CAR BRANDS

[SteelCurtain]

...What is undeniable is that people buy into brands. The idea of a car being more than just a machine. Lots of people join car clubs and associations for this very reason. I doubt electric car companies will have the same sort of following and loyalty in 50 years as what car companies do now. The basic point I was making is that petrol cars promote more of a following. It has more of a history and people just plain prefer the use of an actual engine producing a real noise. Sure you can make noises similarly with computers and such, but it's not the same and people know that. But whatever.

I agree. With a caveat. I think the idea of new brands having a following like 100 year old brands is a little ridiculous. In 50 years, if Tesla survives and propagates, it'll have a following just the same. For kids that will grow up with electric cars being the majority of the vehicles on the road, they will view petrol vehicles like we view the big block 427 that is not even remotely feasible today in the world of 1.3L turbocharged engines that output the same power. They will be the awesome things of a bygone generation.

Not to mention that as the electric car becomes more of a necessity, the major brands will have their own. Already Porsche, Ferrari, and McLaren have full hybrid hypercars available, as you probably saw on Top Gear. The electric range on them is like 8 miles, but the point is that they are 200mph hypercars that have electric motors in them.

Efficiency and charge is the major issue. For a vehicle to have the proper utility, it needs to be able to accomplish a road trip. I should be able to drive 12 hours straight or I should be able to recharge in a time period not appreciably longer than it takes me to pump gas. Electric cars will be the playthings of people who can afford a road trip car and a daily driver car until that happens.

Or, alternatively, America will develop long range mass transit infrastructure as a result of electric cars becoming popular. Wishful thinking...