Electric Toad

[luvrbus]

There were almost 190,000 thousand vehicle fires in the USA in 2019 so it is not surprising an electric vehicle happened to burn.

LOL friggn plastic gasoline lines with high pressure doesn't help any,most of the diesel engine fires are turbo related that is easy to figure but why electric cars burning ?

[benherman1]

LOL friggn plastic gasoline lines with high pressure doesn't help any,most of the diesel engine fires are turbo related that is easy to figure but why electric cars burning ?

Electric cars have plenty of opportunities to burn. High voltage electronics and batteries that require active management can and will get toasty quick when something goes wrong. Over time companies will learn new tricks to keep things safe and more stable battery tech will come along. The battery in an electric car holds a crazy amount of energy. If someone were to short it in the worst way possible and override any safeties, no shielding (or metal) would survive the experience without becoming a liquid.

[peterbylt]

They just announced that the new Rivians would start delivery in June of 2021.

They will have a range of over 300 miles.

They have more than 800 hp and more than 900 ft lbs of torque available, can do 0 - 60 in 3 seconds.

There will be an 8 year 175,000 mile warrantee.

I will not be buying one anytime soon with a Price tag of Between $70,000 and $80,000.

I could find no mention on the Rivian Website of the RV towing capabilities.

Overall I like the concept and look of these vehicles.

They are also apparently contracted with Amazon to build 100,000 Electric Delivery vehicles.

Peter   

[Nova Eona]

I think Bollinger has some good potential too - https://bollingermotors.com/

Even further outside my price range than the Rivians are, but cool.  Also, checked their site upon thinking about it, and:

"Will the B1 and B2 be flat towable?
Yes, both will be flat towable. "

[belfert]

Why do a lot of these trucks look like military vehicles?  I know a lot of people don't like the look of modern pickups, but things seem to be swinging too far in the other direction.

[usbusin]

And where is all the electricity going to come from to charge all these EV's?
What are your ideas? Please don't turn this in to a political discussion.

Here is an article from Toyota expressing a concern for the second time.

https://pjmedia.com/culture/bryan-preston/2021/03/19/toyota-warns-again-about-electrifying-all-autos-is-anyone-listening-n1433674

[richard5933]

And where is all the electricity going to come from to charge all these EV's?
What are your ideas? Please don't turn this in to a political discussion.

Here is an article from Toyota expressing a concern for the second time.

https://pjmedia.com/culture/bryan-preston/2021/03/19/toyota-warns-again-about-electrifying-all-autos-is-anyone-listening-n1433674

Be a great time to upgrade our grid and bring it out of the 19th century.

[benherman1]

The power grid will absolutely need significant upgrades to support this. Hopefully this will provide enough consumer interest to force the subject. American infrastructure is woefully out of date in lots of ways.

The alternate option of course is for the grid to remain at similar capacity and home solar takes off. I prefer the latter option because it will reduce reliance on public infrastructure. Of course after a cloudy week the grid will be under a healthy strain...

[richard5933]

If the recent events in Texas don't demonstrate a need for grid upgrades, I doubt anything will.

Home solar is fine and I fully support people being as independent as possible. That won't cure the problem though, as there will always be a need for a public infrastructure. While many homes can incorporate solar, more urban areas, businesses, and those with a tree canopy will never be able to install enough solar to meet their electric needs.

One of the great things about the US (in my opinion) has been our ability to pull together and do big projects which serve the needs of the overall community. Hopefully we'll be a world leader on building out our grid and not a follower.

[Jim Blackwood]

Most people have no concept of the gross amount of energy used by today's automotive fleet, but if all vehicles were electrified overnight I'd guess that given current electricity production at full capacity out of a 24 hour day the typical driver might be able to drive for five minutes before having to sacrifice home heating to make up the difference. That's probably being very generous once you figure in the commercial vehicles.

We'd all agree that EVs ought to me a good bit more efficient than ICEs but even so, when you consider that an average sedan at cruise outputs enough waste heat to keep a 3 bedroom house toasty warm you can see where this is going. You might be lucky enough to trade every minute of driving for a minute of heating lost but I wouldn't count on it. And you'd never get the public to willingly make that trade anyway. So the real question is, where is all that extra electricity going to come from? We sure can't just pull it out of our a$$.

For those of you who remember the brownouts and blackouts from the "good old days", get ready. They'll be back.

Jim

[dtcerrato]

When talking the US grid we're talking the whole country except TX - I don't know how AK + HI play into the national grid.
When talking about the TX grid we're talking about TX - & of coarse the $$$ that we're suppose to go into upgrade for inclement conditions surely got pocketed.
Shame shame...

[Nova Eona]

Of course the grid and power production will need upgrading - this has been true for quite a while, EVs are not the only thing driving that need.  The good news is, there is no switch labeled 'Make all cars electric' which can be flipped to overload the somewhat antiquated grid we have now; the change will be gradual, and the power companies will adapt as necessary (because profit).

Electric vehicles are substantially - by multiples times - more efficient than internal combustion engines when it comes to turning provided fuels (electricity/gas/diesel) into motion.  Each have their own supply chain of costs to produce that fuel of course, but which would you rather have as an end-user device; one that's around 20% efficient, or one that's around 85% efficient?  The entire reason why EVs are surging in recent years is because the economics make sense, and EVs have far more room for future growth than ICE engines which have long been in the 'diminishing returns' category for R&D.

[usbusin]

And, what source will all this new electricity come from; solar, wind, natural gas, oil, coal, nuclear?

If the new electricity is produced from solar/wind what will the "sustainable" back-up be; batteries, nuclear, natural gas, oil, coal?

It is my understanding you need 100 to 115% backup of maximum usage incase solar or wind is not available.

How many square miles of land or ocean will be required to produce the required energy from solar/wind?  How much increased efficiency can we expect?

Questions, questions?  How do we agree on how to solve this huge increase of electricity if we eventually go to all EV's, both private automobiles and all commercial vehicles up to class 8, buses included?

Some states are talking/legislating the elimination of new internal combustion engines in the near future. 

[Nova Eona]

All of the above, and don't forget hydro.  While the distant future will likely be fossil-fuel-free for the most part, that's for the nearer-future to figure out.  It's entirely possible to fully support EVs while recognizing that fossil fuel vehicles and plants aren't about to disappear overnight.

Regarding the square mileage, plenty, but far less than we have available.  Personally, I'd much rather live down the road from a solar or wind farm than an oil or nuclear plant.

Fusion is bound to turn up sooner or later as well, though again - that's for the future to sort out.  I'm just interested in making sure the EVs of today don't get killed via anecdote.

[belfert]

I read some years ago that 10,000 square miles of solar panels in Nevada could supply the entire USA with electricity.  Of course not at night, and you couldn't transmit power to the entire USA.