go-ram
Ram Guru
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2018
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There is truth in what your brother-in-law says, but it is also true that there is no turning back on complexity in vehicles.
First, you can hardly buy a "simple vehicle" any longer, unless it's a really old vehicle, which has its own set of issues (more likely to break down, more difficult to find parts, less comfortable, less safe, noisier, more pollution emitted, etc.)
Second, no company can meet emissions regulations or fuel-economy regulations without super-sophisticated, expensive control systems and, more and more these days, "helper systems" like hybrids, stop/start, etc. Of course all-electrics potentially can meet all of the regulations and still be "simpler" than combustion-engine vehicles, but so far all-electrics are still niche vehicles and certainly not yet ready for prime-time when it comes to truck drivetrains. And then there is the huge matter of how the electric power grid could possibly support a large-scale conversion from internal-combustion vehicles to all-electric vehicles.
Third, because eTorque is an integral part of the emission control and fuel economy the vehicle is rated at, the government requires that those emissions-related items be warranted for, in general, far longer than the basic vehicle warranty. Trucks are in a different class than cars, but, as one example, the hybrid batteries in vehicles like the Prius are warranted for 150,000 miles (I don't know what the warranty time period is). So even though eTorque does add complexity, it is possible that it might not be an added maintenance cost, because of the government-mandated longer warranty period.
Not trying to be argumentative, just looking at it from another angle.
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