Do We Need To Switch Now?

Okay, it's smaller than it looks. But I still maintain the styling is SUV-inspired. Just looking at the car show photos it sure looked big like an ID.4 or something. I actually used to be a huge VW fan (owned a number of air-cooled VWs and both a Scirocco and Corrado) but they went to generic North American styling and I lost interest.

 

I see why you maintain the styling is SUV-inspired. In some aspects my Mazda MX-30 too much SUV inspired with the dark gray cladding but I do like the longer hood, suicide doors ( gives more of 2 door look ) , 2 tone paint and more slanted back for rear window.

 

The video indicates this ID.GTI is based on the ID.2all, which, if I remember correctly, is smaller than the current Golf GTI.

 

I would say your statements are designed to exhibit highly emotional responses from people. I would say a large number of folks here understand that the claims of EV's emitting less carbon are dubious at best. Your VW dumps very little pollution into the air comparably, ICE engines have gotten very efficient and clean over the years. Unless you are planning on a large solar install, or something to charge it with, if you are actually trying to "save the planet", I'd stick with the VW you already own. The additional environmental impact of creating a new vehicle vs burning petrol in one that has already been created is likely to be a wash. One would assume you will be selling your old car so someone else can emit carbon with it, rather than taking it to a junkyard to be crushed for scrap. I could be wrong.

As I type this my 2020 Niro EV is charging from my solar array / power plant that runs my house. I did this to prove I could, and because I could afford both the car and the solar equipment, and I think the technology has long term benefit for the world, not to try and be "green". I would suggest you turn off tik-tok,twitter, and the news stations, and take a walk in the park. When you get back home take some time and do some real research on the effect of CO2 on plants, those annoying things that grow and provide food for the world. Water World was a Hollywood movie, if you separate the fear being spread with media propaganda, and the hysteria of "Social Media" from reality you can make a more informed decision that may actually have a realistic impact on the environment if that is truly what you care about. And don't surround yourself with a blanket of being a good person because you want to buy an EV and save the planet. As someone who was alive long before the Great Lakes caught on fire, I would say we have made some stunning REAL environmental improvements in the last 60 years. We need to make sure we keep a balance, and prevent 'superfund' style catastrophe's, you know, like having discarded transformers leak PCB's into the ground and groundwater requiring millions of dollars of cleanup effort.

Long term EV's are likely to take over a larger and larger portion of the worldwide vehicle fleet, as the technology improves. They are far from optimal for many workloads, for example making your routine 180+ mile roundtrips will may have charging challenges depending on your available infrastructure at home. Charging an EV away from home, is generally more expensive than buying fuel for a reasonably efficient ICE/hybrid. Further if you are charging in the middle of the day commercially, it is likely your are using demand electricity generated by natural gas or coal. Charging from home with solar means your car must actually be at home when the sun is shining during the day. The Hyundia Sonata PHEV I had would do 27 miles on a charge and another 500+ in Hybrid mode with 14 gallons of fuel. It was a very Luxurious comfortable vehicle, that got over 45 mpg. If you really just want to get a new car a nice hybrid that pushes 50+mpg would probably be a better choice at the moment both environmentally and from a hassle perspective. If you treat your ICE vehicle well and take it in and actually do the routine maintenance these days and times they truly will last a very, very long time with minimal fuss, and minimal environmental impact.

OTOH if you have, say, a Nuke plant nearby live in a single family home, and have good off-peak electricity rates (Which I actually have here) an EV with a ~250 mile range might be a choice, as long as you keep in mind rain, wind, and cold have serious negative impacts on range, and you may need to sit at a commercial charging station from time to time. General maintenance is also somewhat lower with an EV, there are trade-offs. If you have home access to inexpensive charging, and your commutes are fairly short an EV is a pretty big win. If you don't have home access to charging I would not recommend and EV. It's going to be frustrating and you likely will not be happy with it.

 

Start a new thread with a poll and find out.

Bob Wilson

 

The typical steps:

• batteries, fluids, and tires are removed
• easily removed parts with value are sold
• bodies are compressed and/or shredded before melting

Bob Wilson

 

I'm wondering if I'm corresponding with an AI. Don't take my word for it.

"Compared to 1970 vehicle models, new cars, SUVs and pickup trucks are roughly 99 percent cleaner for common pollutants (hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and particle emissions). New heavy-duty trucks and buses are roughly 99 percent cleaner than 1970 models. "

https://www.epa.gov/transportation-air-pollution-and-climate-change/history-reducing-air-pollution-transportation

The reduction of REAL pollutants from ICE vehicles over the last 50 years is phenomenal. Crushing a circa 2000 vehicle is not going change much. I find the hysteria around the boogeyman of CO2 stunning. I find the hypocrisy beyond the pale. When we allow the hysteria to attack and take away the livelihood of scientists and scholars with dissenting opinions we are likely to create a true climate problem trying to fiddle with the environment. Fortunately for me, I'll not be around if we manage to let whatever hysterical interest group create a narrative that crushes common sense.

There were some SERIOUS environmental issues in the 1970's, the bulk of which were addressed over much of the western world . . . By improvements in technology, not flying around in private jets screaming about emitting carbon. If you didn't fail "Earth Sciences" in school, and/or if they still bother to teach it, using core samples and other techniques it appears that we are actually at a low point of atmospheric co2 cycles on the earth.

Now if you want to talk about environmental impacts of disposing of discarded technology, or other automotive waste products that might a discussion worth having. The old 70's Detroit steel cars, were crush and melt. As vehicles in general have gotten smaller and lighter, the amount of plastics and esoteric materials have increased rapidly. We are doing a reasonable job recycling quite a bit of it, but frankly we need to figure out more efficient ways to do this. Flying around the world in private jets telling everyone else they need to cut their carbon footprint is not going to fix real environmental problems, but continued research in better technologies, for example Aluminum batteries which are 90+% recyclable, will. I'm not afraid of CO2 emissions, I am afraid of the hysteria around it.

If you like the idea of a BEV, get one, there are definite advantages, I love mine, and I think they are amazing technology. "Saving the planet", or even reducing the overall environmental impact just isn't one of them.

 

Prius owners had the same problem. I was saving money but too often Prius owners were called an epitaph "green".

Out of sheer frustration, I went to "https://skepticalscience.com/" and took a course about climate change. From the 1960s Venus missions, I knew about CO{2} and runaway global warming. But the course and book taught me finer details. After all, you never know when a bar bully (or forum poster) will try to challenge you about being "green" because of your ride.

Over in PriusChat, we have a sub-forum, "Environmental Discussion," that serves as a Honeypot to attract climate deniers. It is also a place where share news about recent studies and general science.

Bob Wilson

 

Part of the problem people don't seem to grok, is driving a more efficient vehicle is generally a good thing regardless of whether or not it's "green". As a minimum it allows the redirection of the saved energy into other pursuits, and saves time and effort, because you don't stop as often, ie it frees up resources of all kinds. Regen reduces break wear, some increases in tire wear, but it's really important to continue to pursue alternate technologies to see what gains can be made, gradually reducing the cost.

I just don't think it's a great idea to shove them down peoples throats. The main issue I have with pushing EV's to the extreme we are is exactly because of the environmental impacts of building and retiring them, ie what we don't know yet. Unlike ICE cars which we've spent 100 years improving and reducing this impact (Although volume has increased) to the point of diminishing returns, we haven't really got the chops yet with the hybrids and EV's. That being said things are starting to show up as people are figuring out ways to recycle batteries, and extend the life of them, and proper disposal of the whole envelope. Battery tech has improved dramatically, and I think we will hit a tipping point that makes EV a significant improvement over ICE for many applications. By not allowing this to develop organically, I think you have a potential to create larger problems, that might sting a bit in 20 years. If long term the tech is better it will take over without the government forcing it.

 

I would caution that there is a lot of Fear Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD) floating around. A former Prius owner since 2005, "batteries in the landfill" has been one of the most frequently heard complaints. So I always ask, "Where? I've got a shovel and those dead batteries are full of nickel, copper, and rare earths."

An EV enthusiast because I'm a cheapskate. The cost per mile is about 1/3d that of my former Prius. Yet our Prius were significantly cheaper and quieter to run than our ICE cars, 52 MPG vs 35 MPG. So I try to share EV 'good news' with examples from my experience and fight a lot of FUD floating around.

About battery recycling, you might check with "Batteries Plus" as in the past they accepted dead batteries. There is also: https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/recycle-with-us/

Bob Wilson