The Slow Death of the Internal Combustion Engine

[Taylor95]

You know, I actually wouldn't mind owning an EV. It is quite a novel concept. The point of this thread though is that it will never completely replace the ICE.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Taylor95

Is saying that there will be required maintenance casting EVs in a negative light? I don't understand your thinking. And I never said that they are more prone to fire.

There are plenty of things that will need maintaining in an electric car. Things like brakes, wheel bearings, suspension, steering, and battery cables. As EVs are developed to have more range they will likely be liquid cooled. I'm sure some already have this. Also shocks go bad over time, and there are also lubricants in the drivetrain. Over time parts in the motor will likely require replacing as well.

You're certainly not going out of your way to clearly say what you are saying. Do you believe EVs require similar amounts of maintenance to an ICE? One could certainly interpret this to mean so:

I wonder how long an EV would last with those owners. You know it will be marketed as requiring less maintenance than a traditional vehicle.

...and that followed comments about your notion that battery fires are particularly worse than gasoline fires, which also seemed to imply a greater safety risk for EV drivers.

Regarding EV maintenance; I don't think brakes will ever need service in one. Most braking is accomplished by regen, so the brakes see little actual wear. I've never had to replace a wheel bearing on any vehicle or monkey with steering. Suspension might need servicing around 200k miles. Battery cables are a moot point considering the infrequency of servicing and ease to do so. Coolant probably could stand to be replaced at 100k miles, like most vehicles, but neglecting this probably won't be too bad either. Motors should go forever.

Sure, ICE will never completely be replaced, just as the horse and buggy will never completely be replaced.

[Taylor95]

Of course it will require less maintenance. Electric motors are much simpler than an ICE.

Have you never owned an older vehicle before? Things can leak, you know. If someone buys a 15 year old electric vehicle believing that they will never have to check anything, it will end up bad for them. Wheel bearings DO go bad over time, as well as everything I mentioned. I've done most of those things on my own vehicle.

I didn't even mention battery replacement, which is a huge cost in EVs.

[redpoint5]

Of course you have; you own a Jeep

[Taylor95]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Of course you have; you own a Jeep

Ha. Of course Jeep stands for Just Empty Every Pocket for a reason
Great vehicle, though. I've often pondered the viability of ripping out the engine and replacing it with an electric motor. Won't be possible until the tech is better though--so like 25 years from now

[oil pan 4]

The battery replacement on the leaf looks like it will last between 6 to 10 years.
Anything with active thermal management looks like it will last a lot longer.

[Taylor95]

What would be the cost for you to replace the batteries on your leaf?

[oil pan 4]

A new nissan replacement is around $8,500.
But I obviously don't want a new 24kwh replacement when I know a used 40kwh battery can be made to work at fraction of the price or that a used 30kwh pack with matching VCM should be a drop in replacement also for a fraction of the price.
I'm not really into paying more just to get less.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Taylor95

You know, I actually wouldn't mind owning an EV. It is quite a novel concept. The point of this thread though is that it will never completely replace the ICE.

I don't know anyone that seriously thinks they will. (at least in the next 20 to 30 years)

Lot of predictions but I think the following graph is on the right track. I also think by 2035 ICE only cars will go out of production and be replaced by various degrees of hybridization. That is also a good time frame for 50% of cars to be BEVs.

EVs won't completely dominate because the world is a great big place and there are lots and lots of places that are hundreds of miles from anything. Places like Baker, NV (Population 68) that is about 300 miles of emptiness North of Vegas. I visited this past year and highly recommend a trip.

[oil pan 4]

I don't think any mild hybrids run 48v.
I think they're all 100v plus.
The lowest one I can think of is the GM e-assist, it ran 144v and it sucked.