Are we losing the EV Revolution?

[invertedspear]

Probably should pay more based on the weight and the negative effect that will have on road wear and tear.

Is the 1 ton difference between the ICE F150 and the Lightning really making that big of a difference on concrete and asphalt roads? I figure it's the box trucks and semi's that really account for extra wear and tear to roads based on weight. But it doesn't freeze or rain much here, so our roads tend to be in better condition than in other parts of the country, so I may have a skewed view.

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[luebri]

Is the 1 ton difference between the ICE F150 and the Lightning really making that big of a difference on concrete and asphalt roads? I figure it's the box trucks and semi's that really account for extra wear and tear to roads based on weight. But it doesn't freeze or rain much here, so our roads tend to be in better condition than in other parts of the country, so I may have a skewed view.

Collectively it all matters. Commercial vehicles often pay larger fees in part due to wear and tear from weight. EV's are heavier, so that should be factored into their fee structure. Unless battery tech changes to get lighter the collective weight of vehicle traffic will shorten the lifespan of roads.

 

[John Becker]

In Ohio, we pay $200 for EVs and $100 for hybrids during annual vehicle registration.

 

[Toby57]

Some states weight of vehicle is calculated in the tax. My state does by title weight.
On half ton trucks are rated at 8000 pounds gross.
Meaning, you are charged title weight but can never gross over 8000 pounds. (16M)
You can also buy a 20M sticker but you will pay more in taxes.

 

[johnnyonetime]

Hands down my Lightning is the most versatile, best performing and requires the least maintenance than any vehicle I’ve ever driven in 52 years.
I agree it will be some time before EV becomes mainstream. However, the supply and cost of electricity is much less volatile than fossil fuels. It’s nice to drive by the gas station and plug in at home.
BTW good planets are hard to find

 

[H3IMDALL]

Re: EV battery dependence on China, China has so many problems (including picking fights with the nation who guarantees their trade routes) that this is the last decade we need to worry about them as an economic power.

So for many reasons, we both a) need alternative battery chemistry that isn’t lithium which we can control (which is being worked on) and b) keep improving combustion engine efficiency and “fuel” chemistries as it is ubiquitous and cheap for us and will be used widely as long as it remains so.

 

[ctuan13]

Not stupid at all, and to many a very big concern.
Computers yes, but no OTA. The only access to the computers in my 2018 and 2021 is to plug something into the vehicle. One can read on many ICE forums that many that do have OTA capabilities have disabled it.

I agree. Even if you have your TCU disconnected, if you reconnect it for an OTA update, be sure to delete your phone from the sync system before reconnecting, as per a recent court case, Ford has been found to download, store and transmit your calls, texts and various other meta data from any connected mobile device.

If you're interested in learning how to disable your TCU (Telematics Control Unit) so your Lightning can't phone home, check out my video.

 

[ctuan13]

God that is so stupid. It's irritatingly stupid. Not because we shouldn't push back against government BS but because an EV is not magically different than a ICE car when it comes to communication and remote access. If an EV has the ability to be remote stopped by the government, then any modern ICE car would have the same ability. All modern vehicles are run by computers.

Yeah, exactly. It's almost the most perfect misdirection. As a matter of fact if there was really some sorta cabal running the world, the perfect strategy might be to capitulate to these anti-EV people all while mandating even more comprehensive remote operation systems within new ICE vehicles.

These people who are anti-EV because "mUh gOvErNmEnT cOnTroL!" Seem oblivious to the fact that every modern car, regardless of powertrain is a rolling server room with a constant internet connection.

If they really wanted to improve privacy, security and prevent government and corporate overreach, they'd drop the anti-EV angle and instead petition for laws mandating hardware killswitches for data and remote access and transparency with what data is collected and how its used as well as details on-board system cyber security.

 

[Maxx]

I agree. Even if you have your TCU disconnected, if you reconnect it for an OTA update, be sure to delete your phone from the sync system before reconnecting, as per a recent court case, Ford has been found to download, store and transmit your calls, texts and various other meta data from any connected mobile device.

If you're interested in learning how to disable your TCU (Telematics Control Unit) so your Lightning can't phone home, check out my video.

I trust neither Ford’s intentions nor their competency when it comes to collecting and keeping my data safe but I believe putting Lightning out quickly was high priority for Ford and there is still a lot that needs to be worked out. I will let them do OTA updates and will share diagnostics to help them out while it is under warranty even though they have shown, they could break things with updates but After warranty is over, all communications will be shut down

 

[62F1004x4]

Regarding road taxes, my state government in OK is seeing how to collect more taxes because when cars get much better gas mileage they pay a lot less in road taxes causing a budget shortage. OK gov are looking at monitoring mileage and have started a pilot program. Part of the CAFE standards is 45 mpg for new light vehicles in 2024. This is going to be a much bigger problem than EVs share of taxes. I don’t want people blaming the shortfall on EV adoption or taxing me more.

 

[sotek2345]

I agree. The whole premise of this thread is (necessarily, I think) politically charged (pardon the pun!). Whether or to what degree countries adopt EV’s says a lot about their views about the climate and energy policies. It’s a debate that needs to be had. Whether we can do it respectfully is another question altogether.

I would argue that the nature of politics is about debating the best policies to deal with issues in the world.

Climate change is real and is happening. The political debate should be how we deal with that in the best way for the country while weighing all the pros and cons. I would love to have that debate, though I know that gets sensitive online.

 

[USA EV]

Also, if we depend solely on electricity to power all vehicles, we’ve given up control and autonomy over our transportation, and transportation costs.

Electricity is much more free (as in freedom), imo. It's much easier to produce at the individual level, and everywhere.

 

[Texas Dan]

Texas just implemented a $200 EV registration fee and then the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) sends out a survey asking Texas residents for suggestions on how to improve air quality. Of course I responded that the EV registration fee had the exact opposite effect than improving air quality since it makes EV ownership more expensive. I said that EV owners are happy to pay their fair share but to penalize EV owners at this time when Texas cities are struggling with poor air quality makes absolutely no sense.

The NCTCOG (COG) is responsible for allocating monies received from the gas tax. To my mind having the COG responsible for air quality is like the fox guarding the hen house since a major portion of their funding comes from gasoline sales. I said in my survey response that the COG has a fundamental cultural problem that they need to address before they can ever hope to address the air quality problem.

I said in my response that the COG needs to develop a fully transparent plan that addresses how transportation infrastructure funding will transition away from gasoline sales. There are many ways the governments can improve air quality and at the same time pay for infrastructure projects like reducing tolls on EVs while raising tolls on non-EVs, eliminating petroleum subsidies and raising fees on fossil fuel power plants. I know that raising gas taxes is not politically viable but I have to say that any state that imposes registration fees on EVs really doesn’t appear to be taking air quality seriously.

 

[Maxx]

If you're interested in learning how to disable your TCU (Telematics Control Unit) so your Lightning can't phone home, check out my video.

Great video. Wondering is pulling fuse #32 does the same thing as disconnecting the modem? Just a little more convenient.

 

[MM in SouthTX]

Lots of talk here about if and whether switching to EV's is a necessary step to "save the planet." The post a few above this one, about electricity being free and easy to produce, got me thinking...I have solar on my roof, but it doesn't come close to powering my 4,000 sq. ft. home, much less my 7,000 pound truck. So the big prize in "saving the planet" is not to buy an EV F150 instead of an ICE F150. It's to not buy an F150.

How many of us are willing to give up our creature comforts to reduce our carbon footprint? For instance, my sister and her husband who talk the talk on climate change just spent quite a bit of money remodeling their fancy 4 bedroom house. They are empty nesters. Why didn't they move to a tiny home instead? That remodel had a big carbon footprint.

I suspect that, since we are driving massive electric trucks instead of Toyota Yarises and Nissan Leafs, like they do in Europe, not many of us on this forum are doing all that they can do avoid the "impending doom" that they believe is coming.

I think the term I'm flirting with is "virtue signaling." If people put their money where their mouth is on climate change, this forum would be much smaller. The Chevy Bolt forum might be a better place to talk about the green movement.

I know that some use the truck as a truck, but really, if you don't use it in your work, then maybe you don't really need to do those things that you "need" the truck for. I mean if the planet is dying, do we need to be towing boats to the lake, etc.?

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