The Slow Death of the Internal Combustion Engine

[Phoenix'97]

Originally Posted by triangles

...My addiction deepens, the Model 3 is an absolute game changer. I cannot go back to ICE. To me an ICE vehicle seems almost as antiquated and quaint as a horse carriage. Not only does model 3 represent an "equivalent" replacement for a gasoline car, It is superior to an ICE car in almost every way:

...
- silence... no noisy engine drowning out your music.
- fuel is about 1/3 the cost compared to my old 4cyl econobox.

As an added bonus the power and instant torque makes it feel like a super car when all you have ever driven is 4cyl econoboxes.

...Essentially the model 3 represents the first vehicle than can comparably replace a gasoline car. The only con is the price premium. In another decade with battery cost decreasing, when EVs become available with 300+ mile ranges and cost $20K-$30K. That will be the final nail in the coffin for ICE cars. At that point EVs will be the same or cheaper to buy, far cheaper to fuel, far easier and cheaper to maintain having a significantly less TCO. That is when the ICE will finally go the way of the horse carriage. We are at the beginning of the end. The interesting thing will be to see how long it takes.

Well we find ourselves at odds in our addictions and how we enjoy a "drive" around town. I LOVE the sounds out of my small block Chevy V8 LT1 from the upshifts to the downshifts. I love the sensations of feeling the engine idle almost perfectly. The noise is my therapy and helps me relax while others feel the need to blow by me in a 30 mph speed zone or doing more then 10 over the expressway speed limit. I just enjoy the soft rumble of 8 mechanical cylinders compressing a gasoline mixture with air and then being pushed down from the controlled explosion.

My other thrill comes from the growl of opening up the throttle and letting my car accelerate down the road. This will soon be improved when I adapt a Tuned Port Injection intake manifold onto my LT1 with some other engine build upgrades that are still mild and factory level performance for the same if not improved mileage around town and hopefully if I can get a GM belted alternator starter system added to the engine to enable start-stop.

No, I don't see ICE vehicles going away anytime soon! Assuming, however, I am literally forced to, I would rather convert my F-body over to pure electric then buy anything new. However, that is a very extreme circumstance that I would dread. A silent car is boring without those other sensations. I bet I can't even sense and hear the wheels slipping, for lack of higher revs indication, sensation, and sound, in snow as well unlike with an ICE set-up.

[Taylor95]

Originally Posted by Phoenix'97

God forbid a household is out of power for too long, your EV needs it's charge! Ooopsie! Good thing I have an ICE vehicle!

The rising use of EVs would certainly exacerbate that problem because a high power demand can cause electrical equipment to fail! One weakness is that you rely on the grid to keep your vehicle charged, and the grid is not always reliable. Outages will become more frequent when everyone starts buying EVs. What do you do when there's an outage and your car is only at 30%? Hopefully you have an ICE as a backup.

[Piotrsko]

Nothing a cheap freight harbor generator wont fix, unless you have solar panels.

Little tired of all the impending doomdsday system failures threats that were predicted but never occured.

[Phoenix'97]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Nothing a cheap freight harbor generator wont fix, unless you have solar panels.

How well do solar panels work in winter under snow and with snow falling and with total deep cloud cover? This is where wind turbine power production reigns supreme and when combined with solar power for those sunny days with no wind.

Next scenario, a week of rain and overcast sky with no sunlight able to penetrate. How well will solar panels work then? Solar and wind complement each other yet will still face conditions when they together are not enough and another means of power production must exist to augment them!

ICE vehicles will have a place.

[Taylor95]

Originally Posted by Piotrsko

Little tired of all the impending doomdsday system failures threats that were predicted but never occured.

What do you mean by that? We have frequent outages where I live (at least a couple times a year). A higher demand for power will only increase the frequency.

[RedDevil]

The power needed to electrify all cars is way less than total domestic electricity usage. Not that that could happen in less than a decade; total EV production rises fast, but not to the order of being able to flip the market that fast. The transition would be smooth by necessity.
EV owners frequently report their energy bills hardly rise despite frequent home charging.

So no, EV's will not dramatically impact grid stability. Rather, they will improve it as most charging is done at night when the load is relatively low.

EVs can be used to help stabilize the grid with smart charging or even resupplying the net when needed (or the house when the grid does go down after all). Or have a Powerwall to do just that, always.
The technology already exists, all we need is the will to implement it.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Phoenix'97

I do, proudly, change the oil in my car, every 3 months. I do replace filters, even the fuel filter every 2 years. I have been forced to take apart my exhaust system, my coolant system, and my ignition system! It helps me actually develop a bond with my car rather than merely owning it.

The average consumer won't even change their engine oil or add engine oil but never change the oil filter. Hell, some people constantly run their engines and/or fuel tanks, empty, and yet wonder why the engine suffered a mechanical failure!

Modern cars don't need that level of maintenance, and won't destruct when running out of fuel. I change the oil on my gassers once a year, and somewhat frequently run out of fuel with no ill effects. I never replace fuel filters because they never get clogged up to the point of restricting fuel flow.

All this work is something likely more required by a Pontiac than any other modern car. There's a reason they stopped making Pontiacs, and it's not because they were fantastic cars.

The moment I married my wife, I replaced the power steering pump on her Grand Prix and sold the hunk of junk for $900. It got fuel economy like a truck and accelerated like a Corolla.

Originally Posted by Taylor95

What do you mean by that? We have frequent outages where I live (at least a couple times a year). A higher demand for power will only increase the frequency.

Too much demand doesn't cause outages; they cause brownouts. EVs stabilize the grid because they charge off-peak. There's no evidence that EVs have caused any grid problems. Since you brought the charge, it's on you to show evidence to support the claim.

[RedDevil]

Originally Posted by Phoenix'97

I do, proudly, change the oil in my car, every 3 months. I do replace filters, even the fuel filter every 2 years. I have been forced to take apart my exhaust system, my coolant system, and my ignition system! It helps me actually develop a bond with my car rather than merely owning it.

The average consumer won't even change their engine oil or add engine oil but never change the oil filter. Hell, some people constantly run their engines and/or fuel tanks, empty, and yet wonder why the engine suffered a mechanical failure! Or, it could be both with such neglect! Excuse me if it offends you that I find it humorous that the average consumer will take the time to make sure their EV is fully charged and pre-heated before a trip in the cold during winter time. An EV is more of a California car in my honest to God opinion! It's not a matter of not embracing new technology, it's a matter of not seeing the practical use of such new technology in areas where I live and where I see it will pose problems! God forbid a household is out of power for too long, your EV needs it's charge! Ooopsie! Good thing I have an ICE vehicle!

Road assistance services pull back all requests for days off when a serious cold spell is announced to help out all those ICEicles that won't start... EVs lose some range in the cold but do always start.

You like to work on your car. It is your hobby, that's fine. But don't expect everyone else to share that hobby.
My hobby is more or less to max fuel savings, and an EV is the ultimate fuel saver.

[Taylor95]

https://www.inverse.com/article/5148...infrastructure

There are some regional differences, but our electrical grid today could not handle a bunch of EVs. Not everyone charges at night, and peak demand is different in different regions. They would have more of an impact on temperate regions. Plus around 16% of the workforce work in the evenings or at night.

Though I suppose they can provide more stability to the grid by charging at night; something I did not think about.

[sendler]

VW says it is now developing its last generation of gas, diesel engines
.
https://www.greencarreports.com/news...diesel-engines