Quote:
Originally Posted by Hops
I calculated the energy density (kwh/kg) of a 2008 tesla roadster battery, and it wasn't appreciably different than the battery in the current model 3. Yes 1000+lbs of battery distributed on the bottom of the car is different than throughout, but it's no doubt a damper on making a driver oriented car. I can't find anything saying this will change anytime soon.
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Lithium ion batteries haven't really changed much other than the cost going down. That's about it. There just aren't any practical major changes to how they foundamentally work.
And planned obsolescence for consumer electronics hinders the need for develope better batteries a lot.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fak_Ork
"Wildly Popular" is about right- sarcastically  I once special ordered a manual 2013 Fusion so I used to be a real outlier.
For me, Cadillac is always "close but not quite" and I'm not too terribly worried about what happens in 4-8 years as long as I get something with an ICE now that works as a performance sedan/coupe- emphasis on performance.
The CT4V Blackwing is a little out of my price range new, but it's where I'd like to be performance-wise. This leaves several options:
Camaro SS- Checks all the boxes, not sure if I can fit in one
M240i XDrive- yet to be determined but a sub-50k base price would be real competitive now that it's bumped up to the 382 HP V6. That pricing is very close to CT4-V non-blackwing
The A35 AMG is another car that's faster than the CT4-V yet priced about the same.
My wife may not agree on the urgency here, but an ICE performance car is a desperate need in the Fakork household and soon. I think GM is overcommitting but agree that the BEV direction is a solid one. BEV's help remediate one of the key issues with renewable energy- storage- and are great for the planet.
Can they make them fun? Can GM make them fun? |
The German cars you mentioned are fine performance-wise, but the reliability turns me away. With BMW and MB, lease, don't buy. You don't want to deal with them once warranty is out. Don't forget to consider the depreciation. The Germans are especially bad when it comes to this - because as I mentioned, most of them are leased, so when the lease ends, they are all returned to the dealer, creating a huge supply that only the uninformed would like to take. I think it was Scotty Kilmer that said most of them actually ends up overseas in other less developed countries. Not sure about how true it is, but wouldn't be surprised if that's the case.
And I don't know about being great for the planet. It's more like being less bad for the planet. I don't think I need to go all over again on lithium mining and where your electricity comes from.
Fun is subjective for everyone. For someone who likes the noise and driving a stick, an EV won't be fun. A Miata would be a lot slower in a straight line, but still more fun to those who want a manual ICE car. If you just want performance, then EV could fulfill in that department.