Gas VS Electric

 

I've always had gas powered cars, but was always fascinated by alternate energy ones. For most of my life, I've read Motor Trend and Car & Driver and always devoured them cover to cover.

They have done stories about hydrogen fuel cells, natural gas, electric, and even solar powered cars. 

Here on Long Island, many of the bus lines are powered by natural gas, so I don't understand why cars aren't.

The amount of energy and labor it takes to mine the minerals for lithium iron batteries is crazy, and do you know where most of those rare earth minerals come from? China.

Our new president wants to impose 25% tariffs on imports from China, and even Canada and Mexico as well. He also wants to let the tax rebate offered on electric cars expire, so now that $7500 many people were counting on towards the purchase price is going away.

Is there such a thing as an affordable electric car? Right now, the least expensive are from General Motors, and even then, their promise of an electric Equinox at $25,000 is false. It now starts at $30,000 for a base model, and goes over $40,000 for a well equipped model.

Compare that to the gas version which is easily $5000 less. When I bought my 2020 Equinox LT 2.0 Turbo model with the Comfort and Convenience Package, I paid $27,000 with tax and after a rebate. Had I gotten the non turbo model, it probably would have been about $2K less, but that was the car that was available in the color and packages I wanted, so I got it.

That 2.0 Turbo engine came from the sister Cadillac model and was available for only two years. The gas mileage isn't as good, but it is fast!

One of the other reasons I wouldn't go electric is that my house would have to upgrade from 100 amp service to 200 amp service. That cost is anywhere from $5-10K, and then you have to pay and install the charge. 

I honestly don't think that electric cars are going to take over the US, and here are the reasons. 1) The cost difference over gas. 2) The cost to buy and install the charger. 3) Range fear is a very real thing. Right now most electric cars have a range of 300-400 miles, depending on the model, and of course the weather. In cold weather like we have in the Northeast, the battery range will decrease in the cold weather. 4) Other than Tesla, there are no reliable charging networks available across the country. Many manufacturers are making licensing deals with Tesla, which means the consumer has to buy a new plug and/or adapter. 

Imagine you want to drive from Florida to New York. To be on the safe side, you're going to pre-plan your route and look for charging stations. Imagine your frustration when you pull into one of them, and they are all being used, and there is a huge wait to get charged. Or how about pulling into a smaller area and half are broken, and there is a huge wait for the rest of them. 

You can only hope and pray that the hotel you chose for the night has working chargers, and they are not being used for hours and you have to wait.

No thank you. I'll stick to my gas powered dinosaur for the rest of my driving days.