We Don’t Need No Freezing Sparky Cars

Turning over an old Leaf;

“I love the car,” he said. “Honestly, in three years and 40,000 kilometres, I’ve replaced a set of tires and windshield wiper fluid. Nothing breaks down. It’s a fantastic little vehicle. I think electric vehicles are the way to go.”
 
But nowadays, instead of being able to drive the 120 km that 2013 Leafs could initially go on a full charge, Brander can’t get much more than 80 km. He has even become hesitant about turning on the heat or window defroster, since using those features require battery power and will reduce his driving range even further.
 
Brander always knew that batteries lose capacity over time, and he figured it wouldn’t be a problem getting a new one.

53 Replies to “We Don’t Need No Freezing Sparky Cars”

  1. “Nothing breaks down. It’s a fantastic little vehicle.”
    I too love electric motors. It’s batteries and 500 mile long extension cords that I can’t stand.

  2. There’s going to be even more tons of toxic waste piling up in landfills that can’t be repurposed. Solar panels, wind turbine blades and yes, electric vehicle batteries. The stupidity of the greenies is absolutely stunning.

  3. Ah, the problem with the Lithium Ion battery. There is no standard specification between manufacturers, period. And the replacement cost, without public subsidy, is daunting. And the environmental damage caused by surface lithium mining – look at Lake Titicaca (or what’s left of it) and top that with no real means of recycling (because of the uncertain standards in manufacture). It just isn’t very green.

  4. Not only do our masters plan to relieve you of your guns, they plan to deny you any car worth more than its value as scrap.

    A successful rebel army requires reliable weaponry and means of transport. No prizes for guess why they don’t want you to have access to either.

      1. They are already going after food, haven’t you heard that farting cows cause glowbull wormening?

  5. Gang Green love to point out moving from horse/buggy to the automobile.
    I tell them no one was legislated to give up horses and Henry Ford received $0.00 in government grants or subsidies. People went that way because if was efficient and affordable.
    EV’s, on the other hand, can’t make a go without grants and subsidies. It is also being propped up by crooked politicians – i.e. Gavin Newsome – legislating bans on vehicles with ICE’s.

    1. Gang Green needs to take a serious look at the pollution in New York City pre-automobile. None of the horses providing needed transport wore any form of diaper, so the horse po op just piled up on the streets. And the flies found it. Apparently it was a serious health hazard.

      That being said, do remember my father, who grew up in Vancouver, reminiscing about his childhood. In those days, there were still horse-drawn delivery vans (milk being a major one), and the horses did their thing, to the detriment of the streets. However, thrifty housewives – as Granny was – would whip out and procure same as free fertilizer for the garden. According to Dad, Granny’s runner beans reached the second story balcony where he was wont to sleep on hot nights. Doubt, however, if there were enough gardens in New York to utilize the daily deposits.

  6. Quiennes mas Eco? A Nissan Leaf owner, or me? My daily runabout car is a 1991 BMW 325i e30 5speed manual transmission ICE car. Yes, I bought it used in about 1995 … for my daughter to drive at college … and have kept it in tip top shape ever since I bought it back from her. I haven’t bought a replacement for this car since 1995. 25 years … and counting. And it passes California’s exceeding strict emissions testing every year. Who is more Eco? Me? Or the Nissan Leaf Owner who is about to send his useless (and toxic) 7-year old Nissan Leaf to the Landfill?

    PS … I never have range anxiety … and it takes me 5 min. to fill up for another 300 miles.

    1. Wow! I though I was doing well. You’ve got me beat. My daily runabout is a 2002 BMW 325 Ci Cabriolet e46 manual transmission. I leased it new (my midlife crisis car) and bought out the lease after 4 years. 18 years…and counting. Just about to go over 100,000 miles (160,000 km). I do almost all the ongoing maintenance myself. Never thought about replacing it. Run it in all four seasons never had snow tires (I live in Southern Ontario). I agree.

      My neighbour, Mr. “Green”jeans is already on his second electric.

      1. Meh…gotcha both beat..
        2006 GMC 2500hd…..LBZ 6.6l Diesel. Bought as a Leaseback Feb 07 with 49,500 km on it

        Just rolled 588, 965 km..
        ~ 370,000 miles… I figure that it will outlast me….and they will have to pry my hands off the steering wheel from my cold dead hands.

        EV’s…?? LMAO at these colossal jokes…and the idiots that buy em. Lots of Teslas in Calgary I note…gonna be a shit ton of Bats heading to our landfills soon. I doubt none of them will hit 600k. Or even 1/2 that.

        Eco-crap…like all the rest.

        And the 09 Rogue from Nissan was Junk..!! (Wife’s car at one time)

    2. Hmmm.

      1994 Toyota land cruiser. 345.000 miles and no major part replacements. Brakes , oil and small stuff.
      16MPG on the freeway. Street driving. Don’t even ask.

      Love it.

      1. She’s a beauty. We never got Land Cruisers in Canada. Only 4Runners and Sequoias (and GX Lexus which is a very expensive Land Cruiser).

  7. I had several Nissans – they were good vehicles. But the one time I asked for help from Nissan Canada about a problem I had with one of their dealerships, they were no help at all.

    So I kind of feel for the guy. He bought the car second hand, so I doubt he got any taxpayer subsidy. And if he’s charging it at home, that’s likely on his dime too.

    Far as I’m concerned electric cars are just like windmills and solar panels: if you want them, buy them to your heart’s desire; I just dont want to pay for them in any way, shape, or form.

    1. Nissan was a great make until about the turn of the century when they got infected with the French disease (married Renault), they have been going downhill since then. Funny enough, Mitsubishi joined Nissan-Renault few years ago. They did that right after purging from their lineup anything that could be accused of even minimum character.

      1. Yup. The Maximas built between 95 and the early 2000s were a hell of a bang for the buck.

        1. True, even the preceding generation Maxima was great. One of my most fun beater cars was an 87 NX Pulsar with T-tops, pop up lights, stick shift and the 16 valve engine (it said so proudly on the door).

      2. I bought a 2006 Maxima … great car, kept it for six years. I made a service appointment and when I showed up, they told me that they gave my time slot to a guy from out of town. Told me to come back in about three hours … like I have nothing better to do.

        I don’t know why I was bumped but my question was … “what is the meaning of an appointment?”

        I went and traded for a Subaru, got a good deal and the car was excellent and it holds it’s value much better than my Nissan. Traded for yet another Subaru in 2018 … Nissan lost my business.

        You see, when you mistreat a customer, you lose them for good.

        Until you can fully recharge in less than an hour and drive at least 300 miles (500Km) per charge, with lights and heat or air …. I have no interest in electric vehicles.

        One more thing … they can’t cost more than a gas vehicle.

  8. The usual Support systems don’t exist… Most Companies have converted to the Consumer Computer mode.. The Fix is in the Next model… The Military Spec requirement that Support & Parts be provided for 13 years was changed to 7 years.. and now Zero..
    Build your own Battery, actually the existing Batteries don’t look like a completed Product.. Eng Prototype…

    The same issue is Consumer wide for all Household products… No parts available especially if they have Canadian modifications(CSA)…..The parts exist under original USA definition in some cases…

  9. Install a trailer hitch on your car…buy a cheap gas generator along with a very small trailer… tow the damn thing around town and charge your battery at the same time.
    Money ahead and you’ll still feel like you’re making a difference Mr. GreenJeans.
    Dumbass.

    1. Yep, I was suggesting the same thing with the Tesla pick up, just put a diesel generator on the bed and you get a road going diesel locomotive. Imagine the faces of greetards if they ever seen that.

    2. And put a big sign on the trailer and park the whole contraption on the street in front of the Nissan dealer.

  10. Oh man up soy boy. Go buy a new one like the rest of us.
    Fkn green karen crybaby cheapskate.

    You bought cheap, thinking( always ) you’re smart and got what you didnt pay for. A used up, low production, weirdo virtue signal participation smugness on 4 wheels.
    Haha.

  11. Quote:

    ‘The statement also pointed out the environmental impact of the Leaf, saying owners around the world have driven 4.8 billion kilometres and helped to prevent “more than 2.4 billion kilograms of CO2 emissions.” ‘

    How much were the carbon emissions from the power plants that supplied the electricity to charge all these cars?

    The “greenies” yell loud and long about “zero-emission”, but they neglect to consider a basic truth: WHERE DOES THE ELECTRICITY TO POWER THESE ‘NON-POLLUTING’ CARS COME FROM? Is it miraculously formed by a magic wand waved over the power lines? Does it come from the ‘ether’, appearing out of nowhere to provide countless kilowatts to these electric powered (but pollution-less) vehicles?

    Just once, I’d like to see someone hold the electric vehicle industry accountable for the fact that IT TAKES POWER TO RUN THEIR VEHICLES, AND THAT POWER MUST COME FROM SOMEWHERE – PROBABLY SOMEWHERE THAT POLLUTES.

    But, that would imply a certain amount of logic and common sense in the aforesaid industry – which is most assuredly *not* reality.

  12. “The dealership where I bought the car said that in a few years, you can replace the battery for about $5,000,” said Brander.

    hook, line & sinker

    What a maroon!

  13. They do what they’re supposed to do. Not take you very far. Electric cars are only meant for city people. Everybody stacked in cities like rats. No need to travel outside of the city far from your leash ..er, I mean charging station. And the other main reason to get the population into mega cities is we all know how a majority of city dwellers vote. We see it every election. Cities change people and their behavior.

  14. Wah, the Dealer won’t help ME!

    Um, it’s a 2013 and the warranty is long expired, you’re on your own, sucker.

    Yes, dealerships are in the business of SELLING cars, and performing warranty work, and, contractually obligated regular maintenance. Can’t find an affordable battery? Aw, shucks, huh? Welcome to EV ownership, at least he didn’t put out $50k for a Tesla Lemon.

  15. My Dodge Ram diesel passed 400k km a while back. On a product lifetime analysis, it’s greener than most EV’s.

    1. My father bought a 1992 Dodge Turbo Ram brand new. When it started falling apart, he traded it in on a new 2013 model. I inherited it from him and I haven’t had too many problems with it.

  16. Until they can miniaturize a nuke to fit under the hood of a 2500 Truck….?? don’t bother waking me up..or screaming about my Oil burner.

  17. “WHERE DOES THE ELECTRICITY TO POWER THESE ‘NON-POLLUTING’ CARS COME FROM? ”
    What a stupid question. EVERYONE knows that, just like steak comes from Safeway,electricity comes from the plug on the wall.
    My neighbors daughter works for BC Hydro and drives a Tesla.When I questioned him on where the electricity comes from he said she charges it at work(BC Hydro).So I said well where do they get it from? He didn’t say a word. BTW, he is a big globull warming proponent.

    1. In some ways, I’m hoping that Horgan cancels the Site C dam project. While it’ll hurt the Fort St. John area, which I don’t want, it’ll be fun to see Lotusland start panicking when it suffers power shortages because of all the EVs and electronic toys that can’t be readily charged as a result.

      (Uh, Captcha? A mobile personnel hoist isn’t a tractor.)

  18. A smart politician would get ahead of this and impose a hefty environmental clean up fee for EV batteries and cars. Remember, EVs don’t pay any gas tax for road repair either.

  19. Thats a good question where does all this power come from? There are plenty of areas in North America where the electrogrid approaches brown outs on really hot days and people are encouraged to not use air conditioners. Whats gonna happen on sweltering days in summer or really cold days in winter when the grid is under high demand situations. Now we all decide to plug in the “Commie Coach” after getting home from work, instant melt down or at least severe brown outs. Those fossil fuels will be looking pretty friendly right about then.

    1. There is not enough power available in your typical suburban subdivision to support a fleet of 100% electric vehicles being charged every night. All the homes may have a 200 amp service but it was never designed to have all the homes drawing that amount of power everyday. The feeders to the subdivision simply cannot support it. $Trillions in upgrades to make it happen.
      It’s all bull crap, the “end of fossil fuels”.

  20. Electric cars today, while they provide excellent performance, are on a dead end of the automotive evolutionary tree.
    They need better batteries and quicker charge times at a reasonable un-subsidized price.
    To date they are just expensive toys for virtue signalling morons and those with lots of spare cash wanting the thrill of acceleration. Check out the Hummer EV1, a truck, a large truck, 0 to 60 in 3 seconds. All for $150,000 or there abouts.
    It’s why they never advanced since the early 1900’s. Not viable for mass market.

  21. Electric Cars..Losers for 200 years.
    They lost to the Steam car.
    They were not competitive with the horse.
    Then they lost to the internal combustion engine..
    And always the promoters swear the magic battery will be available real soon..
    What do you bet we have the Flying Car first?

    1. Possibly we would paint them bright green, plaster them with Energy-Star and Eco stickers and get the Geneva Convention to classify them in the same category as the Red Cross?

  22. And this guy lives in Powell River. The ferries take him farther than his car can. If he lived in Saskatchewan, well you don’t see very many boat anchors sitting in driveways in SK.
    https://www.smalldeadanimals.com/index.php/2020/10/24/y2kyoto-snowfalls-are-now-just-a-thing-of-the-past-3/

    “Numerous records were broken, including in Val Marie, where the mercury dropped to -27 C, breaking the record of -14 C set back in 2002, and making the community the Canadian cold spot for most of the morning Friday.”

    He could defrost his windshield OR drive to McDonalds. Not both.

    1. – And BTW – lithium batteries? If they’re colder than 0°C (32F for the rest of us – water freezing temp), they will not accept a charge.

      Ya’ see, it’s a metal reaction; anode to cathode (through the car’s wiring) and when you charge it, the current flows the other way. But below 0°C, the metal starts moving – and forms dendrites; tiny, mad-sharp spikes. If they reach across the cell from – to +, they short-out the cell and it explodes. If they reach the cell wall – most lithium batteries are flat, poly-wrapped envelopes – they puncture the cell, short-out neighbouring cells, let air in and generally, the affected cells explode.

      This is known; a bud’ told me decades ago now, one of his in-laws worked in a battery company in the ‘States. They could make a lithium battery the size of a coke can that would power a small motorcycle, but nobody was doing it because the battery would have the explosive power of half a stick of dynamite, and they would frequently explode just in the normal course of using them – bad publicity. So once you plug-in your electric car, it must heat the battery pack above 0°C before it starts to charge it – it has to, the batteries all have thermostats built in them. And not just cars; your drill batteries must be above 0°C too, and they will not charge at all if the battery pack is flat ( – ask me how much it cost me to learn these life-lessons).

      So how good an idea does it sound to be selling these things in Canada? You drive it to work, it’s got enough juice to get you home but it’s cold so the car puts the battery to work heating itself. By the time you get off-shift, there’s nowhere near enough power left in the battery to get home. So you grab a lift home with a co-worker, and when you get to work next morning, your battery is flat. You’ve got a really big – and really expensive – paperweight.

  23. Also, I’ve got this Bic lighter I bought six years ago. It worked wonderfully for the first three months but then the flame kept getting smaller and smaller and it just quit. I have written and emailed the Bic company, complained to my MLA and MP, filed with the Better Business Bureau all to no avail. Bic simply refuses to refill it (said I should just buy a newer one) and no matter how I try I can’t get butane into it.

    Does anybody know who I should talk to at the CBC?

    1. Depends.
      What colour, race, gender identity, political leaning, etc., etc. are you?
      You may not qualify for help.

  24. So my home town finally makes SDA as a news event….then, duh, it’s about an EV that ain’t so EF, (environmentally friendly) I’ve seen this thing around town a few times too. When you start seeing the fan blades, and the solar panels are now mounting into a giant recycle problem, and now these stupid batteries will cause even more headaches. Yet the greenies still demand we discontinue coal, oil and nuclear, and they’ll just close their eyes and stick fingers in their ears about this as well. I’m wondering if we can use the solar panels for building glass houses! The blades could be stand up paddle boards. Not sure yet about giant batteries, and using em as anchors won’t be environmentally very friendly to aquatic life or the water either. how about using them as giant type Lego blocks, there should be enough residual energy in them to keep you warm if you build them into a house with solar panels as roofing, and they could top up the batteries too.There, solved the whole darn green problem in a paragraph! I’m mighty proud of me, yes I am!

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