Electric Car News

[Kyle]

Lithium shortages impact Tesla, other EV carmakers, numerous tech markets


The price of lithium has surged over the past year


Electric vehicles (EVs) have been growing in popularity amid climate initiatives to reduce carbon emissions, yet production is being hampered by a shortage of lithium, an essential element for making electric batteries.


The lithium shortage problem was highlighted at this year’s Austin Auto Show. Many of the electric vehicles on display, such as the Ford F-150, have thousands of orders already – despite not being out yet.

In a recent interview, lithium and mining expert Joe Lowry told Bloomberg that a gap will continue to grow between supply and demand over the next two years.

Lithium shortages impact Tesla, other EV carmakers, numerous tech markets

Electric vehicles (EVs) have been growing in popularity amid climate initiatives to reduce carbon emissions, yet production is being hampered by a shortage of lithium, an essential element for making electric batteries.

www.foxbusiness.com

 

[GURPS]

FedEx’s new electric delivery van​

As new electric vehicles go, the BrightDrop Zevo 600 is pretty spartan. It has a full suite of the latest driver safety aids and a Google-powered infotainment system, but you can see bare metal skin when you look at the door from the driver's seat, and the innate quiet of its electric powertrain is offset by the ever-present clanking and banging from the rear roller door. But that's OK because the Zevo 600 is a commercial van, and that means being reliable, efficient, and safe is more important than being the last word in refinement.

We've followed BrightDrop's development for a while now. The startup first broke cover at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2021 through an announcement by General Motors' Mary Barra during her keynote at the conference. Making use of GM's new platform of batteries and electric motors, BrightDrop raced the new Hummer EV to be the fastest-developed vehicle in GM history at just 20 months.

As in the Hummer EV, you'll find a double-stacked slab of lithium-ion cells between the Zevo 600's wheelbase. In this case, there are 20 modules (versus 24 in the Hummer, or just 12 in the forthcoming Cadillac Lyric SUV), which is sufficient for a range of at least 250 miles (402 km). And to prove it, the van drove from New York City to Washington, DC, on Thursday on a single charge.

 

[glhs837]

So when I see makers speak of increasing production to meet demand, I wonder where they are getting the batteries. Ford initial for the Lightning F-150 was 40K units, now they have almost tripled it to 150K "in the next year or so". They say they have the battery supply. I'm a bit doubtful, battery production and sales are planned out pretty far in advance, since they are sharing the same battery market as a lot of other makers, who has the excess capacity to produce that many cells? Pickups take a LOT of batteries. So much so that lack of battery production capacity and waiting for a new more energy dense cell was what has delayed the Cybertruck and Semi and Roadster.

Like GM touting regen braking and a liquid cooled battery pack as a revolution, I suspect this is Ford desperately seeking a headline. If they had to lower production of the MACH-E and cant get enough cells to make Maverick Hybrid packs, where are the batteries coming from.

 

[GURPS]

'Extraordinarily frustrated': Renters can find no place to plug in electric vehicles​

I'm going to switch to an EV I have no place to charge it

 

[glhs837]

'Extraordinarily frustrated': Renters can find no place to plug in electric vehicles​

I'm going to switch to an EV I have no place to charge it

Yeah, that takes a special kind of stupid.

 

[GURPS]

Yeah, that takes a special kind of stupid.

I'm sure they are pressuring the property owners to install some charging stations

4 or 5 charging stations a few Tesla Wall Packs and Solar Panels on the roof, What's the problem you cheap bastard

 

[glhs837]

I'm sure they are pressuring the property owners to install some charging stations

4 or 5 charging stations a few Tesla Wall Packs and Solar Panels on the roof, What's the problem you cheap bastard

Depends on the place. One of my sons friends, he and his boyfriend live in a nice complex in Alexandria near where the Amazon Helix will be built the boyfriend works for Amazon. Both make six figures. Place has parking garage under it, better gym that what my son pays to use down here, even guest suites that the tenants can sign up for. That place, spending on adding some charging makes sense as a draw. Here, Foxchase Village, not so much.

Were I building today, I would bake that in. Buddy of mine, he and his wife are buying a condo out in Lewes. He's adding a 220 rough in to the garage, extra cost is like $300 bucks. Silly not to.

 

[Kyle]

Do You Know What It Really Costs to Drive an Electric Car?

Video

Do You Know What It Really Costs to Drive an Electric Car?





The Real Costs of Electric Car Ownership

Estimating the cost of driving electric is more complicated than calculating the cost of driving a conventional car.


This story is part of Plugged In, CNET's hub for all things EV and the future of electrified mobility. From vehicle reviews to helpful hints and the latest industry news, we've got you covered.

At a time when it costs up to $100 to fill a gas tank, but as little as $10 to charge an electric car, buying an EV may seem like an obvious choice. But EV economics are complicated and you need to be savvy about a lot of unfamiliar factors before you can stick it to the oil companies.

Buying a new car
To drive an EV you have to buy an EV, an often pricey proposition. Even after you sell or trade your current, conventional car you could easily be in the hole $10,000 or more. It'll take you several years to just break even, as my CNET Cars colleague Craig Cole calculates here, even assuming a scenario where you buy a very cheap EV, live in a place with cheap electricity and always charge at home. That's a lot of "ifs" to make the purchase of a new EV an economic slam dunk.

The Real Costs of Electric Car Ownership

Estimating the cost of driving electric is more complicated than calculating the cost of driving a conventional car.

www.cnet.com

Don't Swap Your Gas-Guzzler for an Electric Vehicle to Avoid High Fuel Prices

EVs make a lot of sense, especially as fuel prices climb, but avoid knee-jerk impulses to buy an electric car just to save money at the pump.


There are plenty of great reasons to consider an electric vehicle. They usually offer stellar performance, they're smooth and quiet to drive, you can do much of your "refueling" at home (meaning you never have to visit a gas station unless you need snacks or a bathroom break) and they have zero tailpipe emissions. But despite their considerable advantages, EVs still aren't for everyone, and they don't always make the most economic sense.

Don't Swap Your Gas-Guzzler for an Electric Vehicle to Avoid High Fuel Prices

EVs make a lot of sense, especially as fuel prices climb, but avoid knee-jerk impulses to buy an electric car just to save money at the pump.

www.cnet.com

 

[Kinnakeet]

FEV! AND FJB!

 

[GURPS]

 

[GURPS]

EVs No Longer an Economic Alternative to ICEs As Supercharging Rates Go Through the Roof​

When the gas prices started to rise a couple of months ago, a lot of ICE car owners considered switching to an electric vehicle. In fact, both statistics and carmakers indicated an increase in EV orders specifically because of the high gas prices. But things have changed, not least because the increased demand has put pressure on the market. Soon, not only did EV prices increase significantly, but the operating costs also went up.

Tesla, the company that sells the most EVs in the U.S., has aggressively raised prices in the past months. The main reason was raw materials scarcity and price spikes, but the high demand also played a role. This allowed Tesla to post the biggest profit in history in the first quarter of the year and will most likely repeat the claim for the second quarter too. This proved skeptics saying it’s impossible to make a profit from EVs were all wrong. Tesla is one of the most profitable car companies in the world.

Apart from becoming more expensive, the EVs have also lost their cheap operating costs appeal. Electricity prices have spiked and Supercharging costs often shocked Tesla owners. Tesla historically said it does not make a profit from selling electricity to its customers, but Tesla owners faced increased prices nevertheless.

In countries where the charging rates are per minute, a full battery charge became closer in price to a tank of gas. Canada is one example, and we have covered reports of outrageous supercharging bills that started to appear more than a month ago.

 

[kwillia]

I’m shocked I tell ya. Just shocked. Who could have seen this coming?

 

[Kyle]

I’m shocked I tell ya. Just shocked. Who could have seen this coming?

Like every other product, if we could only keep the government out of it, it would be clean, cheap and plentiful.

 

[Sneakers]

I don't remember EVs ever being touted as a cheaper alternative, only greener (which they aren't, either) and a way to move away from fossil fuel. They were more expensive to build, more expensive to maintain. The days of cheap electric are nearly gone.

 

[GURPS]

I don't remember EVs ever being touted as a cheaper alternative,

as long as electricity is cheap and plentiful

 

[kwillia]

I don't remember EVs ever being touted as a cheaper alternative, only greener (which they aren't, either) and a way to move away from fossil fuel. They were more expensive to build, more expensive to maintain. The days of cheap electric are nearly gone.

I distinctly remember the P, VP, S of S, etc. recently spouting off about how now is a great time to buy our electric car because it would save us money each month from not having to get fossil fuel. In fact, the savings will be so great they are pushing for the USPS to dump their gas guzzling fleets and immediately go all in electric. Then their is the VP and her recent big speech about all government busing doing the same. And they were indeed promoting it as a 'savings' for taxpayers.

 

[Sneakers]

I distinctly remember the P, VP, S of S, etc. recently spouting off about how now is a great time to buy our electric car because it would save us money each month from not having to get fossil fuel. In fact, the savings will be so great they are pushing for the USPS to dump their gas guzzling fleets and immediately go all in electric. Then their is the VP and her recent big speech about all government busing doing the same. And they were indeed promoting it as a 'savings' for taxpayers.

I guess that's true, but for those of us that did our homework, we knew we were being lied to, and dismissed most of that.

 

[glhs837]

I don't remember EVs ever being touted as a cheaper alternative, only greener (which they aren't, either) and a way to move away from fossil fuel. They were more expensive to build, more expensive to maintain. The days of cheap electric are nearly gone.

Keep a broader mindset. Looking at worst case scenarios can tilt things. I've not seen a report covering more than places like CA and Canada. Also keep in mind, the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) includes a lot of savings on maintenance items. They are significantly cheaper to maintain. And they are indeed greener when you do the math properly. The studies saying other wise forget things like oil usage, and the emissions counts for refining and shipping the fuel. Yes, EVs that charge using electricity generated by say natural gas face the same cost, but simple efficiencies of scale tell us that getting natural gas to a powerplant costs less than refining an equivalent amount of oil into gasoline and then using trucks to distribute that gasloine to various regional centers before using more trucks to deliver that gasoline to gas stations.

You need to look at it as a fuel life cycle, not just ignoring the stuff done to get that fuel to the vehicle. As far as batteries, again, its life cycle costs. These batteries can and will see the same sort of 100% recycling lead batteries do. In addition to finding second lives as storage devices. Which doesnt happen with gas engines, nobody takes the engine out of a scrapped car and uses it as a generator engine, do they?

 

[Kyle]

 

[Kyle]