An electric car in your future? A writer makes the claim that the big car companies don't want electric cars because they make so much money from the myriad parts that wear out and require replacement in the typical internal combustion vehicle. It reminds me of the way General Motors bought out the electric streetcars in
Whether or not an electric car is viable, a robust public transportation system beats it hands down, no matter how nasty the emissions from the bus.
My father, who also worked for the auto industry, and I were speaking about this the weekend before last. He told me that GM was actually pushing it's "hybrid" electric car hard these days. GM's version is one that recharges overnight in the garage and that they were pushing for legislation that would require governments to purchase so many of these cars to launch them. So, I don't think that the profit motive argument holds up anymore. Granted, these are hybrids, but electric cars do exist. The problem being that the amount of miles one can put on the car before a recharge. There are companies building these things and they are doing a good job at it, but the cars are costly.
ReplyDeleteSo, I doubt that this is the entire issue. FWIW, my father opposes GM's plan and has written his legislators about his opposition. His primary reason being that the current electrical grid won't be able to handle thousands of cars added to it recharging at nights. In his opinion it would take years of infrastructure build up before GM's plan would become feasible so he sees it as a corporate welfare plan from GM.
Myself? I considered a hybrid over the past year, but last week I bought a Hyundai Accent instead. Thirty four mpg highway/city combined on the first tank.
So, I don't think that the profit motive argument holds up anymore. Granted, these are hybrids, but electric cars do exist.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the original writer, the profit motive definitely still holds up. Electrical only cars have fewer parts that last longer when compared to gas cars with a lot less profit in replacement parts. However, with a hybrid you need all the parts of the gasoline engine that the car company loves to replace and even more parts for the electrical motor system. What could be better?
My car is a Focus, which gets about 32 mpg.
A friend wrote in response to my original posting:
ReplyDeleteDoesn't hold a lot of water with me.
Powertrains are a lot more reliable today than in the past; major engine work is pretty rare. My 2003 Focus at 113K miles has needed no powertrain repair, still has its original battery, generator, alternator, heater, ac, dash components, light bulbs, etc. I think that's now pretty typical.
Yes, there is lubrication and other maint to do, but the oil industry and local garages / lube stations get most of that money, not the auto companies or their dealers. An electric vehicle needs the same accessory systems maintenance as a gas-burner: windshield washer fluid, brake fluid and work, etc. Electric systems repairs probably eat more money than powertrain repairs today; those problems should take a greater toll of electric vehicles than the gas-powered. That makes up for the cooling system issues in gasoline vehicles.
And batteries are a great maint weak point for electric vehicles -- they require expensive battery packs that may well need turnover at least once during the life of the vehicle (a roughly $10,000.00 repair). Materials and capacity to build battery packs limits the scaling up of the electric vehicle market.
There is of course another huge area of vehicle expense: body shop work on accident repairs. That poses about the same problem for electric vs. gasoline vehicles, I think.
A change to new power sources for vehicles certainly changes the repair and maintenance market a lot. But I don't see why they should be less profitable for the auto industry. Not much merit here.
I would tend to agree with your friend. My Taurus that just died had 150k miles on it with many of the original parts. FWIW, my Hyundai came with lifetime oil changes from the dealer. It's their way to ensure that I use them for future maintenance needs as they are likely to find them while the car is in the garage. On the other paw, I'm happy to get the oil changes.
ReplyDelete