, money was poured into the ill-fated Britishvolt project, and it remains to be seen how much is finally given to India’s Tata for its new EV battery factory in Somerset.
Economists have long warned that net zero provides a golden opportunity for waste and rent-seeking. But some elites chose not to listen. We should start holding them accountable. Lobbyists argued for the subsidies, civil servants supported them, and finance ministers enthusiastically virtue signaled with other people’s money.
But too much investment creates overcapacity. Markets are better at deciding which technologies work than politicians, and if there is a genuine demand for a product then no one has to receive a grant to manufacture it, since the potential profits to be made will be incentive enough."
The carnage in the EV industry is only just getting started and already it has cost billions.
LINK:
Ford (NYSE: F) Throws In The Towel And Decides To Make Money
“The myth that half the cars sold in the United States would be EVs five years from now, which is what the government was talking about and all that.
Car companies were yakking about, that's not going to happen.
If you look at people who thought about an EV, I'm worried I can't find a charging station.
I'm worried how long it takes to charge.
I'm worried how far does it go on a charge.
What if it's a cold winter?
I'm worried that in the wintertime, the full charge doesn't go in.
I'm worried because they eat through tires faster than gas power.
There was a survey recently, a month and a half ago, that said about a third of the people who own an EV said that when they get rid of it, they're going to buy another.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And there's always the person that, they somehow want to be climate friendly or eco-friendly and they're thinking, and everybody wants a clean environment.
I mean, Teddy Roosevelt was the first one that started pounding the table on the clean environment.
And that was over a hundred years ago.
But there's one thing about trying to be, do good things for the environment.
And there's other fools’ errands like this, where you chase something that there is no infrastructure for.”
WELL, I guess eventually there will be charging stations nationwide, possibly another technology in the next decade will offer better advantages than electric making the charging stations obsolete.
| Organization Name | Address | County | Award Amount | Electric Distribution Company |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6406 Truck Plaza LLC | 6406 Emlenton Clintonville Rd | Venango | $456,318 | FirstEnergy (Penelec) |
| Alnajukchahat Store, LLC | 547 N. Hunter Hwy. | Luzerne | $1,008,770 | PPL |
| American Truck Plazas, LLC | 1460 N Ridge Rd | Northumberland | $965,997 | PPL |
| Applegreen Electric PA LLC | 1026 Jefferson Ave | Washington | $1,200,000 | FirstEnergy (West Penn Power) |
| Blink Network LLC | 73 Rolling Stone Rd. | Clearfield | $529,988 | FirstEnergy (Penelec) |
| BP Products North America, Inc. | 204 Wilson Rd | Washington | $607,822 | FirstEnergy (West Penn Power) |
| BP Products North America, Inc. | 3612 State Route 31 | Westmoreland | $607,822 | FirstEnergy (West Penn Power) |
| ChargePoint, Inc. | 749 E Lincoln Hwy | Bucks | $944,383 | PECO |
| Electrify America, LLC | 8555 Lancaster Ave | Berks | $741,290 | FirstEnergy (West Penn Power) |
| Electrify America, LLC | 3695 Paxton Street | Dauphin | $775,804 | PPL |
| Electrify America, LLC | 1400 Logan Avenue | Blair | $790,703 | FirstEnergy (Penelec) |
| Francis Energy PA, LLC | 2580 Constitution Blvd | Beaver | $739,821 | FirstEnergy (West Penn Power) |
| Francis Energy PA, LLC | 1900 Ritner Hwy | Cumberland | $738,937 | PPL |
| Francis Energy PA, LLC | 986 Norland Ave. | Franklin | $793,457 | Borough of Chambersburg |
| Liberty Truck Center, Inc. | 7018 Blue Ridge Trail | Luzerne | $661,019 | PPL |
I am not sure I want the govt funding this but I also get it. Regardless, I'd love to be able to top off my charge while shopping at Giant Eagle or having a burrito at Chipotle. I also understand why FirstEnergy would want them but not sure anyone is going to go out of their way to get charged up there. Many hotels and office buildings have them now across the country. People that I know love them because it is like handicapped parking with financial perks.
When the grid experiences as many issues as it does in places like California and Texas, it is impossible to imagine widespread adoption of electric vehicles. Until the grid is massively upgraded it will he a niche product. I think hydrogen has a better chance than electric unless fusion becomes a reality later this century.
Hmmm...I don't agree. CA and TX have great opportunities to go solar. I have a friend who has a model X and Y and claims she spends ZERO on energy due to her roof being covered with solar panels. She lives an hour north of San Diego. For the most part, the grids have been as reliable as gas. I recall times of several shortages. But electric shortages, with a single exception, are much shorter. I, personally, have a natgas backup that I could use to, at least, get far enough away to charge my car.
The Uber driver was feeding you a line of BS. The Mirai is not natural gas powered, it's a Hydrogen cell vehicle with a range of about 400 miles.
You are correct....I got them confused. It is hydrogen.The Uber driver was feeding you a line of BS. The Mirai is not natural gas powered, it's a Hydrogen cell vehicle with a range of about 400 miles.
2024 Mirai Specifications | Toyota.com
Browse the 2024 Toyota Mirai specifications on the official Toyota website and discover the innovative features everywhere you turn.www.toyota.com
$610k for one charging station? I own a condo and Chargepoint put two in for free. Of course they keep the revenues from people paying to charge.
WELL, it does have (4)- plugs. Pilot charges $0.57 per kW. @Obliviax
ecocostsavings.com
I've never charged at a public station. I actually tried, twice, and both times it was broken. There is a lot of work to be done relative to infrastructure. But EV's, today, are only good in targeted areas. In Many, if not most, markets cannot be cost justified. But you may want to do it just to lower air pollution.WELL, it does have (4)- plugs. Pilot charges $0.57 per kW. @Obliviax
So how much does it cost, on the average, to travel 100 miles?
34.6 x $0.57 = $19+?? ....... seems too high 🤷♀️..... is this right?
Average Electric Car kWh Per Mile [Results From 231 EVs]
Electric Car kWh Per Mile List [277 kWh/Mile Listed]
Which electric car uses the least amount of electricity per mile? Find out here & see the Electric Car kWh Per Mile List which details results for 277 models.
Last updated: February 1, 2024.
Find the average electric car kWh per 100 miles, along with the best and the worst. Plus see the costs, savings and how you can go greener.
When working out the average cost of charging an electric car at home, I had to find the average electric car kWh per mile. But I couldn’t find a specific answer to this online, that referenced reliable sources. So I had to do the research, and here it is:
The average electric car kWh per 100 miles (kWh/100 mi) is 34.6.
This works out as 0.346kWh per mile. In other words, on average, electric cars consume 34.6kWh to travel 100 miles and 0.346kWh to travel 1 mile.
At my age, 75, probably won't see the max transition of the EV's.
I honestly think it would have been faster if the govt didn't interfere. Tesla was a game changer and all of the other providers know they have to catch up. But making fake markets caused companies to over-invest before the infrastructure and raw material providers were ready. Now we've created a backlash because people see the downside of EVs and not the upside. I'll tell you what, the best upside is driving past a gas station watching people fill up their cars in the driving rain or snow or wind. The second best one is getting an over-the-wifi update with "free" benefits. Not long ago, Tesla unveiled a tool that allowed the user to set up when they wanted their cars to begin to charge. An audience member suggested that the question to ask was "when do you expect to need your car again?" Asking when the user wanted the car to start charging made the user walk through a mathematical analysis (when do I need to drive, how long will charging take, do the math thereof, enter the start time into the car app). Within weeks, Tesla released a tool to have the car ask the driver when they pull into their garage, "when do you expect to need your car again?" The car does the rest. Smart.
I don't know the price they charge. I've seen Teslas a BMW, and a Lucid using it.WELL, it does have (4)- plugs. Pilot charges $0.57 per kW. @Obliviax
So how much does it cost, on the average, to travel 100 miles?
34.6 x $0.57 = $19+?? ....... seems too high 🤷♀️..... is this right?
Pilot's is essentially free also....well, the taxpayers are investing. 😂
The charging station is being installed at the Pilot Travel Center at 417 Route 315 in Pittston, as part of Pilot Company's collaboration with General Motors. The cost of construction is supported by $610,393 in NEVI funds
Average Electric Car kWh Per Mile [Results From 231 EVs]Electric Car kWh Per Mile List [277 kWh/Mile Listed]
Which electric car uses the least amount of electricity per mile? Find out here & see the Electric Car kWh Per Mile List which details results for 277 models.
Last updated: February 1, 2024.
Find the average electric car kWh per 100 miles, along with the best and the worst. Plus see the costs, savings and how you can go greener.
When working out the average cost of charging an electric car at home, I had to find the average electric car kWh per mile. But I couldn’t find a specific answer to this online, that referenced reliable sources. So I had to do the research, and here it is:
The average electric car kWh per 100 miles (kWh/100 mi) is 34.6.
This works out as 0.346kWh per mile. In other words, on average, electric cars consume 34.6kWh to travel 100 miles and 0.346kWh to travel 1 mile.
BMW SUV. What would you recommend for a used one? They seem to rate pretty well in Consumer Reports.
Current administration has no plans for generating the electricity that the country will need regardless of the trend towards or stagnation of EV's.
