Post

If you were just inventing the first car engines today, you definitely wouldn't make an internal combustion engine, that's for sure.

Not even back them. Electric were first too.

Steam was first.

The combustion engine became obsolete when we decided that we had to quit polluting the air. Adding clean-burn tech makes them expensive, complex, and difficult to maintain.

Even without climate change, at the current/upcoming level of EV technology, combustion is inferior in every aspect/metric.

Electric cars are quieter, cleaner, more efficient, cheaper to maintain, have fewer components that wear out, offer more power, and use cheaper fuel -even free if you charge with solar panels. Once the range is there combustion will have no remaining advantage for most uses.

My primary concern is currently electric is a controlled system . If they don't like what you say/think then your vehicle might only be 'allowed' to go to work, or worse nowhere at all. Until the tech evolves to being open source gas is freedom.

That's not related to the technology itself. Modern combustion cars also came packed like that.

I like the idea that if I'm in the middle of nowhere with a flat battery, I might be able to take a little exercycle out the back and sweat to the oldies until I have enough juice to roll back to civilisation... then get the car cleaned of the sweat smell 🎵

I’ve always thought they _should_ be cheaper to maintain because there is less to go wrong, but it seems that (in the UK) they are at least as expensive if not more so. Is that just price gouging, or a genuine thing? Also, they are unfortunately more expensive and harder to insure right now.

I mean most people drive less than 20 minutes to their jobs already, if the oil industry wasn't lobbying against it we'd have real cheap transport already

On top, before the world wars there were many electric vehicles. even supermarkets with charging for them. But it all fades as with the wars the combustion engine gets pushed and after the soldiers want what they know.

Range is not a problem for most people. Not may drive that long without taking a break.

It still may be a problem because of the current lack of infrastructure and chargers though.

About to become obsolete. Not yet obsolete. Also: not in the USA…