Curated Content Editor

Lexus EV Transition Is Reportedly Going Well So Far
By Brett Foote

The big transition of moving along smoothly.

lexusnyca

It will hit the wall pretty fast - there are a finite number of customers who want an EV, and most of those want a Tesla because its a "cult" car. The automakers are going to learn their lessons shortly, they need the government to ban ICE cars totally for their EV investments to payoff. If left to market forces, they would struggle to get 30% EV market penetration. They can only succeed if the government forces people to buy EVs, like California and NY are doing.

Kense

California isn't forcing anybody to do anything, you don't have to buy anything. You can still buy used cars that aren't EV's. Also most people? Gas prices around here are back up to 7 dollars a gallon for Premium and It's $8.50 by my house. I'm one person who is tired of getting ripped off.

mmarshall

I agree that $8.50 is a rip off. But, at least, with gasoline, although there were some spot-shortages at stations earlier this year (part of which drove up the price), you don't have to worry about stations, most of the time, in most places, running out of gas. Just wait till we start regularly having electrical brownouts and blackouts because everybody and their brother is trying to recharge their EVs all at once. That will affect not only vehicles, of course, but anything run by electricity without a battery back-up......including your oven, furnace, air-conditioner, refrigerator, and numerous other things you need to live with. I just hope one of those blackouts doesn't hit when I'm in bed asleep or napping...my basic health is pretty good, but I have significant sleep apnea, and I rely on an electric APAP machine (no batteries to back it up) to keep air going reliably in and out of my lungs when in bed.

SW17LS

Nothing but fearmongering. Plenty of time for electrical grids to improve, this just won't happen.

mmarshall

With all due respect, if you don't think we're going to overtax the country's electrical system with too many EVs, I've got beachfront property I'll sell you in Montgomery County LOL.

I do agree, however, that time could (?) make it somewhat less-likely, because of more efficient-batteries that need less recharging, more efficient motors that use less electricity, and improvements to the grid itself. But you can bet the farm that we're not going to have a free lunch on this one, and that brownouts and blackouts will occasionally occur until the grid catches up......it's just a matter of when and where.

Also, as more and more of the country's electric grid supports basic-transportation, it will likely become a lucrative target for terrorist/cyber-attacks.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

this is also a unique situation to california with its 'unique' formulation rules so they can't get gas from most refineries and apparently some that product california formulas are offline right now.

meanwhile i just paid $3.20 (regular) in florida because our govt just dropped state gas taxes for a month.

RNM GS3

Really? My friends company is giving him $5,000 to buy an EV. Many big corporations are doing this. Add that with $7,500 govt incentive and it becomes hard to turn down.

While the Government is not “making” you buy one, they are definitely strongly suggesting it lol

Btw I paid $3.79 today for 93. First time under $4 in some time.

mmarshall

For New York State, that's not bad. But was it it a National-name-brand or Tier-1? If not, putting cheap gas in the tank may not always be a good idea. Cheap dime-store brands, even with the correct octane, often do not contain the necessary detergent additives, so you either have to use an added fuel-system cleaner (which costs more money) or risk carbon and deposit build-up.

Fizzboy7

Blah blah bah, garbage. Except you can't walk into your Lexus or Toyota dealer and buy the glorious vehicles discussed above (hybrids and electrics). And if you can, you have to wait forever and pay an arm and a leg or pay over sticker. The door is only open to a tiny percentage of the public, which is not a winning situation nor a smooth transition at all. Only the manufacturer is benefiting and these stories are spun to make everything look rosy.

Bob04

Smoothly? Weren't the wheels literally falling off the recently released Toyota EV? lol

Vladi

Lexus EV transition is reliant on Toyota EV transition and so far Lexus has only one EV model to offer. They are lagging behind other manufacturers big time in every aspect regarding EV.

jer

I agree there are currently a finite amount of customers looking at EV's. Until the charging network vastly improves, as well as electric range, there will still be many customers who will want to stick with ICE vehicles. We have many new condos and apartment buildings that have been built here over the last decade, none of which have any provisions for charging a vehicle and would need to be retrofitted. Also can be an issue for those without a secure garage to charge in. I can just see kids going through unplugging these vehicles at night for kicks and people thinking they have a full charge only to find out they are still on 'empty'. Also, the infrastructure for charging around here will need to be improved, such as covered locations, etc. At a regular gas station one can still pull in and fill up even if it is raining, snowing, etc. and be protected from the elements.

mmarshall

For many people, particularly those such as me who are not able to have charging facilities at home, hybrids are a much better idea (and compromise) than full-electrics. That is one issue that I don't think the regulators are taking seriously enough in the push to get everyone into EVs. I will seriously consider a hybrid next time, particularly if GM offers a hybrid version of the Encore GX, which it has not done yet. I would also consider a Lexus UX hybrid.....I am impressed with the way it drives,although it isrelatively cramped inside and I don't like the design of the interior and controls much...the Encore GX blows it away inside.

SW17LS

The flaw in your logic is that we aren't going to flip a switch and everybody has an EV. We're talking about a gradual ramp up of the % of vehicles on the road that are EVs over the next 25 years and even in 25 years it wont be anywhere near 100%. As more and more people have EVs the electrical grid will be improved. Think about the power demands of a home in 2022 vs a home in 1998, vs a home in 1985. The grid has survived because it has improved tremendously in that time correlating to the increasing demand.

This is just anti-EV propaganda.

Oh please lol. You don't think fuel infastructure is a similar target now?

Grasping at straws. EVs are happening.