Let's hope this trend of electric vehicles continues to go up. Big Oil Just Woke Up to Threat of Rising Electric Car Demand - Bloomberg
What is the most profitable vehicle for automakers? SUV's and pickup trucks. What increases big vehicle sales? Cheap oil which results in cheap gas. I would hate to think a person would drive electric or hybrid vehicles to save money on fuel costs as opposed to being an environmentally conscious consumer.
From the IEA: March: Global oil supply to lag demand after 2020 unless new investments are approved so Oil demand will rise in the next five years, passing the symbolic 100 mb/d threshold in 2019 and reaching about 104 mb/d by 2022. Developing countries account for all of the growth and Asia dominates, with about seven out of every 10 extra barrels consumed globally. India’s oil demand growth will outpace China by then. While electric vehicles are an important factor for oil demand, the IEA estimates they will displace only limited amounts of transportation fuel by 2022. --- If the USA reduces consumption we could return to be an exporter like we were in the 1930s.
Good grief, since when does someone else's motivation impact your life? Someone in Knoxville TN needed battery modules for his Gen-1 Prius so I drove ~475 miles, round trip, to gift him a spare battery pack I no longer needed: 475 mi / 58 MPG ~= 8.2 gallons, $1.90/gal ~= $15.58 ... affordable 475 mi / 25.5 MPG (Automotive News) ~= 18.6 gallons, $1.90/gal ~= $35.34 ... not in the gift range If I lived in a 'bowl' like California, Denver, or Mexico City, or any place where exhausts collects and makes the air unhealthy, breathing would be a powerful motivator. That is not where I live. In Huntsville, we have 'good ole boys' who rip out their emissions equipment and that quickly trashes their cars. Fuel injection with lambda control actually keeps the engines and spark plugs carbon free as well as improved MPG and performance. Sure there is occasional stink behind an antique but it is soon diluted by the larger number of fuel efficient cars owned by people who just want to get where they are going without spending big bucks. As long as gas is not free, price will limit how much driving occurs. So when I got my first Prius, I was driving more and still saving gas expense. The extra money, shared with my lunch budget, meant I could upscale from McDonalds or other cheap, fast food. Bob Wilson
I did -- I don't expect gas prices to be cheap forever, and something like the Prime is preparing for the worst ahead. Just as I did when I bought my 2010 Prius, and guess what, I was right. I also like the fact that I go longer in between fill ups, so I waste less time. Environmental aspects, while important, are secondary.
I notice with gas cheap and a reasonably high MPG car I tend to do less combining of destinations than I did when gas was twice as much and the car got half the MPG. A trip to the store for 5 items as opposed to waiting till the list is 4 times as long and I need to go to the recycling dump and somewhere else. I'll bet I stop at the gas station for a lottery ticket more often than I do for gas. And last week I won both on a MegaMillion ticket and a Powerball one. Covered the costs of the ticket.
