Hey Murph, as a longtime Hacks on Tap listener, I have long admired your fast, vast mental and verbal agility. After reading your musings on the passions of the EV crowd, my hope is that you continue to share these personal perspectives on subjects non-political. Your Hackery is great; time to unleash your Thackeray for even more amusement!
Thx Mike, I felt the same way and now own a VW ID.4 it is the first car in a long long time that I'm excited about an automobile. I confess to being a geek which doubles my enthusiasm. For great info check out Tom’s youtube channel State of Charge, he is a no-nonsense straight shooter.
Jul 5, 2023·edited Jul 5, 2023Liked by Mike Murphy
Mike, nice to see you on the Stack. I’m a long time Hackeroo, and enjoy the political analysis. But I’ve also found your “cultural references” to be broad and deep. And yes, very Boomer. Anyway, I think you’ll have lots to write about outside the Hackasphere. PS. We’ve lived car-free in downtown PDX for years. Great public transport infrastructure. I do all my hauling on a cargo eBike. Another great e-vehicle. PS. I've been on Substack a few years. If you like historical curiosities - check out "The Forgotten Files" https://forgottenfiles.substack.com
The comparison to backyard engineers building rockets and finding joy in the process is a good one. I own a Tesla, having bought into the better technology (IMHO) of the car (and particularly its charging network), not the 15 on a scale of 1 to 10 a@@holery of the owner. The charging network is critical for long distance road trips; we have done five 2000 mile plus trips in our 20 months of e car ownership. It is doable in a Tesla because of Musk's vision to build fast (level 3) chargers along most interstates. Now Ford/GM and Rivian have come to him so that their vehicles may use his chargers. I suspect long distance trips in non Tesla vehicles is very challenging in 2023; hopefully that will change over time.
I get two arguments re: e cars. The first is from people, usually on the "right" side of the political equation who talk about the costs (environmental) of battery production and fact that some electrical power (especially in Europe) is based on coal power. Valid points, but the it is a relative, not absolute question--i.e., overall, does use of e cars result in less harm than use of fossil fueled vehicles. The answer to this question is clear. The second argument, mostly from upper middle people on the left, is the incovenience factor on road trips, the inability to just stop for gas whenever, and the need to be monitoring performance based on wind, temperature etc to determine whether you can make it to Cedar City Utah or will need to stop instead at Beaver Utah because the cold temperatures have dropped your performance maybe 20 or 25%. Valid point, but not a showstopper.
Overall, I love the electric car and think that over time, market forces, and yes the sheer joy of driving such a zippy vehicle will win out, with a win for the planet as well.
Always glad to see your ruminations. I've been an unashamed fan since the "Radio Free GOP" podcast days. That podcast kept me sane during the 2015/2016 election cycle. I sitll have my "Jeb!" sticker, too. Yes, I'm also a Hackeroo. And you'll have my undying gratitude for helping me find my way to The Bulwark.
I'd recommend a subscription to Car & Driver. They are real true believers in personal transportation regardless of what powers them. They are doing a lot of good, practical work on how EVs function as an automobile. Their bread and butter content is new car reviews. They use real world tests against the manufacturers' specs. For example, they have their own 75mph course that's used to test out gas mileage and now testing battery range.
It's likely that one of our next vehicles will be electric. The obstacles are now just practical ones like dealing with our HOA's architectural review board to upgrade our electrical service (our breaker box is outside and therefore under their powers).
Finally, as an unabashed worshipper of horsepower it boggles the mind that the electric Hummer can propel over 9,000 pounds of plastic and metal to 60 mph faster than either of the BMWs I've owned (E39 M5 and 2016 M3). Of course, the whole business of stopping that much mass is another topic...:-)
Hi Mike, enjoyed your podcast on Call Me Back with Dan Senor, very witty and insightful. I also enjoyed your piece Biden’s Last Hurrah, but it does contain three typos. I hate it when I get typos in my stuff, so I figured you probably hate it too. That’s the only reason I point it out.
You seem wonderfully reality-oriented in pretty much all other areas so I will venture to put a dose of reality into your “saving the planet for my daughter” remark. Asking a climate scientist what the earth’s temperature will be in 2050 is pretty much equivalent to asking a political scientist who will be president in 2050. Climate scientists are essentially climate historians; once they start talking about the future they are doing PhD-level guesswork.
Well it's either the Space Program or a Dangerous Cult of volt-heads who are going to join forces with AI and take over the world. And who are clearly in the process of successfully sucking you in. As a person who owns Tesla stock, I'm glad that you've finally climbed on The Electric Bandwagon. (Even though the Electric Bandwagon sounds like a heavy metal cover band.) But you should have bought a TESLA.
I’m a listener of Hacks on Tap from its beginning. I love the way you speak and write, even if I don’t always agree with you! You provide variety in my political life. I’m glad you found an EV you love!
Hey Murph, as a longtime Hacks on Tap listener, I have long admired your fast, vast mental and verbal agility. After reading your musings on the passions of the EV crowd, my hope is that you continue to share these personal perspectives on subjects non-political. Your Hackery is great; time to unleash your Thackeray for even more amusement!
Thx Mike, I felt the same way and now own a VW ID.4 it is the first car in a long long time that I'm excited about an automobile. I confess to being a geek which doubles my enthusiasm. For great info check out Tom’s youtube channel State of Charge, he is a no-nonsense straight shooter.
I posted a link on GM-Volt.com here-
https://www.gm-volt.com/threads/substack-article-on-ev-culture-of-happiness-by-mike-murphy.346645/
Big fan of your political work. This is a great start to your new Substack! Looking forward to more!
Great post, Mike. I too got sucked into the EV world and love it. Although, I am drawn to the Steve Jobs/Elon types. Keep ‘em coming!
Mike, nice to see you on the Stack. I’m a long time Hackeroo, and enjoy the political analysis. But I’ve also found your “cultural references” to be broad and deep. And yes, very Boomer. Anyway, I think you’ll have lots to write about outside the Hackasphere. PS. We’ve lived car-free in downtown PDX for years. Great public transport infrastructure. I do all my hauling on a cargo eBike. Another great e-vehicle. PS. I've been on Substack a few years. If you like historical curiosities - check out "The Forgotten Files" https://forgottenfiles.substack.com
The comparison to backyard engineers building rockets and finding joy in the process is a good one. I own a Tesla, having bought into the better technology (IMHO) of the car (and particularly its charging network), not the 15 on a scale of 1 to 10 a@@holery of the owner. The charging network is critical for long distance road trips; we have done five 2000 mile plus trips in our 20 months of e car ownership. It is doable in a Tesla because of Musk's vision to build fast (level 3) chargers along most interstates. Now Ford/GM and Rivian have come to him so that their vehicles may use his chargers. I suspect long distance trips in non Tesla vehicles is very challenging in 2023; hopefully that will change over time.
I get two arguments re: e cars. The first is from people, usually on the "right" side of the political equation who talk about the costs (environmental) of battery production and fact that some electrical power (especially in Europe) is based on coal power. Valid points, but the it is a relative, not absolute question--i.e., overall, does use of e cars result in less harm than use of fossil fueled vehicles. The answer to this question is clear. The second argument, mostly from upper middle people on the left, is the incovenience factor on road trips, the inability to just stop for gas whenever, and the need to be monitoring performance based on wind, temperature etc to determine whether you can make it to Cedar City Utah or will need to stop instead at Beaver Utah because the cold temperatures have dropped your performance maybe 20 or 25%. Valid point, but not a showstopper.
Overall, I love the electric car and think that over time, market forces, and yes the sheer joy of driving such a zippy vehicle will win out, with a win for the planet as well.
Always glad to see your ruminations. I've been an unashamed fan since the "Radio Free GOP" podcast days. That podcast kept me sane during the 2015/2016 election cycle. I sitll have my "Jeb!" sticker, too. Yes, I'm also a Hackeroo. And you'll have my undying gratitude for helping me find my way to The Bulwark.
I'd recommend a subscription to Car & Driver. They are real true believers in personal transportation regardless of what powers them. They are doing a lot of good, practical work on how EVs function as an automobile. Their bread and butter content is new car reviews. They use real world tests against the manufacturers' specs. For example, they have their own 75mph course that's used to test out gas mileage and now testing battery range.
BTW, C&D gave the iX a 9.5/10 score and ranked it above every other competitor (https://www.caranddriver.com/bmw/ix).
It's likely that one of our next vehicles will be electric. The obstacles are now just practical ones like dealing with our HOA's architectural review board to upgrade our electrical service (our breaker box is outside and therefore under their powers).
Finally, as an unabashed worshipper of horsepower it boggles the mind that the electric Hummer can propel over 9,000 pounds of plastic and metal to 60 mph faster than either of the BMWs I've owned (E39 M5 and 2016 M3). Of course, the whole business of stopping that much mass is another topic...:-)
Hi Mike, enjoyed your podcast on Call Me Back with Dan Senor, very witty and insightful. I also enjoyed your piece Biden’s Last Hurrah, but it does contain three typos. I hate it when I get typos in my stuff, so I figured you probably hate it too. That’s the only reason I point it out.
You seem wonderfully reality-oriented in pretty much all other areas so I will venture to put a dose of reality into your “saving the planet for my daughter” remark. Asking a climate scientist what the earth’s temperature will be in 2050 is pretty much equivalent to asking a political scientist who will be president in 2050. Climate scientists are essentially climate historians; once they start talking about the future they are doing PhD-level guesswork.
Love the Hacks on Tap podcast! Looking forward to reading your Substack.
btw - I got 2 Teslas. Got 'em before Twitter idiocy.
They are great cars and my 4-legged kid loves Dog Mode as do I when I got a btl or two of good wine in the car.
Suck it up and go Solar
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1Ma_qOjxeZw
2023 Bolt EUV and rabid HOT listener from the beginning! I Look forward to further bloviating on this new platform. Thanks for your work!
Well it's either the Space Program or a Dangerous Cult of volt-heads who are going to join forces with AI and take over the world. And who are clearly in the process of successfully sucking you in. As a person who owns Tesla stock, I'm glad that you've finally climbed on The Electric Bandwagon. (Even though the Electric Bandwagon sounds like a heavy metal cover band.) But you should have bought a TESLA.
I’m a listener of Hacks on Tap from its beginning. I love the way you speak and write, even if I don’t always agree with you! You provide variety in my political life. I’m glad you found an EV you love!