Wow

[SgtRay]

Did I say wow? Ok WOW!!!

[RICZ]

What with the removal of dams and the decommissioning of coal fired generator plants in the west and emphasis on unreliable and costly wind and solar power, I foresee a future of brown outs and even blackouts as electric vehicles proliferate. I can't speak for the rest of the nation, but the enviro nuts out here are gaining a foothold.

[NoahMercy]

EVs are impractical with any of the current or even foreseeable-future battery technologies in several areas. Extremely limited range, long recharge times, and decreased efficiency in cold weather, plus a limited life on the battery arrays which are expensive to replace. Only city-dwellers who don't go more than a few dozen miles a day have any use for plug-ins. And the negative impact to the environment from the rare earth minerals required for them (and wind turbines), as well as the massive pollution from the cargo ships which bring them to our shores is multiple times worse than a gasoline vehicle emissions. Just hoping CanAm isn't stupid enough to eliminate petrol engines from their lineup...

[Navydad]

EVs are impractical with any of the current or even foreseeable-future battery technologies in several areas. Extremely limited range, long recharge times, and decreased efficiency in cold weather, plus a limited life on the battery arrays which are expensive to replace. Only city-dwellers who don't go more than a few dozen miles a day have any use for plug-ins. And the negative impact to the environment from the rare earth minerals required for them (and wind turbines), as well as the massive pollution from the cargo ships which bring them to our shores is multiple times worse than a gasoline vehicle emissions. Just hoping CanAm isn't stupid enough to eliminate petrol engines from their lineup...

[ARtraveler]

At this time...if they go all electric, I would be gone.

[bigbadbrucie]

EV is something I don’t even think about. Mine is a ‘14 RTS and is running just fine. If BRP were to switch to only EV, it would not affect my unit. It would still be gas powered, and my being 77 it is probably going to outlast me.....so...... why worry?

[hut1]

As the current owner of an F3 S and a sidecar rig, in addition to having regular access to a Tesla Model 3, I'd be very interested in the development of the Sidepod. I doubt if EV's (bikes/cars/trucks) will become exclusive during our lifetime, but I don't think there's any denying that they're here to stay.

[Cobwebs]

That Sidepod is very cool. I have a spaniel that wouldn't hesitate jumping in!
Functionality issues aside most of the EV stuff in normal peoples price range is the dorkiest looking so I'm assuming they're going to be megabucks to buy if they even come to market.
NoahMercy hit the nail on the head, that bunker fuel those giant ships burn pump out something like ten times more pollutants that all the vehicles on the planet combined so the whole debate is up the s#$t.

[Schreckftw]

I have a different opinion then most. I happen to be an EV fan. I will not comment on the environmental impact, I am just going to talk about the range and the pure fun it delivers. I think a Spyder would be the absolute perfect EV for fun.

First lets talk range. Range has never been an issue for me or for most people. Even never going above 80% charge which is recommended I have never had an issue. Even in the cold Ohio winters I have never had an issue. The average American drives less then 29 miles a day. I have also taken long trips such as OH to AZ in an EV. That was not an issue at all. There are more charging stations along the way then what you know. If you are not in an EV you just don't pay attention. My mapping software tells me when and where to stop and how long of a charge to put on. I have never spent more then 15 minutes at a charger. I get that's longer then a gas pump but when you have been driving for 4 hours a 15 minute break is not that bad. To be honest I usually spend more time at the station grabbing a bite to eat and leave with an even fuller charge then what was expected at the stop. I get that most people who only read about EV and never owned one will get range anxiety. I know that because it was me. After 3 months I never had it again.

All that range talk will not mean as much when if comes to an EV Spyder because lets face it we ride to ride not to get to a destination. We have way more waisted miles then a car, but that is OK. With the small electric motor it it would take to run a Spyder there is a ton of room left when the big 1330 is removed to put in a nice size battery. To boot there are about 50 new battery technologies that will emerge over the next 5 years that will improve all of this.

Now the most fun reason for an EV and why I say the Spyder would make the best EV is the power and fun of an EV. OMG the torque is out of control. Instant power at any RPM. The Spyder would be insane to drive. The Nanny system would be on all the time. I honestly believe they would make it an all wheel drive at that point as well or at least they should.

I for one would welcome an EV Spyder model. I think it would be the most fun to date.

[RayBJ]

"All that range talk will not mean as much when if comes to an EV Spyder because lets face it we ride to ride not to get to a destination"

I can only speak for myself but when I go for a ride (bike/spyder), an average day loop is 250-300 mi. in the most isolated areas I can get to. Slab & well-traveled roads may have chargers but there's not a lot of charging stations screwed to trees that I've seen yet. If I run low on gas, I can carry a gallon or get some from one of the other guys with me.

I'm old enough to except that the technology will not catch up before I hang up my spurs.

[Lew L]

I was thinking of our tour from Reno to Glacier National Park. VERy,Very few charging stations in the hinter lands of Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, MOntana. Back roads are stunning and not a charging station to be seen. Maybe the East coast is bereft with them but not in the west.

And where are we going to get the electricity when millions of EVs plug in at night (When the sun don't shine) Oh I know will cover the country in solar cells and store the power with lithium batteries---- Oh wait--- the local environmentalist are trying to stop mining a lithium deposit here because a hundred acres of some kind of wheat grass.

I know I sound like some kind of anti environment nut but I'm not----- the whole idea of all EVs for the masses just doesn't scale up for many MILLIONS of vehicles. Should we put solar panels on every new roof--- sure ( as the actual roofing material.) Should we put wind turbines up where it's always windy-- maybe. Have we come a long way in cleaning up our cars and industry-----YES.

You want to buy an EV--- please go ahead, it's a free country ( for now ). I and many, many others will stick with IC until electricity is cheap and there is a true breakthrough in battery technology.

Lew L

[ARtraveler]

I was thinking of our tour from Reno to Glacier National Park. VERy,Very few charging stations in the hinter lands of Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, MOntana. Back roads are stunning and not a charging station to be seen. Maybe the East coast is bereft with them but not in the west.

And where are we going to get the electricity when millions of EVs plug in at night (When the sun don't shine) Oh I know will cover the country in solar cells and store the power with lithium batteries---- Oh wait--- the local environmentalist are trying to stop mining a lithium deposit here because a hundred acres of some kind of wheat grass.

I know I sound like some kind of anti environment nut but I'm not----- the whole idea of all EVs for the masses just doesn't scale up for the MILLIONS of vehicles. Should we put solar panels on every new roof--- sure ( as theactual roofing material.) Should we put wind turbines up where it's always windy-- maybe. Have we come a long way in cleaning up our cars and industry-----YES.

You want to buy an EV--- please go ahead, it's a free country ( for now ). I and many, many others will stick with IC until electricity is cheap and there is a true breakthrough in battery technology.

Lew L

I see where you are coming from. I was a finance director for two of those organizations from 2001 to 2011 in Alaska. The money was good, but I never got into their politics. They knew it too. Many times, they asked my opinion on issues or candidates because they wanted to know what the "opposition" was thinking.

[Lew L]

I see where you are coming from. I was a finance director for two of those organizations from 2001 to 2011 in Alaska. The money was good, but I never got into their politics. They knew it too. Many times, they asked my opinion on issues or candidates because they wanted to know what the "opposition" was thinking.

Fast toward to today----- You wouldn't last a minute in many corporations today as the " opposition" and would be " shamed" and run out of town on a rail.

[ARtraveler]

Fast toward to today----- You wouldn't last a minute in many corporations today as the " opposition" and would be " shamed" and run out of town on a rail.

The times they are a changin.

[ollicat]

What with the removal of dams and the decommissioning of coal fired generator plants in the west and emphasis on unreliable and costly wind and solar power, I foresee a future of brown outs and even blackouts as electric vehicles proliferate. I can't speak for the rest of the nation, but the enviro nuts out here are gaining a foothold.

you are so right

[ollicat]

I own a plug in electric Pacifica. I love it for its 33 mile electric range. So for around town, great! But I took a two week family trip to Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. and let me tell you what, I was SO GLAD I had the gas engine too. how do you travel for 8 - 10 hours even on a Tesla with 250 mile range when you have to stop for a minimum for an hour for 75% charge and more realistically, 4 hours for a full charge? I want to stop for 5 minutes and keep going. Thank you gas engine. Also, lets talk charge points. Not one place on my two week journey was a charge point convenient for me when stopped or if one was there, it was occupied. So I never was able to charge up the whole time. Even at hotels over night, I checked my app and they said there was a charge point 3 miles away. So what am I going to do, go drive 3 miles and sit there for 3 hours as I charge? No way. Pure electric is a pipe dream for most folks unless all you ever do is drive around town and home every night. a hybrid or plug in hybrid makes sense but not pure electric.

And speaking of Spyders, I would NEVER buy a pure electric Spyder or any motorcycle. I like to tour, not sit around at charge points. To each their own I guess

[canamjhb]

What a lot of people miss about evolving to EVs is that the electricity for recharging has to come from "some" place. We are accustomed to plugging in our TV, lights, etc. and having them work. The electricity just comes out of the wall socket, right? Well, not quite. There is a whole infrastructure in place to make that all happen. If we all starting switching to EVs there is not enough electrical supply for recharging. And just where does our electricity come from? Coal fired plants? Nuclear and hydroelectrical plants? Yup and yup. Where does the energy come from to make those plants? And, those of you with EVs and home charging stations know that recharging takes a LOT of electrical power. It's not like you just plug in a toaster. If you and 25% of your neighbors all have EVs you will bring your current electrical infrastructure to it's knees. There's the argument that solar and wind power will provide "free" energy. Not so. There is some kind of energy needed to make, produce, and distribute all that "free" energy. For example, it takes more than 4 years of constant electricity production for one wind generator to cover the energy costs of it's production. That's not to mention the energy cost for producing the infrastructure to move that electricity from it's point of origin to the end user. We're just not equipped for mass transitioning to EVs. Our current electrical grid will not handle it. Rolling black outs like those experienced in California this summer could become more common and frequent nation wide. My 2 cents..... Jim

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Same issue with hydrogen fuel. It mostly is derived from water. The energy required to disassociate the hydrogen and oxygen atoms is the same or greater than the energy delivered when the hydrogen is recombined with oxygen in fuel cells or flame. So where do we get the energy to generate the hydrogen gas?

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I'm old enough to except that the technology will not catch up before I hang up my spurs.

That day may come sooner than you think! A quote from this page: https://apnews.com/article/business-...dccb60dc6d348b

General Motors says a pending breakthrough in battery chemistry will cut the price of its electric vehicles so they equal those powered by gasoline within five years. The technology also will increase the range per charge to as much as 450 miles.

[Possible]

Well, I don't know about any one else concerning the reality of GM's plans, but I'll believe it when I see it.

[Schreckftw]

Hi Jim I agree with what you are saying if everyone got an EV today. The truth is however that it will be adopted over many years. During that time technology will keep pace with how we harness, store, and distribute power. Even today with my battery wall and solar panels I produce on yearly average 64% of my homes power consumption. So my home only uses the grid on average for 36% of my power. Panels the same size as the ones I got just three years ago are able to harness even more power. Even my homemade Shed solar system will charge all my 80v yard equipment batteries.

At the same time what we use is drawling less power. Things as simple as LEDs for example. New homes are more energy efficient then ones built 20 years ago.


Buuuuut.....Regardless of all of that how fun would it be to have a Spyder loaded with gear do 0-60 in under 2 seconds with no loss of power till max speed...lol rolling black outs are worth it!!!!!!!!

[hut1]

[ollicat]

There is no way that by the magical year of 2035, the year the liberals are picking to ban the ICE, that we will have the infrastructure to handle a changeover to EVs. It takes forever to build nuclear, coal, natural gas, wind, and hydro plants when you consider design, planning, regulatory, purchasing of land, building, and testing. Not to mention distribution of that energy. We are heading for a train wreck with this push to EV and it is entirely self caused.

Agin, even with a magic wand and all of the above problems solved, nobody wants to wait hours between charges, or even 30 minutes when on the go. Batteries degrade with time and weather conditions unlike the ICE. They are expensive to replace and an environmental disaster to mine for and dispose of. This is all so needless. The people behind this have an agenda.

[Lew L]

There is no way that by the magical year of 2035, the year the liberals are picking to ban the ICE, that we will have the infrastructure to handle a changeover to EVs. It takes forever to build nuclear, coal, natural gas, wind, and hydro plants when you consider design, planning, regulatory, purchasing of land, building, and testing. Not to mention distribution of that energy. We are heading for a train wreck with this push to EV and it is entirely self caused.

Agin, even with a magic wand and all of the above problems solved, nobody wants to wait hours between charges, or even 30 minutes when on the go. Batteries degrade with time and weather conditions unlike the ICE. They are expensive to replace and an environmental disaster to mine for and dispose of. This is all so needless. The people behind this have an agenda.

+1............

[den1953]

The government, particularly NASA has been using nuclear batteries for a long time. The Voyager spacecrafts have been running on them for over 40 years and still are going yet. A nuclear battery has a radioactive core that sheds particles as nuclear material decays. The battery takes that and convert it to electricity. I'm not sure if the technology could be made safe enough for consumer use but a battery with 40 plus years of making usable electricity would be a game changer for sure.