Steve_R

Huh, another thread in C7 Gen that has nothing to do with a C7.

mountainears

Don Garlits pulled 7.274 second ET at 185.60 mph in the 1/4 mile DR/A3 class in an electric dragster in 2014, that's supposedly the current record. They have quite a ways to go, but I imagine it won't be too long before they start getting close to those numbers.

The HACK

Just pointing out that it's not true that this can't happen any time soon. It's true if the United States is the ONLY civilized country in this world, but it's not. There are others out there that have figured out a way to create the infrastructure needed to support such a large scale paradigm shift.

And as of 2018 it's more than 10%, not 3%.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug-i...cles_in_Norway

dbirdhouse1

I was watching Formula E racing on NBC Sports; Formula I with single spacy tail lights and, of course, all electric;
very, very strange when the only noise is wind and the only smell might be ozone (well brakes too I guess)…..

z06inVB

Kent1999

According to your own article, 200,000 EVs (not hybrids) is still only 6% of the fleet, not ">10%". And clearly, a lot of that growth is achieved by the Norwegian Govt's heavy-handed 25% tax on non-electric vehicles (again, per your own cited article). If the EV's are so awesome and so in demand by the public, why do they need to punish buyers of non-electrics with a punitive 25% tax?

I'm thinking the USA could achieve similar growth rates if they decided to add a 25% tax to all gas-powered cars. Just think of it -- your $75,000 GS would cost you an additional $18,000+, just in Govt "its not an EV so we're slapping you" taxes -- that's the penalty of buying what Big Brother does NOT want you to own. Yay freedom.

Still waiting to hear how the USA gets the literally billions of real dollars needed to rework the infrastructure to the point that it can handle the sudden and extreme growth in the electric car fleet that is predicted by the EV proponents. There is only 1 way you get extreme product proliferation that is not wanted by the people -- extreme taxes, like those imposed by Norway. No thank you.

The HACK

That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard here.

As Sean Connery once stated, it's like "bringing a knife to a gun fight." Would you take a Corvette to go carry 800 lbs of manure from Home Depot? No.

Electric cars aren't designed for that. 700 mile per day commute? I'd rather fly. Or take a train. Or drive a car where it IS convenient to fuel up for extended ranges. It's stupid to expect the EV to tackle something the 1-5% of the population would do (drive over 300 miles per day) when what it does suits 90% of the driving public 90% of the time.

I used to have a 70 mile commute that I used to make DAILY in a plug in EV that only gets 80 miles per charge. Guess what? I've never worried about having to "refuel" because it's fully charged at home overnight. Need to make a side trip or run an errant on those 2-3 days a months? Take the Diesel. Or plug it in at work. 8 hours on a 120V is plenty to "fuel" up the electric for another 40 miles.

Worried about not being able to fuel up on a plug-in EV? Clearly you've never owned one. Unless you're driving more than 18 hours a day, when the car's not being driven, it's being REFUELED. Do you wake up in the morning worrying about not having enough charge on your smart phone to make it through the day? No, because it's plugged into the night stand at night, or your car while you drive, or a charger at work. Do you worry about your electric toothbrush running out of juice? No, because it's back on its charging stand when you're not using it.

It's the same with the electric car. Except the charger goes wherever you go (at least the 120V), and there's a home base that can quickly give you back full range again overnight.

I'm sure you all stay up all night worrying about how your smart phone is going to work when you're out in the boonies where there's no reception, no cell tower, and no place to plug in and charge. The REALITY of that problem? If I'd have to be somewhere where there's no cell towers, no electricity, no nothing? I wouldn't rely on using my smart phone. I'd bring a satellite phone with a portable power pack. Or long range radio for communications. I'm not going to lose sleep over the fact that my latest iPhone can't be used in THAT specific scenario.

Haven't seen anyone here complain about needing the Corvette to haul 800 lbs of fertilizers yet.

Zjoe6

At least it's not another C8 thread.

Frodo

with z06inVB If I have to park and wait even 30 minutes for a battery to charge then that's a deal breaker. It would take me days to get to Colorado for the … never mind what. Really though, I don't think the general population is willing to trade valuable time for a battery charge when on a trip. A possible solution is a swappable batter pack. Pull in to a service station properly equipped and have your battery replaced with a fully charge one and be on your way. Of course this option will have it's own drawbacks but it is a way to expedite things.

The HACK

Again with the negativity. I'm just saying it CAN be done. And it HAS been done. And 25% surcharge tax on the GS? That's not unheard of outside of the United States. A friend of mine visiting from overseas pointed out that the Z4 M Coupe that I enjoy so much? I bough it for $56,xxx in 2006. He had lusted after it, but where he's from? It would cost him roughly $120,000 equivalent U.S. dollars. In fact, that very BMW was CHEAPER in the United States than the native country where BMW was from (the Z4 M Coupe was built in the U.S.) because the size of the engine at 3.2 liters would incur a huge tax penalty above the 3.0 liter (in Germany sales taxes on cars are collected on a tier system based on displacement). I'm sure the 6.2L in the GS is going to be taxed like hell there too.

All this "OMG it's impossible! It can't be done!" Really, it's not that hard to fathom. It's hard to fathom because we Americans as a people and as a nation don't have the ability nor the will and knowhow to actually make it happen. There's no system in place here to allow it to happen. But it's not so difficult to accomplish, actually. Others have handled this paradigm shift easily.

By the way, that same article clearly states that 10% of cars on the road in Norway is EVs as of 2018. Where do you keep insisting that 200,000 EVs in Norway? 296,214 is the figure given for plug-ins. Why should plug-in hybrids be removed from this calculation? The BMW i3, which I have one, has an 80 mile electric range and a gasoline engine that allows it to drive another 40 miles (60 if you code it), and that's counted as a plug-in hybrid. But in the 3 years I've had it we've never had to fill up gas. Likewise with the Volt, it has a 53 mile electric range, and my buddy who has one says he's never had to fill up for gas except for the fact that over time they go bad and need to be burned off. That's also considered a plug-in hybrid in the article. Those are for all intent and purposes, PLUG-IN EVs.

I'll grant the argument that EVs needed incentives to gain market-share in Norway. It is absolutely true. Just like roads here in the United States needed government grants and incentives to be built. Certain technologies...In fact, almost all modern technologies, needed economy of scale to succeed. On paper, EVs are superior for 99% of people for 90% of their driving, but in order to reach a critical point where EVs CAN be a viable alternative? You need economy of scale. I believe Norway has plans of phasing out the vehicle tax once EVs have reached that critical economy of scale where they can compete on the same footing.

It's like saying "why can't Ferrari compete with GM at the same price? Isn't Ferrari a far superior car?" I'm sure if Ferrari builds a million cars a year, with the same kind of performance they offer now, at a competitive price? I think it'd be easy to say I'd rather buy a Ferrari than a Corvette.

But they don't built a million Ferraris a year do they?

The HACK

If I have to get to Colorado from where I live for the good sh*t? I' probably wouldn't drive.

'Cause you know, driving while high is still a DWI.

Frodo

Its a joke, dude.

And while I'm at it I'd like to say that your post #27 is true and well spoken, but it doesn't address the situation implied in the title of the thread "enjoy it while you can" which supposes we'll lose internal combustion engines in leu of electric cars. At this point in time electric cars won't compete with liquid fuel cars in the long haul trips. Your daily commutes aren't long enough to inconvenience you. It works for you and works well, but it wouldn't work for millions of drivers out there. And I can't get to Colorado with one.

z06inVB

Kent1999

If you read carefully, I didn't ever say it was impossible, just not without massive tax increases, and not with the current infrastructure, and not in the near future. We're talking decades of effort. Are you saying its quick, easy, and affordable for a population where a good 50% can't even cover an unexpected $1000 bill?

And about your slam on Americans not having the ability or know-how -- we do, in fact, when it comes to things that we think NEED to be done. EV's do not fall into that NEED category, except for the Earth Worship people.

Really. Name one country anywhere near the size of the USA that has done so "easily". Scale matters. Costs matter. Despite what that idiot AOC thinks, when it comes to cost, "you just pay for it!" isn't a solution a functioning adult brain would consider realistic.

Roads are a necessity for an economy to grow and mature, and once completed, they serve everyone in the area. You won't find a lot of adults who would argue against that. EV's, again, do NOT fall into that necessity category, unless you are part of that religion that hates fossil fuel.

Nope. Neither does the average person need or even want a Ferrari to get to work/school/the lake, etc, Ferrari being an ultra-luxury version of standard cars. If the Gov't started talking about mandating that everyone drove a Ferrari instead of a Chevy because they thought it was 'better', you might have something with your comparison.

FAUEE

Gonna be honest, i paid 1.96 for gas yesterday. At this price point, EVs make no sense.

Cygnus

I love it when people compare little tourist resorts like Norway to a real country like the United States.

There are a little over 500,000 electric cars in the U.S. and over 260,000,000 internal combustion vehicles on the roads.

Without the government forcing every person in the U.S. to own an ev, the odds of them replacing internal combustion engines in the next fifty years are slim and none.

Hot Rod Roy

If we all go electric, who's going to pay the highway fuel taxes?

JoesC5

Maybe you should talk to Eddie Hill, one of our forum members. I think he has used a combustion engine to do 0-323.74 MPH in 4.676 seconds in the 1/4 mile..

Or, how about that combustion powered Camaro that did the 1/4 mile in 5.676 at 255.39 MPH?

Kingtal0n

I think he just meant that the power of electricity is far more available and useful than the energy stored in gasoline/liquid chemical bonded fuels, and can be 'discharged more rapidly and with greater efficiency' than gasoline.
In other words gasoline isn't "ready to use" until it burns and pushes a piston whereas electricity is "ready for action wherever it is"
Engineers consider electricity a superior and highly efficient form of energy (and gasoline as an inefficient wasteful source)

Its like saying Zeus throwing lightning bolts will always have an advantage over anyone using a powder weapon. Or that lightning > fire. Well, duh

Hot Rod Roy

Electricity isn't created in the car. It is generated elsewhere, and must be transported and converted thru a very complex network, with energy losses all along the way. And electricity is frequently generated by fuel oil or coal. Much of this system is subsidized by your tax dollars, so it's very difficult to compare actual costs! And who is going to pay for recycling those huge toxic e-car batteries? My local recycling center doesn't even like flashlight batteries!

Some areas of the country are already asking people to shut down their air conditioning systems in the hottest weather (!) due to the overload on the electrical grid. It will only get worse as more e-cars are on the road. Yes, e-car owners will want to charge their cars during the day, not just after midnight!