Would you buy an electric Chevy today? What about an electric GMC?

[jshrubs]

Issue for me is the infrastructure just isn't in place. If charging your EV was as convenient as getting gas then I'm sure a lot of us would be buying into it. I also like the approach GM is taking in that the hummer (from what we've seen) looks a lot like the hummer we're used to. I hate the "futuristic look" that the new EV trucks are going for with weird shapes and bodylines. If I switch to electric, I want it to look and feel familiar to the gas trucks I'm used to driving. And honestly, who doesn't want torque on demand?!?

[Rgpie75]

Wow some people really hate the idea of electric vehicles.  And for some really strange reasons too.  Personally, I fully expect the Sierra I just bought last year to be my last vehicle with an internal combustion engine.  It's obviously going to be different for everyone.  But I'm pretty certain that based on the pace of where EVs are going in terms of efficiency and cost, and for my driving habits, it will work great for me in just a few more years.  For a long time there are going to be situations where electric vehicles are not appropriate like the ones that have been mentioned here so for those of you that just have to have ICE I don't think EVs are going to threaten your way of life anytime soon.  But the industry is certainly heading there.   And even for fleet type work vehicles.  All you have to do is look at the investment $ heading that way.  Walmart is just getting started.  UPS just announced a big investment a couple weeks ago.  Amazon is jumping in big.  Virtually all the major automakers are on board now too.  For a huge percentage of the population and even vehicles used for a ton of industry it's just going to make more sense to go electric as the costs continue to come down and and the range goes up.  In 5 years EVs are definitely going to be cheaper and have better range than they do now.  And in 10 years it will be even better still.  Same goes for the charging infrastructure.  Of course it's not as green as the environmentalists try to make it out to be.  And if lithium ion were to remain as the leading battery technology it would probably be a major concern.  But the breakthroughs are going to keep coming faster and faster now so it's likely some other technology leap frogs lithium ion too.  I for one am pretty excited to see where it all goes over the next 20 years.  

 

And to the guy that said 50% of our electricity comes from coal with no signs of changing I think your source is about 15 years old.  Coal hasn't supplied half the electricity in the US since about 2005 and in fact has been in a sharp decline.  (Plenty of data here on that if you're a nerd like I am:  https://www.eia.gov/electricity/ ).  It's more like 1/3rd now and will continue going down as the majority of the US fleet of coal plants are over 40 years old and are just continuing to retire.  And coal plants cost about 3 times the price of a new gas plant to build and require way more maintenance so there won't be any new ones coming.  I've never understood the argument that electric cars are just going to get their electricity from fossil fuel anyway so gas vehicles are better.  Mainly because I always hear that argument from people who are big fossil fuel supporters.  My company actually owns a coal plant and I've spent the last 25 years working in the fossil fuel electric generation business.  Let me tell you we would LOVE to have  more people using EVs because we sell electricity.  And electricity prices in the US right are as low as they've been in my career.  We actually put EV chargers right on the side of our coal plant and told all employees they can charge their cars for free.  We only have a few people using them right now but more and more people are talking about them and as prices come down and more people adopt we'll gladly add more chargers.  I tell our people all the time that if anyone asks them how to support the fossil fuel industry, tell them to go by an electric vehicle as soon as one comes along that they can afford.  

 

 

[Chevyguy85]

UPS has been investing in alternative fuel vehicles for decades.  They put a huge preorder in with Tesla last year or the year before for their electric tractors.  Our hybrids are garbage, I drove one a couple years ago and couldn't do jack crap with them.  Then again the way it was set up was stupid.  Had to have the package car in park for the generator to charge the battery.  I haven't seen/heard anything better about our other electric/hybrid package cars either.  All I see online and hear from drivers I know is that UPS is pretty much refusing to buy parts for the vehicles we have.  We want the stuff we have fixed and don't care about new tech that won't work properly.  By the time it's implemented it'll be out of date anyway.

[poconojoe]

I don't think we are technologically ready yet.

There are some people out there that think these vehicles are completely green. They think the electricity just comes out of thin air. Just plug it in. There's no emissions!

There are also environmental concerns with battery production and disposal. How long do those batteries last? What's the cost to replace them? Can any part of them be recycled or are they just dumped into a landfill?

We need to produce a better power source.

[flyingfool]

how much would a full EV truck weigh is the question i have?  those batteries are not light in the tesla, whats a pack gonna weigh in a truck?

[flyingfool]

13 hours ago, poconojoe said:

I don't think we are technologically ready yet.

There are some people out there that think these vehicles are completely green. They think the electricity just comes out of thin air. Just plug it in. There's no emissions!

There are also environmental concerns with battery production and disposal. How long do those batteries last? What's the cost to replace them? Can any part of them be recycled or are they just dumped into a landfill?

We need to produce a better power source.

wireless power that you subcribe to on a monthly basis, dump the battery tech ,  full scale rf  energy transmission like the cell phone network.

[NotJustAnyDad]

It's inevitable that electrification will take over as technology becomes more and more efficient. If Tesla is able to pull off a 500 mile range on a loaded semi you better believe trucks and SUV's will follow. In the next year or so there will be enough of a battery breakthrough to tip the scales in the industry permanently.   

 

Yes Gas can be more convenient because there're stations everywhere currently. Charging at home is more convenient than going to the gas station for daily commuting. Consider 1 in 5000 homes having a charging station, gas stations could never outnumber charging status again. Now you can charge at a friend or family members home and the system charges you not the home owner. 

 

I drive 130 miles a day Tampa to Orlando and back home this costs me $400 a month. If I install solar at $100 a month with about $0-50 paid to the electric company when if I use more than I produce, money I would be spending anyway. Without adding solar it will cost $45-65 per month to charge an EV pickup. Still a savings to me each month and the convenience of not have to go to a gas station. 

 

What would be more ideal for Truck folks that never plan on switching. A robust hybrid system that isn't sub-par. A small engine that charges a battery system like Tesla's battery bank. This would provide the range, instant torque, technology and power that people want without the anxiety of going fully electric! This system would need to pump out about 100-150 miles per gallon. Quad motors no drive shaft or transmission off setting the extra weight. Solar roof for basic systems, HVAC, lighting, instrument cluster.  I know hybrids exist but most of them suck and engineers weren't really pressured/allowed to make something great. 

 

At the end of the day ICE are Blockbuster Video and EV's are Netflix you know the rest. If you haven't drove a Tesla you'll never understand why instant torque is fun as hell not to say good old gas isn't.  

[j-ten-ner]

2 hours ago, NotJustAnyDad said:

...it will cost $45-65 per month to charge an EV pickup. ...

It will change quickly as soon as the power providers figure out how to get a piece of the pie.

It'll be the same as it was (is) with gas.

 

so long

j-ten-ner

[1997SierraSLT]

Considering GM has never been at the forefront of electrical technology and is decades behind companies like Toyota and Tesla, I'd pass on ever purchasing a GM electric truck.  It would spend more time in the shop attempting to be repaired than actually driven.

[BigBadSierra]

They simply do not have enough range pulling heavy loads.  They may say 400 miles but pulling will be way less.

 

Get my trailer half way up north for a camping trip stop and take however long it will be to re-charge, really a 8 hour trip now takes all day and I get there in the Dark.

 

GM has a hydrogen pickup right now that's not available to the public. It's so silly everyone humping electric.

 

Especially when I live in the Province in Canada with the highest hydro rates in the entire world.

 

[j-ten-ner]

9 hours ago, 1997SierraSLT said:

Considering GM has never been at the forefront of electrical technology and is decades behind companies like Toyota and Tesla, I'd pass on ever purchasing a GM electric truck.  It would spend more time in the shop attempting to be repaired than actually driven.

It would be really hard to mess up an electric truck.

Almost no moving parts anymore.

 

@ BigBadSierra

 

https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/10/21131754/nikola-badger-hydrogen-electric-pickup-truck-specs-photos-battery-range

 

I'd love to see a combination like that. It might be easy to install hydrogen "pumps" at regular gas stations .

 

so long

j-ten-ner

[hot__box]

FNG here.  Agreed it is a flawed poll.  I select "never" but that isn't so much true.  Perhaps if an option was 20+ years, maybe... and even then so, I'd be more inclined to deal with a hybrid fuel/electric truck than full on electric.  

 

I have nothing to add that hasn't already been stated within the span of this thread, other than I agree with aforementioned points about electric charge times, and nowhere to charge up in remote areas, or what about disaster effected areas... areas like of which I live in, where hurricanes can knock out power for days or even weeks.  Sure, in situations like that even gas stations can run out of fuel -- but that's why you can fill up beforehand and have a reserve supply of gas or whatnot readily available for that moment.  Same concept with remote areas.  If you run out of gas in the woods, you can fill with a gas tank you had in the bed and be on your way.  You can't keep a reserve electricity to plug and charge you vehicle sufficiently. 

 

Also comes to mind the actual ability of the truck itself.  I frequently overload and overwork my trucks hauling large amounts of scrap iron + trailers.  I just can't see an all eclectic truck being able to take the abuse I throw at it without needing constant recharges which will no doubt cost a pretty penny.  Yeah I know, they're developing all electric semi trucks.. though I'd like to see how that works out in the real world.  I'm betting the overhead for keeping such a vehicle running and productive will be more than most are willing to bear.

 

In 20 or so years, when the technology has been refined and gone thru the trials and tribulations, then maybe I'll give it a second look.  But until then, I wouldn't even consider an all electric truck.  again in the meantime, would possibly consider a hybrid, maybe.   Also, hydrogen fuel?  No way.  I'd consider LPG or CNG beforehand.

 

At the end of the day, I'm not old.. but you can keep all that extra techy electric BS.  All this electric push is not much more than a gimmick.. combined with millennial need to be "tech-everything".  I'll give up oil and fuel when the billionaires give up their private jets and helicopters. Internal Combustion or bust lol

 

 

[Doug_Scott]

On 10/26/2019 at 6:17 AM, elcamino said:

So you can charge it anywhere for free, no cost?    LOL.    All this talk of saving gas never mentions to cost to charge them. Not Cheap and you could be forced to not be able to charge them when you need to because the electric company dials back usage.  I was watching this old house this am and they were talking about this smart electric meters companies are going to. Those meters theoretically can allow the electric company to regulate usage and dial it down in peak times.  Like the phone/text services providers dial back your access speeds.  Some elected official someday might decide you are using to much electricity and prevent from charging your electric vehicle via the smart meters.    LOL  All these new technologies comes with unintended consequences. 

We already have a valid example of what it could look like to drive a 100% electric vehicle across the country.  Tesla.  They have their own recharge network, and if you look at their system you will see it currently costs 1/2 to 1/3 the cost of gasoline to refuel their vehicles.  People are reacting to this poll as though it meant they were going to announce today that tomorrow all electric would be the only thing available.  If you think being forced to pick a brand when you chose Never skewed the poll numbers, looking at this poll as though there was no thought given to all scenarios skews the numbers more.

 

It wasn't that long ago that electric vehicles were lucky to get 60 mile range, with recharging taking 4 or 5 times longer that what you got in travel time.  Tesla has shown that we are now at an acceptable distance/recharge rate.  Going forward we will need to create storage cells (batteries) that are 100% rebuildable and all components be recyclable.  

 

Have light diesel engine(engines for pickup trucks) manufacturers corrected the high cost of maintenance/repair of the injection systems yet?  It seems that just about everyone knows of someone who has been hit with a $5k+ bill to repair injection pumps or injection systems at 100,000 miles.

 

I would switch to electric if the pricing was more in line with reality.  The current return on investment is too upside down for me.  I am at the age where realistically the next vehicle purchase will very likely be the last new vehicle purchase for me.  I have not been a fan of purchasing used vehicles for many decades, being a mechanic has meant no vehicle repair costs beyond the parts for me, but even that got old.  My current truck is the oldest vehicle I have owned, ever.  And it has just turned 10 years old.  New vehicles come with warranty.  

[Dunn]

not for along time....too many issues other than just truck

 

probably at some point....moms and dads using them for grocery getters will be first mass market for them

[PPK]

I think once we get through this corona crisis in a year or so, probably after November... we will get some new taxes. Gasoline is cheap - $1.19 a gallon in Oklahoma, It won't be that way in a a couple of years. Electric will replace our combustion engines pretty quickly. Some kind of hybrid arrangement for the transition. I expect my 2018 Sierra will be my last 5.3 powered truck. 2030 will be the cutover.

Edited March 22, 2020 by PPK