I bought a couple 1980s Saab 900 turbos to restore. After driving my Volt for months just the act of turning a key and hearing an engine roar feels anachronistic, very retro.
I think a small number of ICE cars will stick around as a kind of hobby classic experience. A small minority of people will want the experience of having dinosaur juice explode in front of their feet just like some people like to use Super 8 cameras.
Still, the ICE backup on my Volt has been kind of handy and pleasant to have when it dropped below -10C here last week...
Until there's a real breakthrough in battery technology, where you'll always likely see ICE being used will be the off-road community.
There is just no battery technology that will allow you run for more than 50-60 miles on a charge, especially when you have a lifted vehicle on 35+" off-road tires, in dirt, rocks, mountainous terrain (with water, snow, ice, mud, you name it).
There won't be charging stations out there, either. Heck, if you aren't trailering your rig to the trail, it's usually much more than 50 miles just to get to the start of the fun.
The thing is, though, if the battery tech were there, I'm sure that a chunk of the off-road community would be on top of it, given the advantages of electric drivetrains and such. But the batteries have to get a lot better than they are currently in today's electric cars; when we see cars able to go 500+ miles on a charge, and to be able to be recharged in under 10 minutes - that's about when off-roaders will jump on it en-masse.
Plus - there has to be ways to recharge out "in the bush" - and solar panels won't cover it (except in a dire emergency I suppose - recharging for days); off-roaders typically carry several gallons of extra fuel with them (jerry cans or otherwise) - for emergency use for whatever reason.
I'm not suggesting that electric cars won't be a thing for the masses because of off-road needs; just that off-road needs won't allow for electrics any time soon, unless there is a breakthrough in battery tech. Until then, it will be ICE - or at best, hybrid technology.
I think a small number of ICE cars will stick around as a kind of hobby classic experience. A small minority of people will want the experience of having dinosaur juice explode in front of their feet just like some people like to use Super 8 cameras.
Still, the ICE backup on my Volt has been kind of handy and pleasant to have when it dropped below -10C here last week...