If You Want to Save Money, Go Electric... →

New data published Thursday shows that despite the higher sticker price, electric cars may actually save drivers money in the long-run.

To reach this conclusion, a team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology calculated both the carbon dioxide emissions and full lifetime cost — including purchase price, maintenance and fuel — for nearly every new car model on the market.

They found electric cars were easily more climate friendly than gas-burning ones. Over a lifetime, they were often cheaper, too.

I’m been trying to tell you this especially with the cost comparisons clearly lined out in Cleantechnica. It’s about time we start to see the main stream media take these studies into account instead of discounting an being naysayers in the accepting that the EV Revolution is here.

Take the Tesla Model 3, the most popular electric car in the United States. The M.I.T. team estimated the lifetime cost of the most basic model as comparable to a Nissan Altima that sells for $11,000 less upfront. (That’s even though Tesla’s federal tax incentive for electric vehicles has ended.)

Debunking More Anti-EV Fake News →

In a recent conversation with Tagesspiegel Background, the battery researcher stated that the production of electric car batteries is not as extreme as what EV critics would suggest. To produce the lithium needed for a 64 kWh battery pack, for example, Fichtner stated that about 3840 liters of water are evaporated according to usual calculation methods. This is roughly comparable to the production of 250 grams of beef, 30 cups of coffee, or half a pair of jeans, according to the researcher.

It’s about time that more scientists and researchers start putting out more publications and papers to quell the anti-ev adopters / pro-oil guzzlers. Also of note, Elon has already suggested that Tesla is on track to use 0% Cobalt in their battery packs with researchers predicting 2025 as the target date. So, besides being on solar and using 100% renewable energy, what say you?

The Kona is the Answer to Going 100% Electric →

Let me see how I can wrap up the Hyundai Kona EV in one sentence: Why would anyone buy a gasoline daily driver when you can get a fun and roomy electric vehicle with 258 miles of range at a fairly affordable price?

The Hyundai Kona EV is fun to drive, has 201 hp (150 kW) of power, and has a copious 291 lbf⋅ft of torque. This EV should replace just about any daily gasoline commuter. Hyundai does a great job packaging the Kona EV very well. It includes standard wireless phone charging and great driving features. Starting at $36,450 before incentives, there are the base SEL, Limited, and Ultimate trim — all have a 64 kWh pack. This EV can come down to about $30,000 after the $7,500 US federal tax credit for EVs, depending on your taxable income.

I’ll admit, the only hold back I have with any vehicle outside of Tesla is the charging infrastructure. But if you’re going to charge at home every night, this is it!

What Battery Degradation? →

The data clearly shows that for the first 50,000 miles (100,000 km), most Tesla battery packs will lose about 5% of their capacity, but after the 50,000-mile mark, the capacity levels off and it looks like it could be difficult to make a pack degrade by another 5%.

The trend line currently suggests that the average battery pack could cycle through over 300,000 km (186,000) before coming close to 90% capacity.

And apparently 80% nearing the half million mile mark. Hopefully the car lasts as long. :) Cheers to the future!

Tesla Model 3 Smokes V8's →

We all knew the inevitable videos would start popping up of Tesla's Model 3 versus "insert car here." Being advertised as a 0-60 mph 5.0 car, we've seen that the Model 3s have all been outperforming that metric as Tesla is also known to under report their true performance numbers. Check it out down below!