Thinking new with Dodge announcement ?

[Racer57]

Dodge going to drop gas fuel Challengers and Chargers. California is going to drop all new gas power cars very soon. 

Gonna buy as powerful of Challenger still possible while still can ?

[MKA]

I have my 2 Dodge's and my 2018 GMC truck.  Not going to need a new truck for a while and the cars are going to pass on when I pass on or if I am too broke to own or can't drive.   When I buy a new truck I won't hesitate to go electric if they have worked out the kinks on reliability, battery replacement and distance.
 
The question to me is, when do electric cars become the dominant new car, next 5 years or 10?  And what will the new generation think then about the old Muscle cars?   Look cool, but why is it so loud and slow?   And why can't I plug it in?   And why would I want to adjust the carbs and change spark plugs?  And all these fluids and grease, WTH.   The plug and play generation.  That day is coming.

Watched a video of a Tesla Plaid,   0-90 in under 4 seconds.  9 Second quarter mile at 150 mph.   Car was completely unstable, the yoke steering wheel ridiculous and in 5 to 10 years it will be an oversized trash battery that you paid $125K for, but they will get all that worked out eventually .    If someone tells you the new dodge can do a 9 second quarter reliably with good range and those good looks your not going to buy that?

[7E-Bodies]

I'd be asking how much for a complete battery replacement. Hearing some of the EV's are needing new batteries as soon as 70k miles at a cost of 30k in some cases. True? I'm not sure, but worth checking before you leap.

[captcolour]

I'd be asking how much for a complete battery replacement. Hearing some of the EV's are needing new batteries as soon as 70k miles at a cost of 30k in some cases. True? I'm not sure, but worth checking before you leap.

That's one thing that is never talked about with EVs and that is value of the vehicle in say 10 to 15 years.  If running, a gas powered vehicle still has residual value to the owner.  A 10 yr old EV that needs a new battery, does it have any value to the owner, particularly if they can't afford to put $30K into it?  It may even cost the person money to dispose of it because of the battery at end of life.

[Blowout]

I live in California and I've been trying to figure out how all this is going to play out, especially with my old cars.  I commute 4 days a week, about 70 miles round trip. I've calculated the cost of an EV, battery replacement in 6-8 years, higher electricity use at home, and it still doesn't come out cost effective for me with my current situation. So unless my math is wrong (which I keep track of all my expenses pretty good), I don't see how all these people with EVs are better off now, especially for those that don't commute.

[E74cuda]

I don't have any confidence that the people running CA will at minimum be able to come up with a plan that will be able to supply enough power to charge all of the EV cars and keep the lights on. I was talking to a buddy and he said that he heard that the state was working on a list of cars that they were not going to allow in CA after a certain date. That's new and used unless it's grandfathered in. I've been wanting a Hellcat so I just picked this up. I figure it's 1971 all over again for the big horsepower gas motor. And when it comes to the EV trucks, if you are towing something like 6500 pounds be prepared to stop every 100 miles to charge it. And that's a flat tow with no hills or mountains. Good luck with that!

[Mopsquad]

Congrats on the Widebody!  Beautiful!

[tparker]

I have lot's of thoughts on this topic. Personally and fundamentally, i have no problem with Electric Vehicles.  It's great to have choices and it can fill a great void.

BUT, I have issues with how they are doing it and the issues they are ignoring. OF course there is the Batteries. They die and are made of toxic stuff. So that won't be much better. Then there is range limitations. My understanding is there really isn't any thing that can be done to improve battery technology by much. Taking road trips will be limited. Then there is the charging. Look at any apartment complex and either imagine a charing station at every parking slot, or people stringing out extension cords across the lots. LOL. Then what about people that live in areas where there is only street parking and people have to fight for parking.

In California they want us to not use electricity between 4-8 pm (or something close to those hours). That is when all these cars will be plugged in. We also have rolling blackouts because they can't keep up electricity demands during peak times. Then there are severe fire days where the wind is high and they cut power to all the people in the hills, due to PG&E lines burning down communities. So, no charging on those days. And god forbid a fire breaks out and your car isn't charged.

And what generates the electricity? Here in Northern California we typically use Hydro. Yet we are in an "extreme" drought. We are taking water away from Farmers and telling everyone to cut back on water usage. The Colorado river is at extreme low levels as well. For those not using the shrinking Hydro power, I guess we have coal. LOL, cause wind and solar aren't supplying enough to make a huge difference. It may work in limited cases but it surely ain't scalable.

Then there is the oil issue. There is a tipping point where it will become uneconomical to produce and distribute gasoline. We can say goodbye to most gas stations and prices will have to rise. So if you are poor and can't afford a new electric car, you get doubly screwed. And cars typically flow down to poorer folks, but if batteries typically only last 10 years or so and the price of new batteries can be in the 10K range, then that impacts lower income people.

And it isn't just Electric vehicles, but all modern vehicles. Almost every car I have owned in the last 20+ years has had computer problems, or some electrical problems that are difficult if not impossible to diagnose. All these bells and whistles drive up the prices to where the average car costs $36K+. And don't get me started on the stupid Key FOBs. Argh. My sort term plan is just to drive old cars until I can't. Either parts aren't available or gas is too expensive.

Again, I don't mind the idea of electric cars, but I think there are a whole host of issues that people are ignoring. I may get one at some point, but not anytime soon. Sorry for the rant lol

[dodj]

@E74cuda
Beautiful car!   

@Racer57
IMO, if a person has the budget for a Hellcat, buy it asap.

Similar to California, the gov't up here has passed a law that no new gas powered vehicles to be sold after 2030 or 2035...can't remember for sure. I would have no problems with owning an EV. The Banshee looks just the ticket. But........The way I do math shows this to be impossible. To get the entire country to only buy electric vehicles will take a lot of electric vehicles to be produced and ready for sale. A couple months ago I went and inquired about some EV's. None available. Best I could do was wait until sometime next year for availability - the dealer said they are supposed to get 12. Ya....12!! That's 7 years from 2030. So in 7 years we will have millions available? I would bet the entire worlds production right now couldn't supply Canada let alone a huge population like the USA. Then remember a lot of the minerals needed for EV batteries come from China...hmmm...ya...you wanna put your faith in that country? Russia has shown what putting your faith in the wrong country can do. Look at Germany.
Infrastructure to support the EV's? Right now the Ontario Hydro is planning to put a transmission line through our property. Planning started in 2019...it's ongoing. The planning will be done by the end of 2024. Construction starting in 2025. That's 6 years just to plan one 250km transmission line.  Think we will have the power grid available to power up all these new cars by 2030? 
So while I agree with trying to do things 'clean'. I will buy an electric car when they become readily available and charging stations become more prevalent. But I don't think the dates set up by more and more gov'ts is possible.

[anlauto]

I'm 57, I don't think all that will happen in my lifetime 

[70vert]

I get it, there are a lot of unknowns and EV's are scary. And they will never be as cool as our E-Bodies, just like the current cars are not (:

But regardless of the reasons, EV is the future. They absolutely have a lot of potential, even if it's a bit premature right now! You know though, I doubt that there were coast to coast gas stations when ICE vehicles started being "pushed". And certainly the early cars did not have 400+ mile range like today. Etc.!! EV battery life will get better and better every year for the next 10 years. And some come now with a 10 year battery warranty (better than my 2015 JGC with 75k miles that I just dumped due to lifter tik, a problem that plagues the Hemi as well as the v6). The cars will also get less expensive as volume and supply increase, that's just how things work.

>What I've seen is a push for passenger cars. I believe semi and construction vehicles are not part of the bans, and have a longer lead times. I could be wrong.

I have no plans to get an EV/Hybrid, or get rid of my Challenger. But I will look seriously at them next year when my wife will be getting a new car, I think it will be great for her and we have my new JGC for trips and just more room.

Of course, I have the luxury of being old, so honestly not worried about vehicles in 20 years from now. Because seriously, if new ICE car sales ban is in 2035, it will take at least another 10-15 years for ICE used car population to dry up and gasoline to become scarce and expensive.

Just my perspective. 

[MKA]

Agree with all the comments.  You don't see any Tesla on the road older than 2014 and they have been selling since 2003.   And even if you did, not even Tesla will work on them.   That says a lot.

They have to fix the drive time under all conditions and the lifetime of the batteries or make replacement viable.   You have to have throw away money to be a buyer now or one of these kids that trades in their iPhone every year and doesn't care.  Eventually they will get it worked out.   maybe in 5 or 10 years when the Big 3 are all in.  Maybe not, but it does seem to be accelerating and I still like the looks on that Dodge Charger.

Either way I won't be an earlier adopter.   We are conserving by preserving and I hope I never see a mad max movie with electric cars   

[Racer57]

But regardless of the reasons, EV is the future. They absolutely have a lot of potential, even if it's a bit premature right now! You know though, I doubt that there were coast to coast gas stations when ICE vehicles started being "pushed". And certainly the early cars did not have 400+ mile range like today. Etc.!! EV battery life will get better and better every year for the next 10 years. And some come now with a 10 year battery warranty (better than my 2015 JGC with 75k miles that I just dumped due to lifter tik, a problem that plagues the Hemi as well as the v6). The cars will also get less expensive as volume and supply increase, that's just how things work.

True. But you didn't see anyone killing their horses, stop planting horse feed sources and closing down Livery Stables. People were still using horses for decades when gas power was available. Ever seen WW1, WW2 and farm movies ?

[70vert]

True. But you didn't see anyone killing their horses, stop planting horse feed sources and closing down Livery Stables. People were still using horses for decades when gas power was available. Ever seen WW1, WW2 and farm movies ?

Fair point, and I am totally in agreement the current push is radical and unrealistic. Part of my point is don't take it out on the companies that are developing and moving to EV, it is the future. Similar to Alan's comment, I am confident ICE will not disappear in my lifetime, even longer (decades). But I do think there is pain ahead for them (price of gas & availability). I also think there will be a reality adjustment to the timeline, maybe not with the current leaders 

[70_440-6Cuda]

@tparker I think you are on point.  EV sounds good, and we will eventually get there, but the rhetoric that we will be ready in CA by 2030 is a joke - the infrastructure & battery technology is just not there.  We have rolling blackouts in SoCal all the time - WTF?  CA is the 5th largest economy in the world and can't supply stable, consistent energy.  Wind and solar just isn't going to cut it.

And to answer the question, I am waiting for the final production year and will be getting my hands on the highest HP Challenger Dodge makes... and likely a convertible if it is an official Dodge product.