I saw this the other day too, and I'm interested, especially in the pricing. The exterior looks exactly like the Lexus RX/NX, and me thinking the RAV4 already does. I'm definitely keeping my eye out on this car. I want at least a plug-in hybrid for my next vehicle, so a fully electric is definitely an option.
Electric is the way to go. If you have a garage or similar for charging and the range is within your needs, it is a much better option than gas powered vehicles.
The issues I am concern about when I was looking at electric vehicles. Range: Video suggests between 115 miles - 300 miles (3-4 miles / kwh) depending on make and model. I'm sure in real world, it'll be a little lower considering drivers, weather (a/c, heat) and traffic, etc - battery ages. With my current gas vehicle, I can go into city for 6 days a week before needing to fill up, even with some suburbs away from city. With the EV range, I think I can make it 4 days, maybe 4 1/2 days max. Charging: It depends greatly on the power requirement - 240v or 110v? Some may need to upgrade the whole house electrical system if the input doesn't allow more juice to come in from the provider. Plus, not many garages have 240v readily available. Duration: Teslas recommend charging to 90% full, never 100% full (which kills the battery life). However, charging to 90% full will likely decrease the range further. Another issue I have is, if I get home at 600pm from work, how long does it take to charge? Will I have to wake up middle of the night to unplug, else, overcharge the batteries? Road Trips: Infrastructure is not there for long road trips. Currently, I can stop by gas station and fill up for less than 10 mins. If the charging duration for an EV takes hours, that could mean I'm stuck staying overnight near the charging station vs getting to my destination. Disasters: Anyone remember FL hurricanes? Tesla had to do a software updates to allow those people trapped on the highway to go extra few miles to get to next charging stations. What happens if power outages for a week from storm? Back to generator charging? How will I get to gas stations? Perhaps I consider things too much - but, I'm not sure I'm ready for EV, as much as I love to own one. Just my 2 cents.
Many of these questions are good and many of them will or might be answered when the release date is near. Yes, EV has problems with many issues on where to charge, how far it will go, and how long will this last me. LPG car is good no question about it because it has a long history of errors and trials. EV cars, on the other hand, are relatively new but with global warming and other environmental issues that have been going around these days, many countries are switching to lesser Emission types of vehicles to save the ecosystem. Gasoline cars don't sell well in the eastern area like Asia. Car companies don't have the option anymore to overlook any of this and more and more developments will be underway into making better and faster EV cars. Toyota being the number 1 car manufacturer in the world is already doing its transition to make more EV cars than LPG cars in the coming years.
Electric isn't for everyone yet. The important requirements for owning an ev is a dedicated charging spot (garage is ideal) where you can charge when needed and the range needs to be within your daily use. I am in California (ev leader) and the infrastructure isn't ready for prime time yet. It also won't be ready as fast as the local government would like. Range: It doesn't matter if you need to charge once a day, week, or month. With a dedicated charging spot, you can plug it in at the end of the day and it will be ready to use the next day. No need to go to a gas station to fill up. Charging: It can charge at 120v or 240v. 120v should be available in most garages and 240 can be installed in most homes. My house is over 100 years old and I was able to install a 240v charger easily. Duration: The software of the vehicle allows you to set the max charge level. You can set it to 80% and it will stop charging when it is 80% full. 120v will get over 4 mph and 240v can go 20+ mph. Road Trips: Some people do it, but I don't. We are a multi vehicle family and we have a gasoline vehicle for trips and such. You can get around 100 miles on dc fast charging in one hour. Tesla vehicles can get 200 miles in 15 min on the supercharger stations. Disasters: Gas stations also need electricity to operate. Most gas stations were down after the hurricane. Ev charging stations can be solar powered, so with power outage it might still work. If you run out of juice (electricity or gas) on the highway, then you're in trouble. It is very smart to consider your own personal needs vs what is the hot thing people are buying. When I bought my ev 2+ years ago, I wasn't sure if it would work for me. The car was so cheap that I was willing to give it a try. I am happy that it worked out.
Charging, and fires. The first is just an inconvenience. But the second is a catastrophe that can take down whatever structure the vehicle is housed in. Lithium battery fires are insane and there really is no way to put them out. Though rare, every instance of a car battery fire with an electric vehicle is a total loss. I'll stick with my fossil fuels for now.
Saw this news yesterday - thought it's an interesting addition to EV thread. Charging Tesla Destroyed By Fire Which Spread To Owner’s House https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/othe...fire-which-spread-to-owner-s-house/ar-AARdIWK The news above, the owner was charging the Tesla outside of his garage and yet still burns down the house. I wonder if the fire risk is just Tesla or if it's all EV. Anyone else see any news about other EVs caught on fire while charging? If not, what's up with Tesla? Or is it because Tesla has the highest market share and therefore higher percentage of electrical / battery fires?
Came across this article - thought it'll be of interest https://climatechangedispatch.com/i...-a-four-day-road-trip-and-it-was-a-nightmare/ I'm seriously considering hybrid with the stinking gas prices these days!
