Nostr

While it's true that Teslas are best sellers, my question is, how sustainable are they on a larger scale (reducing dependence on fuels directly while simultaneously being within the paradigm of so-called cleanr energy, which in itself is not sustainable at scale without nuclear), and what problem are they solving that ICE vehicles don't already address?

Caleb ☧ 2y ago

I think the problem on a whole is the battery technology across all devices, including cars. That technology must advance. Solid state is coming.

At least Tesla has a battery recycling programme, but there is so much FUD around that which is unjustified. Just like Apple does for their devices.

However, in saying all that, they do solve many issues, including maintenance. There are few parts in an EV that require maintenance. As well as being able to have features added via software updates and making it even more efficient.

Not to mention the future of self driving advancements.

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Sovereign Being 2y ago

Some good points there.

So, self-driving tech isn't exclusive to electrics - although they have been leading the way so far - there is nothing that prevents existing cars from adopting the same, at least not that I'm aware of.

The promise of battery technology improving has been there for a while now, I am yet to be convinced that this is something that will be solved anytime soon. I almost bought a Tesla in 2015, but I am really glad they wouldn't finance me, in hindsight.

The build quality for the money just isn't there, but that's a personal take and not really all too relevant here.

I still feel that electrics are on the whole rather wasteful on resources. Range is a problem unless you spend a significant amount on a car with a large battery, and depreciation is completely ridiculous on new models. I would never buy a new car, but a 5 year old ICE is likely to have lost less value than an electric, at least last I checked.

That said, I don't want to shit on Teslas in general. Many people really like them, and have bought them repeatedly. There are certainly positive aspects such as updates, but to me from a purely automotive point of view, I do struggle to justify it when weighing up all the aspects of having to choose a single car. That definitely changes if you already have a regular car; for a local run-around and city driving, it is very compelling, even ignoring the environmental aspects - which I consider to be a net negative.