Is there a law against trucks I don’t know about? Why do you keep posting you’re in Texas and there are a lot of trucks? I am in MA and there are a LOT of SUV’s, should I be bothered by it?
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This.
DH and I have already discussed that when the 2 legged children come along, we’ll need 3 rows in an SUV. One for us, one for the 2 leggeds, and the third row/cargo space for the 4 leggeds. We’ll need an SUV to tow a travel trailer, otherwise we have to buy a class B (another engine).
I wish they were still making Excursions…
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Why is “need” in quotes. How do you have any idea why they may or may not “need” a truck.
Could be a hand me down. Why does that seem to bother you.
Let’s just review again what mining for the minerals needed for EV batteries do to the environment and the very possibility that child labor is involved.
Let’s also discuss how much electricity is required to charge an EV - that electricity uses oil coal gas to power it. So we might end up actually using more fossil fuels to power EVs than those kids trucks at the Texas HS
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And also that currently EV batteries are VERY difficult to recycle…
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This is one of my major concerns about this whole EV trend… longterm disposal risks.
Same with solar panels… longterm disposal issues.
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The materials in EV batteries are too valuable to go to waste. They’ll recycle them. https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a44022888/electric-car-battery-recycling/
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Ford just announced they are cutting back on production of electric pick-ups due to lack of demand. I expect that until the trucks overcome the range, performance and charging limitations they are going to be a tough sell to the population that actually uses a truck as a truck.
With that said I don’t understand why my nephew continues to buy ICE trucks for his landscaping business. His trailers are light compared to horse trailers and his trucks cover very little distance in the course of a day’s work.
The other thought I have had with any EV is why are there not solar panels integrated into the roof?
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Yes, the materials in the batteries are valuable, but it is currently extremely expensive and difficult to recycle them.
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And those costs and technical difficulties will continue to be reduced over time, especially as the EV market increases. Here’s another article: https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/dead-ev-batteries-turn-gold-with-us-incentives-2023-07-21/
“Globally, there are at least 80 companies involved in EV recycling, with more than 50 startups attracting at least $2.7 billion, virtally all in the last six years, from corporate investors including automakers, battery makers and mining giants like Glencore, according to PitchBook.com data.”
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they are so valuable its costs thousands to replace the battery in an EV… a lot more than a $150 DieHard.
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In many cases it costs more to replace the battery than the total value of the vehicle.
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Why is it your concern what your nephew drives for his business? It’s HIS business and HIS decision to make. Perhaps he doesn’t want to run out of electricity when he’s at a job site.
I’ll repeat what another poster said: it takes fossil fuels to create the electricity to charge EV’s. If you want to be pure as the driven snow about driving an EV, make sure ALL the electricity it uses comes from solar or wind sources.
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It might simply be that he does not have the electrical infrastructure to be able to charge a whole fleet of vehicles over night so that all of his vehicles are set for their needs the next day.
This has been a huge hurdle for places in my part of the world where there are declarations about all school buses have to be electric by a certain date, etc. No one has the capacity to charge them all over night so they are able to be used for the next day. They are having to install huge storage systems (batteries) that they charge while the buses are being used to add to their available power to charge the buses over night.
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Still not pure as the driven snow.
It takes fossil fuels to create solar panels and wind turbines.
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and the glasses/contacts I’m wearing to read all these posts 
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Spoiler alert: grumpy post ahead.
Just jumping in here to say that the amount of electricity used to refine fossil fuels is HUGE. Plus the additional fossil fuel to deliver the gas/diesel to the station and into the end ICE car/truck. The pendulum swings back on EVs being better overall. (Sorry, I just get frustrated when all the possible costs are pointed out on the EVs and ONLY the consumption portion is counted against ICE vehicles, as if refined fossil fuels appear out of thin air.)
Nothing is good for the environment. Technology is allowing more opportunities to move the needle.
Please stop with the false idea that any used batteries will be chucked into a landfill. (Ain’t happening!) It’s not like ICE cars are recycled. We have decades upon decades of junkyards with cars rotting to oblivion - not great for groundwater, eh? (Mitigation is required now, but that’s new compared to how long a lot of cars have been slowly rotting. Plus, it applies to properly disposed of cars, not Grandpa’s old trucks and tractors on the back 40.)
Instead of telling those of us who are already driving electric how horrible it is, how about you figure out what we like and don’t like about it. You can tell your friends that you know people on the internet personally who are living the journey.
We all agree that towing isn’t great … YET. Wait and watch and it will get better. But please stop with the falsehoods on battery disposal.
As a final discussion topic, the cost of replacement battery pack. Warranty is 8 years or 100,000 miles for all manufacturers, all models. Tesla has enough cars on the road that 1) they redesigned the bottom plate to be much sturdier so replacements are not being done outside of warranty due to crashing and 2) you can now get a Tesla battery pack for about $5 - $15k depending on refurbished or not. Some other manufacturers (ahem, Hyundai) is still struggling with this. It will respond to market pressure and the cost should drop dramatically.
Carry on. Apologies a long post and for grumping. I got a bit triggered by many acquaintances checking in on me to see how poorly my EV performs after seeing the story on NBC about the EVs struggling in the cold. Even after 2 years with two different cars where I’m driving over 70 miles/day no matter what the temperature … including -20F (-29C). My problem is other people crashing. THAT’s why I’m late to work. I also point out again and again that I lose FAR more range when I’m driving 80mph in the wind. Cold is nothing on speed to affect mileage IME.
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Are you talking about only Electric vehicle batteries?
Do you know this for a fact or are you assuming it?
Truly curious.
Because I know lots of regular batteries end up in the landfill.
Um, do you know what happens at a junks yard?
The take parts off the car carcass until it is not worth anything anymore and then the rest is smooshed and recycled.
The metals is worth quite a bit.
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Sorry: Yes: EV batteries only (in context of the conversation.) For sure, lots of Li ion batts end up in landfills from phones. Plus tons and tons of lead acid from, well, everything. But in context of discussion, EV batteries are worth a ton for alternate applications as well as components. I actually (personally) know one Tesla owner who chose to use their prior battery as part of their solar plant / powerwall rather than get rid of it.
Re: junkyards. Different from salvage yards? Random internet search:
https://www.turnersautowrecking.com/
(This is kind of a cool video as I randomly scrolled forward. Interesting for sure on what’s available, but definitely shows condition and some cars with engines still intact.)
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Thanks for pointing that out. Petroleum products are in almost everything we use every day. We need fossil fuels!
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…literally no one said this. We were discussing that they are expensive and difficult to recycle. Nobody said anything about chucking them into landfills (although I disagree with your definitive statement that it doesn’t happen).
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