re: Tesla Supercharging Network: How it started; how it's going

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Many of you act as if it's all or nothing with the automobile world. There is a place for ICE engines as well as electric motors.

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I mean

The US government itself acts like it's all or nothing.

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Why can't it be both? Many of you act as if it's all or nothing with the automobile world. There is a place for ICE engines as well as electric motors.

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This times a thousand.

What the anti-EV people (and I count myself still at least partially in that camp) fail to account for is that there are issues associated with EV's that are an absolute certainty to change.

-Cost per unit of everything associated with EV's will go down with increased demand/production. This applies to the car, charger, battery, and maintenance. This is simple economics.

-Cost per mile to operate will go down with increased demand/production. Again, simple economics. Increased unit production will drive a massive increase in technology. In as little as five years, both range and charge time will be drastically different. It is not a stretch to say the AVERAGE mid-sized EV's will have an average range of 500 miles and average charge times of under 10 minutes in as little as 3-5 years. This will drive the technology in heavier, larger vehicles as well. An electric F-250 with the same towing capacity, 500 mile range, 10 minute charge time, 20% lighter, and 1/3 the "fuel" cost? On the market in 10 years? Throw in LED truck nuts and there is a line from Geismar to Plaquemine. And yes, that is not out of the realm of expectations.

-An increased demand on the grid is a good thing. This one is more of a historical based opinion. While its desperately needed, the electrical grid gets no monetary love currently because it basically works well enough not to require it. There is no denying, EV usage will highlight those needs, and the grid infrastructure will have forced (governmental) expansion, which will result in R&D of better technology and ultimately be made stronger. It happened with the railroads, it happened with the Interstate system, it happened with the airline industry, and it will happen with the electrical grid. When that does happen, the cost per KWH SHOULD go down. Once government regulations are eased (like in the previous benchmarks in transportation were) it definitely will. I wouldn't bank on it being done quickly, but it will happen. The downside of this of course is a huge increase in government spending to make it all happen.

I wouldn't dream of having all three of our family vehicles be EV's. But one of them probably should and likely will be. It wont be the big arse SUV. Yet.