Another recent piece here at CleanTechnica went over a way to get 5 electric cars built with the same lithium that goes into an EV today. What George said is definitely true, but I wanted to add some thoughts on how we could actually make it happen. One non-starter I … [continued]
In August 2020, according to the Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, cumulative plug-in vehicle sales in the United States reached 1.6 million units.
First, this meme from the Tesla bears is false. They do buy Tesla cars, in reasonable numbers. Second, …
There are many people joining the electric vehicle (EV) movement every day, but we are still in the “early adopter” phase of the transition to electricity for transport. What does that make people who bought short-range EVs years ago? Super-early adopters? Ultra-early adopters?
A few weeks ago, the EV folks on social media joined together to sing the scorn of a German engineering firm’s “Hyper Hybrid” — a modified Tesla with a reduced battery pack and a small range extender under the hood instead of a frunk. “Why fix what isn’t broken?” some asked. The general consensus was that battery EVs are the answer, while plug-in hybrids are a step backward. It’s not that simple, though.
Back in 2015, when we shopped EVs and then leased a Nissan Leaf, we were the primary EV educators up to the point of sale, not the salespeople. Even during the test drive, we had more knowledge. Our grasp on the function and reality of electric cars seemed to overwhelm the salesperson. We passionately emphasized why we wanted an electric car. Our sales person remained less than enthusiastic.
I drive a used EV. It’s the best car I’ve ever driven. The most energy efficient, lightest footprint vehicle (except my bicycle) I’ve owned, and I love the instant torque. It is smooth and safe. Best of all — it does not smell like gas vehicles, which give me headaches.
As electric cars become more common sights on the roads (mostly thanks to the rapidly growing sales of Tesla’s Model 3), the focus in the mainstream media has shifted from explaining why EVs will never catch on to asking whether they are now a viable option for average car buyers.
Any time a new technology starts to spread, it takes some time for a set of rules for proper etiquette to develop (we’re still waiting for this to happen with mobile phones). In some parts of the world, the availability of public charging has not kept up with the growing number of EVs on the roads, leading to frayed tempers and unpleasant scenes at some of the most crowded charging stations.
Louisiana hosted several National Drive Electric Week events, and I got to go to two of them, the Abita Springs one last week and the Gonzales one today. In Gonzales, Plugin Louisiana and Louisiana Clean Fuels teamed up with Tanger Outlet Mall to help bring awareness about electric vehicles and clean energy. I got to tag along with Karen Rudisil, owner of a Tesla Model X.
