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Would you buy an electric car?

Would you buy an electric car? What about a plug-in hybrid that can get power from the grid or from gasoline? If not, why not? If you are not sure, what would it take to convince you to make your next car electric?

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  • 5 votes
Diarmaede 7 Dec 22
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20 comments

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3

I will be adding at least one electric vehicle to my fleet in the next few years and I will be replacing another with a hi-bred as well, hopefully a plug in one. I am installing grid tie solar panels as well.

2

Yes I like the new Tesla .The attractive aspect of these cars is that they have no fluids , no engine oil , no transmission fluid ,no antifreeze, no brake fluid (air brakes)etc they have fantastic pickup and low maintenance .

2

I have mixed emotions about them right now. I owned a Toyota Prius and loved it. They figured out a regenerative braking system that no one else had been able to crack the code for. The car runs part of the time on the electric motor and part of the time on the gas engine. Then, when the vehicle is decelerating, the electric motor reverses polarity to charge it's own battery. It's a brilliant system. It actually gets better mileage in city driving than it does on the highway as a result of this system. I averaged around 50 MPG with mine. It just didn't fare well on snow and ice so, I divested myself of it when I moved to Colorado.

The reason I'm not sold on the total electric vehicle at this point is not the vehicle itself. It's the method of charging it. They are plugged into the power grid to charge and we still have over 600 coal fired plants in the US. So, the benefit of the electric vehicle is canceled out in ares where you're going to charge it by burning coal.We either need to get to a place where they can be charged with a higher percentage of solar power or, replace the coal fired power plants.

Duke Level 8 Dec 22, 2017

@Diarmaede When I need to replace my roof, I'm intending to do just that also. Elon Musk now has a system of roof tiles that look like normal tiles but, offer the photovoltaic charging ability. He claims the cost for them is equal to those of normal roof tiles. Some states have effectively reduced the demand for solar panels now by charging a fee for using them. Sometimes I abhor capitalism. I don't mind the fact that people are in business to earn money but, sometimes it gets ridiculous. Last year Californians were asked to conserve water because of the severe drought in the state. The people in the state complied. They complied so well that the water company raised the rates because there wasn't enough water being used. So, sometimes when you win, you still lose.

2

Living in Europe, I've seen many electric cars and some of the hottest, sleekest, most awesome looking cars that I had no clue were electrically powered. The future is today and it's getting better all the time.

SamL Level 7 Dec 22, 2017

electrical cars in Europe make more sense because of the "charm and nuances" of european cities. example... Rota, SP... In the 20th Century the moped was the oficial pseudo example of an electrical for the city. Small, lack of parking space, narrow streets, no highway inside the city, expensive motor vehicle driving license... And You Could see... an Old Man with his Wife, His Grandchild and their Dog Riding around in that Moped in Rota. Stuttgart, GE the convenience of the Smart Car was evident in the city. European cities and american style parkings are in conflict in Europe. But this is America full of highways and parking space for Large, Clumsy SUV's

1

I would love to have an electric car, but I usually buy used so I don't know how long I'll have to wait before they come out used.

1

Currently have a Ford Transit Connect and saw an article on VW putting out an EV micro bus in the next few years. Getting vehicles that I fit in is always an issue and a lot of the EV's are too small for me. Cost too. Getting a knee replacement in a couple months so I will be able to ride my bike more often. The Twin Cities are pretty bike-friendly. Like your post and that you are so knowledgeable about the topic too!

I'm 6'3" with a lot of height in my spine with very wide shoulders from years of lifting. I also do not like low cars anymore either.

1

Probably, if I live that long and can afford one! A used one at that! LOL!

1

If I could afford it.

0

Good poll, but as a professional market researcher, please let me say that you have too many dimensions crammed in one question. That makes it harder to parse out how you want to answer.

Gary Level 4 Dec 23, 2017
0

might have to. concept 1 is an amazing electric car.

0

I would want to see more charging stations - or be able to charge up at home.

0

I want an electric car because I want a car with next to no maintenance that will not likely "break".

0

Yes I would, just not yet.

0

Would definitely buy an EV if the price was right. Range not a problem for me as my commute is short, but that means it is not economically viable at present. For example, here in the UK both Renault and Nissan do EV's where you lease the battery, the cost of which is more than I currently spend on fuel for my car, van AND motorbike.
I did run a Prius when my commute was significantly longer and an EV would have made financial sense then, but with bought battery pack.

0

Several years ago I started thinking about electric cars, and how I would personally design one myself. I thought about it over an extended period and came up with a concept that was not a hybrid (as they then were) but a fully electric car with a 'engine powered charger' that was not in any way directly connected to the wheels, neither was it directly connected to the throttle - it simply automatically 'fired up' if the battery voltage dropped below a specified value, and then ran at a fixed speed (chosen for maximum efficiency) until the battery voltage had been raised to a suitably higher, specified value.

Nowadays something rather like my own concept has started to appear - called an 'e-rev' (extended-range electric vehicle).

I would certainly concider an e-rev, if I could find one with basically the same idea behind it as I had those years ago.

0

I would, if it was affordable.

0

I am partially blind, and can't drive right now, but when the fully autonomous cars come out which wont' require a driver's license (first ones in the U.S. will be in 2019, but all car makers should have them out by 2022), I'll once again be mobile. By that time electric cars will be more improved with greater ranges.

0

I would love to have an electric, but the prices need to come down a lot before I can afford one, or I need to win the lottery.

0

It is a potential answer, however like with a lot of things it has a cost, Personally I am hoping better batteries can be made using less hazardous materials. The Lithium in our current batteries is mined and processed in such a way that is having an increasing environmental impact, it could be the lesser of two evils however at the moment I fear the amount of work involved in the production of the ev's and the infrastructure of global electric generation is going to generate more CO2 than it will save in the long run. That being said they are fantastic to drive.

Dav87 Level 6 Dec 22, 2017

Batteries have a life span so it will have to be continuously mined and will become exhausted. All forms of mining have considerable ecological affects. Its been calculated here in the UK with our current rates of electric generation we could not supply everyone in the UK with enough power quick enough if we all drove electric vehicles, science is taking big leaps however the government is relying upon more nuclear power stations to supply this energy, it's economical, efficient, cheap but the hazardous waste though small in quantity remains hazardous for tens of thousands of years and the only plan they've come up with so far is to bury it. we need sustainable energy supply and sustainable battery technology if this is going to work. If you burn coal to generate your electricity is your electric car good for the environment?

0

Pardon Me if I Don't Vote in this One... The electric car industry been holding out a lot to us... some their own doing, many the gas car industry. I am referring to patents that will make electrical cars more convenient and are been bought out of production. Maybe one day a city and its suburbs will be Covered by a Power Grid that will make an electric car the perfect vehicle to go around the city. Until Then... I bow to the middle eastern gods of oil. Show Me The Power Grid of the Future and an Electric Car that will Match it in America, Mind You.

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