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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Electric car technology is improving

There will be a period of transition to new tech, says letter writer
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With the price of gasoline, I’m surprised that sales of electric cars have not increased, says letter writer. NEWS BULLETIN file photo

To the editor,

Re: Gasoline, not batteries, keeps us going and going, Letters, April 4.

The first automobiles were steam powered, the impracticability of their early 19th-century technology now long since superseded.

Electric cars followed, but battery technology was yet in its infancy, and while other fuel sources were exploited, gasoline proved to be the most economic and efficient of all.

And just as the earliest of gasoline-powered engines had a range limited by the technology of the day, so too the range of electric vehicles will increase notably as battery technology evolves.

There will be a period of transition where we must depend on out-dated technology as the new arises, just as people on horses shared and gradually made way for newer forms of transportation. We still need to have horses, just not on the highway, just as there will be a need for oil, just not in motor vehicles.

Charles Boyle, Nanaimo

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Gasoline, not batteries, keeps us going and going

OPINION: Electric cars aren’t a saviour yet on a warming globe

To the editor,

Re: Gasoline, not batteries, keeps us going and going, Letters, April 4.

Tesla has rounded out its electric vehicle lineup with the Model Y high-performance, all-wheel-drive crossover.

It now offers everything from entry-level cars to high-end luxury sedans, full-body SUVs, crossover SUVs, high-performance roadsters, and even semi-trailer trucks.

With the price of gasoline, I’m surprised that sales of electric cars have not increased like they have in Europe. There seems to be a concern about the battery and the electric motor. I had a motor and a lithium ion battery installed on my bike 14 years ago. I have never had a problem with either one.

When my wife and I were married in 1950, we bought a GE refrigerator. The 69-year-old motor is still running quietly and keeping our beer and juices much colder than the stainless steel monster in the kitchen.

Jack Nellist, Nanaimo


The views and opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the writer and do not reflect the views of Black Press or the Nanaimo News Bulletin. If you have a different view, we encourage you to write to us or contribute to the discussion below.