Electric cars

[Torqueofthedevil]

Originally Posted by polinsteve

I don't know of any spontaneous combustion of diesel or petrol, whereas I have heard of many instances of car and bus batteries spontaneously igniting and exploding. It is also the case that the batteries are difficult and dangerous to recycle, hence the high proportion that end up in landfill.

That's simply not true. Very few EV batteries have yet reached the end of their lives, because they last for typically 8-10 years, and how many EVs were on the roads when London hosted the Olympics? And there is already a multi-billion dollar global industry recycling or repurposing EV batteries, and the industry is both growing and innovating all the time. If I had money to invest, it's a sector with obvious growth potential. And where did you hear about EVs exploding? Not exactly empirical data, is it?

Originally Posted by polinsteve

I am rather puzzled by your anecdotal tyre evidence which goes against research? Furthermore, why compare rear tyres on a Mercedes and front tyres on your EV? Such misuse of DATA is not helpful. The DATA used should really be obtained from various model options of the same marque.

Because the Merc is rear wheel drive and the EV is front wheel drive? That's not misuse of data!

Originally Posted by polinsteve

You don't address the ecological effects of producing and disposing of batteries or the high replacement costs and you don't address the proven depreciation downsides of EVs.

Ecological effects - ever heard of the Exxon Valdez or the numerous other oil tanker disasters? And if depreciation was a major concern, none of us would have bought Rovers!

Originally Posted by polinsteve

The other problem is the hazards caused by "all eggs in one basket". The vital rare metals necessary for the batteries are mainly mined in very few places, Chile, Argentina and Bolivia for example. None of these are politically stable and I think Russia has proved that such a situation is at best unwise and probably foolhardy.

Whereas the OPEC countries are a model of efficiency, stability and good governance! Remember Saddam setting fire to the oil wells in Kuwait? I don't see that happening to a mine, and if it did the damage caused would be trivial by comparison.

[BRMFUN]

Agree to disagree, some people will never like or drive an EV, possibly me! However if others want to let them, and vice versa! It’s not a battle, I’m 40 years time who knows what if anything we will be driving! Lucky for me MGR will be the last car I own!!