The Boring Future

[Zak]

I took this photo on Interstate 5 near the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

[cda951]

Yeah, that is kind of depressing, but it's not like our fun old cars are being outlawed. We need to keep driving them, it is good for both the cars and our souls.

 

I slogged down to Irvine today in my '73 tii (for a high-voltage/EV training course, ironically), and I was in the only old/classic car that I noticed during the entire 2+ hour drive. Of course freeway commuting is not an ideal use for such a car, but I also don't own a modern car (my girlfriend's '99 Z3 Coupe is the closest thing, she also has a Chevy Bolt EV for a company car).

 

I would drive a modern EV if both the financial outlay and my commute profile made sense, but they do not, so I will continue to rotate amongst my fleet of stupid old cars, and smile every time.

 

Pic from earlier tonight that sums it up:

 

Edited March 23 by cda951

[Mike Self]

Interestingly in the past couple of weeks I've seen on the road--admittedly around town, not I-75--but both instances not when there was a car show or cruise in--a 1915 or 1916 Model T Ford (brass radiator/electric lights were only used together those two years) and a week or so later, a circa 1929 Pierce-Arrow touring car.  Made Wolfgang feel positively youthful!

 

I think the old car hobby is too well entrenched, too popular and economically too wide-spread to ever have our cars permanently legislated off the road--but we all have to remain vigilant to insure it doesn't happen due to our own inattention.  Witness California's inane laws requiring emission inspection for 48 year old cars!  

 

mike

PS  Those Tesla trucks look like escapees from a 1950s science fiction movie...

[TobyB]

I saw one of those... things... on the road the other day.

 

It looked so awkward and ill- proportioned my brain went 'awww... poor thing'.

Most notably, the wheels make it look  like it's from 1962, all tucked up in there.

 

Also saw a DeLorean recently.  While it also looks stainlessly odd, it also looks... interesting.

Not pretty- but not ugly, either, and certainly not pitiable.  

 

I wish Tesla could ditch Elmo and start making interesting cars.

I think they've pretty much saturated the automotive suppository market...

 

t

 

[PhilC]

I was behind a new Tesla yesterday. It was the tall type, in black. It just looked like a futuristic London black cab but not in a good way (black cabs are ugly in the first place). I don’t know who or what designs Tesla vehicles but they need sacking.

[resra]

5 hours ago, Zak said:

I took this photo on Interstate 5 near the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

 

I do like the Cybertruck. But thats the only Tesla vehicle I like as far as outside design goes. 

[jscaptura1]

I took this on Pacific Beach when I was out there in February.   Just silly in my opinion.

[JQ02]

6 hours ago, TobyB said:

I think they've pretty much saturated the automotive suppository market...

Accurate statement. Excellent turn of phrase!

[Vicleonardo1]

Sooo...until Solid State Batteries do what they are theorized to do. There ain't no infrastructure to go all electric...

Could you imagine how impossible it would be to install chargers for the cars in an apartment complex? Residents would start shooting each other to get their car charged to go to work. Power companies would be blowing up. 

I did a little panic buying this year (and took advantage of the end of the year deals) and bought two Audi's because of all the talk of going all electric for 2025. A lot of disdain for the Audi electrics... as owners discover their  90K car depreciates to 45K in a year. 

After that the Lexus dealership called me (they knew I was looking) and I talked about Lexus going electric in a year or two. The salesman sighed and said...there isn't the infrastructure for that. 

[Blue-2002]

Just my personal take on this, I own both versions of the future and the past. I love my old cars (my 2002 and my forever project 1975 Honda CVCC wagon) and I also love my Tesla Model 3 P.

 

Each vehicle for me provides certain joys when I drive them. My Tesla is the perfect daily appliance that handles great and is actually very fast. Easy to drive daily and basically zero maintenance and the ability to blast past others silently makes me smile on an otherwise boring drive to work or wherever. I've put over 100k miles on my Tesla and my only items to "fix/replace" has been the 12v battery, a tail lamp, wiper blades, and tires in 5 years of ownership.

 

Now my classics, they bring a certain joy to me when I fix and modify them to suit my current taste in my cars. I will always own old cars since they bring me a sense of accomplishment when I drive them often and keep them going no matter what. The smells, sounds, and even the visceral unassisted handling will never be replicated by my Tesla and that holds a special place in my soul forever.

 

Just my 2 cents on this divisive topic amongst "supposed car enthusiasts"...

[jimk]

Certain times of the day will be peak electrical demand for car charging.  The extreme demand for power will take quit a bit of fossil fueled peaking generation.  Alternate energy sources are a base load type plants.  I can't imagine battery storage reserve will be able to deliver the peak megawatts.

 

There already has been a shoot out at a charging station in Denver, one died.  I heard the transportation secretary was escorted to the head of the charging line by secret service agents and damn near caused a riot.

[ray_]

[JohnS]

This happened recently where some dumb-a$$ tried to drive his CyberTruck on Marina beach and got stuck.

Doesn't off-road very well it seems 🙄

 

 

Edited March 23 by JohnS

[conkitchen]

The future will not be boring; It will be filled with endless proxy wars and constant social discord to keep everyone fully distracted from the Alien overlords.  

[Zak]

17 hours ago, cda951 said:

I slogged down to Irvine today in my '73 tii (for a high-voltage/EV training course, ironically)

It was the Serbian - American inventor and scientist, Nikola Tesla who came up with alternating current (AC) to enable the long distance transfer of electricity. Thomas Edison opposed AC,  stubbornly clinging to DC and sparking the "War of the Currents" as he incited mobs to burn down Tesla's laboratory and electrocuted elephants, other animals and eventually people in prisons to illustrate the dangers associated with AC. Tesla advocated free electrical power for all. Unfortunately, electrical power isn't cheap, nor is the Tesla car, named after Tesla, but not in the spirit of Tesla.

 

Electric cars are not affordable, and in their current configuration can never replace internal combustion engines despite the best efforts of the Green Nazis here in California.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 23 by Zak