Interested
Elio Addict
We will always need oil for the foreseeable future because it is used for lubrication and to make plastic. Gasoline will eventually be phased out but that might take another 30 to fifty years. The infrastructure that gasoline has, makes it widely available. Hydrogen does not have the infrastructure. Realistically the electrical system cannot handle a large-scale conversion to electric vehicles. It will need upgrades, which are being worked on. Solar powered vehicles sound like a good idea, but the cells are not efficient enough yet and the costs are high. They are making better and better cells though. Maybe soon. The biggest issue is how to store energy. Gasoline has a good energy density but is explosive. Hydrogen requires high pressure storage. Electricity requires some type of battery. Batteries for vehicles have design issues. Until a common battery design is developed, and the patents expire so everyone is basically the same, they will end up obsolete quickly. Right now, it is possible to put a Chevy engine in a Ford as an example. But putting a battery system in a different vehicle would be beyond most people's abilities. For this generation of electric vehicles most will end up being scrapped when the batteries fail. The future vehicles will probably end up being leased or rented so that they can be replaced on a more frequent basis. My current ride is a 1998 Plymouth Voyager. I can still get parts for it. Would I like an electric vehicle to take its place? Yes, but not at current prices. My house is worth about $150,000 and I'm retired, so why would I want to spend so much on a vehicle that will most likely drop in value? The BEX from Mark would be a better investment. Less expensive, parts available, and probably fun to drive.