BMW...All cars to be electric in a decade..

[particlewave]

Batteries can be recycled.
Current lithium batteries are not the best ecologically, but they are not the future.

I know it's hard to envision if not in the field, but we will see batteries that charge faster than you can fill a tank, much longer cycle life, and charging that can happen on the move in an induction charging lane, not only at a station (some of these innovations may be 40-50yrs off, but the tech will surpass ICE much sooner).

Solar panels on the car? Not so much. Photovoltaic paint.

[Pdwight]

Lithium Sulfur is imminent...this we will all see right away

10 years perhaps carbon nano-tube .....but don't hold your breath

[thstone]

Originally Posted by particlewave

Batteries can be recycled.

Yes and no.

Yes, some parts of a battery can be extracted and recycled (40-60%).

But no, the remaining 40-60% of a battery cannot be recycled and must be disposed.

Companies like Tesla like to say that lithium ion batteries are safe since they don't contain lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium or several other toxic chemicals. What they fail to leave off the list is that li-ion batteries do contain nickel, cobalt, and of course, lithium; none of which you want in your drinking water.

Also, let's not forget that it isn't by luck or chance that Tesla uses a company in California who is the leading expert in handling toxic waste disposal to perform their battery recycling. That alone should tell you just how "safe" battery recycling is.

[Pilot2519j]

We will all be driving golf carts. Thanks you EPA and the present administration of ****************************s that rule DC without support of the people they are supposed to serve.

[Finnegan]

Another reason to love older cars: They don't get hacked.

The definitive account of how hackers can gain access to our cars | The Washington Post

[JayG]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

^$30 a month increase in electric bill to charge a car?
My electric bill nearly tripled this summer just to run my portable AC unit overnight! And I still had to pay for gas in my car. If I had a way of charging I'd be all over a leaf at those prices.

go solar!

We put solar on the house in Dec 2013 and it cut my electric bill more the 50%

[jdlmodelt]

Ummmm.............I live on a cattle ranch/farm. We haul the cattle to pasture every summer, use multiple tractors to work the fields, 3/4 ton and 1 ton pickups and trailers to haul cattle and sheep from place to place, we contract large semi tractor trailers to haul the live stock, we used multiple tractors all year round to harvest hay and feed hay....no amount of batteries on all that equipment will work....you can't expect all the small farmers and ranchers such as us to be able to buy some new state of the art tractors and trucks to replace the gasoline and diesel that we use now. Unless you are in favor of ousting small business in favor of large corporate or government run farms/ranches. I also live 45 miles from the town that has all the cattle supplies, some materials have to be hauled in a 1 ton pickup or larger, so....for us, it won't work out very soon, certainly not in 10 years.

[rexcramer]

Just the thought of an induction lane capable of charging my car on the fly is making my twigs and berries crawl back inside.

[particlewave]

Education is a personal responsibility.
It's going to happen, no matter how much the ignorant piss and moan about it.

[rexcramer]

One of the biggest hurdles north america will need to overcome, before we all go electric car shopping, is the aging electrical systems in both countries. There are +/- 200,000 miles of aging high voltage lines, some of which date back to the 1880's in north america. I believe the Dept. o'Energy estimates the cost to replace and maintain the current USA system at +/- $180 billion. That number does not include any additional lines to support new power requirements.

I am the perfect candidate for an electric car. I have a 2 mile commute for work and I rarely stray more than 50 miles from home. Somebody make an all electric 1972 Datsun 620 truck, with a 150 mile range for under $25K, and I'm in.