Robert59
Well-known Member
The Florida family found out a replacement for the electric car's battery would cost thousands.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/technol...roblem-replacement-battery-costs-more-vehicle
Florida family drives into electric car problem: a replacement battery costs more than vehicle itself
- Thread starter Robert59
- Start date
https://www.foxbusiness.com/technol...roblem-replacement-battery-costs-more-vehicle
dobielvr
Well-known Member
- Location
- California
My niece has a Tesla. She brags about not having to pay $6-10 a gallon for gas these days.
Then, I asked her how much a new battery for her car would cost, and she estimated about $10,000!
I'll keep my Beetle.
At my age, I don't want to have to plan when and where I'm going to have to stop and charge my car...
Then, I asked her how much a new battery for her car would cost, and she estimated about $10,000!
I'll keep my Beetle.
At my age, I don't want to have to plan when and where I'm going to have to stop and charge my car...
helenbacque
Senior Member
- Location
- Central Florida
Same principle as the very cheap printer that needs very expensive ink?
WheatenLover
Well-known Member
- Location
- Georgia
I bought a printer that uses toner, which is cheaper than ink, and lasts longer too. I had to give up color printing, but I never used it much anyway.
Look up on home-schooleing forums the printer they recommend for the last thirty years.
I think it costs total 6 cents per page (paper might have gone up though), to print a full size, 200 to 600 page book.
The color even is (or was) not expensive nor difficult to replenish after a few months use.
SeniorBen
Senior Member
Yep, 20 or so years ago, you could buy a cheap laser printer for $70 but the replacement cartridge cost $90. Now you can get the cartridge for $25 or $30.
Eventually, the price of batteries will come down. The newest technology is solid-state batteries, which are currently very expensive, but like computer memory, as manufacturing costs come down, so will the price of the batteries.
Luddites will need to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into the new era of electric vehicles.
The batteries are supposed to last 10 to 20 years. And the electric vehicles don't have things like timing belts and spark plugs or engine oil, so that would be a savings too. But yeah I agree it would be a pain to try to figure out where to charge them if traveling.
Uh, no. NIssan warrents the batteries to last 8 years or 100,000 miles. VW says the batteries should last "the life of the car", which they estimate to be 8 years or 160,000 km (~100,000 miles). The average car on the road today in America is a little over 12 years old. My 7 year old car has 125,000 miles on it.
I have a Honda Accord Hybrid. I'm sure the battery pack is expensive to replace, but it's warrantied for 8 years or 100,000 miles. I'll have another car by then.
I won't get an all electric until they go as far as my Honda between charges, which is 610 miles.
Will they EVER clean up the mercury and hudnreds of other poisons that are contaminating all the soil, water, food, and even air ? It is worse now, and getting worse faster, than ever before.
I remember when the Japanese and foreign cars really started becoming a huge part of the US market repairs and parts were brutal on price. Also needed special tools. That's when things like metric or special tools like a torx bit where needed now they're common.
Problem is lithium mining is nasty and it takes about 500,000 earth moving to produce enough lithium for one battery. This isn't just a tech issue there are some pretty hefty resource issues along with this.
And by the way 40 years later Japanese cars ie Toyota, Honda's etc are high on the theft list because many of their parts are still expensive with poor availability.
Problem is lithium mining is nasty and it takes about 500,000 earth moving to produce enough lithium for one battery. This isn't just a tech issue there are some pretty hefty resource issues along with this.
And by the way 40 years later Japanese cars ie Toyota, Honda's etc are high on the theft list because many of their parts are still expensive with poor availability.
horseless carriage
Well-known Member
I'm with you. My MG's battery is about thirty quid. It has a ten gallon tank, does 30 mpg and will probably outlive me.
Don M.
SF VIP
- Location
- central Missouri
We've been thinking about buying a new and smaller car, to replace our big Impala. There's a big auto show in Kansas City, in September, which we will probably attend, so as to Not having a salesman hovering over us, while we browse several makes/models. Total electric is Not a good option for us, due to the lack of charging stations, and the amount of time required to recharge. A hybrid would probably be the best option, but no more than we drive, it would likely take years to offset the price of fuel, vs. the better mileage with the hybrid....and that doesn't factor in the higher price for an EV or hybrid. And then, by the time we "broke even" the battery would probably need to be replaced....at a major cost.
Long term, I still think the most cost effective and environmentally friendly vehicles would be using hydrogen fuel. Solar power could be used to break down water into its components, releasing the oxygen into the air that would then recombine with the hydrogen to produce some steam/water....minimal impact to the atmosphere, etc.
No matter what choices we have, I suspect the days of low transportation costs are at, or very near, History.
Long term, I still think the most cost effective and environmentally friendly vehicles would be using hydrogen fuel. Solar power could be used to break down water into its components, releasing the oxygen into the air that would then recombine with the hydrogen to produce some steam/water....minimal impact to the atmosphere, etc.
No matter what choices we have, I suspect the days of low transportation costs are at, or very near, History.
And some of those foreign cars, older and better, are still today running good and more reliable than expensive 'American' cars. ... and getting better gas mileage too.
Alligatorob
SF VIP
Not quite, this is more like a very expensive printer than needs very expensive ink...
Only a Tesla isn't as cheap as printer!
en.wikipedia.org› wiki › Quill
May 24, 2022 - A quill is a writing tool made from a moulted flight feather (preferably a primary wing-feather) of a large bird. Quills were used for writing with ink before the invention of the dip pen, the metal-nibbed pen, the fountain pen, and, eventually, the ballpoint pen.
May 24, 2022 - A quill is a writing tool made from a moulted flight feather (preferably a primary wing-feather) of a large bird. Quills were used for writing with ink before the invention of the dip pen, the metal-nibbed pen, the fountain pen, and, eventually, the ballpoint pen.
horseless carriage
Well-known Member
en.wikipedia.org› wiki › Quill
May 24, 2022 - A quill is a writing tool made from a moulted flight feather (preferably a primary wing-feather) of a large bird. Quills were used for writing with ink before the invention of the dip pen, the metal-nibbed pen, the fountain pen, and, eventually, the ballpoint pen.
Packerjohn
Packerjohn
- Location
- Canada
While traveling in BC recently, I pulled into a place near a bridge to take a photo. There was a car parked rather funny! I kept looking and I saw that there was a lady inside. I kept looking and realized that she was charging her car up. That made me think:
1. I fuel up and go
2. She charges and sits, apparently for 45 minutes on a long trip. Yes, locally you charge up in your garage overnight but hey, you winter Texans will have many little waits if you drive from Canada to the Rio Grande Valley.
Some man told me that those chargers use 70 amp. Remember your house has 100 amps. You have to pay a lot for a Telsa electric car, then you pay for the hydro and then you cry when they tell you how much the new battery will cost you. No, thank you. I will keep my Ford Focus 4 cyclinder.
1. I fuel up and go
2. She charges and sits, apparently for 45 minutes on a long trip. Yes, locally you charge up in your garage overnight but hey, you winter Texans will have many little waits if you drive from Canada to the Rio Grande Valley.
Some man told me that those chargers use 70 amp. Remember your house has 100 amps. You have to pay a lot for a Telsa electric car, then you pay for the hydro and then you cry when they tell you how much the new battery will cost you. No, thank you. I will keep my Ford Focus 4 cyclinder.
But those are the warranties, not the real life span. I think my normal car only had one to three year warranties on its stuff, but it should last a lot longer than the warranty periods.
Well, if the past history is any indicator, yes - it <may> last about a month to six months longer than the warranty ....
SeniorBen
Senior Member
They might have 100 amp circuits in Canadian houses, but most circuits in homes in America are 15 amp.
bowmore
Senior Member
I am sorry, but you are confusing the ratings of the individual circuits with the rating of the main panel. Most houses now have 100 amp 220 service.
dseag2
Dallas, TX
- Location
- Dallas, TX
I was considering an all-electric or hybrid car, but my 2017 4-cylinder Audi is the perfect size and gets 22 MPG in city driving. Also, I just hit 27k miles in almost 6 years, so I'm barely leaving a carbon footprint. The only extraordinary cost has been $1,400 for a new water pump/thermostat. And due to a class action suit it looks like Audi of America will be reimbursing me. The rest has been standard maintenance (oil changes, tires, etc.) so I have no complaints re: cost of ownership.