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As part of his plan to boost the number of electric vehicles on the road, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Thursday announced a training program for the manufacture and repair of those cars to “attract people to some of the best paying jobs in our economy.”

The Electric Vehicle Energy Storage training program in downstate Bloomington is designed to lure jobs to Illinois and teach students the technical skills needed for the electric cars.

To further that goal, Pritzker is also hoping to provide incentives to lure manufacturers of electric vehicle charging stations and other related businesses in the industry.

“Illinois is at the center of the action for investment and growth during this economic recovery, and nowhere is that more true than when it comes to electric vehicle manufacturing,” Pritzker said.

* The Question: Do you currently have an electric vehicle or do you have an interest in getting one in the future? Explain why or why not.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:01 pm

Comments

Would never consider a Tesla. It would only encourage Elon Musk.

Comment by West Side the Best Side Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:04 pm
I have an older Nissan Leaf, and I love it! It was much cheaper than a Tesla. I prefer to ride my e-bike when possible, but the electric car is a great alternative.

Comment by KBS Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:09 pm
I plan on one day owning an electric vehicle.

I’ll second West Side the Best Side’s disdain for Elon Musk and add that I have no interest in owning a vehicle produced by a company that denies the rights of its employees to organize and intentionally makes a work place less safe for aesthetic purposes.

Comment by Candy Dogood Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:10 pm
50/50 that our next car will be an electric.

I wouldn’t consider a Tesla, tho.

– MrJM

Comment by MisterJayEm Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:11 pm
Driving a hybrid has shown me just how little I drive on most days/weeks and how far I can get on just electricity.

Would definitely consider an EV for my next daily commuter car.

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:11 pm
Don’t have one now but waiting for the industry to grow and more charging stations. Hopefully the national bipartisan infrastructure bill passes, which would likely only happen concurrently with the human infrastructure bill or framework agreement. That would create more charging stations.

Comment by Grandson of Man Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:11 pm
Don’t own one. Would consider, but not until they can get charging time under 30 minutes. Until then, it’s just not practical.

Comment by SAP Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:12 pm
Absolutely want my next car to be electric. Absolutely won’t get one until the range grows a lot. Too many short notice long trips to obscure locations.

Comment by New Day Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:14 pm
Depends on several factors, a large one being costs, such as purchase, cost to recharge, and cost to upgrade electric service to install a car charger by my driveway. As long as my existing car runs OK, I will wait and see.

Comment by Dupage Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:14 pm
Next car will be hybrid as a minimum. If we can hold off on purchasing a second car for a while I’d prefer to go full electric simultaneously with putting solar on my garage roof.

Comment by Nobody who Nobody Sent Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:15 pm
My next vehicle will be electric. I’ve kept a close eye on the industry and in particular manufacturers that I’m a bit partial to that are starting to adopt the technology. I do believe that the days of the internal combustion engine are numbered. Prtizker is smart to make these investments now and this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity in a still nascent industry. You would think that ISU could be at the forefront of training in this area.

Comment by Pundent Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:16 pm
No, although my 11 year old son wants me to get one.

I’ll be the last guy buying gasoline and probably the last one paying in cash.

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:16 pm
We had a plug-in hybrid. I really enjoyed being able to get around town purely on electric most days, while still having the flexibility to take it out of town on a long drive. We are back to regular hybrid now, but I would consider plug-in hybrid again. We are a one car household, so we are more hesitant to go fully electric without a range extender to go longer distances, given the recharge times and sparse places to charge, but we have considered a rental car for those handful of times a year.

Comment by thechampaignlife Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:16 pm
Would definitely consider electric. I considered when I last bought in 2018, but the hassle and expense to get a 220 dropped into the garage of my townhouse in an HOA stopped me then.

Comment by Lt Guv Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:18 pm
Nope. Too expensive and nowhere to charge them. Maybe sometime in the 2030’s if the infrastructure is built out, costs come down, and the batteries stop catching on fire so often.

Comment by 1st Ward Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:19 pm
My wife and I own 2 plug-in electric vehicles at least partially powered by the solar panels on our roof.

Comment by Mr. Green Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:21 pm
In high school I drove a 1974 Ford Maverick that had a plug near the front bumper. I didn’t know what is was for until one very cold morning when it wouldn’t start. My old
Man plugged it into an extension cord. That is how they kept the engine from freezing in the winter.

Probably the only plug-in car I’ll ever own.

Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:22 pm
I have a Nissan Leaf as my commuter. It is great waking up with a full “tank” every morning. I like to joke that it helped me lose weight. Since I am not stopping at a gas station once or twice a week that saves me from buying Casey’s breakfast pizza, donuts, etc. as an impulse.

As it gets older and the battery loses capacity I am starting to wish for something with a bit more range. I started at about 100 miles on a full charge. I have lost about 10% just through natural degradation and I lost another 10% when I put a set of good all weather tires on it.

I will not go back to a internal combustion engine, or even a hybrid. The electric car is so smooth and quiet. Plus I never have to worry about an oil change, radiator flush, transmission fluid, etc. Even the brake pads last longer than normal since the electric motor does most of the braking through regen.

I’ve got my eye on the VW ID4 or the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq5 as my next car. Both will be available with all wheel drive and have range estimates in the neighborhood of 250-300 miles.

Comment by SomeGuy Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:26 pm
We are much more likely to go with a plug-in hybrid. The charge times are just too long in a full electric, at least as they are now. We have a regular hybrid Prius now, and like it very much. Our other vehicle is a normal gas 4WD Nissan Frontier, and it is quite the shock when we fill it up. Eighteen MPG just seems wrong now.

Comment by bkhartbnjo Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:27 pm
The problem I have and I see is the infra-structure needed to accomodate EVs from local charge stations and in-home chargers. I can not add an EV charger unless I upgrade my electrical service to my house and that will easily be in $3-$5,000 range for new panel, most likely code required updates and then the new supply installed by our utility company. I am not alone. This will be even larger issue in urban environments with people in multi-unit buildings, likely too much cost involved

Comment by truthteller Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:28 pm
Our next vehicle will likely be a truck for pulling a fifth wheel. There is no plug in electric suitable for that application now.

I’d buy one for a commuter car but I’d need the price to come down a bit to make it more economical then my old beater that we use now.

Comment by Mason born Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:29 pm
===not until they can get charging time under 30 minutes===

I have always thought that the best “refuel” approach for batteries would be a swap out. If I could pull into a station and there were some standards-based automated quick swap to exchange for a fully charged set, I could be back on the road in under 5 minutes. Much like we do with propane tanks. There are several challenges including getting manufacturers to agree on a standard and building out the infrastructure (also an issue for regular recharging), but you could have the batteries keep a log of their discharge rate to track the health to avoid getting stuck with a lemon battery.

===won’t get one until the range grows a lot===

There was a concept for the Chevy Volt several years back for a towable gas engine that could be used to extend the range indefinitely, essentially converting the electric car to a hybrid. Something like that is needed to get passed the very real range anxiety until a rapid charge infrastructure is built out. It would be great to rent a little motorcycle engine on a hitch that plugs into the car for a long road trip into the backwoods.

Comment by thechampaignlife Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:30 pm
Yes. And yes. Best driving car I’ve ever owned. Once they sort out range issues ICE will be dead forever.

Comment by JDuc Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:30 pm
My parents have a PHEV Chevy Volt (and love it). I don’t currently have an electric car, but our next one will at least be PHEV, probably full electric. I’ve been keeping an eye on one that Subaru is supposed to come out with next year called the Solterra that is full EV and if the range is decent, we might go with that. We do have a second car that is in good condition and we can use for the rare instances when we need to go on a long road trip or something though.

Comment by Scott Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:31 pm
Do not currently own, but I will definitely be looking for an electric vehicle in the next couple years.

Comment by B Team Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:32 pm
While the availability of chargers is not the same everywhere, particularly outside of metro areas, there are more than you think. This site is a good source.

https://www.plugshare.com/

And of course most owners don’t given it much thought as their primary source of juice is in their own garage. Public charging only becomes a concern on long road trips and in those situations a bit of planning takes care of any issues.

Comment by Pundent Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:32 pm
Planning on getting one for my next car. It may be a few years (just paid off current car and it is in great condition) as I wait for infrastructure to get built out to recharge on trips. Also, watching concerns about battery fires.

Comment by Norseman Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:32 pm
Sticking with a hybrid- more range, quick fill-up at the gas station, very reliable. If I ever did go full electric, the charger and wall power pak would be in a separate building from the main house. Still too much of a fire hazard if something went wrong.

Comment by Anon221 Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:33 pm
=== I can not add an EV charger unless I upgrade my electrical service===

It depends on how quickly you want to charge and how far you drive. Our plug-in hybrid would handle about 20 miles on a full charge before switching to gas, enough for us to do most of our daily driving. It then took about 8 hours to slow charge using a regular 110V 15A outlet.

Comment by thechampaignlife Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:34 pm
Thanks for the plugshare link, very interesting.

Comment by bkhartbnjo Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:38 pm
In my opinion the best of both worlds should be built,It should be a totally electric powered vehicle with the ability to recharge itself from an onboard generator powered by a tiny gas or diesel engine.But ordinarily charged using wired charging system

Comment by bob Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:38 pm
Had one. Love it but took too long to charge on longer trips and started getting anxiety each time it ran low and I had to worry about charging it, would spots be open, etc.

When we can fully charge in 10 mins and there are more locations, I will happily jump back on the EV bandwagon.

Comment by DuPage Moderate Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:38 pm
I am very interested in getting one. My concern is the charging time/ability to drive long distances. I imagine that technology will progress rapidly.

Comment by wildcat12 Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:40 pm
We have a 2012 Nissan Leaf we got for $5K five years ago. Works great for daily commuting. I plug it into a regular 110V outlet. No maintenance for the 25K miles we’ve put on it. Only changed the tires and added wiper fluid. We have a gas vehicle for longer trips.

Comment by Biker Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:41 pm
We do not own an electric, and aren’t ready to purchase as our next one quite yet. Range, charge time, etc. as others have mentioned. But 1 of our 2 cars is a hybrid (Toyota Rav4), which we love. If/when we replace the non-hybrid, it will probably be with another non-plug in hybrid.

Comment by Leslie K Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:44 pm
My next vehicle will probably be a hybrid. Full on electrical infrastructure isn’t there.
When the charge time comes down and the charger stations increase to a better level….

Comment by Bruce( no not him) Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:45 pm
I’d have to get a car first, but I would consider electric if I decided to get a car. I do think that internal combustion is on the way out and think Gov. Pritzker is smart to support the industry. Although Tesla seems like a real bubble. I’m old enough to remember the Boring Company nonsense.

Comment by Three Dimensional Checkers Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:45 pm
I don’t own an electric vehicle and don’t plan on buying one in the foreseeable future. I travel from Chicago to Springfield regularly and it appears that distance would be at the upper end of the range for the current crop of electric vehicles. As much as I like Wally’s in Pontiac I wouldn’t want to have to hang out there for an extended period of time while the car is charging at one of their charging stations.

I would also have to upgrade the electrical systems in my homes to be able to have sufficient charging capacity. The wiring in the garage up north won’t handle me operating a circular saw without popping a breaker . . . .

Comment by Facts Matter Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:45 pm
I have considered an electric vehicle but right now waiting on more environmentally friendly batteries, alternative charging abilities like a photovoltaic paint and better EMP protection from a solar event. The technology is growing and hopefully it will become more practical soon.

Comment by FormerParatrooper Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:48 pm
Distant future yes, near future no, for many of the reasons already cited re infrastructure, range, charge time, etc.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:49 pm
I have my second Volt, which is a plug-in hybrid by category. I think it is the best of both worlds. I only fill the tank 2 or 3 times a year, otherwise driving only on my battery for weeks at a time. But, as I always tell folks, if I want to drive to Montana, I just stop at the gas station along the way like anybody else.

I also think that this would be a lot more palatable to more folks than jumping to electric only.

Comment by Groundhog Day Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:53 pm
I purchased a new vehicle last fall and I came close to buying a Tesla Model Y. The deciding factor was many of the reviews mentioned finish problems in the final product and I thought if there are problems in items I can see are there problems I can not see. At the price range I said, maybe next time. I went with an AWD Avalon.

The range of the Tesla was ca 350 miles but most likely 300 miles. The Avalon range due to the reduced tank size to make room for AWD is about 340 miles.

Comment by No Name Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:57 pm
I had the opportunity to ride a Zero SRS electric motorcycle / superbike this year. Had a lot of fun with it and could see using one for commute / regional travel since the recharge time is less than 2 hours using a level 2 charger.

Comment by SKI Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 3:59 pm
We need a new car soon and are very interested in a plug-in hybrid. Have distance anxiety for road trips so not ready to go full EV yet, but even the “worst” plug-in hybrids get 15 or so miles per charge before switching to gas, good enough for most days.

Comment by lake county democrat Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 4:04 pm
I bought a Tesla in 2019. Lots of quality issues and range anxiety. Sold it this year for a Chrysler Pacifica PHEV. No quality issues and no range anxiety.

Buying a Rivian R1S next summer. Rivian will change the game.

Comment by downstate dem Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 4:04 pm
Maybe in the future. The simplicity interests me from a maintenance and repair perspective. Less parts is less hassle. Electric engines are proving to be more powerful than gas.

But too many unsolved problems. Traveling 1K miles has a cumulative refueling time of a day or more for electric whereas gasoline would be 30-45 minutes. Energy storage using batteries is problematic on so many levels from rare metals sourced by China to high environmental costs to both produce and retire them. Long way to go.

Comment by Lutefisk Lyer Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 4:06 pm
Well now that I know Wally’s has charging stations I’d at least think about it.

Comment by ChicagoBars Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 4:21 pm
I leased two Cadillac hybrids in a row. Loved them. Drove one to Colorado and back no problem.

But I wanted an all-wheel-drive convertible. So, I’m now a petrol guy again.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 4:23 pm
I will eventually get an electric, sooner before later, but I have a thing or three before I get there that will need to come to pass.

Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 4:27 pm
we are already planning on our next vehicle as an electric.

Comment by Amalia Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 4:31 pm
I put my down payment on the Ford Lightning last month. But the more research i do, its going to cost fortune to bring my service up to snuff. This ev thing looks like its for the rich. Go figure.

Comment by Blue Dog Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 4:33 pm
===In my opinion the best of both worlds should be built, It should be a totally electric powered vehicle with the ability to recharge itself from an onboard generator powered by a tiny gas or diesel engine. But ordinarily charged using wired charging system===

That is what the BMW i3 Rex (range extender) is.

Before I bought my Leaf I looked at the Volt and other PHEV’s. The problem is I have a 45 mile round trip commute and that was really stretching the electric only range. Also, it seems crazy to pay for an engine, transmission, gas tank and everything else only to use it occasionally. Wouldn’t you have to worry about the gas going bad if it sits in the tank for months on end?

What sealed the deal for me was just how cheap a used Leaf is. The amount I am saving on fuel and maintenance is enough to pay for the car.

Comment by Anonymous Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 4:37 pm
Anon @ 4:37 was me.

Comment by SomeGuy Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 4:37 pm
== I can not add an EV charger unless I upgrade my electrical service to my house and that will easily be in $3-$5,000 range for new panel, most likely code required updates and then the new supply installed by our utility company.==

Plug in electric cars will also plug into a 120v outlet too.
Spend the $3 to $5k on the stock market instead.

Comment by Fly like an eagle Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 4:40 pm
Do not currently own an EV or hybrid. Would consider buying one if it provided adequate cruising range, solid AWD or 4WD, reliable off-road performance, adequate cargo space, and quick charging. I do a lot of outdoor photography and need a vehicle that lets me get well into the backcountry. So far there’s nothing like that available, as I found out when buying a new vehicle in May.

Comment by Flapdoodle Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 4:41 pm
Currently driving a hybrid now. Looking at Mustang Mach-E, but that Rivian has me turning my head like that dude in the meme.

Comment by Abu Iskandr Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 4:48 pm
I own gas burners now. Will be buying a hybrid in the next few months- I have a couple of different models in mind. I don’t see a pure electric as feasible right now, just due to the lack of infrastructure in rural downstate where I live.

Comment by The Ford Lawyer Friday, Oct 22, 21 @ 4:59 pm
Was holding out for a little more improvements. But then the ICE car I had started falling apart. Found a used Leaf with few miles at a great price a couple years ago. I’m sticking with an EV from now on. The 120V in the garage has served me well all but twice. Just need to do a little more planning ahead and adjust driving habits a bit. For example: Took a trip that was roughly 25 miles one-way. On the way there used a route that was mostly by interstate and used ~40% charge. On the way back used _no_ interstate and used ~20% charge (and 5-10 more minutes drive time).

Comment by From DaZoo Monday, Oct 25, 21 @ 9:26 am