Any future forecasters out there ? Oil crisis in Saudi Arabia - will people switch to the Clarity ?

Won’t that make it more expensive to ship those lithium batteries over from China?

 

Yes. Yes. Yes. Everything that promotes global warming should be more expensive. If carbon-producing shipping gets more expensive it will become more economically feasible to make the batteries locally. Now if they packaged the batteries so they could be used to power the ships that bring them here...

 

Now we’re going to have to find a way to agree on what causes global warming, now known as climate change, a wonderfully vague term that encompasses any sort of atmospheric event one chooses to panic over.

The lithium and all the other bits needed to assemble a battery will still be imported from other countries. It may end up costing more to ship them all in separately. It will certainly cost more to have high paid Americans assemble them.

Not to mention 99.625% of Americans won’t be happy if their food, fuel and transport costs increase. Who’s going to vote for someone that proposes that? Unless they give us everything for free.

 

I can’t answer for Sally either.

For the past month I’ve driven over 1000 miles and used only 2.5 gallons of gas. Had I plugged in at my first destination on the few days I needed to use gas I could have driven for the entire month on batteries.

I’d never even consider buying a Clarity BEV with a range of 89 miles.

 

You and your inconvenient reality!

 

IMHO, it’s not a question of if or when we need to address the various problems of fossil fuel emissions but rather how do we facilitate this without causing economic upheaval.

 

In this perhaps even redderneck corner of the USA (Texas), I filled up yesterday at a local Costco (not to say even with a 7 gallon tank that I fill up very often) with regular gas there still at $1.99 / gallon. Like @Mowcowbell, I don't foresee a run on even ordering a Clarity PHEV here anytime soon.

Too bad. Great car. Great price. Great tax credits and state rebate grants.

 

Gas will never be truly expensive again. Didn’t US reclaim its spot as the worlds largest oil producer last year? So OPEC cannot control the market anymore...just supply and demand and there is a TON of supply.

Compare that to the amount of scarce minerals necessary to produce batteries large enough to propel every car in the world. As demand for these raw materials rise, supply will deplete and prices will go thru the roof, making BEVs cost prohibitive to produce in any meaningful quantity. At the same time as BEV production ramps up gradually, and mpg of the world fleet increases gradually, oil demand will drop gradually always keeping gas prices suppressed.

For this reason alone I believe growth of EVs as a substantial percentage of new car sales will occur MUCH more slowly than many here believe. The battery technology and materials needed is simply not there yet. Battery tech needs another major breakthrough to occur first.

I believe self driving cars and the subsequent gradual elimination of the personally owned vehicle has a better chance of occurring first...

Hang on for a much slower transition in personal transportation habits than many of you are expecting, folks.

 

Lithium has many uses the largest is in the glass industry. I believe gasoline powered vehicles will become obsolete due to regulation. If lithium future prices increase due to demand, there are alternatives for the given applications. I think automation is the key in keeping prices in check.

 

Where in SoCal are you paying $5/gal for gas?

 

You left out all the batteries needed to store solar and wind power that’s going to replace fossil fuel generating stations.

 

Gas Buddy shows multiple stations for a buck less in that area.

 

The highest price I see on Gas Buddy is $4.89 for premium at the 76 on Beverly Glen and Santa Monica. Almost everything else is $4.09-4.29.

Reminds me of the 2, 76 stations on Lake in Pasadena that are a few blocks apart. The difference in price sometimes exceeds $1.00/gallon.

 

Don’t expect our decision makers to come up with the correct solution. Of course, we can simply ignore any new economic turmoil that develops, just as we ignore current issues.