Episode 274: Revolution #9: The EV Beatdown

On this week’s episode of Grease the Wheels Uncle Tuck-er-we-mean-Jimmy gets angry, political, and straight to the point. You don’t need a Masters in Physics to know that batteries don’t work as well in the cold, but apparently a lot of people in Chicago and the Midwest didn’t get the memo. NY’ers did, because they don’t buy them in droves unless they need the EV tax write off. Even with temps dipping down into the 30’s in the incredibly EV heavy market of Austin, people aren’t really impressed with their EV purchases. We go into everything from Range Anxiety, to how the Nords deal with their cold-weather EV’s, and get into some of the American motoring culture’s inherent abhorrence to the concept. There are genuinely good hybrid cars at this point in the game, so pushing for full EV hegemony by an arbitrary date seems not only counter-productive, but completely undoable given the nature of automotive development/ product life cycles. The fact that more advanced biofuels and hydrogen developments paired with the first generations of EV’s getting real-world miles underscore one of the other major issues at the heart of EV consumption: recycling. As American’s there is also that underlying fact that we don’t really like being told what to do, how far we can go, and what we can buy. This is a wild one: think, it’s not illegal yet!  Also Uncle Jimmy pitches Frankenstein-ing half a dozen X6’s into one good one over buying an X6 Hybrid.  This episode is distributed by The Wrenching Network. Whether you're a technician, a mechanic, or someone who just loves the car scene, The Wrenching Network is a place that you have to check out. They have all sorts of great content, gear, and snacks to keep you turning wrenches in whatever capacity you do it. Also if you see us over there, make sure you say hi and leave a comment with what you think about the episode!