this post was submitted on 31 May 2026
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Cars - For Car Enthusiasts
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My car is 20 years old, and not nearing need for replacement.
Our other car is 10 years old and like new still.
Replacing either one makes no sense.
It will if you cant put gas in them.
Gas would have to get pretty expensive before spending money on a new e-car made more sense than continuing to fuel a car that was paid off 15 years ago (assuming a 5 year loan on the 20 year old car).
Now getting rid of one car and replacing it with a bicycle (or e-bike) would be a boss move.
If inflation is taken into account, current high gas prices haven't broken the record yet. What I have noticed is that even during times of high prices, I don't see a lot of changed behavior from people. So it's not high enough for them to reduce fuel use in needless driving or idling in parking lots. Just high enough to complain about.
I do think we need to move to better energy sources and less fossil fuel use, but that isn't going to happen without some outside pressure.
Yeah before this I would keep on mentioning how cheap gas was. I mean the four bucks a gallon seen in the aughts would need to be 8 to 12 now to be about the same in my area. Thing is I kinda feel cheap gas and electronics is the only thing that let us keep this house of cards going.
I also have a 20 y/o car. The $100/month we spend on gas going up to like $120 is a small price to avoid the spyware and touch screens of a new EV we can't afford anyway.
Yeah but fossil fuels are like half of the components of electricity in America, so we won't be able to afford that either.
Even with fossil fuel as electricity source, the chain of fuel to forward trajectory is far more efficient with an EV. Just consider how much waste heat gas cars produce vs EVs. With gas, you’re paying for all that heat that you’re just dumping into the air. Electricity prices are very stable and can be offset with solar or wind at your own home. Can’t refine your own gas with the limited exception of bio diesel.
I don't know the specifics of fuel efficiency for gas cars, but making electricity by burning fuel also produces a lot of waste heat, about 2/3 of the heat goes to the birds, 1/3 is converted into electricity.
20% at most in a car.
In ideal situations an ICE could reach 45% efficient. However it is very hard to maintain ideal conditions, and a car in the real world won't be even close so 20%. This is one reasons a power plant can be more efficient - they have abilities to make conditions more ideal that you cannot do with your car.