Trump order freezes funding for Illinois EV charging network

[Jim Lewis]

Are we really comparing the wartime Manhattan Project to EV charger installation? Not just any war either, but one that required pretty much total engagement of the populace, either on the front lines or in factories?

There's also the fact that, there wasn't going to be any expense spared or stone left unturned in the pursuit of the goal of getting to the atomic bomb before the enemy.

And pretty much zero political opposition. The hardest part was keeping the big money hole a secret.

OTH, the Manhattan Project illustrates the importance of socio-political context in your own words. An otherwise "impossible" project gets done in three years (actually SIX years if you start with the delivery of the Einstein-Szilárd letter to FDR in 1939) because of the total all-in-commitment of the federal government and tens of thousands of people, almost all of whom were kept in the dark on the true shape of the elephant they were working on.

The Manhattan Project came up in the first place because @luebri contrasted its ginormous pace compared to that of NEVI-funded chargers. OTH, the pace of the Manhattan Project waste cleanup illustrates the other extreme side of the socio-political context with NIMBY and passing the buck winning out.

Until EV batteries offer better range than ICE vehicles, really rapid charging, great resistance to environmental heat, and use their full onboard capacity without aging concerns, I doubt the socio-political context will be there to get EVs really going no matter how cheap an EV is or how many charging stations the free-market or government build.

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[RickKeen]

Why did Tesla build their charging network?
Because they needed it to sell cars. The synergy of the two was a huge component of their success.
If Tesla was not also an EV car company, they would not have built their charging network.
Also, if they had not been allowed to tie it to just their cars (an arguable illegal restraint of trade), they would not have built their charging network.

The numbers for charging infrastructure as a stand alone business just don't make any profits. Needs to be subsidized by car sales, government incentives, destinations (hotels, etc), or maybe an employee perk (charging at work).

 

[Brons2]

Until EV batteries offer better range than ICE vehicles, really rapid charging, great resistance to environmental heat, and use their full onboard capacity without aging concerns, I doubt the socio-political context will be there to get EVs really going no matter how cheap an EV is or how many charging stations the free-market or government build.

Simply overcoming abject misinformation and non-truths about EV ownership would be a start. For many people, especially in urban areas, these vehicles would work better than ICE vehicles but many have their heads in the sand.

IMO EVs don't need better range than ICE vehicles, but they do need enough range to be useful for purpose. It's questionable as to whether the Lightning has enough range to tow useful distances. I personally don't tow and don't care, but lots of people do. Chevy thought they could step into that gap but the big battery is so heavy it doesn't drive very well.

You can't very well use the full onboard capacity of an ICE truck and not expect aging issues. If you kept it floored 80% of the time, you'd probably need a new engine before 100K.

But anyway.

 

[jdmackes]

Simply overcoming abject misinformation and non-truths about EV ownership would be a start. For many people, especially in urban areas, these vehicles would work better than ICE vehicles but many have their heads in the sand.

IMO EVs don't need better range than ICE vehicles, but they do need enough range to be useful for purpose. It's questionable as to whether the Lightning has enough range to tow useful distances. I personally don't tow and don't care, but lots of people do. Chevy thought they could step into that gap but the big battery is so heavy it doesn't drive very well.

You can't very well use the full onboard capacity of an ICE truck and not expect aging issues. If you kept it floored 80% of the time, you'd probably need a new engine before 100K.

But anyway.

That's what I always tell people when they ask how I like my truck. I tell them that I love it and that it works for my use case. I had a neighbor that towed heavy equipment several hundred miles multiple times a month and I told him that it simply wouldn't work for him because of that. I on the other hand only tow my boat to the river or small trailers around town (or now my travel trailer, but that's a Trailmanor and I get decent efficiency out of it) so it really isn't a huge concern for me, as I wouldn't be towing things mroe than a hundred miles round trip anyway.

 

[Danface]

Taking America back(-wards)

 

[RickKeen]

Simply overcoming abject misinformation and non-truths about EV ownership would be a start. For many people, especially in urban areas, these vehicles would work better than ICE vehicles...

Many people in urban areas park in the street or alleys or apartment lots where they do not have access to charging. And they have no ability to install charging since they do not own the property. Even if they do, it would be very expensive since they do not have garages or electrical panels with sufficient capacity.

This is the biggest blocker to urban adoption of EVs. Need Level 2 charging infrastructure available in urban areas where they park their cars.

 

[Grumpy2]

For city charging, I like the idea of street light chargers.

https://ampup.io/blog/how-pole-mounted-level-2-ev-chargers-will-transform-urban-charging

 

[Danface]

For city charging, I like the idea of street light chargers.

https://ampup.io/blog/how-pole-mounted-level-2-ev-chargers-will-transform-urban-charging

BINGO! I'll have to drive over to Melrose.

 

[Danface]

Small rant ahead -Since money is "free speech", it's not surprising that lots of legislation is "passable" only when some of the expenditures can be returned as "free speech donations" to those in power so they can remain in power. If some new EV bill happens, I would recommend "following them money". I will not venture a guess at what corporation(s) will reap the most "free speech" (but I do have some hunches).

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