This is a mobile optimized page that loads fast, if you want to load the real page, click this text.

Electric cars?

Would you buy an electric car?

  • Already own one

    Votes: 10 5.0%

  • Yes - would definitely buy

    Votes: 43 21.5%

  • Yes - preferred over petrol car if price/power/convenience similar

    Votes: 80 40.0%

  • Maybe - preference for neither, only concerned with costs etc

    Votes: 38 19.0%

  • No - prefer petrol car even if electric car has same price, power and convenience

    Votes: 25 12.5%

  • No - would never buy one

    Votes: 14 7.0%
  • Total voters
    200
Jump to new
wait until battery tech improves ( and that may be sooner rather than later )

but that is great news for APE which distributes BYD in Australia

( i hold APE free-carried' )

LOL i was the idiot buying ( extra ) in March 2020 sub $2.65 ( when many folks were selling everything they could ),

LOL i must have been crazy
 
One has to be carefull, that the hype doesn't get in front of technology, as that is usually the case these days.


Solid-state batteries are thought of as the holy grail of cell technology.

Carmakers across the globe are racing to be the first to put them in an electric car, with some promising the new power source to be in cars this year.

Kia isn’t so sure, though.

Hyundai Group's head of global product planning, Spencer Cho, told US publication Automotive News that the technology is more complex than many realise.

“I don’t think we can commercialize these batteries before 2030,” said Cho

“There is a lot of uncertainty about the progress of solid-state batteries,” he said.

It echoes similar comments made to CarsGuide last year by one of Audi’s senior drivetrain engineers, who said the technology wasn’t likely to be feasible for ‘everyday’ cars in the foreseeable future due to the minuscule manufacturing margins of error required.

Carmakers are betting big on solid-state batteries as they are believed to be the silver bullet to unlocking mass electric car adoption.

Solid-state batteries are smaller, lighter, more energy dense and less fire prone than current battery options.

This means electric cars fitted with the tech can be lighter, have more power and a longer driving range than current EVs.

They are also essential to unlocking battery powered 4WDs, utes and performance cars, as they don’t impose the same weight restrictions as current battery technology.

Japanese giants Toyota, Nissan and Honda are well advanced in their development of solid-state battery tech. All of them are targeting roughly 2027 to 2028 to fit the cells in production vehicles.

Chinese carmakers, which are currently the leader in electric car battery tech, claim to be the closest to fitting the power packs to their vehicles.
Vice President of Passenger Cars at SAIC, Yu Jingmin, said at the 2024 Chengdu motor show the company would fit solid-state batteries to its cars this year. SAIC owns MG, which means we could see the tech on Australian roads soon.

BYD, Chery and GWM have all committed to the technology and are forecasting it to be used in production vehicles very soon.
 
Last edited:
2028 isn't far away!!
 
Knobby22 said:
2028 isn't far away!!
Click to expand...
That's true and Kurri Kurri gas power station is meant to be running on 50% hydrogen this year, Snowy 2.0 was meant to be finished last year and the astronauts were meant to be on the space station for 8 days not 8 months, if you get my meaning.

I certainly hope they are ready in 2028 I may well update my EV.
 
Article is nine months out of date (June 2024), but nonetheless.

When even Sir Rumpole speaks against them, you know they are doomed. The 'parrot in the pet shop' ..knew EVs weren't suitable for Australia, outside of the metropolitan.

‘Huge backlog’: Tesla ‘graveyard’ as unsold cars pile up
A Tesla ‘graveyard’ has emerged in Melbourne amid the company’s plummeting car sales.

 
Logique2 said:
..knew EVs weren't suitable for Australia, outside of the metropolitan.
Click to expand...
that was blindingly obvious to SOME

but some live in Ivory Towers , with leased/private planes and yachts are rarely even drive to 'the outer suburbs ' where EVs would seem to be a natural fit

now hybrids might yet become extremely popular ( to actual buyers ) but time will tell there

now sure Musk had his marketing strategy , and China had theirs ( mass-produce for the peasants/city-workers )

maybe Musk's strategy failure was he aspired to build the new Volkswagen , and not the new Rolls Royce ( mass-produce what the masses can't afford )
 

That could be a problem if the majority of Aussies lived in isolated country towns.

As of 2021, a substantial 90% of Australians lived in urban areas, with 73% residing in major cities.

Here's a more detailed breakdown:
  • Urbanization: Australia is a highly urbanized nation, with a majority of its population living in cities.

  • Urban Population Percentage: In 2021, 90% of Australians lived in urban areas.

    • Major Cities: Around 73% of the total population lives in major cities.
    • Growth Trends: Major cities have experienced significant population growth, accounting for a large portion of the country's total population increase.
    • Historical Context: The proportion of the population living in urban areas has been steadily increasing since 1911, with the majority residing in capital cities since 1954.
    • Coastal Population: More than 85% of Australians live within 50 kilometers of the coast

Population

Births, deaths, migration, projections, demographics…
www.abs.gov.au
 
Now that the cybertruck is being hated on by the weird left as well as the redneck boys, it may provide a boost for the other players in the EV truck market.
Rivian and the Ford lightning are already out there selling at the pace of a startled snail, but now will be joined the all electric Silverado and its major release.
All Electric Silverado
 
but how many ( city-dwellers ) can afford an EV when they are still paying a mortgage on a house/unit , or renting

this little town ( village ) has quite a few EVs , but most are mobility scooters since the average age here is 65+ ( but since many own outright .. or will inherit the farm ) . diesel is still the preferred option ( since it is over 30km to a fair sized town and about 100km to an actual city )

besides i am still waiting to see how EVs will cope with 'global warming ' ( aka a real Queensland summer )
 
Yes a mate has a video he took on his phone, taken when he was driving past a paddock full of brand new Tesla's, literally a paddock full. North of Perth.
He couldn't believe it, to tell you the truth, when he showed it to me I was pretty shocked. There was a hell of a lot and they didn't look like they had been moved for quite some time, by the dust over them.
 

More than you think.

New car sales are doing ok, and EV sales may be down or less than expected but they are still growing.
 
I've had the Kona for a couple of years, its done 30,000km, which isn't a lot for us, but we have been away on some long overseas holidays.

My opinion is, it works for us, but we are retired in an outer suburban location with rail access, so not overly dependent on the car.

My off the cuff thoughts, on the 2022 Hyundai Kona long range EV, so far:

Pros: it is quiet, it is cheap to run,

Cons: It was expensive for what it is, range is very dependent on conditions because everything runs off the battery, so the more things you are running the less range you get.
Ideal time to do a trip a cool dry day, when you don't have to run the AC, the windscreen wipers or the lights. Worst time to do along trip, when you have to run the afore mentioned items.
On a perfect flat run, with perfect conditions and only a light load, I think I could get 500km.
On a bad run, full load of people and junk, stinking hot day, with hills (not mountains) I would expect to be wad punching the seat by 360 - 380km.

Would I buy another EV, hmmm yes, being retired it fits in with our lifestyle and with solar on the roof charging is not an issue.

If I lived 200km's out of the city, or needed to do a lot of km's a week for work or other reasons, i'm not sure that a PHEV wouldn't be a better choice.
I guess what I mean is, if I was 40, instead of kicking the ar$e of 70, the full EV as my only car, might not fit what I was doing when I was 40.

Just my honest thoughts and things are constantly changing, as subsidies, new models and infrastructure are rolled out.

If anyone wants to pose a question feel free, I don't mind giving a honest unbiased opinion.

I'm not an EV nut, just bought one because I could and needed to off load a Jeep Grand Cherokee WK2 diesel while it still had residual value and I thought why not try an EV.
 
Looking at the EV sales from last year, both tesla models were well in front of the rest.
be interesting to see what these sales are for the first quarter, given the anti Tesla tirade wiuld have been in full swing.
Some kinda surprising results there, the BYD ATTO3 actaully fell away in the latter part, perhaps people are shifting to the dolphin.
The Kia EV5 seems to have had an immediate impact since its launch in October.
Mick
L
 
Last edited:
Do they use glue?

Wait, Why Is the Cybertruck Held Together With Glue?

The loose stainless steel body panels that are falling of Cybertrucks on the road are held in place with glue.
futurism.com
 
It is amazing how quickly people can turn from adoring fans, to ferals, when politics or religion gets introduced into the equation.


Poor old Elon, left wing messiah, to being chased down the street by the disciples carrying pitchforks and shouting string up the witch. In just one election.
 
that would need to be a pretty spectacular adhesive even despite the current failure rate , but then bolts/screws/rivets have their issues as well ( as does stainless steel welding )
i can see some positives to adhesives , but large panels on an automobile .. that is a LOT of faith in your chemical compound

MAYBE Elon foresaw all the current damage to the cyber-trucks
 

i note APE signed a distribution agreement with BYD , while the nearest town ( city ?? ) features MG vehicles in the main shopping center foyer

i would expect some makers will fall by the wayside sooner rather than later

( and still think hybrids are liable to become the 'happy medium ' )
 
Having said that, from memory I remember quite a lot of years ago, Transperth bought a load of European buses and they were espousing the benefits of the cladding being put on with double sided tape.
Oh how times and narratives change, depending on the outcomes, that those who are in charge want.

I'm sure we, at our age, have seen the cycles repeat.
 
well my first thought when i saw the Cyber-Truck presentation .. was military/law-enforcement applications and from memory ( i could be wrong ) a joking ( ?? ) reference to 'bullet proof '

glued on panels would be really useful if you wanted to upgrade the panels ( to say half-inch steel plating )

did Elon target the wrong customers with the cyber-truck ( or are some being secretly modified by mercenaries and gangsters )
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more...