# Bob\_Blaylock hates Electric Vehicles and was happy to highjack a thread about it **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 13, 2024, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798 "2024-03-13T00:22:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/81 "2024-03-13T15:59:01Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Basically, you are telling us how awful it would be while, at the same time, you don’t own one and you aren’t suffering at all. His contention is that by 2035 he will no longer be able to buy a new ICE car that fits his needs where he lives (California) and that upsets him. Which is true barring delays in the implementation of the law via extensions, which I strongly suspect will happen. I get it. EVs don’t currently work well for me either as a one-vehicle household, though I suspect that will likely change as I retire and age out of certain activities while infrastructure continues to improve. I’m in CA as well and am contemplating buying a new non-plug-in hybrid before the deadline if it looks like a) it is going to happen on schedule and b) I still need an ICE by then and also c) they’re still manufacturing and selling those sort of hybrids in the 2030’s. Of course that law says diddly about used ICE cars which will be available and part of modern life until well after most of us more well-seasoned board members shuffle off this mortal coil. Bob will almost certainly still be able to buy a fuel-hungry panel truck and gas up at Chevron until after he is dead. But change is coming to the world of Bob\_Blaylock and he doesn’t like inconvenient change, goddamnit! What’s the world coming to! I sympathize just a little on my worse days, when I can be a big fan of dissolute stagnation. But that’s just life - the world changes. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/82 "2024-03-13T16:07:12Z")
The 2035 law, which will almost certainly be pushed out, is about new vehicles. It does not affect used car sales. If I were Bob I’d buy up some real cars now and profit in the future ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/83 "2024-03-13T16:13:14Z")
Once new petrol cars are unavailable it probably doesn’t matter you can buy used ones, the petrol stattions will likely not be able to stary in business on the revenue generated from used car holdouts. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/84 "2024-03-13T16:15:31Z")
> [@Bob\_Blaylock](#): > > Here in California, they passed a law that if allowed to stand, will ban the sale of all new real cars in the state starting in 2035. I guess you’ll just need to flee to the Confederacy at some point before then. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/85 "2024-03-13T16:16:38Z")
Maybe they’ll go from one on every corner instead of three or they’ll have fewer pumps but they’ll be around for a very long time ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/86 "2024-03-13T16:20:07Z")
They’ll be around at least 10 more years, so even in California that will take Bob to 2045. Eventually getting gas for your classic car will be a real pain in the neck in States that outlaw new ICE sales. No way around it. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/87 "2024-03-13T16:21:04Z")
Average age of vehicles on the road in the US is 12.5 years. While gas stations will be serving a shrinking slice of the pie, and that shrinking will increase in speed after 2035, it will take quite a while before all gas stations are unprofitable. Competition will slowly drive some of them to close. Some of them, like the big ones at major Interstate exits, might well transition to charging stations. The business model has always been pull them in to buy gas and make most of the profit with giant margins on snacks and beverages anyways, so no reason not to just shift that model to charging bays as the draw. Can stick one gas pump in the back corner for the holdouts, and the underground tank infrastructure is already in place and paid for. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/88 "2024-03-13T16:23:08Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Can stick one gas pump in the back corner for the holdouts, and the underground tank infrastructure is already in place and paid for. To be fair, when those tanks age out, they might not be replaced. Though they could switch to a smaller above ground tank maybe. Old gas tanks are a pretty serious ground water contamination issue. Not to mention, those old tanks can end up with water in the gas, which sucks for cars. I remember when that was a real issue. As recently as the early 90s I remember a few stations with shitty gas thanks to bad tanks. The fines and clean up costs in NJ at least got so high, that stations stopped ignoring such issues. As a collateral and good thing it means selling a house with an inground oil tank is difficult in New Jersey at least. One more reason for people to switch to gas or now heat pumps. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/89 "2024-03-13T16:37:37Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > To be fair, when those tanks age out, they might not be replaced. Though they could switch to a smaller above ground tank maybe. Old gas tanks are a pretty serious ground water contamination issue. True. Above ground tanks are the standard in small town gas stations in Saskatchewan for those reasons, and that might spread to larger centres as demand slows. And quite possibly when gasoline demand drops to a certain tipping point, retail gas _will_ become largely unavailable because the infrastructure costs will be amortized across to little fuel to bear them, which will drive most of the last ICE cars off the road. At that point you’ll have to go to airports or the like to find combustible petrochemicals, and maintaining running ICE vehicles will become a niche hobby. But in that world there’ll be fast charging stations on every other corner and battery technology will be 2 decades or more advanced from where it is now. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/90 "2024-03-13T16:43:34Z")
That sounds like a dystopian hellscape. No real cars anywhere except for a lone Red Barchetta. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/91 "2024-03-13T16:43:58Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > It would be about twenty minutes at the very most and probably less but ok Tesla Supercharger is about 30 to 40 for a full charge if you have it precondition the battery for you ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/92 "2024-03-13T16:47:13Z")
> [@Bob\_Blaylock](#): > > I just do not see any realistic likelihood that in my lifetime, we will reach the point where an EV is anywhere near as practical for my needs as a real car now is. _Mr. Mustard dons his reading glasses, withdraws a small notebook from his vest pocket, picks up a No. 2 pencil and touches its tip to his tongue._ “ **Noted** ” ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/93 "2024-03-13T16:50:07Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Tesla Supercharger is about 30 to 40 for a full charge if you have it precondition the battery for you On our Tesla, once we tell it we’re heading for the supercharger, it starts preconditioning the battery at the right distance out. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/94 "2024-03-13T16:51:42Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > On our Tesla, once we tell it we’re heading for the supercharger, it starts preconditioning the battery at the right distance out. And that’s the trick. If you know where the charger is and just drive there your battery does not precondition. I don’t know if you can precondition the battery without putting the SC location in Google maps ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/95 "2024-03-13T17:11:26Z")
The new EV laws in California making life harder for Bob\_Blaylock is one of the best arguments I’ve heard in favor of those laws. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/96 "2024-03-13T17:11:46Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > His contention is that by 2035 he will no longer be able to buy a new ICE car that fits his needs where he lives (California) and that upsets him. Which is true barring delays in the implementation of the law via extensions, which I strongly suspect will happen. Ah, I see! Well, @Bob_Blaylock, what will be at least 11 years is a long time, so don’t fret over it now. Many things could happen between now and then! ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/97 "2024-03-13T17:13:05Z")
My uncle has a country place That no one knows about He says it used to be a farm Before the Motor Law [**YT vid of the song - 6:10 - let 'er RIP!**](https://youtu.be/_LXKZq0fYDw) ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/98 "2024-03-13T17:14:13Z")
Dammit! Ninja’d! (post 97) Well played, Sir. Well played. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/99 "2024-03-13T17:15:56Z")
It seemed very fitting! Not sure where they fuel’up the ole red Barchetta though… ---
**Author:** ![Mikkel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikkel/32/13151_2.png) [@Mikkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikkel)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2024, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798/100 "2024-03-13T17:24:19Z")
Perhaps the OP should go to Norway to study how it is done. They are 10 years ahead of California. > **[What the U.S. can learn from Norway when it comes to EV adoption](https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/17/what-the-us-can-learn-from-norway-when-it-comes-to-ev-adoption.html)** > > Norway has the highest EV adoption rate in the world. 82% of new car sales in Norway were electric in 2023. Here's how the Scandinavian country pulled it off. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bob-blaylock-hates-electric-vehicles-and-was-happy-to-highjack-a-thread-about-it/998798.md?page=6)