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News/talk ratings skyrocketing due to high gas prices

The "standard" is not near as simple as that. There are many explanations of the different standards available online. Here is one.
Your link appears to describe standards in Europe, Japan and China. The EV standards in Japan for Japanese market cars are not relevant for cars in the United States. Toyota, Nissan and the other Japanese automakers are following the US standard for their US market cars.

You are obviously entitled to your opinion. I have found him to be very informed and fair in his posts. His large following seems to indicate many others do as well. And, Kilmer is but one such critic. There are many, many others.
14,000 miles per year (latest FHA average annual mileage) times 11 years (average length of time a car is kept) = 154,000 miles. So if you accept these government numbers there are a ton of cars on the road in excess of 150,000 miles. Of course this also depends on how owners do maintenance and does not count those killed by collision.
The average length of time the first owner keeps a car is actually about 6 years. The average age of a car is approaching 12 years.

Yes, I do realize my experience with gas cars is not representative. I think a lot of gas cars are on the road beyond 150k miles. I just don't know if it's 25% or 75% that make it beyond that number before finding the scrap yard.

No, but it does mean that you pay the very big bucks to replace the battery if it craps out or wears out. And according to many recent consumer polls there is a noticeable decline in battery efficiency as it ages so maximum mileage can be expected to decline as it ages.
I absolutely recognize the risk of a battery failure in an EV. I think the risk of outright failure is fairly low. But we'll need a decade or so to really prove it one way or the other. I'm sure some manufacturers will fare better than others.

True, but what if you are not going to Taco Bell? What if you have to be gone several hours? What if you have to drive a long distance in that time? Each hour unplugged takes away from battery charging so you may not have enough to do tomorrow's round trip? I admit this is probably a long shot and unlikely to create anything more than an inconvenience but it is a valid consideration.
On a level 2 charger ("dryer plug") you'll get something like 30-50 miles of range per hour charging. Depends on the model of car.

The whole idea behind EV's is to lessen fuel cost, not increase or stay even. Unfortunately, EV's come with a lot of inconvenient baggage compared to a similar petro car.
As I illustrated in another reply to this thread, the fuel costs are currently hugely in favor of EVs. Who knows what gasoline prices are like in 5 years, but unless gasoline is selling for around $1.50 or electric rates quadruple, it will remain that way.

Obviously people use their cars for lots of different things. I personally do not think I would suffer any inconvenience for driving an EV, except for slightly longer fueling stops on the rare days that I travel more than 3 or 4 hours.
Experts say even the zero emissions claims are grossly misleading if you measure the entire life cycle of the vehicle (build to scrap).
The "zero emissions" claims are for the tailpipe only. No one that I've seen is claiming that the manufacturing process is carbon free or otherwise free of pollution.

People in Sun City drive around in golf carts and that works out very well unless they need to go outside their immediate neighborhood. EV's give them more range but at a very large cost.
I'm perplexed at how much money golf carts cost, compared to their limited utility. At least here, golf carts are banned on most roads, except for a handful signed as "golf cart friendly."

And that's what I am saying as well. If an EV fits your life style and you're OK with the limitations then go get one. I was just trying to illustrate that there are drawbacks that should be well understood before you write that big check.
Fair enough.

Scotty goes electric. Just posted. Take a look.
E-Bikes are definitely interesting. Much lower risk than an EV.
 
I sometimes find funny the level of passion coming from those who are opposed to EVs. For some reason it seems that those who are opposed to EVs tend to be really vocal about it, and some of the crap I've seen posted and shared on social media quoting so-called facts and statistics, illustrating why EVs are the spawn of Satan himself in their opinions, are laughable.
Spawn of Satan? Not at all. Just presently unworkable to counter gas prices, as has been offhandedly suggested by some politicians. There are obvious issues of EV vehicle affordability, and the fact that overall US electrical production has remained about the same since 2005 (according to the US Energy Information Administration) doesn't help the cause of mass adoption of EV's any. Obviously, a lot needs to be done to counter the present negatives.
To me, EV's are just one more transportation option like scooters, motorcyles, Smart Cars, large-scale SUVs, exclusively using public transportation, etc. Some of these solutions may be great for some depending on their circumstances, but may not be the best option for others. Everyone's situation is a bit different; to each their own.
I agree completely. If you can afford one, and it works for you, you're golden.

I think they are the future, but that future is farther out than preferred.

As for the Tesla and the reception of AM radio stations, the HD receive ability might boost the use of AMs on FM HD2's once EVs become more popular. That, and increased use of translators. AM stations themselves don't have to die. The delivery system obviously is going to keep changing.

We're already in the new broadcast delivery world.... It's going to keep altering in the favor of digital delivery services, be them HD radio or streaming.
 
I was just in a local repair facility this week and talked about this very thing. The manager told me most of his work is emissions related - relatively simple stuff but requires expensive diagnostic equipment - followed by non engine/transmission work. Things like air conditioning or electrical stuff related to installed options. Third was maintenance (oil changes, tires, brakes etc.).
Engine work is relatively rare because by the time a car's engine goes kaput, the cost of repair generally exceeds the value of the car. I had engine trouble on a vehicle (at a strangely low 45k miles, despite annual servicing, it must have just been a dud) and the mechanic said - I could fix this, but it's going to cost you more than just replacing the car. It's only classic or rare vehicles that justify the expense, time and specialist knowledge of engine repairs - for your average city runaround, once the engine dies it's scrap.

Of course, emissions work is no longer a problem for EVs, and most EVs are on various kinds of lease contracts rather than being owned outright by the driver. These kinds of contracts tend to require maintenance be performed at the dealership (or by their approved people), so the future looks relatively bleak for the small town mechanic. On the subject of emissions, a city near me has a fleet of hydrogen powered vehicles for city maintenance and similar - they're quiet like EVs, and it's amusing to see nothing more than water drip from the tailpipe as they go along the street.

As for radio interference, EVs are pretty common where I live, and they buzz and whine over even the strongest AM stations. If you're following one, you've got no chance of listening. It could be that they emit interference, but that their own radios are shielded from the worst of it - but given the decline of AM, it wouldn't surprise me if the AM radio was simply omitted and replaced with better options for e.g. music streaming from phones.
 
The average length of time the first owner keeps a car is actually about 6 years. The average age of a car is approaching 12 years.
There are two issues here:

First, many cars and models are better than ever. We have two cars that are now 7 years old, and we plan to keep them around 2 more years each. In the past, we both had usually liked to get a new car after the warranty expired, either three or, once, four years. Now the economics and quality make keeping them longer advisable.

Second, many are waiting for electrical vehicles to hit a sweet spot of driving distance, sticker price and availability of charging locations. We think that by 2024 or 2025 we will be there and it will be time to make the change.

We had a third car, a hybrid. It was more complicated than either a gas car or an EV, so we took advantage of the high used car prices and sold it.

I looked at a gas powered SUV and its sister EC model recently. The electrical was considerably more expensive, and not as nice, feature wise. That convinced us to stick with our current cars for a couple of additional years. I suspect that those who analyze their purchase well may be making similar decisions.
 
The average length of time the first owner keeps a car is actually about 6 years. The average age of a car is approaching 12 years.

Yes, I do realize my experience with gas cars is not representative. I think a lot of gas cars are on the road beyond 150k miles. I just don't know if it's 25% or 75% that make it beyond that number before finding the scrap yard.
Mine's over 180 and has turned 25. I have had it 15 years. I came close to replacing it when I had problems a few years ago but nothing lately, and I haven't found anything satisfactory. All the cars I like are being driven and not being sold.
 
We had a third car, a hybrid. It was more complicated than either a gas car or an EV, so we took advantage of the high used car prices and sold it.
That's the problem with hybrid's. They are exceedingly expensive to repair and widespread expertise is not out there in the flatlands yet.
 
What about the rising gas prices before the ukraine invasion?
Gas prices bottomed during the pandemic lockdowns when few were driving. Of course they would go back up eventually. Perhaps you've heard of the term: Supply and Demand?
 
Gas prices bottomed during the pandemic lockdowns when few were driving. Of course they would go back up eventually. Perhaps you've heard of the term: Supply and Demand?

Several economists have said the best way to lower gas prices is for people to stop buying gas.

I know several radio companies are still allowing employees to work from home.
 
Several economists have said the best way to lower gas prices is for people to stop buying gas.

I know several radio companies are still allowing employees to work from home.
I'm just afraid folks will hand the country back to the people who wanted to overthrow it because "who cares about impending facism when gas is $5.00 a gallon!"


'
 
Several economists have said the best way to lower gas prices is for people to stop buying gas.
Those sound like bad economists unless they think they can get the entire world to lessen demand.
I know several radio companies are still allowing employees to work from home.
And "several psychologists" think that the increase in violence is due to two years or more of isolation and restrictions.

There is no simple trade-off anywhere.
 
Those sound like bad economists unless they think they can get the entire world to lessen demand.


Here are a couple of stories, but I found a lot when I search "gas price demand"


 
Was vacationing on the Outer Banks N.C. this past week. Stopped at a local Shell station to fuel up. One of the local rednecks was putting one of those Biden pointing stickers on the pump across. So I asked; 'do you really believe the President has anything to do with gas prices?' His answer was somewhat expected: 'Gas prices weren't this high when Trump was in office.' Do you remember what was happening when gas prices were $2.50 a gallon? Yep, Trump was running the country! Let me jog your memory; a pandemic lock-down? 'Doesn't matter what the details are F*CK Joe Biden!'
Right there is an example of the mental agility of one third of the country.
 
Here are a couple of stories, but I found a lot when I search "gas price demand"


Oil prices are essentially driven by world demand and OPEC price setting. Only if the US had proceeded to divorce itself from the world market could we create a totally independent pricing structure.
 
Oil prices are essentially driven by world demand and OPEC price setting. Only if the US had proceeded to divorce itself from the world market could we create a totally independent pricing structure.

But what I notice is the price at the pump is totally unrelated to world price. Overnight, the exact same gas that was sitting in the underground tank below the station was now selling at about 40 cents more per gallon. They didn't pay a penny more for that gas, but they were charging me more. They raised the price because people were talking about it, and they knew they could do it.

It's led to higher profits at the oil companies:

 
But what I notice is the price at the pump is totally unrelated to world price. Overnight, the exact same gas that was sitting in the underground tank below the station was now selling at about 40 cents more per gallon. They didn't pay a penny more for that gas, but they were charging me more. They raised the price because people were talking about it, and they knew they could do it.
And things like a problem at a local or regional refinery, a hurricane that shuts down offshore platforms and similar occurrences affect pricing, too. Prices are adjusted based on supply and demand and they include all kinds of items like labor and transportation costs. In fact, one of the bigger costs is in processing some foreign oil that is both heavy and harder to refine.

Although a biased source, the API says,

"Less than one percent of all convenience stores that sell gasoline are owned by major oil companies. Virtually all gas stations are independently owned – not owned by major oil companies – and of those, about 60% are owned by individual owners. Retail stations set prices to be competitive in their local market. They must factor the need to pay for the next delivery of gasoline (i.e., replacement costs) into the price they set."
It's led to higher profits at the oil companies:
Of course, one oil company was just criticized by the President for excessive profits, despite the fact that in 2020 they had lost more than the current period's profits and were just now making up for the huge losses. it's a very cyclical business.
 
Was vacationing on the Outer Banks N.C. this past week. Stopped at a local Shell station to fuel up. One of the local rednecks was putting one of those Biden pointing stickers on the pump across. So I asked; 'do you really believe the President has anything to do with gas prices?' His answer was somewhat expected: 'Gas prices weren't this high when Trump was in office.' Do you remember what was happening when gas prices were $2.50 a gallon? Yep, Trump was running the country! Let me jog your memory; a pandemic lock-down? 'Doesn't matter what the details are F*CK Joe Biden!'
Right there is an example of the mental agility of one third of the country.
I was told I was responsible because I did not vote for Our Lord and Savior Donald Trump, and once the Republicans get absolute one-party-rule, gas prices and inflation will be fixed just like that, We have absolute one-party-rule in my state and they haven't fixed a thing and don't want to
 
Several economists have said the best way to lower gas prices is for people to stop buying gas.

I know several radio companies are still allowing employees to work from home.
I work 30 miles from home, but I've been WFH since the start of the pandemic. In the past couple of weeks, my employer (a large university) has been starting to do the "back to the office 2-3 days a week" nudge, poorly timed right at the point where gas prices are starting to make that kind of long commute a major financial cost for a lot of staff.

The effect of the "nudge" has been to "nudge" me and several other staff into starting to interview for new jobs closer to where we live. I'm fine working from the office, but I want the office to be 5-10 miles away rather than 30. The world has changed and a lot of people have figured out the financial, health and environmental benefits of not driving 60-100 miles a day to go sit in an office when modern technology means most of the work can be done from anywhere with a good internet connection. Employers that fail to realise that are losing their best people.

The same applies to radio. Immediately at the start of the pandemic, all our local stations quickly transitioned to home presenting, from the major broadcasters right down to the tiniest LPFM. There were early glitches, but after a few weeks you wouldn't have known they were presenting from home. A lot still are, especially volunteers at LPFMs who can now contribute without paying gas to go drive to the station.
 
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