Is An Electric Vehicle for You?

Maybe not, but it's good to have the discussion.

Our first Hemingway for TML 2.0 is Nate Shadoin, a longtime Mobster who has some informed thoughts on all-electric vehicles. To those new to This Space, we’re a full-service blog, not limited to sports. I’ll consider any topics, as long as they’re interesting to the Mob masses.

You’re up, Nate.

Greetings, Mobsters, from a two-time Hemingway. I speak for many when I say, welcome back PD because we all miss the daily read and occasional pillow fight in the comments section.

Speaking of…guilty as charged. Going forward, I pledge allegiance to civility and respect. Today’s topic is guaranteed to generate some strong opinions, so here we go.

Electric Vehicles (EVs). They’re coming for us, like them or not, and it’s not just Teslas. Automobiles may be the most-engineered consumer product in the history of the world. Manufacturers have stopped investing in internal combustion and started doing battery tech and motors. Ford recently laid off a bunch of engineers and has committed billions to battery and EV assembly plants in KY and TN.

Commercial fleets like Amazon, FedEx, USPS, Wal-Mart and AT&T are introducing last-mile delivery and contractor trucks/vans to their fleets right now. They will give lip service to climate responsibility, but the reality is there is a business case to be made. No gas, much lower maintenance, total cost of ownership is less. Multiply times thousands of vehicles and the bottom line improves.

EVs are not for everyone. If you tow a camper or boat long distances, if you plow snow, if you road trip frequently, then stick with gas, hybrid or diesel. But if you have a two-car household, one of those vehicles could be converted.

EVs were 5% of all US new car sales through July, so why is there so much hype, discussion, and controversy? Well, politics, and cars make people emotional. I’ve been to the Corvette Museum and seen grown men cry picking up their new ride. You think that guy wants an electric ‘Vette? On the government side, it’s easy for California Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare that all new vehicle sales will be EV in 2035 - he gets political points today. He won’t be around if and when it doesn’t work.

Things are changing. We need more charging stations, especially along interstates and highways. Today, there are roughly 100,000 public chargers, with funding approved to grow that to 500,000 by 2030. Gas stations and truck stops will soon add EV chargers.

Cummins Diesel has an EV powertrain division. Even the legendary Charger/Challenger muscle cars are going electric. If you’re in the market for a new car, give an EV a look.

Fast Facts:

 Most EV’s have an 8 year, 100,000-mile warranty on the battery.

 EV battery packs are made up of hundreds of cells. When the battery degrades,

individual cells can be replaced, not the entire pack.

 EV battery recycling is already in the works.

 Maintenance on an EV, first 60k miles: tires and windshield washer fluid.

 0-60 time of the F150 Lightning: 4.0 seconds

 Cost of a home charger installation: $500 - $1500.

 Cost to charge a Tesla Model 3, 260-mile range battery in OH/KY: $5

Thanks for reading, Mobsters. Agree or disagree, it’s a worthy debate.

Nate Shadoin is a three-time TML Hemingway. “I'm in the auto industry and specialize in helping fleets (many vehicles, business and government) transition from combustion to electric,’’ he writes. “Currently, I work on the charging infrastructure side, but I spent eight years in fleet leasing/management.  I understand the entire ecosystem, new government laws and regulations, and the politics that unfortunately pollute this new technology.’’

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