Electric Ranchero

[pfleuret]

Saw this at a Carmax. Belongs to one of the mechanics who did the conversion himself.

[Rootsy]

Have to applaud the innovation. Not the "thing" for me though.

I am an engineer in the EV Battery MFG space currently so I have some insight into the industry, technology, innovation and challenges... and dangers.

For those wanting to convert my employer offers this package.

https://www.chevrolet.com/performance-parts/ecrate

[SASSY]

Who here remembers all the negative that was generated when electronic ignition came out,, lol
This is a bit different level, plus money, 50-80G CDN installed for Ford's kit up here.

[Joe Travers]

Who here remembers all the negative that was generated when electronic ignition came out,, lol

Duraspark I was a piece of junk until V. 2 came out.
Still didn't cause fires, as far as I can remember

Joe

[Caveman49]

Interesting concept. From what I understand, is that a lot of the fires with the EVs are caused by the owners trying to do things to them they shouldn’t be doing, like overriding charging procedures, adding things they shouldn’t, etc. I would love to test drive a Tesla, but there’s no dealership close.

[Joe Travers]

From what I understand, is that a lot of the fires with the EVs are caused by the owners trying to do things to them they shouldn’t be doing, like overriding charging procedures, adding things they shouldn’t, etc.

Ford just recalled their new EV truck line to address this issue. I'm sure the problems will be worked out eventually but Fred hit on the big one, which is cost. There are whole fleets of EV vehicles sitting idle in Europe because of maintenance cost. Affordability is the problem.

Back in the '70s, I worked w/ a guy who installed propane tank in the bed of his '69 Ranchero. He designed it and plumbed it up during the oil embargo to cut fuel cost. Reliable and cheap @ that time to run, compared to the overpriced junk that was the first round of unleaded fuel.

Joe

[Rootsy]

The amount of energy being invested in affordable batteries is staggering. We as a society are in the midst of the EV Industrial Revolution and the technology is progressing so quickly that by the time you launch one program the bill of design is already on to the next Gen.

Coolant leaks, internal arcing because of the high potentials and even more so control of thermal runaway events are the real struggle in the battery world across every manufacturer.

[Jims65cyclone]

I question whether the massive rush of manufacturers into the EV market, and the government incentives and mandates to encourage the migration by consumers, is outpacing the ability of our infrastructure to keep up with the electrical demand. There's a lot of aging/inadequate infrastructure out there that is struggling to keep up with current demand. What happens when you put an EV in every garage sucking on the grid? Not saying it's not the future, but there needs to be some coordination in the evolution.

Jim

[Caveman49]

Yep, I concur with you all, especially Jim, on the demand. Don’t care to be mandated to buy one, let me ease my way towards one. Talked with a fellow the other day who owns 2 Volts, very interesting conversation. He said his 2014 was in the shop getting a new battery, and it was costing 23k. He started laughing at me from my reaction, guess when one says jaw dropping, that was me

He said it just ran out of warranty too, go figure, it had a 10 year battery warranty. But he loved the car, and his wife apparently has a 2016. I asked what are they doing with the batteries, giving them the China, when in turn they’ll wind up in the ocean? Nope, he told me Georgia has a recycling plant that’s taking them. I was glad to hear that, sorta reminded me of tire recycling.

I know the new EVs have evolved immensely, and cost factors are a big factor, for the vehicle, maintenance, and availability. We’ll see what the future brings.

[Joe Travers]

I know the new EVs have evolved immensely, and cost factors are a big factor, for the vehicle, maintenance, and availability. We’ll see what the future brings.

One thing is for certain, it is all market driven.
Henry Ford knew this, as well as Nikola Tesla.

Joe

[Rootsy]

The real driver behind the EV push is that the powers that be whom pull the strings in the .gov have new CAFE emissions standards being rolled out in the coming years. In order for an auto mfg to comply they will need to sell a ratio of EV to ICE vehicles to balance the average emissions their products generate to be in compliance. No matter what they do they can never get ICE alone to be efficient enough to meet the standards. EV is considered ZERO emissions (at the vehicle level). So sell 50/50 ratio of ICE to EV and your ICE emissions are suddenly cut by 50%….

Lunacy.

[Joe Travers]

Lunacy.

You got that right
How many years has the industry skirted the CAFE standards set by Uncle Sam?
My city driven '17 Lincoln gets 17 mpg. My cruiser driven '63 Comet gets about the same

Joe