The power of suggestion!!!!! some of the very same folks for whom precautions for a pandemic were and are "the sky is falling" and a doomsday scenario are the very same who are warning us of the collapse of society should we switch to EV'S.As if a container filled with gas vehicles has never engulfed in the middle of the ocean isn't a mouse click away for us to witness, one carrying teslas is enough to shut it all down.The evolution of EV's is having and will continue to have growing pains.Much like any technology driven craze R&D will give us better, faster,cheaper.How many of us remember $1000 VCR"s in their infancy, or $1000 cell phone suitcases and bricks.pepperidge farm remembers!
The Ev Renaissance is alive and well and will do much better than it's initial rollout of yesteryear when big oil did it's bug squashing foot stomp and basically had us believe it was over and out.The very same oil peddlers want you to believe that even staring at an ev long enough will cause it to burst into flames.It is beyond me why a country that has rolling tuna cans with propane bombs aboard, motorcycles that are akin to swarms of mosquito sound levels of annoyance, and above all else, fuel costs that will never be on par with countries that don't have to have their fuel supply brought in by ship.
The implementation of EV's in my opinion should really take a backseat to other much more important issues on the island.Firstly,WATER!I won't elaborate as being born and raised stateside water scarcity has ( tank goodness ) never been an issue for me, and I have no experience in water treatment and collection.But the good folks on this site make me aware of the problems they encounter. Secondly the grid, you can read on this site the outages on a daily basis till you are blue in the face.The fact that power generation is provided by fossil fuels and is massively unstable at the very least signal to anyone that renewables should be further along than where they are now.Great lobbying has done wonders to casts doubts on the future but more importantly the need for EV's in our world,whether it's through range anxiety propaganda (having us insist upon upwards of 200 miles of capacity) when in all reality the likelihood of the population of the world needing to drive 200 miles on a daily basis is comical.Wait times at charging stations are another exaggeration.supercharging has cut those times down dramatically and will continue improve once the tech improves.As far as batteries:yes current Ev battery chemistry of lithium ion is frighteningly unstable, it seems as if the cries for capacity have also been the soft spot for safety. There are much better batteries that are available with chemistries that are much more stable and don't require such precious metals and elements and also have greater longevity. Why are we not using these you ask? Weight. Lithium ion energy density as compared to other chemistries is off the charts. One of the safest chemistries valuable is lithium iron phosphate. But, being heavier is its downfall the same weight as compared to LI-ion pales in comparison to available energy.But our tone deaf need for long range sadly pushes aside practicality.
If that long diatribe is not enough to convince you as to why Gas VS EV is in my opinion a no-brainer, let's put it into terms that you on the island should appreciate. When I was a kid in my teens I was broke had a clunker that was five dollars would allow me to move around in my city. The same holds true for an electric vehicle who says you need a full charge to do your shopping at La Sirena? A simple 120 V extension cord from your house can get you the 5 to 10 miles you may need to cover your shopping duties. And for those of you lucky enough that don't need to move your car for a whole day, who knows, three-quarter tank to full tank just off of an extension cord. But perhaps the biggest advantage in my humble opinion, why would you not take into consideration having a 10 to even 50,000 watt hour battery Parked in your driveway should mother nature caused the damage such as it did in the neighboring island of Puerto Rico? Remember, EV technology as opposed to gasoline powered vehicles has the distinct advantage of allowing you to use the stored energy to supply your household needs. Couple that with a modest solar installation and you have a self contained micro grid. Remember no power=no gas pumps. I realize as I write this last paragraph that I too am perhaps using scare tactics to stress my point. But having family on both islands allows me to see how one having the might of US infrastructure still allowed for a year long power outage. While the other God forbid he has to endure the same nightmare can only leave one to imagine the horrors.
Seems as though one's opinions of EV's brings upon the tell me your party affiliation without telling me your party affiliation vibe!