We live on a planet with a finite amount of oil. We have to do something eventually. Many very valid points were raised in this video, but, no suggestions on a better way to go.
Yes and no. Peak oil was predicted to happen 20 yrs ago. It's even farther away today than ever. The only truth that I have figured out in my life is that we consistently underestimate the enginuity of the past and the future. Oil will be around for another 100+ years simply because we will get better at finding it and better at using it.
That being said, I'm a rare bird in that I'm pro oil (Born and raised Alaskan) but own an electric car and hybrid truck. (also a 20yr old Chevy and 40yr old jeep) I've put both through their paces for the last 2 years and have some insight on the matter. First and foremost.........there isn't enough refined copper on the planet today to run the wires necessary for an all electric vehicle eco system. Fact! Second, electric cars ONLY make sense today as a second or third vehicle, not as an ONLY vehicle. Third, they are 1 or 2 decades away from being viable in northern states and any push by California to make them required is an outright attack on anyone who lives in a location with less than moderate year round temperatures.
We've had an all electric vehicle for 2 years. It's perfect for my wife %90 of the time. However, the range decreases by over %25 in the winter when you factor in occupant heat and winter tires. This is a BIG deal in Alaska where it's 370 miles from the largest city to the second largest city and there are only 2 fast chargers on the route (which may or may not be working
) people die on this road.......thankfully not as frequently now as in the past.
That being said, I love my Ford f150 power boost (bought so I could charge my wife's car in an emergency, but turned out to be far more useful than originally anticipated. 7.2kw onboard generator).
And my wife's all electric audi etron, bought because her 2016 Volvo xc90 had an engine failure and replacement at 53k miles, then a turbo failure and replacement at 58k miles and Volvo charged us almost $10k for repairs And kept the car in the shop for over 4 months.......2yrs and 2months 28k miles on the etron and only $400 for a checkup and new wiper blades. Best part of it is that my wife leaves the garage every morning with a full charge......that and it only cost me about $300 to change 20 60w fluorescent bulbs for 20 11w bulbs which covers 1/4 of the cost of charging her car every day.
Tldr; electric vehicles are not ready for prime time, but do have a place in some circumstances.
Long first post
