Has enthusiasm for electric cars waned?

GON said:
Sears the world's largest retailer for over the past 100 years is gone today. Not so long ago Sears stock was flying high, yet the truth was Sears was a very sick stock, and their stock share price didn't reflect how sick the patient was. Lots of money was made in the Sears stock action for many people. But in the end, the company was in fact failing.
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We were in a Sears store a few years ago and had to hunt down an employee to make a purchase. The place had a "we're not planning to stay in business very long" vibe. With that sort of approach it's a wonder they stayed in business as long as they did. Not blaming the employees either - attitude starts at the top.

Ford seems to make good cars in Europe. What's wrong with them in North America? Ford does make fairly decent trucks but Ram is starting to eat their lunch. How long can a company stay in business focusing on $80,000+ half tons.

Except for trucks, I'm not sure where GM makes good vehicles. And it's the same story for GM trucks as for Ford.
 
I remember Toyota getting trashed in this forum by EV proponents not only in here but around the world.
Kind of funny since no one in the world sells more cars.
The media even had some convinced inside of Toyota of its own demise for no other reason then speculation and media attention void of reality.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-dismissed-hybrid-vehicles-001230004.html

How fitting is this story to the OP!
 
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With one more month to go, one million EV sales in the US is in the bag, driven mostly by California. Cox Automotive does a good job on reporting sales. No slowdown yet. Tesla’s market share continues to drop but their volume continues to grow.

61880834-99F9-494D-9FEF-8020A613D925.png
 
alarmguy said:
I remember Toyota getting trashed in this forum by EV proponents not only in here but around the world.
Kind of funny since no one in the world sells more cars.
The media even had some convinced inside of Toyota of its own demise for no other reason then speculation and media attention void of reality.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-dismissed-hybrid-vehicles-001230004.html

How fitting is this story to the OP!
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Thanks for posting. Good read, especially comments from the Chairman of Toyota.
 
Astro14 said:
Standby power for the house, with transfer switch, and installation far enough above high tide, is in the $10,000+ range. I’ve priced this out.

I can get a cheaper gen set, but there is no point if I have to use extension cords to run the fridge, garage freezer and it lacks to capacity to run the heat pump and/or furnace. Mrs. Astro won’t use it when I’m not home. Worse, if it gets flooded by salt water because it was on the ground when high tide hit, I’ve lost the entire investment.
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You can go between and have an interlock switch (basically blocks main from gen plug as legal backfeed) for under a few hundred dollar's installed for entire home. A decent gen set can be purchased under $1000. Still need to start generator manually and flip the switch but better then freezing .
 
andrew_j said:
You can go between and have an interlock switch (basically blocks main from gen plug as legal backfeed) for under a few hundred dollar's installed for entire home. A decent gen set can be purchased under $1000. Still need to start generator manually and flip the switch but better then freezing .
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Yep.

A complete fail in my situation, though.

When we get hurricane flooding, which is when the power tends to fail here, we are surrounded by several feet of water. I can kayak in my yard. ALL of it. There is no dry ground. The street is below the yard, so as the storm surge recedes, we still have several feet of water in the street. So, nobody is driving, either.

Will the generator run when it is sitting in a couple feet of water? OK, so, then, how do you think she will do getting that generator up the steps to the deck, by herself?

Mrs. Astro will also have to be carrying gas cans to high ground, which is our deck, when I am out of town. She has to wade through deep water to get the cans. Then she has to start the generator, connect it to the house, flip the switch. To refill the generator, it's back to wading through deep water, a long way through it, to get to a car, to get to a gas station. Not a very workable idea.

Look, I posted about my situation. I appreciate your desire to help, but without considering my situation, the suggestion is not helpful.

If you read my posts - you would know that what I considered, what would work, is a generator on a raised platform (minimum four feet, preferably, six) that runs on natural gas. Might as well do the automatic transfer switch at that point.

But a gas generator, sitting in water, that has to be refueled?

Please...
 
^^^ Yes, correct it may help @Astro14 there are local and state ordinances but I THINK acceptable in many areas.
I looked into this as some of my neighbors are doing it but im going to pass for now.
Interlock switch goes on the breaker panel, allowable breakers to be turned on can be marked. 30 or 50 Amp input outlet is installed outside the house that connects to the breaker panel.

If power goes out you can roll the generator outside, plug into the 50 or 30 amp receptacle on the house, go inside, switch the interlock, start the generator.
Costco sometimes has some good sales. An example these were in the warehouse a while ago at $799.
IN our community everyone has propane gas for cooking, fireplace and hotwater. SO they have a tap installed and do not need gasoline.
But kind of cool the option exists.

https://www.costco.com/firman-7500w-running--9400w-peak-tri-fuel-generator.product.100840185.html

Well, well, I just read Astros comment, nope, it wont work underwater *LOL*
I see the comment about automatic transfer what I posted and another is the economical method. less than $1000 for the generator and maybe a couple hundred for electrician and plumber. Compared to a true whole house at $5000 +
 
GON said:
Thanks for posting. Good read, especially comments from the Chairman of Toyota.
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Yeah, I found it interesting too. Even back when everyone was trashing them, I paused and thought, well, hmmmm, typically the company that doesnt run with the crowd is the ground breaker and most likely right. This whole battery operated EV thing to me is no more than mass media, hysteria, and supported with your tax dollars, without it, to me, the logical assumptions on where power is going to come from to charge these vehicles is so bizarre on a scale of when we used to burn witches in this country.

Now China, with its MASSIVE nuclear power plant program, unseen in mankind's history is another story, 22 under construction, 70 more planned half a trillion dollars budgeting for and the USA IS RELYING ON WHAT? Nothing but a hope and dream. In fact, close to half a trillion dollars every year in our budget pays the interest on the national debt.
(no politics intended, just about upgrading the USA grid)
 
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I appreciate the desire to help, but I’ve done transfer switches in the past, and a portable generator. Piece of cake at 900 feet above sea level in Vermont. Keep it in the garage behind the Packard - roll it ten feet out, next to the receptacle, fire it up, throw the switch. Power to essential circuits - well, sewage pump, furnace, fridge, interior lights.

I designed the receptacle and switch, then chose the circuits, to make that easy to do. In the Ice Storm scenario (most common power outage up there), it’s easy enough to get out to a gas station to refuel.

That isn’t going to work here, though, regardless of fuel considerations because of the flooding. Think of my house as a castle.

With a moat. With moderate (not severe) flooding, our street looks like this...looking towards higher ground. To the left of the photo, the water is deeper. Add a couple of feet for severe flooding. This was Sandy, by the way, and I was stuck in Colorado, with every flight to the East Coast canceled.

So, Mrs. Astro has to be able to manage this set-up without me. That’s a hard requirement.

IMG_0605.jpeg


The soil (OK, sand) was piled up to get the house itself above flood level. There is no ground equal to the house height. Not even the garage height. Everything is two to six feet lower than the garage.

I leave a generator outside on the ground - when (not really if) it floods, that thing is ruined. I put it in the garage, then I have to run it in the garage (not good), or drag it through the water (also, not good) to either the front porch, or the deck, which are above the water.

Everything in our yard, from storage shed, to fire pit, is designed to withstand flooding with salt water. It simply has to be that way where we live. I mean, it’s great being near the water, but there are challenges. This photo is 100 yards from my house.

IMG_2060.jpeg
 
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Snagglefoot said:
With one more month to go, one million EV sales in the US is in the bag, driven mostly by California. Cox Automotive does a good job on reporting sales. No slowdown yet. Tesla’s market share continues to drop but their volume continues to grow.

View attachment 190427
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Imagine the numbers if cheaper BEVs from China could be sold in the US but because of the 25% tariff in auto imports from China we can't buy them. US consumers are only allowed to buy luxury BEV's with 10yr loan terms.
 
Astro14 said:
Yep.

A complete fail in my situation, though.

When we get hurricane flooding, which is when the power tends to fail here, we are surrounded by several feet of water. I can kayak in my yard. ALL of it. There is no dry ground. The street is below the yard, so as the storm surge recedes, we still have several feet of water in the street. So, nobody is driving, either.

Will the generator run when it is sitting in a couple feet of water? OK, so, then, how do you think she will do getting that generator up the steps to the deck, by herself?

Mrs. Astro will also have to be carrying gas cans to high ground, which is our deck, when I am out of town. She has to wade through deep water to get the cans. Then she has to start the generator, connect it to the house, flip the switch. To refill the generator, it's back to wading through deep water, a long way through it, to get to a car, to get to a gas station. Not a very workable idea.

Look, I posted about my situation. I appreciate your desire to help, but without considering my situation, the suggestion is not helpful.

If you read my posts - you would know that what I considered, what would work, is a generator on a raised platform (minimum four feet, preferably, six) that runs on natural gas. Might as well do the automatic transfer switch at that point.

But a gas generator, sitting in water, that has to be refueled?

Please...
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Sorry I missed they make propane and I think natural gas portable generators which I actually use at my home and parents. Fuel does not go bad and is hooked permanently albeit valved so no refuel.

Good luck , lucky my wife does figure it out with guidance however grew up really poor fixing cars and home projects with her dad so competent.
 
andrew_j said:
Sorry I missed they make propane and I think natural gas portable generators which I actually use at my home and parents. Fuel does not go bad and is hooked permanently albeit valved so no refuel.

Good luck , lucky my wife does figure it out with guidance however grew up really poor fixing cars and home projects with her dad so competent.
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I appreciate the sentiment - but the water really constrains what would work in my case.

Mrs. Astro is technically capable - that's not the issue.

Tell me honestly - how well would your technically capable wife would do trying to lift a generator up a flight of stairs by herself?

Or would you be OK with her running the generator in the garage?
 
Astro14 said:
I appreciate the sentiment - but the water really constrains what would work in my case.

Mrs. Astro is technically capable - that's not the issue.

Tell me honestly - how well would your technically capable wife would do trying to lift a generator up a flight of stairs by herself?

Or would you be OK with her running the generator in the garage?
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If lifting is the issue can’t you build a little aesthetic generator dog house lifted / outside and leave it there. No one lifts generators on purpose …
 
waned from early adopters? yes, they already have one.
has it continued growing? yup, its at the million unit mark.

I think if prices continue to trend downward, we should see be at the 50% of new car sales mark by 2030. However to get from here to there, soo many folks are going to end up with evs that will make no sense in a short period, ie remember how smartphones improved every 6 months up until a few years ago.
 
proveitwithdata said:
waned from early adopters? yes, they already have one.
has it continued growing? yup, its at the million unit mark.

I think if prices continue to trend downward, we should see be at the 50% of new car sales mark by 2030. However to get from here to there, soo many folks are going to end up with evs that will make no sense in a short period, ie remember how smartphones improved every 6 months up until a few years ago.
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Prices will only go up $7500 not down once government (taxpayer) rebates end
You’re not going to see 50% of the population buying electric vehicles in 2030.
You have to remember some people like gasoline and the convenience

Electric vehicles are still in their honeymoon phase
 
alarmguy said:
Prices will only go up $7500 not down once government (taxpayer) rebates end
You’re not going to see 50% of the population buying electric vehicles in 2030.
You have to remember some people like gasoline and the convenience

Electric vehicles are still in their honeymoon phase
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we shall see in 2030 i suppose. the first stress test results will come out q1 24.
 
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