Science is now cancelled? [USERS NOW BANNED FOR POLITICS]

[sk47]

Surely if 20% returned to ICE then the other 80% didn't?

Hello; I simply do not know for sure what the 80% did or did not do at this point. The article I read was a while back. The take I had at the time of reading was of all EV owners around 20% had not bought a new EV but had bought a new ICE. It may be the other 80% are still driving their old EV's and have not yet traded. At least that was the way the article read to me.

I do agree if 80% of EV owners bought a new EV, that would be a big thumbs up for the EV. I just do not think that was the way it went. I welcome some clarity if anyone knows.

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[Sivi70980]

You have plenty of wind and sun in the US (probably a lot more sun than us!)

But again I will say - it isn't for everybody at the moment BUT more and more will find it better as battery and FC technology advances, into which carmakers are investing billions. There are plenty of places in the US where it will work now, which is why people are buying EV's. Those people are not wrong or deluded. The lack of infrastructure in the US is a problem for some people but NOT all of them. So it is a valid objection for SOME people but NOT All people.

I'm a perfect candidate for the EV lifestyle based on my driving habits. But they're just another super boring vehicle like a Honda or any other econobox. I'm not ready to stop being a tinkering car guy just yet. I enjoy driving my car and other sporty cars. I test drove a tesla S and while super fun at first, it was already getting boring by the end of my time with it. I may be in the crowd of people that need to die off before new efficient econoboxes like EV's take a firmer hold. Or more likely, they'll continue to take off weather I'm dead or not lol.

 

[sk47]

Nobody should be duped into believing there are no issues with EV's but environmental pollution is killing people now. It is easy to criticise BEV's but those that do frequently ignore the hideous negatives associated with ICE's

Hello; I will get back to a point I have made in this thread a few times. Global warming and pollution from ICE's are way down the list of environmental problems we face as humans on this planet.
The modern ICE is much cleaner and more fuel efficient that before. There is tech possible to make them even more efficient. I will be happy to move the discussion from climate issues 50 to 100 years from now to more current issues. I can make a list of more pressing issues.

 

[RPDBlueMoon]

Hello; Yes they ignored that bit about the blackouts. Ignore any valid objection which does not fit the plan.

Lol I'm not ignoring the blackouts. I do not know the full intricate details of the infrastructure, which is why I asked my friend who was is electrician about the issue. But yeah go ahead and claim that its a conspiracy

 

[K4fxd]

Lol I'm not ignoring the blackouts. I do not know the full intricate details of the infrastructure, which is why I asked my friend who was is electrician about the issue. But yeah go ahead and claim that its a conspiracy

You don't want to ask an electrician, you want to talk with a lineman.

We don't have enough power generating capacity to fully supply our grid as is. If qwe add millians of EV 's it will just get worse. The only answer is to add supply. But policies are against that and we continue to close plants without being able to replace the generating capacity lost by the closings.

 

[Gregs24]

Hello; I will get back to a point I have made in this thread a few times. Global warming and pollution from ICE's are way down the list of environmental problems we face as humans on this planet.
The modern ICE is much cleaner and more fuel efficient that before. There is tech possible to make them even more efficient. I will be happy to move the discussion from climate issues 50 to 100 years from now to more current issues. I can make a list of more pressing issues.

That is your opinion not fact regarding the environment

In better news for those like me that love ICE's (but not the pollution)

JCB unveils hydrogen-fuelled combustion engine technology | Autocar

 

[Gregs24]

You don't want to ask an electrician, you want to talk with a lineman.

We don't have enough power generating capacity to fully supply our grid as is. If qwe add millians of EV 's it will just get worse. The only answer is to add supply. But policies are against that and we continue to close plants without being able to replace the generating capacity lost by the closings.

Is not US energy consumption falling in the same way it is in Europe?

The answer is yes it is, although not as much, but has been virtually flat for 15 years, which makes the whole infrastructure issues in the US more confusing. Why with static demand is it not working ?

The UK is investing hugely in grid infrastructure (and demand is still falling) with the future in mind. Yes our electricity is more expensive but you get what you pay for.

 

[Gregs24]

I'm a perfect candidate for the EV lifestyle based on my driving habits. But they're just another super boring vehicle like a Honda or any other econobox. I'm not ready to stop being a tinkering car guy just yet. I enjoy driving my car and other sporty cars. I test drove a tesla S and while super fun at first, it was already getting boring by the end of my time with it. I may be in the crowd of people that need to die off before new efficient econoboxes like EV's take a firmer hold. Or more likely, they'll continue to take off weather I'm dead or not lol.

You may be the perfect candidate, but as a car loving Mustang driver there is still something missing. Most EV's are big selling mass market cars (because the car makers need to sell as many as fast as they can to recoup costs) but more interesting cars are coming from Lotus, Porsche, Alpine, and many others.

 

[sk47]

Lol I'm not ignoring the blackouts. I do not know the full intricate details of the infrastructure, which is why I asked my friend who was is electrician about the issue. But yeah go ahead and claim that its a conspiracy

Hello; The electric grid runs at max capacity at times during the summer and winter. In summer when we have high demand due to heat and high AC use and in winter when we have extreme cold spells and high demand for heat. I have an older heat pump which becomes less efficient as temps drop to near freezing. In fact the unit has resistance heating coils (similar to an electric stove) when it gets too cold . Resistance electric heaters are the least efficient way to use electricity.
During the peak times power plants often have standby generators which can be turned on to help make the extra power needed. These are often fueled with natural gas because those systems can be ramped up quickly as needed. On low demand days or nights I get some electricity from Norris Dam near Clinton TN. There are coal fired plants which run every day also. Coal fired are tough to turn on and off like natural gas can be. I am not sure of the mix of solar and wind , if any, in my area.

There are days or weeks in the summer when temps get over 90F around me. I have a water heater the power company can turn off remotely. I can se a telltale indicator light when they have turned my heater off.
There are times when the TV will beg us to reduce electricity use so there will not be too many brown outs. This indicates to me my power grid is already at max capacity at times of the year. Not every day, but some days.

I may be rusty on the details but it takes energy to push electricity thru a wire. Best I can recall is if the current is stepped up to very high voltages it can be pushed over distance with less loss. This is why we see those tall high tension towers running along. Those wires carry very high voltage current. Even with the high voltage there will be loss over distance. I think this is where the substations come in. A substation gets the power levels back back up to push the energy further along. A substation loses energy when bosting the current is my understanding. So it becomes more practical to have power generation plants spread out across the country. There are places in the south of the USA where plenty of sunlight hits year round. Also lots of open ground space not already in use. Problem will be how to get the power from there to here . One solution would be to use the best conductors. Gold and silver are excellent conductors. That is why they are often used in electronic devices. Copper is good and this is why it is used most often in house wires almost exclusively. ( aluminum was used for a time but had some serious safety issues.)
Copper is not too god for power lines. One is the cost, but I think it is also the strength. So we use steel is my understanding. It does conduct and is strong enough to use in long runs.
A super conductor could solve the problem. We can make a wire a superconductor by making it very cold. (liquid nitrogen + cold I think) A cold superconductor will carry electricity with almost no loss.

So we do have areas in the USA where wind and solar make sense. The sun hits the Earths surface with energy to be sure. Solve the transmission issues and we are good. It can be done wit the tech we have, but will cost to run the new lines.

 

[sk47]

Is not US energy consumption falling in the same way it is in Europe?

The answer is yes it is, although not as much, but has been virtually flat for 15 years, which makes the whole infrastructure issues in the US more confusing. Why with static demand is it not working ?

The UK is investing hugely in grid infrastructure (and demand is still falling) with the future in mind. Yes our electricity is more expensive but you get what you pay for.

Hello; Not saying you are incorrect, but this is the first I have heard of energy consumption going down.

 

[Sivi70980]

You may be the perfect candidate, but as a car loving Mustang driver there is still something missing. Most EV's are big selling mass market cars (because the car makers need to sell as many as fast as they can to recoup costs) but more interesting cars are coming from Lotus, Porsche, Alpine, and many others.

And if the universe wills it, when my mustang hits 100k (85k away), I'll start shopping for what's available. My requirements/wants may change in that time too so who knows. Just did the lunch thing and while driving back to work I saw my first Mach-E in the wild. Overall shapes are cringe worthy but I will say it's still a better than normal looking SUV/CUV. Just like Lambo and Porsche offerings, better styling where they can but same basic 3 box design. The driver showed absolutely zero interest in me or my Mustang but that's not too uncommon either. The new Tesla roadster with a claimed 1.1 to 60 looks okay...

 

[K4fxd]

A golfing buddy of mine had a tesla. He says it is fine for going to and from work. Sucks at everything else. He retired and bought an AMG

 

[Burkey]

You don't want to ask an electrician, you want to talk with a lineman.

We don't have enough power generating capacity to fully supply our grid as is. If qwe add millians of EV 's it will just get worse. The only answer is to add supply. But policies are against that and we continue to close plants without being able to replace the generating capacity lost by the closings.

You keep making this claim without thinking about it properly.
You‘re only looking at one side of the coin - EV’s.
Now add in renewables and battery storage and try again.
Now add in how people will change their usage and factor in how this affects the maximum demand on the electricity network.

Practical example:
Working family. They have gas hot water, gas cooking, electric heating/cooling.
Mum gets home with the kids in summer, house is utterly heatsoaked. Whacks the AC on, just like every other mum. Massive spike in demand on the lines, all of it happening at more or less the same time

They go and put PV cells on the roof. They discover that they’re better off leaving the AC on all day long. There is NO spike in usage.
They then realise that they should swap their hot water to electric because the energy is FREE. They’ve now removed yet another drain on the grid and removed even more pollution. They might opt to do the same with their cooking...

They then discover that maybe a battery would be a good idea.
Their entire home is now producing vastly more power than they can use. An EV now makes sense.

It‘s not as simple as you propose. Nor is it going to work for every household in every instance.

I‘d also like to make the point that parts of the US grid aren’t even close to “world-class”, which is less to do with the failures of technology but rather a failure of investment IN technology.

 

[Burkey]

You may be the perfect candidate, but as a car loving Mustang driver there is still something missing. Most EV's are big selling mass market cars (because the car makers need to sell as many as fast as they can to recoup costs) but more interesting cars are coming from Lotus, Porsche, Alpine, and many others.

And I will buy one when they become “interesting”.
The wife on the other hand doesn’t care for things like performance, and instead focuses primarily on utility.
She‘s a candidate for an EV in the not too distant future.
Really it’s just a case of waiting for her existing vehicle to age.
I imagine that she is like the majority, We (car guys) are the minority.

 

[K4fxd]

You keep making this claim without thinking about it properly.

Then why does Ca have rolling black outs envery summer.

You need to look at reality and quit singing kum by yah.

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