No Electric Vehicle For Me

Here is what it will take for me to willingly purchase an EV (electric vehicle), bullet point by bullet point. There are no compromises, this is an "all or nothing" GO-NO GO list. This was lifted and updated from a post on my old blog.

• A new vehicle will have to be comparatively priced to its gas/diesel powered counterpart, whether a sedan, SUV, or full-size pickup truck. WITHOUT TAXPAYER FUNDED SUBSIDIES
• All vehicles must have "horsepower" equal to or greater than fuel power counterparts.
  
• Sedans and SUV's must have comparable comfortable passenger capacities
  
• Full size pickups must have comparable passenger, cargo, and towing capacities. The vehicles stand- alone GVW must not push the GVW of a combination with a trailer to require a special license. Battery assemblies are much heavier than internal combustion engines and their drivetrains.
  
• Battery range must be equal to or greater than liquid fuel, including when carrying cargo or towing a trailer. This includes the operation of environmental controls, lighting, and windshield wipers.

A note about environmental controls, first is about heat; it is a by-product of the normal operation of an internal combustion engine (I.C.E.). Power for the blowers comes from the vehicle's constantly charging DC electric system. It does not take any extra fuel usage to generate, whereas on an EV, providing heat utilizes valuable finite stored battery power to operate heating elements and blowers. As for air conditioning, the amount of fuel efficiency that is sacrificed to run the compressor on an I.C.E. is insignificant, but the drag created by opening the windows of a moving vehicle can actually be measurable over long distances. In an EV, precious stored battery power will be sacrificed to run the A/C compressor and air blowers. There is no "endless supply" of DC power to operate the A/C like a conventional I.C.E. vehicle.

• Charging stations are as numerous, compatible, and easy to use as a gas station.
  
• A re-charge while on a road trip is as quick as filling a liquid fuel tank. Charging overnight while parked or at home is optional.
  
• Battery re-charge prices are the same or less than a tank of liquid fuel.
• Battery banks and motors last as long as a gas or diesel powered drive train, and are not any more expensive to replace. 

My wife and I bought a brand new 2005 Toyota 4Runner and traded it in at the end of 2019. It had 268,229 miles on it and basically only needed fuel, oil, tires, brakes, and batteries. It had a couple of repairs for normal worn parts and was repaired as good as new after two separate accidents. It was in need of tires and a worn left front wheel bearing, but we traded it in because the tailgate was rusted out. If not for the tailgate, my wife would still be driving it because the engine and drivetrain were running strong. I was sorry to see it go because I really liked the 2WD/AWD/4WD system it had. The vehicle that replaced it was a 2017 AWD Toyota RAV-4.

• Normal maintenance items are not stupid expensive (like a routine brake job on a Mercedes or Range Rover is, for example)
• Aftermarket accessories are easy to add and connect to power
  
• The choice to buy is mine, not a government mandate. 
• NEW 1-29-24: Tire technology will have to change so they don't wear out as fast due to the extra weight of an EV that currently uses conventional tires. These new EV tires will probably be more expensive, but must be comparable to the price and wear mileage of the premium tires I already use (Michelins).
  

The irony is funny as to the use of child and/or slave labor and how much environmental damage occurs in mining the minerals for the batteries, and how much "dirty" electricity from coal, oil, and gas is used for charging these supposed clean vehicles. Then there is the HAZMAT problem of battery disposal. The issue of dangerous thermal runaway from lithium-ion batteries means don't park it in your garage or near your home. Those fires take tens of thousands of gallons of water to control (not extinguish) and the runoff is very toxic. IMHO, the only real reason to buy one of these things now and in the near future is for virtue signalling "how much you care about the environment." If new gas/diesel vehicles become extinct, I see myself becoming like a Cuban that keep 1950's vintage cars on the road well into the 2020's.

UPDATE 10-11-22: In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, are numerous EV fires whose batteries were submerged in salt water due to the storm surge. These lithium-ion battery assemblies are corroded and shorting out. Many of these cars are still sitting in the garages of the homes that were flooded, and residents are being advised to drag them outside immediately. The news story with video can be found here. H/T to wirecutter at Knuckledraggin' My Life Away