it took multiple decades for cars to really go mainstream.
I think you are trying to insinuate that electric cars are decades away from today. The first electric car was built decades _ago_. Electric cars are mainstream today. So I suppose you can argue that it is a similar timeline, we are just decades after Bertha Benz' famous drive.
Globally, around 1-in-4 new cars sold were electric in 2023. In Norway, this share was over 90%, and in China, it was almost 40%.
Electrical charging isn't new tech this past century. It's just the governments are not investing in the infrastructure needed for the EV switch which have different operational limitations than ICE cars, posing huge challenges for existing ICE users to switch to EVs, yet governments miss that part.
Unlike North America, most people in Europe live in apartment buildings not single family homes. The streets sides in my city are full of parked ICE cars like in most of Europe, but very few EVs, and even those are either company cars with chargers at the office or wealthy people from the suburbs with chargers at home. Where are the plebs without a house charger supposed to charge while at home? Via Starlink?
Basements yes, what about those who don't have private parking in the basement and can only park on the street?
Also, does really every single 4-story building in Munich have charring spots for every parking spot in the basement meaning every car owner has a parking spot with charging? Even the older buildings?
You're right, there's more to it. For instance, Tesla S with 75 kWh battery pack has the autonomy of, optimistically saying, ~400 km and the battery pack alone weighs 530 kg (!). This range is I think already within a 90th percentile for the EV cars currently on the market.
Now contrast that with basically any non-EV car whose tank capacity in average is 50-55 litres which is 10x less weight than the battery pack of the EV car. With pessimistic consumption of 7l per 100km you will have almost double the range of the 90th percentile EV vehicle or ~700 km. You will have none of the attached risks of the battery management (catching fire, deteriorating the capacity, replacing the pack in a few years) and you can top your fuel within minutes and literally anywhere.
* Deteriorating capacity and replacing the battery after a few years? Most batteries have long warranties. 8 years is standard here. If we look at NMC batteries lasting 1,000 cycles then that would be 400,000 km in your example. LFP is 2 - 3x this.
* Filling up in a few minutes? I don’t miss that at all. I charge at home. Time spent: 0 minutes.
First of my assumption is that solid state will win out. No burning (it's already not really an issue, millions of evs are driving around), fast charging also in winter, cheaper.
A ev is only an electric engine (closed off) and a battery also closed off.
Bit of a hot take here, but if you live in an apartment, you’re in a city, and cities shouldn’t require cars.
Not that we’re there now, most places, but I think not requiring cars is a better goal than requiring them and putting a million chargers all over every city.
For anyone reading this who has never been to Germany:
Apartments can also be present in villages. Some rural ones only consist of single family homes, but there are also multiple-family apartment buildings in some villages (no high-rises or big complexes of course).
So "if you live in an apartment, you're in a city" is an incorrect statement.
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If I could afford one, and didn't had to drop a electricity cable out from the appartment, alongside the trees, to its parking place, maybe.
New tech is tricky, Bertha Benz had to refuel her car in pharmacies.
After Bertha Benz’ famous drive [1], it took multiple decades for cars to really go mainstream. I wonder if we’re looking at a similar timeline.
[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertha_Benz#First_cross-coun...
I think you are trying to insinuate that electric cars are decades away from today. The first electric car was built decades _ago_. Electric cars are mainstream today. So I suppose you can argue that it is a similar timeline, we are just decades after Bertha Benz' famous drive.
https://ourworldindata.org/electric-car-sales
Well over a century ago, in fact. For quite a while early on, they were more popular than internal combustion cars.
OP implied that we‘re experiencing the Bertha Benz moment of electric cars. Wasn’t my idea. I just spelled out the possible implication.
Electrical charging isn't new tech this past century. It's just the governments are not investing in the infrastructure needed for the EV switch which have different operational limitations than ICE cars, posing huge challenges for existing ICE users to switch to EVs, yet governments miss that part.
Unlike North America, most people in Europe live in apartment buildings not single family homes. The streets sides in my city are full of parked ICE cars like in most of Europe, but very few EVs, and even those are either company cars with chargers at the office or wealthy people from the suburbs with chargers at home. Where are the plebs without a house charger supposed to charge while at home? Via Starlink?
At least in Munich (big city btw) a lot of basement parking exist due to laws were you need to build this space when having a flat.
In my area with a lot of 4 story buildings every one of them has one.
And yes it's not just the laws it's often also old people being against it like in my case. What helped were laws.
Basements yes, what about those who don't have private parking in the basement and can only park on the street?
Also, does really every single 4-story building in Munich have charring spots for every parking spot in the basement meaning every car owner has a parking spot with charging? Even the older buildings?
You know we don't need to transition everyone tomorrow.
Plenty of capable people haven't done it yet at all.
My garage holds probably 60 cars and I'm the only electric
Alternative take: "If I wanted a giant, irreparable, disposable, spyware-ridden smartphone on wheels, ..."
It's a stupid take.
The onboard computer on my ev is the same system as on non ev fords
You're right, there's more to it. For instance, Tesla S with 75 kWh battery pack has the autonomy of, optimistically saying, ~400 km and the battery pack alone weighs 530 kg (!). This range is I think already within a 90th percentile for the EV cars currently on the market.
Now contrast that with basically any non-EV car whose tank capacity in average is 50-55 litres which is 10x less weight than the battery pack of the EV car. With pessimistic consumption of 7l per 100km you will have almost double the range of the 90th percentile EV vehicle or ~700 km. You will have none of the attached risks of the battery management (catching fire, deteriorating the capacity, replacing the pack in a few years) and you can top your fuel within minutes and literally anywhere.
The media have done a great job at convincing people of these myths.
* EVs are much less likely to catch fire than ICE cars: https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/electric-cars/how-much-fi...
* Deteriorating capacity and replacing the battery after a few years? Most batteries have long warranties. 8 years is standard here. If we look at NMC batteries lasting 1,000 cycles then that would be 400,000 km in your example. LFP is 2 - 3x this.
* Filling up in a few minutes? I don’t miss that at all. I charge at home. Time spent: 0 minutes.
You posted probably to the wrong comment.
I talked about that person who is afraid of ev being a 'smartphone'
Sort of but not really since EVs with their battery management are not far from being a smartphone.
Ah I get it.
First of my assumption is that solid state will win out. No burning (it's already not really an issue, millions of evs are driving around), fast charging also in winter, cheaper.
A ev is only an electric engine (closed off) and a battery also closed off.
Bit of a hot take here, but if you live in an apartment, you’re in a city, and cities shouldn’t require cars.
Not that we’re there now, most places, but I think not requiring cars is a better goal than requiring them and putting a million chargers all over every city.
For anyone reading this who has never been to Germany: Apartments can also be present in villages. Some rural ones only consist of single family homes, but there are also multiple-family apartment buildings in some villages (no high-rises or big complexes of course).
So "if you live in an apartment, you're in a city" is an incorrect statement.
Whatever you call it, if there’s apartment-level density, that’s enough for public transit.
If there’s an apartment in the middle of a field… well, then there’s lots of room for chargers, I guess.
If one is lucky enough to be able to afford living in the city center and not in the suburbs.
And if you live in a suburb, plug your EV into an outlet in your garage. What’s your point?