Synthetic fuels are great for airlines which is the only realistic solution for long-distance travels (cryogenic hydrogen containers would be heavier and a significant hazard, batteries are only feasible on shorter routes), but the allure of EV isn't just because it's cleaner but also it's significantly lower maintenance versus an ICE car. Maintaining an ICE car is no joke, and while EVs do still require some maintenance it is only a fraction of ICE vehicles.
I have a Toyota Land Cruiser. It helps to have something super reliable! Understressed gasoline engine. Now I just basically need to maintain it, there are no expensive repairs out of the ordinary. Just servicing oil brakes, suspension, tires etc.
IC engines are pretty mature technology by now, and it's amazing how reliable they can be for something that is exposed to the air and houses thousands of explosions per minute.
But electric motors still have an inherent advantage that they have very few moving parts, much lower heat levels, almost no vibration, can be hermetically sealed, don't need complex transmission, etc.
I probably spend under £100 a year maintaining my 25-year-old Range Rover.
Again, super simple engine, massively overengineered drivetrain, cheap and plentiful bits. Plus running it on propane makes it a lot cheaper and cleaner!
Owned 3 Toyotas, currently a Corolla and a highlander hybrid. Grand total of 100k miles and $130 of repairs on them (battery), apart from regular servicing.
Yeah, those who go Toyota simply can't understand why people even bother with e.g. expensive German cars and such. Even the "Car Wizard" on Hoovies garage realized this recently.
That latter is what really surprised me in 3 years of Model 3. Except to repair a punctured tire, no maintenance yet in over 20,000 miles. They recommend changing the air filters but I did not.
I mean, it's not happening in the near future - but couldn't commercial airlines be powered by SMNR or Fusion?
The 787 has over 200,000 pounds of fuel.
IIUC, SMNR currently can produce ~300MW weighing 1.4M pounds. Naively, it seems reasonable in 30 years or so we could produce one that weighs 140,000 pounds and produces ~30MW (not even a gain, just a smaller reactor) - which could power a current 787. Naively, I imagine they'd have more efficient plane designs in 30 years, too.
And Fusion actually does seem less than 30 years away now. But who knows.
Synthetic fuels are great for airlines which is the only realistic solution for long-distance travels (cryogenic hydrogen containers would be heavier and a significant hazard, batteries are only feasible on shorter routes), but the allure of EV isn't just because it's cleaner but also it's significantly lower maintenance versus an ICE car. Maintaining an ICE car is no joke, and while EVs do still require some maintenance it is only a fraction of ICE vehicles.