Switching from an electric car back to gasoline can be ugly

SAN FRANCISCO – JUNE 27: A petrol pump pumps fuel into a car at a Shell petrol station June 27, 2005 … [+] in San Francisco, California. The price of oil hit a record high today, closing at $ 60.54 a barrel for traders? Concerns about high demand and potentially low supply. The average retail price for all three types of gasoline reached $ 2.24 a gallon on June 24, down from $ 2.16 three weeks earlier. (Photo by Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

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I was recently forced to switch back to a gasoline car. Fortunately it was short.

I usually drive a 2018 Chevy Bolt, but since it is being serviced, I got a Nissan Versa on loan.

The 2021 Versa is certainly not fancy. And it’s a far cry from an Infiniti QX55. But the problem is bigger.

ICE is dirty, loud, old

I will never voluntarily return to a gasoline car also known as an ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicle.

Here’s why:

• Fumes: I got used to starting my Bolt in the garage with the door closed for reasons I won’t go into here. This is of course impossible with a gasoline car because of the exhaust gases. But the fumes remain even when the garage door is open (see this report). And closing the door too quickly can trap toxic fumes that can then travel to other parts of your home, especially if you have an attached garage.
• Noise: Driving an electric car is essentially a noiseless, vibration-free experience. Driving your average gasoline car isn’t. Even a brand new Nissan Versa 2021 is a harrowing experience after driving an electric drive.
• Fuel: It costs more to fill up a gasoline car. I am living proof of that. When I owned a gasoline car, I was spending over $ 200 a month on gasoline (I live in Los Angeles). That dropped to between $ 50 and $ 75 (roughly) – and sometimes less – per month with an electric vehicle.
• Ancient history: I have often asked myself how humanity will look back on fossil fuels 100 years from now. I can imagine how absurd it will seem for people to be stuck in traffic jams and emitting toxic fumes from one another. The ICE car is ancient and deserves its imminent demise.

That doesn’t mean that electric cars are perfect. The problem that electric cars face is that the battery technology has not been fully revised. Mass-produced gas cars have been around for over 100 years, while mass-produced electric cars have been around for about a decade. Battery technology for electric cars just doesn’t exist yet. However, electric cars are overall so superior to ICE vehicles (imo) that electric cars will win over the majority of US car buyers in the long term.

But don’t take my word for it. Just ask the executives at GM, Ford, BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and all the other traditional automakers who are rushing en masse to switch to electric vehicles (and trying to catch Tesla).

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REMARKS:

* I had the Versa for two weeks. Finally, my dealer provided a 2021 screw as a replacement. Here is a longer explanation of what happened to my 2018 Bolt.

Comments or suggestions can be sent to me via a direct Twitter message at twitter.com/mbrookec.