Are EVs Really the Future—or Just a Stepping Stone?

[Dustin]

Hey everyone,
I’ve been thinking a lot about where electric vehicles really stand in the grand scheme of things. There's a ton of excitement around EVs—and for good reason. Cleaner energy, less noise, lower operating costs. But with all the advancements in hydrogen fuel cells, solid-state batteries, and even synthetic fuels, I’m starting to wonder:

Are EVs the endgame… or just one phase in a longer transition?

Would love to hear what you all think.

Are current EV technologies good enough to carry us for the next few decades?

What do you see as the biggest bottleneck—rare earths, infrastructure, battery tech?

And what would you bet on as the dominant vehicle tech by 2040?

Curious to hear from both the optimists and the skeptics. Let’s dig in.

 

[John]

I personally love a good Straight 6 or a V8.

But there is alot to be said for the simplicity of EVs. They use less moving parts, which should mean less maintenance. So for the average driver, means lower cost.

This report from the IEA give a great snapshot of what is happening:

LINK TO IEA EV REPORT - PDF

Or read on their webpage:
https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2024

 

[Dustin]

I agree - there's a lot of things that "make sense" with EVs, even though they might not win over car enthusiasts who like the sound of their engines. I mean, the growl of a V8 provides of level joy an EV could never achieve.

That said, I think their are some significant hurdles many markets face in the broader adoption of EVs:
- Barrier for entry; they are quite expensive to purchase
- Charging infrastructure; in the western United States, there's a lot of wide open spaces with no charging stations (much less superchargers)

If we could sell EVs a prices BYD, maybe it'd make a difference.