I saw a row of "Tesla" charging stations at a travel center truck stop outside of San Luis Potosi, Mexico which seems really weird - hundreds of miles from the next city.

Don't worry, nobody was using them ... but with gas at almost $4.50/gal there people sure are looking.

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1985 300TD 1981 Scirocco 1.6D conv 1986 Golf 1.6D 2003 Golf TDI

not afraid,glad I'm close to death soon

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran, deutschland deutschland uber alles uber alles in der welt

You know I always thought it would be cool to learn one trade and go to work and be set for life. But I am not sure it works like that for most people in technology. Automotive is technology. And it changes.

I focused on being a generalist. I learned a lot of different things and worked my way through. I learned cars because I was interested. It certainly made me a better engineer. I got to work on everything from engine controls to long haul telecom hardware. (I am a digital designer by trade). There was nothing sadder than working with engineers who didn’t understand the platform we were making circuitry for. Seriously it is amazing to see how many clueless ABS programmers there are out there who do not know how brake hydraulics work. I literally worked on a project with a programmer who couldn’t tell whether his car was locked up or not in the rain. He consequently wrote lousy ABS control algorithms.

So I think it is worth learning. But being able to hang your hat on it “forever” to feed your kids? I dunno. Be ready to adapt and don’t borrow a ton of money for Snapon tools specific to ICE hoping to invest in your ICE workshop of the future.

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79 300TD “Old Smokey” AKA “The Mistake” (SOLD)
82 240D stick shift 335k miles (SOLD)
82 300SD 300k miles
85 300D Turbodiesel 170k miles
97 C280 147k miles

I'm more scared of having to learn and buy tools for my 15 Volvo. Thing has no dip sticks anywhere and only sensors most of which need dealer software to access. Very proprietary. The good news is 100,000 mi warranty.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

No, not in the least.

The economic impact of swapping to electrical motors will keep the internal combustion engines in manufacturing for another 50 years.

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84 300SD
85 380SE
83 528e
95 318ic

Electric cars may become the norm. At minimum, something like the actual intent of the BMW i3, which has a battery for true EV operations, and then a mere 35kW engine, to give non0-trivial charging capability and a little boost, but essentially always able to be operated optimally loaded for maxmium SFC and optimized pollution characteristics.

The energy density of liquid fuels is just so much higher. Not even close. Batteries/hybrids make a major benefit on consumption in many ways, but not pure range and operations untethered.

Our pollution laws turn great ideas like the i3 into stupid ones, where the engine can only run in certain scenarios when the battery is too low, etc.

So Id bet on hybrids, or actually more likely, PHEVs, to get the best of all worlds, and then the optimization on the engines being limited to a small dynamic range.

As for jobs? Nope. Just trading one thing for another. All the suspension/interior/etc will be the same or worse. Youre just trading an engine person for an inverter and battery person.

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Current Diesels:
1981 240D (73K)
1982 300CD (169k)
1985 190D (169k)
1991 350SD (116k)
1991 350SD (206k)
1991 300D (228k)
2008 ML320 CDI (199k)
1996 Dodge Ram CTD (442k)
1996 Dodge Ram CTD (267k)

Past Diesels:
1983 300D (228K), 1985 300D (233K), 1993 300D 2.5T (338k), 1993 300SD (291k)

Inductive charging from power lines embedded in highways could cure range anxiety:

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/qualcomms-inductive-charging-road-could-change-the-way-we-build-evs/

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'83 SD, 2x '85 SD
You are entitled to your own opinions, you are not entitled to your own facts.

Meanwhile if all those electric cars are going to be refueled from the grid we have a long, long ways to go before the grid can handle it. Not to mention the energy corporations will get their money and the cost of operation will go up as a result. I would like to see it happen but more on a solar basis, which still needs more advancement to be adequate.

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Brian
87 300Dturbo 180K #14 head still running R-12 SOLD 12/2017
02 F350 Powerstroke 180K
05 Chevy Express 1 ton w/Royal Utility box 120K
08 Infiniti FX-35 40K
15 Golf Sportwagen TDI 35K
10 Sprinter 3500 chassis with a Class A Winnebago on it. 56K

The diagnose equipment should be only used as a direction of the fault but NEVER as precise indication.

Some fault codes are triggered by other factors. Let's say I had a car with P0340 (camshaft position sensor). But, the sensor is ok.

Turns out to be a faulty valve switch solenoid (VVTi). So not all faults are just one thing with these modern cars.

I don't think EV will overtake ICE as alternative fuels should be introduced. EV is just a part of the start. I already see Volt on the scrapyard because of a broken battery. Car is only 3.5years old? So which car is making more pollution?

Because here in Europe an average battery pack will cost over 4000$ and the car after 4 years is 4000$. So economically its totaled.

This is exactly why I always push for posters to list the detailed description of the trouble code. Too many just post a basic code and a " Tell me what to change " or list a P1234 ( engine ), say they changed the engine and the problem is still there.

Many detailed codes will list a component and what the computer is seeing that it does not like. Signal intermittent , signal low , signal high , signal implausible . These give clues as _what to test for_ NOT _ what part to change_.
I really doubt that a 4 year old car is only worth 4 K. And besides, as far as I know, the volt can still be driven on gas if the propulsion battery fails.

Not gonna happen any time soon. Diesel cars and trucks won’t go anywhere for at least 40 years or more. The cost of the batteries and the downtime to recharge is ridiculous. You think companies are gonna take a huge hit on some electric POS? Those trucks need to run not sitting at a charging station while the driver is sticking his thumb up his, well you know!

Besides,.. quit selling diesel and you can make your own biodiesel.

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Only diesels in this driveway.
2005 E320 CDI 243k Black/Black
2008 Chevy 3500HD Duramax 340k
2004 Chevy 2500HD Duramax 220k

For over the road trucks, there will be a battery change out for faster turn around. The first to try this will be freight companies for depot to depot runs since this is a stable route with known energy requirements.

Next will be inner city routes where energy use is slightly more variable and then suburb / rural routes where the trip routs is less stable. We are no where near an owner operator running an electric truck.

The real future is natural gas, UPS has moved many trucks to this fuel. I've also seen gas turbine / electric drive trucks in the design phase. This is a real alternative to 100 % electric. A small battery pack can be used for yard moves and the turbine on the road. This battery also gives the option of recovering energy lost in braking.

Also, battery powered mini excavators exist right now from many manufacturers. Enter " battery powered excavator " in your google machine. The target is in a building where fumes can't be contained / exhausted.

When anyone starts to leans towards " language " to make their point and randomly says things are " junk " without any real reasons to back it up, that tells me that they don't understand the problem.

"We are no where near an owner operator running an electric truck. "

Coca-Cola has been using all electric beverage delivery trucks for some years now in the Los Angeles basin .

I always wonder ow far such a heavy vehicle can go when loaded .

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-Nate
1982 240D 408,XXX miles
Ignorance is the mother of suspicion and fear is the father

I did then what I knew how to do ~ now that I know better I do better

Owner / operator is a guy that bought his own truck and moves loads for others. This can be on his trailer or someone eases trailer.

Truck fleets have fixed depots where charging and battery change out infrastructure can be located. Until a battery standard is adhered to and on the road facilities built out, the OO won't get an electric truck.

I'm guessing that this same discussion occurred when wind power moved to water wheels to steam to gasoline.

O.K., I got it .

-Nate