How do you feel about electric cars?

[Griffith]

Formula 1 already is extremely boring so no problem if they add electric. Perhaps a few exploding batteries might finally give some excitement!

Last season was good. This year should be interesting.

What might have made it more 'boring' is that the engines now hardly break as they have to use 4 power-units for 24 races, so they're quite de-tuned compared to before with lower RPM.

For instance in the 90's till early 2000's they used a new engine every race and sometimes even in qualifying, which were tuned to almost 20 000 RPM and so engine blow-ups happened more regularly and added some unpredictability in the season.

Also, the current rules hardly allow any on-track testing and there are now cost caps which teams are not allowed to go over, so if a team starts off dominant it's more difficult to close the gap. This is probably the biggest issue, in the past if the car was a dud they could bring in a B-spec, but now with the limits to track testing and the cost caps limiting the budget, its more difficult to develop or change the car.

[FreakBeast]

How you feel about them doesn’t matter; they are here and they are the future.  You can hold on to a past mindset if you want to but that simply means you represent the past.  Both my vehicles are ICE but my investments are in electric car companies—mainly in China.  As I noted in another thread, China is the largest car market in the world and the majority of vehicles they make are now electric.  Nio, Leapmotor, BYD, SAIC, Xpeng, Li and so many more.  Even Tesla has been eclipsed by BYD in China.  If I buy a third vehicle in the future it will be electric.

And everybody clapped.

[Lartinos]

“Estimates for large-scale implementation of dynamic wireless charging for EVs vary widely due to technological, economic, and regulatory challenges. Here’s a general outlook based on current developments:
   1.   Near-Term (2025–2035):
   •   Early adoption in specific regions (e.g., highways or urban areas) is likely. Test projects like those in France and Detroit could expand if successful.
   •   Deployment will likely focus on high-priority routes, such as freight corridors and densely populated urban centers.
   2.   Mid-Term (2035–2050):
   •   Broader infrastructure rollout is possible as technology matures and costs decrease.
   •   Governments and private sectors may collaborate to standardize charging systems, ensuring compatibility across different EV models.
   •   Advances in materials and energy efficiency could make retrofitting existing roads more feasible.
   3.   Long-Term (2050+):
   •   Widespread adoption could occur if dynamic wireless charging proves cost-effective and energy-efficient on a large scale.
   •   Integration with smart grid systems and renewable energy sources may further incentivize its use.
   •   The technology could eventually complement or replace traditional charging stations.

Key Factors Influencing Adoption
   •   Cost: Installing inductive coils beneath roads is expensive and requires significant investment. Scaling up depends on cost reductions through innovation.
   •   Efficiency: Energy transfer efficiency must improve to justify large-scale use.
   •   Policy: Government incentives and regulations will play a crucial role in driving investment.
   •   Vehicle Compatibility: Mass adoption depends on manufacturers integrating compatible receivers into EVs.
“

[nobody in particular]

considering what they did to us during covid the itch at the back of my brain is a concern that they could have more control over the recharging and limit/cut it off to prevent people travelling long distances or specifically targetting anyone who speaks out against the faucis and other 'well intentioned' people connected to government. Perhaps a little tin-foil hat but had I suggested in 2018 what the next few years would unfold like I'd have been labelled a madman. And in all fairness I myself would have likely levelled the same accusation. I did come to my senses and start dreading the future when covid started to spread - not fear of the virus but of the reaction to it, and it showed how quickly we went into tyranny. I'll happily be wrong on such a thing, but if we still have ic engines, I can stock pile enough parts cheaply enough and run the thing on ethanol if I had to all from home and have enough parts to rebuild the engines if needed and last me the rest of my days. I've got a regular a-b car that is modern but I've also got two cars over 50 years old that have gotten regular use.