Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul M
I'd call 60 years quite long ago as far as people are concerned.
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What about 10? The iPhone I used to run GTA: San Andreas 10th Anniversary edition in 2013 was considerably more powerful than the PC I used to run GTA: San Andreas in 2003.
I've seen a lot of people complain about this on here and on facebook appear to think nothing will change.
I have a few points.
- 2040 is a long way away. A lot can happen in the next 22 years, including building a network of charging stations if necessary.
- Technology changes. Batterys made in 2017 are considerably more efficient than those made in 1995. They charge faster, and often have higher capacities for the same size. There is no reason to assume that in the next 22 years, we won't discover at least one new formula that improves battery life. That's assuming that batteries are the only viable source for the electricity, and that electricity is the only viable way to power the car. There will also be improvements in the technology of cars that may improve efficiency.
- I said on Facebook that I remember being told at school that BP had estimated that at (then current) rates of use, the planet would run out of oil in about 2030. Usage will have changed, and other deposits have been found since then, so that estimate is not accurate. However, the world does have a finite supply of oil, and it seems likely it will run out sooner rather than later.
We also had one poster say until an electric car can do 600 miles on one charge, it won't be worth it. Really? How often do you drive 600 miles in one day? When you go home at the end of the day, what do you do with the car? Do you leave it outside your home (perhaps on the drive). Where your diesel car would be sitting there for 8-10 hours (or more) while you sit at home doing whatever, then sleeping, it could be charging for the next day. Yes, you pay to charge the car, but you are already paying for fuel (and seeing as you need to drive to the petrol station, you are effectively buying extra fuel so you can buy fuel) so charging may actually be cheaper.
One of my neighbours had a BMW he made heavy use of, both for work and family life. He sold it a year or so back and bought a Tesla Model S. It's a lovely car. He uses it just as much as he did the BMW, he just has to remember to plug it in when he gets home.