Electric Vehicles

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Electric Vehicles are a key part of our tomorrow and how we get there. If we can get all the fossil fuel vehicles off our roads, out of our seas and out of our skies, we'll have a much better environment. This community is where we discuss the various different vehicles and news stories regarding electric transportation.

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Your gas car works fine. Consider an EV anyway, scientists say. (grist.org)

submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz to c/electricvehicles@slrpnk.net

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The new research finds that in order to repay the carbon debt of making a new EV, it must be driven 4,400 miles if it’s a car and 6,700 miles each year if it’s a truck. That’s already well below the 12,500 miles the average driver travels in a year, and the benefits to making the switch are likely to grow.

As the United States increasingly relies on renewables, for example, charging an EV becomes even more environmentally appealing. Campbell and his co-author also point to improvements in battery recycling as a way of reducing the emissions involved with making an electric car.

One hole in this latest study is that it doesn’t consider the cost of going electric. While previous research has shown that EVs come with higher upfront costs but lower operating expenses, it’s a thread that Campbell hopes economists pull on. He would also like to see someone better account for the emissions generated while extracting oil and getting gasoline to the pump, rather than simply the burning. But, for now, he believes the study sends a clear message.

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[–] supersquirrel@sopuli.xyz 14 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

If your car is in good condition, you don't drive a ton, and you can keep it fixed up and running without going crazy fine, you aren't really part of the problem.
EV parts are only expensive because of artificial market conditions, EV vehicles have much simpler drivetrains than ICE cars do at a fundamental level and replacing batteries on a EV mechanically is a million times easier than pulling out an combustion engine and transmission to fix something fundamental with the drivetrain.
It would not take years of ownership to pay for itself, especially if the car cost somewhere between $9k and $20k, the reason is your car constantly costs money to keep working, combustion engines inherently are wondrously complex explosions, I think they are cool as hell don't get me wrong but an EV motor is hands down a lower cost engine to run for a daily driver, especially for shorter distances.
If you purchased an EV there is a societal benefit to the grid potentially in that a local grid with numerous EV batteries hooked up to it can be far more resilient and cost effective for everyone, and that doesn't even require your EV to be being actively used by you to accrue a benefit that is potentially quantifiable.

All that being said, sure keep your old combustion engine car, keep it in good condition and drive it as little as possible, you are fine this is about a broader economic misconception not about judging your particular life choices!

[–] budget_biochemist@slrpnk.net 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Regarding 3, depending on where you are it might not take any time for an EV to pay for itself. The average Australian petrol car driver spends $124 per week on fuel. The cheapest EV here costs $24,000, or $83 per week on a 7 year loan.

Recharging costs are only around $1 per day but even if it was $5 per day it's still cheaper to drive a loaned EV than to put petrol in a combustion car.