FXLAX

Maybe it was the wrong phrase to use. It’s not even 100% true here, despite all the government programs. But the promise from politicians to do everything for you, promising everything cradle to grave, are the policies they fled that they vote for here. I lived in Guatemala for almost two years and Honduras for a summer. These countries are socialistic in nature because that’s how these politicians come to power promising. It’s a thing there and many other countries in central and South America along with other places.

FXLAX

People here pay for laser eye surgery with cash. And guess what, with the exception of plastic surgery (which is also a cash business), it’s the only medical procedure that has gone DOWN in costs over time. Nothing is free in Honduras or here. It always costs someone something.

sailingfun

EV’s have 75% plus efficiency ratings. ICE cars somewhere around 20%. Most of the energy a ICE car produces goes out the tailpipe as heat. The country would see a huge savings just in the efficiency change. That is why nations around the world are pushing EV’s.

sailingfun

[QUOTE=FXLAX;3213895]You will find that a large number of the rich living in California don’t pay California income tax. They claim Nevada, Texas or Florida while actually living in CA. When your income is portable it’s very easy to claim another state for income tax purposes or where the income is earned. Start looking at the plates on million dollar super cars and you will find lots of Montana, Texas, Nevada ect... despite the fact the cars never leave CA. State Income tax is based in most cases on where the income is earned not where you reside.
Your average Joe 9 to 5 worker can’t dodge the taxes. The rich do it easily and there is a entire industry set up to assist them.

Seneca Pilot

Sure, I understand that the efficiency goes to electric. But market forces dictate that electricity will increase in price dramatically as the demand increases many fold due to the move from gasoline. Currently the average price per KWH in the US is about 13 cents. A gallon of gas contains about 33KWH. A gallon worth of electricity then is about $4.35. The fact is you are already paying more for a gallon of electric than gas . If the price of electricity doubles you end up paying the same price as you would filling a gasoline car of a similar size, triple and you are paying more. When electricity becomes the primary fuel the government will tax it and it will have dramatic price rise due to the demand. None of this is static or immune to market forces or government graft.

sailingfun

What you are not factoring in is the efficiency we just discussed. 33 KW will drive my Tesla Model Y for about 130 miles. Not to many cars will go 130 miles on 1 gallon of gas. That 33 Kilowatts cost 4.35 cents at the rate you quoted. I actually pay less using off peak charging. You also omit that most EV charging will be done at off peak times using capacity currently available but underutilized except at peak. I think you are also overstating the total energy demands a all EV fleet will require. I am building a new house and plan on adding a solar station to charge the Tesla. My grid energy use at that point will be zero. Here is a cut and paste about the issue. Energy use has been a constant the last 10 years because we are seeing improvements in most electrical appliances.

A November report sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy found that there has been almost no increase in electricity demand nationwide over the past 10 years, while capacity has grown an average of 12 gigawatts per year (1 GW can power more than half a million homes). That means energy production could climb at a similar rate and still meet even the most aggressive increase in electric vehicles, with proper planning.
Charging Times Matter
Charging during off-peak hours would not only allow many electric vehicles to be added to the roads, but also allow utilities to get more use out of power plants that currently run only during the limited peak times.

Seneca Pilot

Off peak definitely helps with savings. I had mentioned that but edited that out due to another part that was not really pertinent. I love the efficiency and the entire experience with my EV. I think the point I am trying to make is that the federal and state governments are not going to just sit by and let us have our cake and eat it too. They currently get XX from fuels taxes and that is going away slowly. They will devise a way to recover that amount and probably add some for good measure as we hear each year how we don't have enough for road maintenance. I don't think the total cost of driving will go down much after the dust settles. I hope I am wrong.

Electric has the potential to dramatically improve our cost of transportation I suppose I am just skeptical of the infrastructure build out with so many forces against nuclear. If we added several plants over the next decade we could have the most reliable and cleanest energy in the world. Solar, wind, and other clean energy types, while good environmentally are just not reliable enough to power our grid 24/7.

badflaps

With the increase of EV's off peak will no longer be "Off peak."

Seneca Pilot

That was sort of along the lines of what I edited out but you are infinitely more eloquent sir.

sailingfun

Correct, electrical generation will be much easier to manage and the facility will be much more efficient running at a more constant demand.