Are we losing the EV Revolution?

[Traconesu]

Since the alternative is choking to death on our own pollution then no, we aren't losing.

Since every god damn article is trying to disparage the revolution then no, we aren't losing, we are pissing off the gas companies and they are upping their attacks to hold onto what little foothold they have left.

If anyone thinks a revolution happens overnight or in just one year then they are sadly mistaken. It's going to take years to get it cheap enough and easy enough for the unwashed masses.

Eg, there are still people holding onto incandescent lights because "the light is warmer and a replacment is too expensive" , they don't care that it costs them 10x more to run, they're ignorant to the facts or math.

Getting the world off of the millions of ice vehicles out there is going to take time so I don't care if the late fall economic numbers are just as crappy as they always are, it's going to get better next quarter or the one after that or 5.

If we are loosing it's fine with me. I have my lightning and very satisfied with it in every way. It out performs my old 2014 F150 and does everything it did at a fraction of the cost. I also traded in my 2018 prius, which averaged 50 mpg. My lightning out performs it too, with a more comfortable ride extremely more power and even better mileage economy. One note however, if I was dependent on public chargers I wouldn't have purchased my lightning.

Sponsored

 

[Traconesu]

In addition to all the points made by others, another key point is something that the CEO of Ford said after he took a Route 66 road trip in a Ligntning this summer. "The problem is not Range Anxiety. Rather, the problem is Charging Anxiety." People need to know that they can find WORKING high speed chargers when they are away from home. The opening up of the Tesla network early in 2024 will help a lot. P.S. I've been attempting to find working Electrify America chargers in the Boston area so I can use up my 500 balance. I've yet to find one that is truly available AND working when I get there!

Tesla opening up their chargers isn't as great as many think , sure it will be nice for those who travel to have more chargers available, but tesla is gouging the J1772 owners with higher prices to pay for their conversions.

 

[FirstF150InCasco]

Tesla opening up their chargers isn't as great as many think , sure it will be nice for those who travel to have more chargers available, but tesla is gouging the J1772 owners with higher prices to pay for their conversions.

Understood. I'm only looking to use the Tesla when I make a long-distance trip and need it. Otherwise I just charge at home with the ChargeStationPro.

 

[Traconesu]

Do we want a revolution? Every day there is more competition for public charging. And as more people charge at home, electricity rates will go up. Governments will charge EV owners higher registration fees to recover lower tax revenues at the gas pumps. Free charging opportunities will disappear. Tax credits and other incentives will be eliminated. Limits will be placed on EVs using HOV lanes (or the HOV lanes will become meaningless because so many people with EVs can use them). And, finally, EV owners will be going up against other EV owners off the line at traffic lights.

This is the golden age of EV ownership. I'm in no rush to see it end. If these solid state batteries ever reach the rumored 600-800 mile ranges, the free market will heavily favor EVs. When they're commonplace, there will be no reason to incentivize ownership.

Personally, I wouldn't mind if the EV market slowed down because the more EV'S out there will cause our electricity costs to increase. I'm thankful I'll soon have enough solar power to charge my lightning using only solar power.

 

[Mike m]

I agree with most of the comments above. It does not have to win lose or all or nothing. Look what EV technology is beging to do for Hybrid design. There is room for all and at the end of the day EV's help supply and demand for ICE cars. I have to say it. As usual the objectives from a timeline are not realistic and very political. The correct strategy is blended and it will find its way through natural economics. EV is not for everyone's use case. However each one in production has a benefit in several ways for the bigger picture. Keep your eye on China and cheap EV's.

 

[Traconesu]

Yeah. It’s beyond the pale to claim that EV subsidies are killing the industry while at the same time fail to point to the real elephant in the room: oil and gas subsidies. The writing is on the wall. EVs are better and cheaper to operate, and just like solar and wind, will win the price war too. We just have to rapidly evolve out of this “roll coal” mindset.

I'm getting very close to using solar power exclusively to charge my lightning for my occasional daily 60 mile trips

 

[WhipSticks]

It's been 10 months since I paid ANY electricity supplier for electrons. I do pay a monthly minimum charge of about $21 for delivery to the power supplier in my area. Here the local aggregate rate is closing in on $0.30 per kWh, so getting solar when I did was a good move. It will be completely paid for long before it needs replacement. After one year (not enough of a sample to say for sure yet), my total energy improvements are easily saving me more than $10,000 per year.

 

[luebri]

I have enough Solar to cover my house needs, not my truck. Here is why....

For an EV, Solar ROI (return on investment) is greatly reduced if you have reduced Time of use rates that result in cheap charging.

My standard rate of is $0.14/kWh. My TOU night rate is $.07/kWh

Thus If I added more solar to cover my EV charging (at night) my ROI would be 1/2 what it is for my House usage.

 

[luebri]

I'm getting very close to using solar power exclusively to charge my lightning for my occasional daily 60 mile trips

I have enough Solar to cover my house needs, not my truck. Here is why....

For an EV, Solar ROI (return on investment) is greatly reduced if you have reduced Time of use rates that result in cheap charging.

My standard rate of is $0.14/kWh. My TOU night rate is $.07/kWh

Thus If I added more solar to cover my EV charging (at night) my ROI would take twice as long as what it is for my House usage.

 

[Danface]

Simply put, this first generation of the Lightning is a failure. It was an early Ford cash grab to take advantage of all the early adopters. Give it another 8 years or so for the “revolution” to catch on, if it ever does.

Define "failure". I would agree there are drawbacks and problems and that we're still in an "early adoption phase" but things need to start somewhere and BEV's are not going to go away anytime soon. Telsa's are not great automobiles from the "building a car" point of view but lots of them have been sold.

I would assume a fair amout of horse owners felt the same way about the first automobiles.

 

[PreservedSwine]

I’d love to hear details of your solar farm. I’m gathering info for my own- with the goal of energy and eventually water independence for our home. Storing that much energy to recharge the lighting is an impressive feat, imo.

 

[MurphysLaww]

Well, dependent on rates, which do fluctuate, as Luebri mentioned, eventually, many people will find their way to this:

My literal, Solar Farm. Small agrivoltaic project with, eventually, four raised beds under the panels.

Panels and batts keep getting cheaper by the day.

This system will end up being around $5k after rebates with used, and refurbished parts. We're still in testing, but in the worst season for sun for us, we're able to put 10kw into the batts per day, with likely a 15kw average. We're moving that up to 20kw by March, which should give us around 50miles/day. If it was a Raptor, that'd be $14-15/day

I know I'm preaching to the choir here but avoid this:

Electricity prices aren't static either, but Utility grade solar may stabilize them.

The system I built may be $4k next year, used panels keep going down, as do LiFePO4 batts. Currently payoff is 4-5 years. Then we're insulated from Gas/Electricity price changes until the Panels/Batteries fail, likely not for 15+ years.

Didja check the Lightning order box for Free fuel at loan payoff ? It's addictive, and I'm cranky, because it's sunny, and the Truck is at the dealer for a recall. ALL THE LOST ELECTRONS...
I've read some horror stories of recent recalls taking an unreasonable amount of time. I wonder if dealers are purposely making owning an EV a hassle. We have open recalls, but haven't had an issue with our lightning since Feb.

 

[Traconesu]

I have enough Solar to cover my house needs, not my truck. Here is why....

For an EV, Solar ROI (return on investment) is greatly reduced if you have reduced Time of use rates that result in cheap charging.

My standard rate of is $0.14/kWh. My TOU night rate is $.07/kWh

Thus If I added more solar to cover my EV charging (at night) my ROI would be 1/2 what it is for my House usage.

If you have any excess solar at all you should be able to use the 120 volt charger that came with your lightning to get a little free energy from yoursolar.. I'm going to have to add one more inverter to get enough to supply power from that charger when using the 240 volt dongle. I've enough extra solar to get a few hours of charge but the 7200 watts required pushes my 8800 watt inverters to their max and overloads them if anything significant starts up.

 

[MacLightning]

Lots of great conversation on this thread.

Regarding ways to increase EV adoption, I agree that the focus on Climate impact is self defeating.
I personally chose to buy the Lightning, primarily because it's a great pickup truck, with a price point (at least with the XLT) that worked for me. No part of me regrets the choice, however it is true that owning an EV with the current charging infrastructure and range limitations isn't for everyone.

The key point I wanted to make here is in response to a meme I saw recently, posted by one of my more conservative, and highly EV-averse friends on social media:

For many "freedom-loving", individual-liberty driven Americans, this is the crux of the matter.
EV's are one more way that "they're stealing my hard won liberties".

Focusing more on the fact that EV's are actually highly reliable, incredibly powerful/smooth/comfortable/capable AND provide you with more freedom of choice as to how to fuel them up - this will be the carrot that beats the stick approach.

 

[davehu]

... One note however, if I was dependent on public chargers I wouldn't have purchased my lightning.

EXACTLY ! public chargers are getting better, but for many of us not ready for prime time. Example: I live in Hot Springs, AR and we are heading to Dallas to host a 20 person family Xmas event at a VRBO we rented. But after spending hours with ABRP, plug share, FordPass and a couple other apps, I concluded that we can make it IF the EA chargers in Mt. Pleasant, TX are working properly then we are fine. but if they aren't we jeopardize the whole family Christmas. So we are doing what I planned when I got my lightning, road trips will happen with my wifes Honda Pilot. no planning required.

Same problem visiting my daughter in Houston. between there and Hot Springs is a charging desert. When I get my Tesla adaptor it will be a game changer. both trips are easily doable.

EV's are an evolution not a revolution

Sponsored