Re: [EVDL] GM EV1
Don Davidson wrote:
> At most all the EV1 required when serviced was minor brake or
> alignment work...non of the typical parts required to keep an ICE
> engine running Definitely, a loss to the aftermarket parts
> supplier...EV's just do not require the maintenance that a typical ICE
> requires!
Well, no, but if the EV1 had had the time, perhaps some very expensive
parts would have begun to fail. The EV1 was chock full of expensive
parts.
And sometimes the automakers actually do start using parts that don't
need to be replaced as often. Such as LED tail lights.
> I love it! From the perspective of a car owner-the basic reason why
> more EV's should be on the road! From the perspective of the parts
> supplier, a definite reason to keep EV's from being mass
> produced...............
Or, a definite reason to get a bunch of them on the roads and keep them
running until the battery pack needs to be replaced
Others (such as "EV Basher" Mark Brueggeman) have pointed out that EV
conversions still have maintenance costs. He notes that the increased
load of batteries shortens the life of the chassis and brakes. Acid
from lead-acid batteries corrodes things. There's (usually) still a
transmission, and it's subjected to loads it wasn't designed for. Etc,
etc.
Anyway, at the risk of veering off-topic, it looks to me like GM wanted
the EV1 to be full of expensive, proprietary parts, so the buyers would
be locked into using GM for service and support. I think they expected
to make a lot of money on the EV1.
I agree with you - EVs have fewer systems, and they generally require
less maintenance than the corresponding system in an ICE. But it would
be a mistake to ignore the costs that definitely do exist, or to claim
that the long-term costs are less than that associated with a modern
ICE in advance of actually running the numbers.
Has someone run the numbers? Say, compared a converted late-model
Honda to the identical car in ICE trim, over a span of a few years (or
miles)? If you run a cost-per-mile comparison, the EV wouldn't look so
good, I bet. They see so few miles by comparison to their ICE
brethren.
How exactly would you go about making a fair comparison?
>
> Don B. Davidson III
> [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
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--
Doug Weathers
Las Cruces, NM, USA
http://www.gdunge.com/
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