Scotty Kilmer on why Plug-in Electric Vehicles are a bad idea
Youtube superstar mechanic Scotty Kilmer published a video on 2nd March 2021, discussing some little-known limitations of the much hyped Plug-in Electric Vehicles. This was followed by two more videos (1 & 2) in which he elaborated his position. The Powers That Be want to move past gasoline engines, just because they have some issues with Saudi Arabia, and it also helps with their broader de-industrialization agenda. But that doesn’t mean you should tag along.
To summarize, here is what can be learned from the video:
- There are many cases of batteries in these EVs are catching fire, for reasons that were initially unclear. Rather than replacing the batteries (which are expensive), we were told that a software update can fix the issue, by preventing the batteries to charge at 100%. More on this in another Scotty Kilmer video.
- This issue happened with Tesla batteries as well. It is now being blamed on dendrites which grow through the separator between the anode and the cathode. Of course, this is a non-issue with smaller batteries, but as batteries are growing bigger in size and capacity, this problem is being amplified. This is a hardware limitation and no software update will ever fix it.
- Batteries depreciate, and EV batteries can cost upwards of $10,000 to replace.
- Why does Tesla have to build charging stations? Because the “garage charger” that comes with your Tesla can take up to eight hours to fully charge the batteries (another Scotty Kilmer video). At 6:20 in the above video, Scotty raises the question of how long will the lineup be in front of these charging stations once freight trucks switch to electric? Remember that the trucks have a limited range of around 124 miles, which means regular charging.
- At 8:20 of the same video, we learn that in USA, Tesla was forced to recall 133951 cars after it was found that they would eventually fail because of the limitations of the circuitry (it could only write/rewrite so many times). Tesla fought the recall tooth and nail but ultimately, the NHTSA prevailed. This eventuality can be extended to all plug-in electric vehicles as well. This is built-in-obsolescence at a new level.
- There is a huge lag time in getting Teslas fixed after accidents, which can sometimes go into months. Only few places fix them.
- Tesla does not share repair information with anyone. In another Scotty Kilmer video, we learn that gasoline vehicles are required by law to have an OBD port which can be accessed using third party devices. This requirement does not extend to plug-in electric vehicles. Even general repairs outside the dealership may be impossible in some circumstances.