[_hypx]

BEVs mirror the obsession with diesel cars in Europe in more than one way. It was just a partial solution with many of its own downsides. In diesel's case, the problems drove the abandonment of diesel, even though it made up more than 50% of car sales at one point. BEVs are headed in a similar direction.

At some point, the need for something new, whether it's e-fuels or hydrogen or whatever, will become undeniable. We simply won't be building millions of charging stations and place them at every parking spot. If adblue is inconvenient enough to stop diesel cars, then the charging problem will be even more fatal. We must have something that refuels like a conventional car, period.

[matthewdgreen]

A “charging station” is a 240V AC outlet with a few amps on it and an inexpensive digital controller for billing. Yeah it’ll cost money to build those, just like it cost money to install parking meters. People get hung up on the weirdest things.

[_hypx]

It's part where 270 million people charge their EVs every day and the load on the grid that is the problem. Also, ripping up tens of millions of park spacings and install all of these charging stations is not easy either. It is certainly nothing like a parking meter.

[matthewdgreen]

Upgrading the grid is already baked into the cake. Given the rapid ocean temperature warming, surging heat waves and general acceleration of bad climate outcomes it isn’t like “do nothing and keep burning gas” is on the table. We either electrify, stop driving, or suffer increasingly calamitous environmental consequences that are much more economically dire than being forced to improve our grid.

As far as the idea that we can’t install AC wiring in public and private parking spaces, that isn’t even worth discussing. Do you know how much money it costs to build and maintain a parking space? At least chargers will come with a revenue stream that can be leveraged to pay for the construction.

[_hypx]

That's a delusional viewpoint. "Doing nothing" is absolutely on the table. In fact, it is the most likely outcome for a very long time to come. Pretty soon, you will hear about geoengineering solutions. Whether you like it or not, it will be seen as the most realistic solution on the table, if not the only one.

[solarman5000]

This is mitigated with OpenADR and V2G technology. Consumers can set when they charge (or discharge) based on utility incentives. So its not like everyone goes home and charges their car at the same time..

[_hypx]

People aren't going to put up with the grid taking power away from your car. If we fear battery life today, this will amplify that problem significantly.

[rini17]

The biggest problem with diesel is supposedly adblue inconvenience? Said who?

[_hypx]

Other people in this thread have said that.

[mikestew]

“Other” == one person at the top of the thread who probably also cannot handle the complexity of adding windshield fluid.

[rini17]

And several times as many replied they don't understand how that's the inconvenience :)