What will it take to make you seriously consider an EV?

A lot of states are already raising fees on EVs. https://www.myev.com/research/inter...-charge-extra-fees-to-own-an-electric-vehicle

I personally think an EV fee based on vehicle weight and mileage driven is fine as long as the burden is fairly calculated.

 

Registration fees are definitely going to go up.
Right now it's what...$70ish + gas tax for everyone but of course EV folks are not paying the gas part.
Average gas tax collected based on typical miles driven is going to have to get add to the EV registration costs..

Say 15000 miles a year. 25 mpg. x $0.20 tax per gallon = $120 added to EV owners.

EDIT: seems like I was close on the math.

https://advocacy.consumerreports.or...ctric-vehicle-fees-add-up-to-a-punishing-tax/
The Texas state House transportation committee recently held a hearing on possible EV fees, following last year’s state Senate bill that would have charged EV owners a registration fee of $200 to $250. That bill did not pass, but similar proposals are still under consideration in Austin.

 

Wow! A mining CEO wants to reduce permitting time (which mostly means costs related to employee, environmental, and reclamation regulations)? That is newsworthy. Perhaps he could plan ahead, not screw his employees, do what's right by the environment and still be happy with a nice if not obscene profit.

 

No doubt gas tax returns are set to diminish but first we should build out rail capacity, move most of the long-haul tractor-trailer cargo to trains and then see what the math says. I'm convinced a lot of people drive in the left lane not because they are jerks but because the right lane is so torn up from heavy big rigs loads, which are the major cause of road disrepair. If we have to subsidize it, put it on trains and make the roads last longer and be safer for regular cars.

 

I think his commentary is more about we don't have enough domestic production to satisfy the new regulatory demands. We only have 1 lithium mine in operation in the US. We have some serious cart before horse issues with this EV push.

California isn't expected to start their lithium mining until 2024 at earliest with the Salton Sea lithium mining venture. As a reminder the Salton Sea is a complete environmental disaster as it stands currently so lithium mining there would basically be no damage.

Let's also remember that lithium mining is not environmentally friendly and uses up massive amounts of water. It takes 500,000 gallons of water to mine 1 ton of lithium. Water is already in short supply in the areas where major lithium mining projects are planned domestically and globally. Chile simply can't magically create more water to mine more lithium. Australia has major water issues as well. Those two countries have the vast majority of the lithium reserves.

https://ecojungle.net/post/lithium-extraction-environmental-impact/

 

Interestingly enough, this story about Tesla looking to build a lithium refinery on the Texas Gulf Coast broke earlier this morning, I think :

Tesla could start building a lithium refinery for EV batteries in Texas this year

 

Interesting to see but it looks like Elon being Elon again...that guy is very frustrating but we will wait and see what happens with this. Allegedly there have been cost effective developments in mining lithium from seawater, but I haven't see much of an update on that.

_________________________

If Tesla’s application is approved, construction could begin in the fourth quarter of 2022, the company said. The project will reach “commercial operations” by the fourth quarter of 2024.

Tesla said that it is still “evaluating the feasibility of this project” and “only very preliminary development activities have begun.”

No engineering, construction or procurement construction contracts have been negotiated or signed and no regulatory permits have been obtained, Tesla said.

Musk’s firm said the project could be located “anywhere with access to the Gulf Coast shipping channel.” Tesla said it is evaluating a competing site in Louisiana.

Tesla said the only way this project will be viable is if Texas gives it tax breaks under its law.

“In the case of the investment on this proposed project in Texas, the decision will be based on a number of commercial and financial considerations, including the ability to obtain relief regarding local property taxes,” according to the application.

 

Some Saudi researchers were claiming they had discovered a new way to extract lithium from seawater sometime last year, but this from UT/UCSB is the latest I could find. It's interesting they were saying the wastewater from stuff like fracking/oil & gas production could produce a lot of lithium, too.

 

I saw somewhere that consumers are turning to ICE cars since gas prices are coming back down. lol. what is this shortsighted behavior.

 

The same it's always been. Every time gas prices go down, people buy tanks to drive around. When they go up, they start looking to shoot oil execs while they shop for Smart ForTwos and Priuses/Prii. Same reason solar panel installers come out from their underground caves to try and screw you over as much as possible when energy prices go up and pretend they're "on your side".

Also where did you see people are turning to ICE cars? I know electric car prices seem to be going up, which sucks.

 

Most EV's are on backorder for months, a lot longer since oil prices have come back down.

So yes, I would expect consumers to start canceling EV backorders and buying ICE now that oil prices are coming down and ICE inventories are starting to build back up.

 

Found the video. It’s in the first 16 seconds

 

Yeah, I'd have to see what study he's referencing or what numbers he's looking at. It sounds like the study he's talking about is a Cox Automotive study. It may just be that ICE vehicles are coming back to being in stock on the lots that they're "flocking back" to them. It could be because EV's keep getitng their prices jacked up ever few months that most people are starting to look back to ICE vehicles. The average new vehicle price keeps trending up after skyrocketing the past year or so.

 

Texas didn't submit a plan? Great job Abbott.

https://highways.dot.gov/newsroom/b...al-first-35-state-plans-build-out-ev-charging

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Approval of First 35 State Plans to Build Out EV Charging Infrastructure Across 53,000 Miles of Highways

 

All states submitted plans. These are the first 35 to get approved.

 

Gas prices are going down because Biden has depleted our emergency reserves. Talk about short-sighted.

 

Using the emergency reserve for the worst energy shock since the 70s..... Checks out to me.

So are you admitting that Biden's release of the SPR did influence gas prices downward?

 

Gas prices have gone down because refineries cleared their log jam.

 

Ah. Ok. Let's check back in 3 months...