electric cars

[GaryA]

Isn't an 'open' fire considered to be something like a camp fire? Or perhaps, at most, that a barrel fire might be included under that definition? Wouldn't a fireplace/chimney be considered to have 'containment'? (which would not be 'open')

 

[Lanolin]

i am not living in the USA so, your laws wouldnt apply to where I live. But interesting to hear usa peoples take on it. even though the electric cars are mostly designed there?!

 

[Lanolin]

Isn't an 'open' fire considered to be something like a camp fire? Or perhaps, at most, that a barrel fire might be included under that definition? Wouldn't a fireplace/chimney be considered to have 'containment'? (which would not be 'open')

I dont know, I think old houses had chimneys but old style ones
but they were not energy efficient, for a lot of houses, only heating the immediate area in front of the grate and not the entire room

new homes are not built with fireplaces anymore now alternatives are available, heat pumps, radiators, and wet backs etc.

building codes have changed, just as the Road Code changes over time.

 

[Lanolin]

I watch Back to the Future movie last night

welle the Delorean was an electric car...at least, it needed quite a LOT of electricity to go back and forwards in time lol


lightning bolt etc.
When they came back from the future to 1985, the car was using garbage and soda as fuel! haha

 

[Lanolin]

Thomas Edison probably would have thought of a solution to the electric cars had he been living now
since Edison was the one who came up with the whole electric grid thing

when lightbulbs were first invented, people were reluctant to use them and preferred candles and gas lamps.

But with his bunch of inventors in Menlo Park, he devised a grid system that lighted up every home.

So, it might conceivably only happen in a newly built area designed sprecifically for electric cars, if everyone has one, than trying to retrofit areas that are still using other modes. Most suburbia is designed around the motor car. That is the reason there are motorways and suburbs in the first place.

I guess ppl didnt see forsee the problem in how big an urban sprawl can be and how congested cities can get especially those areas which were built before the advent of the car.

 

[Lynx]

I watch Back to the Future movie last night

welle the Delorean was an electric car...at least, it needed quite a LOT of electricity to go back and forwards in time lol


lightning bolt etc.
When they came back from the future to 1985, the car was using garbage and soda as fuel! haha

The Future ain't what it's cracked up to be.

They predicted we would have "Mr. Fusion" devices to make energy out of trash. If I could have one thing they promised from any science fiction film, I would pick that over flying cars and teleporters.

 

[JohnDB]

Thomas Edison probably would have thought of a solution to the electric cars had he been living now
since Edison was the one who came up with the whole electric grid thing

Actually...
Thomas Edison stole most of his inventions from other inventors. Then used his influence with Rich people to keep it hushed.
He wasn't brilliant...he was politically connected. Tesla offered to wire up Menlo Park for half the money Edison did...but it didn't matter because Edison had political clout and Tesla did not.

That's the truth about Edison...
He was a money grubbing thief.

 

[JohnDB]

However...
New technology is coming out for electric trucks...looking much better than ever before. We'll see how they do.

 

[Lanolin]

Actually...
Thomas Edison stole most of his inventions from other inventors. Then used his influence with Rich people to keep it hushed.
He wasn't brilliant...he was politically connected. Tesla offered to wire up Menlo Park for half the money Edison did...but it didn't matter because Edison had political clout and Tesla did not.

That's the truth about Edison...
He was a money grubbing thief.

I was doing this book challenge where we buddy read a biography, and I picked Thomas Edison as someone to read about, so we found a new bio on him, over 600 pages

well I couldnt make it past the second chapter because the author had written it in BACKWARDS chronological order.

Whether this was done as a nod to futuristic thinking I dont know, but it surely did not work for me. Im just an ordinary reader.

most inventors are tinkering with what others have already created, Edison was just more dedicated with experimenting thats all, never slept much, and got a team together. Its actually the marketing people and the ones with capital that can make the inventions that really get it off the ground...especially if they can foresee money to be made of it. They dont fund inventions purely for the sake of it - the marketing ppl want to sell stuff and make money. its no good if the invention wont appeal to people or they dont have the resources to produce it.

Getting a patent is not always a road to riches for the inventor.

 

[Lanolin]

Biography was called ...Edison by Edmund Morris

But you can read a time-life biography or wikipedia to save yourself the frustration

anybody can be an inventor and come up with a brilliant idea but making it work and getting it produced is another thing. Patents actually prevent people from creating in common and bouncing off other ideas, so can be detrimental in many respects...and dont really stop people from copying your ideas.

 

[Gideon300]

What do you think of electric cars? If youve got one, would you recommend them? Any particular make?
How does it compare to a petrol/gas run car? Is it cost effective?

Anything to be aware of?

The biggest problem with electric cars is being able to buy one. The demand is far greater than supply at present. They are expensive to purchase compared to an equivalent petrol powered car. If you drive short distances, the cost savings may not cover the higher price. However, the servicing costs are far less. There is much less wear and tear. Resale values are surprisingly good.

The weak link is the battery. However, technology is improving all the time and battery costs reducing continually. Market leader in most places is Tesla.

Battery charging is pretty easy, unless you live in an apartment. Tesla has the best range of public chargers. Most people come home, plug in the car and charge overnight. There are different types of batteries. It's well worth doing some research. Ryan Shaw youtube is helpful. If you are a real engineering geek, Sandy Munroe is your man.

 

[Gideon300]

but how long do the batteries last is the question, how much mileage can a car do? Before it needs repairing or replacing. I dont think people know yet.

There are reports of Tesla cars losing just a few percent of charge capacity over a period of 4 years. The battery does not just quit at the end of its useful life. It can be repurposed for less demanding applications like home solar storage. Battery warranties are usually 8 years.

 

[Gideon300]

"Keep choking"?? I'm not choking at all. There's no acid rain or smoggy air in my area of the world. Oregon coast is actually pretty nice.
Now China, on the other hand, is pretty bad off. If anything we should be going after them for destroying their air quality.
Though, by your argument I guess I shouldn't care about China's air quality because, you know, I don't live there.

China knows that they have a problem. They are spending a fortune on renewables. They have by far the greatest number of EV manufacturers. EV sales are huge there. Expect a flood of Chinese made EV's in the next few years.

 

[Gideon300]

I don't really see it as a financial savings. They are very expensive to buy, the batteries to be replaced can cost 3500-10000. But that is my take on them.

Depends on the distances you drive. Also, depreciation is a major cost. At present, depreciation is a non issue for most EV's. Battery costs will come down. They've plunged over the last 10 years or so and technology is continually improving.

 

[JohnDB]

The biggest problem with electric cars is being able to buy one. The demand is far greater than supply at present. They are expensive to purchase compared to an equivalent petrol powered car. If you drive short distances, the cost savings may not cover the higher price. However, the servicing costs are far less. There is much less wear and tear. Resale values are surprisingly good.

The weak link is the battery. However, technology is improving all the time and battery costs reducing continually. Market leader in most places is Tesla.

Battery charging is pretty easy, unless you live in an apartment. Tesla has the best range of public chargers. Most people come home, plug in the car and charge overnight. There are different types of batteries. It's well worth doing some research. Ryan Shaw youtube is helpful. If you are a real engineering geek, Sandy Munroe is your man.

Actually Tesla trucks are around $40K which is considerably cheaper than most other new trucks and can go 500 miles between charges.

 

[Gideon300]

maybe in US they are not a great option, but in other countries that dont rely on coal and nuclear power they could be very efficient

It seems Tesla is a US company though...not sure what other ones are out there

very much in its infancy here in nz and not many early adopters though

electric lawnmowers or robomowers are interesting though! I like that there is less noise, gas power mowers are incredibly noisy. Plus if doing a huge lawns or sports fields, you need safe place to store all the gas.

i supoose you have to take the bad with the good and weigh up the options
electric trams and trains require rails of course, but you are not going to get rails reaching everywhere roads can

I keep wondering about maglev though or magnetic power, you just program where you want to go and it drives you there, Maye the roads need to be magnetic? Or there need to be markers or some signalling point that can pull you along a designated route. OR if the roads themselves are electrified, somehow in the tar seal, and you have a special wheel that as it comes into contact with the road, can self propel, even along the flats and up hills.

its whether you want to breathe carbon monoxide fumes on every road in every city, OR have clean air and energy where you live. You can plant more trees, and have more greenery, but it seems people just dont want to do that. for some strange reason.

I think people tend to lack imagination over solutions and seem to think theres only one way to do things. need to think outside the box.

i used to take lithium, I can tell you its not that great for the human body but it calms people down.
apprently comes from Peru. But surely there are other minerals that can be used to make batteries.

magnesium, salt etc

Maglev is great in theory but horrendously expensive to run. In the long term, car ownership may be unnecessary. Uber is working on a completely self driving business model. The car will roll up to your door and take you where you want to go. No driver, fully autonomous. There is plenty of imagination. Elon Musk is a true visionary. The problem is more vested interests that oppose change, government regulators, nut job greenies. unions, big Auto (Ford & GM for example) all who have reasons to resist change.

For example, Tesla has driven (ho ho) the EV revolution. The government of the USA refused to acknowledge that Tesla existed, claiming that GM was the market leader. Why? Tesla is non union. GM is unionised.

People are working on inductive charging systems. You will be able to stop at the lights and the car will charge. There are huge problems to overcome. How do you bill the car owner? Installation issues. It's not like a mobile phone, the power requirements are much bigger. Solutions have to be practicable and affordable. It's never as easy as it seems. Look up "Hyperloop". It's a brilliant idea, but the engineering is incredibly difficult and expensive.

 

[Gideon300]

Actually Tesla trucks are around $40K which is considerably cheaper than most other new trucks and can go 500 miles between charges.

Don't take too much notice of Tesla truck pricing. I doubt that they will be available for anything near that price, at least in the near term. Tesla prices have gone through the roof. They cannot meet the demand as it is.

 

[JohnDB]

Don't take too much notice of Tesla truck pricing. I doubt that they will be available for anything near that price, at least in the near term. Tesla prices have gone through the roof. They cannot meet the demand as it is.

I'll be a believer when I see them on the car lots and not a moment before.

Currently I am wondering what will become of the gasoline that comes off the oil when they refine it for the millions of other products we make out of petroleum. We still need the other products...maybe not the gasoline if EV tech gets developed enough. But the other products like rubber and plastics and lubricants and vitamins and fertilizers and paint and....and

 

[Gideon300]

I'll be a believer when I see them on the car lots and not a moment before.

Currently I am wondering what will become of the gasoline that comes off the oil when they refine it for the millions of other products we make out of petroleum. We still need the other products...maybe not the gasoline if EV tech gets developed enough. But the other products like rubber and plastics and lubricants and vitamins and fertilizers and paint and....and

Oil is hydrocarbons. They can be synthesised fairly easily. Coal can be converted using hydrogen. It's proven technology. There is plenty of coal around. There are ways to turn plastic waste into oil also. Have a look at graphene. It will transform industry in the not too distant future.

 

[Gideon300]

Thomas Edison probably would have thought of a solution to the electric cars had he been living now
since Edison was the one who came up with the whole electric grid thing

when lightbulbs were first invented, people were reluctant to use them and preferred candles and gas lamps.

But with his bunch of inventors in Menlo Park, he devised a grid system that lighted up every home.

So, it might conceivably only happen in a newly built area designed sprecifically for electric cars, if everyone has one, than trying to retrofit areas that are still using other modes. Most suburbia is designed around the motor car. That is the reason there are motorways and suburbs in the first place.

I guess ppl didnt see forsee the problem in how big an urban sprawl can be and how congested cities can get especially those areas which were built before the advent of the car.

Some of the very first cars were electric. They suffered from poor battery performance and poor range. Petrol power was better in those days. The tables are turning now.