> You need a lot of training to learn to select the right gear at the right time – though there are also models with automatic transmissions that can do this themselves. In the manual transmission car, we needed to constantly guard the engine from damaging it. Very stressful.
Mmm. That's probably supposed to be funny, except that it is not, since automatic cars are so boring to drive in the first place. Manual cars are the real deal if you want to feel your car and the road when you drive instead of relying on a computer to make your choices. There's certainly a use for automatic transmission (on motorways or on heavy traffic roads for example) but in most other situations I'd rather have manual over it.
> The seller looked very puzzled at us and explained that it is not possible to refuel gasoline cars at home,
Because you don't need to, when you have an autonomy of hundred of kilometers with a single tank. An electric car is like a smartphone, it may be nice to operate (if you like them) but you need to charge them everyday. And you can forget about long distance driving without having to stop for a long while to recharge your car. Oh, and you can store petrol in your car (in your trunk) if you want to go very, very far, but good luck doing that with an electric car if you go in remote places without plugs anywhere to be seen. Electric cars are obviously only for urban zones (or places not too far in between them).
> especially given that all gasoline must be imported from abroad.
Is that article from like 20 years ago ? Because where Tesla is the most popular (i.e. in the US), now a large part of the petrol is actually extracted locally.
> Do not confuse petrol cars’ exhaust pipes with fuel cell cars’ – while hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicles emit only water vapor gasoline cars spew out noxious gasses, and even fossil carbon dioxide that contribute to Earth’s future-catastrophic warming!
Yeah, and your electricity that powers your car is still made mostly from fossil fuels in most parts of the world, or nuclear energy which is not too hot with the general public nowadays. It's nice to be blind.
There's certainly a use for automatic transmission (on motorways or on heavy traffic roads for example) but in most other situations I'd rather have manual over it.
Tesla cars do not have 'manual' or 'automatic' transmission as commonly understood. There is no 'gearbox' at all because it is not necessary. The electric engine drives the wheels directly. For slower speeds, it just uses less power.
> Is that article from like 20 years ago ? Because where Tesla is the most popular (i.e. in the US), now a large part of the petrol is actually extracted locally.
The article is from Sweden, which has little oil resources. I'd also argue that Norway is the country which Tesla is more popular, in % of cars sold.
> Yeah, and your electricity that powers your car is still made mostly from fossil fuels in most parts of the world, or nuclear energy which is not too hot with the general public nowadays. It's nice to be blind.
Still, it might be more efficient doing it this way instead of transporting the petrol around to be used in inefficient engines. Also better for the local air and noise pollution.
Still, most energy in Norway, for instance, is from water.
> Yeah, and your electricity that powers your car is still made mostly from fossil fuels in most parts of the world, or nuclear energy which is not too hot with the general public nowadays. It's nice to be blind.
Right now, yes, most electricity probably comes from fossil fuels but assuming that burning fossil fuels in cars direct vs burning them in power plants are the same is extremely naive. I'll allow Bill Nye the Science guy to explain: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1169817881
TL;DR: It's a lot easier to burn FF's cleaner at 1 location than fix it for every car on the market (which will be outdated in terms of it's "clean tech" as soon as it comes off the line while a factory can be continuously upgraded with the best available).
The goal of driving (for most) is to get from A to B, not entertainment. I agree, I loved my manual car but the masses prefer the convenience of automatic which is why manual cars continue to disappear.
Electric cars will eventually replace petrol cars, it's a fact.
> Electric cars will eventually replace petrol cars, it's a fact.
No, it's one of the potential future scenarii, but certainly not the only one. It will be a fact when it has actually happened.
It's just like people predicting the death of the PC and its total replacement by tablets - but hey, after several years of tremendous tablet growth, looks like 2014 was not so hot.
> The goal of driving (for most) is to get from A to B, not entertainment
Sure, I agree. but having an automatic car is a barely better experience than a petrol car in that regard. Sign me up when the self driving cars are out, but until then driving in heavy traffic will suck no matter what.
Mmm. That's probably supposed to be funny, except that it is not, since automatic cars are so boring to drive in the first place. Manual cars are the real deal if you want to feel your car and the road when you drive instead of relying on a computer to make your choices. There's certainly a use for automatic transmission (on motorways or on heavy traffic roads for example) but in most other situations I'd rather have manual over it.
> The seller looked very puzzled at us and explained that it is not possible to refuel gasoline cars at home,
Because you don't need to, when you have an autonomy of hundred of kilometers with a single tank. An electric car is like a smartphone, it may be nice to operate (if you like them) but you need to charge them everyday. And you can forget about long distance driving without having to stop for a long while to recharge your car. Oh, and you can store petrol in your car (in your trunk) if you want to go very, very far, but good luck doing that with an electric car if you go in remote places without plugs anywhere to be seen. Electric cars are obviously only for urban zones (or places not too far in between them).
> especially given that all gasoline must be imported from abroad.
Is that article from like 20 years ago ? Because where Tesla is the most popular (i.e. in the US), now a large part of the petrol is actually extracted locally.
> Do not confuse petrol cars’ exhaust pipes with fuel cell cars’ – while hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicles emit only water vapor gasoline cars spew out noxious gasses, and even fossil carbon dioxide that contribute to Earth’s future-catastrophic warming!
Yeah, and your electricity that powers your car is still made mostly from fossil fuels in most parts of the world, or nuclear energy which is not too hot with the general public nowadays. It's nice to be blind.