The EV market globally is 2% of the total sales, here they are being rammed down our throat by the "Greens" and governments that want to appear environmentally responsive, of course they haven't done any study as to how green an EV really is, it is NOT. The grid cannot take the demand on hot summer days when the A/C is at full blast so how well with we fare if everyone had an EV? It will take years to built the grid up and I doubt it ever will for new forms of energy are coming up and the only one IMO that has a chance is the fuel cell as it can take advantage of the current Gas Stations grid and it doesn't require an "Adjustment" on the part of drivers.
A service station's business model is to have you in and out in five minutes, with loss leader fuel and hopefully high profit snacks, cigs, and lotto tickets.When I see the major brand service stations start installing chargers at all their stations then I will sense that the adoption rate is accelerating enough.
A fuel cell is not an energy source. Cracking water to make hydrogen is inherently inefficient. What source of energy will be used to produce the FUEL to go into the cell? It's not an answer. Ballard Energy has been touting the "fuel cell" since 1979 and it's still not a viable option. In 1979 we were expecting another Ice age instead of global warming. I was 8 at the time and heard how sheets of ice were coming due to our energy use. While we affect climate, the majority of policies put in place to control "climate change" are putting $$$ into someone's pocket, not making any difference.The EV market globally is 2% of the total sales, here they are being rammed down our throat by the "Greens" and governments that want to appear environmentally responsive, of course they haven't done any study as to how green an EV really is, it is NOT. The grid cannot take the demand on hot summer days when the A/C is at full blast so how well with we fare if everyone had an EV? It will take years to built the grid up and I doubt it ever will for new forms of energy are coming up and the only one IMO that has a chance is the fuel cell as it can take advantage of the current Gas Stations grid and it doesn't require an "Adjustment" on the part of drivers.
Here is what's swaying me: appropriate EV options. I have zero interest in a sedan or an SUV, and need more space than a micro hatch, which means there are really no good options out there. If VW puts their wagon in production and imports it to the US, or if Tesla decides to make a wagon, I'm on board.
Since it's not 1980 any more and your climate has already gone down the gurgler, I would agree that those are the best practical options. Countries with higher renewable energy already in place, often more by good fortune rather than good planning will need to carry more of the burden for a few decades.Widespread use of cost efficient and safe nuclear power electrical generators is the only way I see this happening.
Hybrid vehicles on the other hand, make a lot of sense right now from an economic and ecological standpoint.
The only way for fuel cell to work economically better than CNG (where most of them are cracked from in practice today), is to have a nuclear reactor that crack it thermally (I forgot the exact name of the process, but it is thermal chemical based rather than electrical based like electrolysis).A fuel cell is not an energy source. Cracking water to make hydrogen is inherently inefficient. What source of energy will be used to produce the FUEL to go into the cell? It's not an answer. Ballard Energy has been touting the "fuel cell" since 1979 and it's still not a viable option. In 1979 we were expecting another Ice age instead of global warming. I was 8 at the time and heard how sheets of ice were coming due to our energy use. While we affect climate, the majority of policies put in place to control "climate change" are putting $$$ into someone's pocket, not making any difference.
This IMO depends on who build it. Tesla and Leaf are going to be bad for 15 years, but if Toyota build it like a Prius then it will still be worth quite a bit, and have reliable reman batteries with new cells after 15 years.The high price of admission and zero resale value or usefulness after 10 years (I keep my vehicles a LONG time), the combination of which equates to a very high cost of ownership. Being on a fixed income, the cost of ownership is a BIG concern for me (and many others like myself).
If this guy is a 40 year veterans working for Chevron and Pennzoil and still write an article like this, you can bet it is 1) just a quick 2 hr job that pays the bill, 2) it is a feed to sway the wall street algo trading to boost the oil price or stock price, 3) it is a paid advertisement so some politicians can use as a source for some sort of bills, 4) they have a slow day and they need something to post to meet the quota.That article has some comical errors, "constant velocity transmissions", "boxes with up to fifty individual cells that look a bit like a AA battery".
And if he knew anything about EV gearboxes he'd know that they all use ATF or gear oil of similar specifications, and very few are 2-speed.