Quote:
Originally Posted by kdogg2077
At what point does all this battery swapping become more costly than just paying for gas?
Not saying you couldn't make it work though.
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Since I'm not in the business of electric or gas vehicles, I can only speculate. I'd imagine the cost for this "battery swapping" lease would be roughly equivalent to the cost of gas. I only base that on a relatively expensive replacement cost, and relatively cheap recharge. Divide replacement costs over many years (presumably the batteries will last longer with regular maintenance) and take into account the large scale recycling, I'd imagine monthly costs would be equivalent to buying gas.
At this point in history, I do not see electric powered personal transportation as a money saving endeavor, it's mostly to make a statement and to help push us away from using limited resources to power our vehicles. Production of the batteries and the electricity that powers these vehicles is far from being "eco-friendly".
That's the reason I would like an e-motorcycle. Unless consumers create a demand for non-resource-consuming vehicles, the technology will stagnate. It doesn't take everyone driving electric vehicles to push the technology forward, but it does take some. There's obviously enough demand for electric cars that Tesla exists. While that demand exists, Tesla will continue pushing the envelop of what an electric car can do. Some day it will become mainstream. The people buying now are just the early adopters. Be a part of the movement, or follow the sheep...
that said... I have other priorities in my life right now (like buying a house, raising a kid) that prevent me from being in a place financially to afford an e-motorcycle. As much as I wish I could buy one now, I will have to wait until I'm in a different financial situation, or the prices come down. Once again though, as the technology develops (because of early adopters) the prices will drop.