Electric Car Kidnaps Driver

I bought an HEV in 2002, and that thing was like a spaceship with a nominal range over 600 miles on its 13.2 gallon tank. I'd have it today if I hadn't hit a deer one night and totaled it in 2018.

My issue with BEVs are that I don't have a decent way to charge one at home (lots of apartment buildings won't for years), they have range loss in cold winter and hot summer, and they are pricy for what you get. They seem more like a toy for a well off suburban family that wants a 3rd car or a perpetual college student who still calls Dad for help at 32 years of age.

Range is an issue because even though you think you have things planned out, an out of service public charger can ruin your whole day. You might be counting on that charger, and the next one might be too far to reach. Sure, I ran out of gas once in my past. But it was relatively simple to walk to fill a gas can and come back.
 

Brings to mind self-driving cars. Electric-powered, computerized, programmable cars, streets, stop lights, buses and trains....what could go wrong?

Not until I can put my 4yr-old in one of those and say with confidence "Say Hi to grandma for me!" would I even think of trusting it.
 
You're going to see more of that, after 50+ years in IT I've seen weird things happen almost as often as the computer service person says it's good to go. Tech is great til it ain't! Just a new challenge to hackers.
 
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Well, those gas powered cars can break down anywhere, and run out of gas anywhere, that's why I won't give up my reliable horse and carriage. Any new technology is going to have 'growing' issues. Eventually, most of the kinks will get worked out. Like those gas powered cars, you have to hand crank to start.
And whether we like it, or not, gas powered cars are going to go the same way the horse and buggy went.
Someday, an Amish farmer will be driving a gas Ford Focus down the road. :)
 
The MGs that we had were built in Abington. The electric ones are from China.
I owned an MG TD, an MGA, my wife had an MGB which our son took to college.
I drove MGBs, MGCs and a lot of Triumphs, TR7s, TR8s as company cars until they were discontinued .
 
The only self-driving car I’d want to be in is Benny the Cab from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, but he had special features…

 

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