Seems like electric is the end goal

[Hersbird]

"the struggle" never will be over. People need "the struggle" to justify their existence. There has never been a better time to be a human in history and all you hear about are problems and suffering. Can things be better? Of course, but some people are always looking for the next struggle long before the previous struggle is over.

At least the previous generations will be there to tell the new generations how much worse their struggle was LOL.

[oil pan 4]

Lets juts say Chinese fire fighters are good at putting out lithium battery fires.

[aerohead]

In a capitalist nation, when 3.5 will be soon able to be purchased for 1.0, then 1.0 will have been superannuated, just as with wagon trains, the Pony Express, telegraphs, and whale oil lamps.
No one today laments the end of whale oil. There are no protestors in the streets rioting over the loss of the 'Nantucket Sleigh Ride.' There are no whale oil lobbyists operating inside Washington D.C..
At some juncture, no one will lament the end of ICE. And while there 'ARE' ICE lobbyists inside Washington today, those that they're paid by, realize that the days of the 'piston' are clearly numbered.
It's just the Second Law of Thermodynamics working within the marketplace.
As illiterate, and innumerate as Americans have been, they're waking up to the notion that 3.5 is better than 1.0.
And once people get notions in their head, all bets are off.
Tyranny of cognition.

[freebeard]

Maybe internal combustion is not the problem, but the crank and rod?

www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Omega+1+ice+engine+design

[redpoint5]

I'll be nostalgic for the sound and feel of an engine revving up, but I'm excited for an electrified future, when it makes sense.

[Solarpowered]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Batteries will probably cost more per kWh next year, just like most things in this inflationary period. The last couple years bucked the trend of batteries getting cheaper to manufacture.

You're describing today's battery. That assumes technology never improves, which it does. Just gaining a better mastery over graphene alone, guarantees a much better battery than what we have now. And much cheaper. But it's usually pretty difficult to get people to see what's coming down the road; they much prefer to just focus on what's here right now.

[freebeard]

1981, the year my parents were building a geodesic dome for their retirement.

www.vintag.es/2016/08/buckminster-fuller-and-dymaxion-car.html

2011 Thirty years later Sir Norman Foster recreates the scene:

www.domusweb.it/en/design/2011/12/26/design-miami-evolving.html

Time flies whether you're having fun or not.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Solarpowered

You're describing today's battery. That assumes technology never improves, which it does. Just gaining a better mastery over graphene alone, guarantees a much better battery than what we have now. And much cheaper. But it's usually pretty difficult to get people to see what's coming down the road; they much prefer to just focus on what's here right now.

My expectation is for battery technology to incrementally improve, and raw materials supply chains to grow to meet demand. As it is now, demand far outstrips supply, causing materials prices to be through the roof. It will take years for supply to come anywhere near meeting demand, meaning batteries will be expensive and supply constrained.

In 10 years, EVs will probably be the no-brainer for most people. When people need a car right now though, they have to purchase what's on the market now. I couldn't convince my grandfather to make his last vehicle purchase an EV; a person that twice daily drove 6 miles into town and back, never exceeding 30 miles in a day. His pick for last vehicle; a Chevy Colorado 4x4. He needed something easy to get in and out of, and at the time only the Leaf, i3, and Model S were really available.

[freebeard]

He needed something easy to get in and out of,

I can't find the clip but [300lb] Jack Rikard demonstrated the difference between his Tesla and the Smart EV. Once he got his head in under the door header, he couldn't reach the door armrest to pull it closed. OTOH the Smart EV had a door 2/3rds the length of the car and you could just fall in.

My expectation is for battery technology to incrementally improve, and raw materials supply chains to grow to meet demand.

It's still early days:

Tetrataenite

https://coe.northeastern.edu › news › accelerating-the-production-of-tetratenite-as-alternative-to-rare-earth-magnets
Accelerating the Production of Tetratenite as Alternative to Rare-Earth ...
7 Oct 2022The problem is that tetrataenite isn't found in nature—at least, not on Earth. It's only found in meteorites, says Laura Lewis, a university distinguished professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern, who is part of a team that is attempting to make tetrataenite in a lab in an effort to uncover scalable solutions to the rare earths shortage.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

In 10 years, EVs will probably be the no-brainer for most people.

I'd still place a higher bet on PHEVs, or even regular hybrids, than EVs for the average Joe. Full EVs might somehow work under some circumstances, but it's far from being uncompromised enough to be the one-size-fits-all.