Cars and People

Tesla Automobile
Because I'm a sucker for a pretty face and I used to subscribe to Car & Driver

I suspect that my dislike of electric cars stems from the $70K price tag that comes on a moderately fancy new one. That goes along with my resentment of people who drive expensive cars in general. And it's not that I can't afford one. If I wanted one I could buy one, but you weigh my desire for a fancy car against my resistance to spending more than a dollar and half on anything, and my desire will fall way short. I suppose it would be nice to have a fancy car, but my interest would only last a few days, a month tops, and then it's just another car. Maybe if I had ten million in the bank it would not be such a big deal, but I don't, so it is.

And then there's all the problems that are showing up on electric cars. The whole thing about the batteries is kind of a bug-a-boo. I suspect they will get the issues sorted out eventually but right now it's a big issue. However, too many people have sunk too much money into the whole electric car thing for it to disappear. And who knows? Some wise guy may come up with a new battery technology that will solve a bunch of the problems.

Electric cars have another problem, a problem they share with gasoline engine powered cars, and that is the proliferation of super-reliable electronic gadgets. All kinds of cars are loaded with these things and they are great as long as they work, but every once in a while something will flake out. Sometimes it's obvious which component failed, and sometimes it takes a master technician with a zillion dollar analyzer to figure out what's wrong and then you get to pay for the part and it costs a zillion dollars as well. Over all, if you look at average cost of operating an automobile, I suspect it has gone down substantially over the years, but if you happen to get hit with the rare occasion of some gizmo flaking out, it can hit you pretty hard. Might be why people like warranties.

I dunno, but I suspect guys who work on electric cars have an easier time of it than guys who work on gasoline powered cars. With electric cars you are operating in one environment - it's all electric all the time, well, except for the brakes and suspension, but the power train and all the controls are all electric. Gasoline engine mechanics need to have a good understanding of electronics, but they also need to be familiar with the ins and outs of internal combustion engines, and that is a whole 'nother universe.

Then there's the issue of the difficulty of repairs. Things have getting more complicated, and more stuff is getting stuffed into the engine bay which in itself has gotten smaller. These days it's often a toss-up as to whether taking engine out would be easier than trying to fix whatever is broken while it sits in the car. Car manufacturers primary goal is to make assembly as quick and easy as possible. Repair-ability comes second. Besides, cars are so reliable, they shouldn't need any repairs, and the way people drive and the way insurance companies operate, there is a good chance the car will be totaled before it needs any repairs.

The big issue that divides the automotive world is between the people who are good at working with their hands and people who are good at working with people. People who have no innate mechanically ability are attracted to electric cars because of the simplicity of how they operate - an electric motor goes around and it turns the wheels. What makes the motor go around? Electricity from a battery, like a flashlight., but bigger. Easy-peasy. You start talking about how an internal combustion engine works to people-people and their eyes will glaze over in about five seconds. They have no interest in it, but they will be interested in how interested you are in it.

People who are good with their hands will do fine if society has a place for them. In order to accomplish anything big, you are going to need to work with people. People who are good at working with people are going to have an easier time of that than people who are good at working with their hands. Not all people-people are good at organizing others, many of them just spend their energy talking with friends about celebrities.