Politics and EV's.

[Trotorx2]

There sure has been a lot of natural gas spewing on this forum lately!

I agree on increasing diesel cars and less dependence on middle east oil but I think the EPA has too much power and won't let that happen.

 

[KEVINL]

Ev's won't catch on until range goes up

Very few can afford 2 have two vehicles in Phoenix it is not hard to exceed the range of an ev in a day

 

[McRat]

With the newer LiFePO4 batteries, 100,000 miles is about the break even on a home conversion car, IIRC.

Life on the newer batteries is over 300,000, and with brushless motors, and regen braking, the only maintenance is tires and wiper blades.

As the voltage rises with the newer motors, so does the HP and efficiency.

Lithium is used mostly for making glass. It's not as toxic as gasoline or lead-acid batteries are. Way less than NiCad or NiMH batteries. It's a kissing cousin to sodium. IBM just patented a Li Air battery that has even more potential.

The lithium polymer batteries would explode if mistreated, but the new LiFePO4 don't.

A lithium battery the size of your hand will start a car.

Things are changing rapidly.

 

[hondarider552]

All the trash trucks and UPS trucks around my house are diesel-electric hybrid and/or CNG.

 

[GMC_2002_Dmax]

We can bomb them or starve them. In the long run, starving an enemy has always worked better.

Bombing takes less time........and it gives the military something to try new weapons on.

I vote for bombing.....:thumb:

Can we start tomorrow ????

 

[McRat]

But yeah, the range ain't there yet, hence why the Volt runs an engine. It's a stop gap measure. But many people never use the gas engine. Average commute is 18mi.

 

[McRat]

Bombing takes less time........and it gives the military something to try new weapons on.

I vote for bombing.....:thumb:

Can we start tomorrow ????

If you write in my name for President, I'll bomb Iran during the swearing in ceremony... I'm still pissed they took our embassy and our President was too puzzy to do anything about it.

 

[z79outlaw]

If you write in my name for President, I'll bomb Iran during the swearing in ceremony... I'm still pissed they took our embassy and our President was too puzzy to do anything about it.

That's why we have Israel there PM has more stones than Obama envisions for himself UN his fictional biographies

 

[adeso]

This would be a great backdrop to any speeches involving terrorist

or this one

I will say this, I worked with a bunch of the Iraqis for a while, and not all of them hate the US, hell a bunch of them even look up to what we have, and while they don't want a copy of the US, many of them really want to come here and see what it is like. Then they get off the jet with wonder in their eyes of the America they have heard so much about, and get called ragheads and treated like shit....

So lets make sure we hate the right ones

 

[hondarider552]

Agreed Andrew

 

[rms2012]

If you write in my name for President, I'll bomb Iran during the swearing in ceremony... I'm still pissed they took our embassy and our President was too puzzy to do anything about it.

And the failed attempt to rescue them . . . that was his effort to get re-elected in 1980.

If the current President gets re-elected, we'll see what Jimmy Carter's 2nd term would've looked like.

 

[Operator1]

But yeah, the range ain't there yet, hence why the Volt runs an engine. It's a stop gap measure. But many people never use the gas engine. Average commute is 18mi.

The current EV's definitely have a place, but the fact that they are only really useful for short commutes needs to be reflected in the price before they will sell in meaningful numbers. It's going to take a combination of all the new and current technologies to move us forward. Whatever it takes to gain real efficiency instead of just jumping on a bandwagon. I find it all very interesting.

 

[lts1ow]

While they are not EV, most of the school police in Newark have ditched the large typical police cruisers for smart cars. I think its def a wise move to start pushing for public service outfits to switch to EV/efficient cars and let it trickle down to general public usage.

 

[Slammed2007Lbz]

While they are not EV, most of the school police in Newark have ditched the large typical police cruisers for smart cars. I think its def a wise move to start pushing for public service outfits to switch to EV/efficient cars and let it trickle down to general public usage.

I think we need to cut down on the public service outfits vehicles also! By means of not replacing there vehicles at all and letting them drive there own vehicles just like the rest of americans. Why do all these govt. jobs have free cars? I understand police, fire, etc.. but some places the damn water department accountants and receptionist have govt. owned vehicles wtf Unless you have a govt. job that you need a car other than your own to perform your job then i dont think you should have one. Basically i do not understand why there is any "company cars" i only believe in "company trucks or vans, semis" etc...

 

[leehype]

I think we need to cut down on the public service outfits vehicles also! By means of not replacing there vehicles at all and letting them drive there own vehicles just like the rest of americans. Why do all these govt. jobs have free cars? I understand police, fire, etc.. but some places the damn water department accountants and receptionist have govt. owned vehicles wtf Unless you have a govt. job that you need a car other than your own to perform your job then i dont think you should have one. Basically i do not understand why there is any "company cars" i only believe in "company trucks or vans, semis" etc...

The issue here is if they break it on the job, they get replaced on the company dime. Isn't much if it's a $500 beater, but if it is like my truck, it's more than any smart car. And this doesn't include any other damages incurred. Then there is the modifications required to perform that job. There was a forum I came across some time ago for LEO's that used POV's on the job, was interesting to read through, but every time one got wrecked, it didn't even go on their (the individuals) insurance, it went to the state. Even if it was off duty.

Perhaps things have changed a bit in the last few years, and I know it will be different from state to state. For me, when standing watch, I have used my own POV on occasion instead of the provided when I felt my 4x4 was safer than the 2wd death trap van we were provided with, but I have been told that if I had an accident doing that, my INS wouldn't cover it as it was on duty, and the Navy wouldn't cover it ether, and I would have to pay all expenses out of pocket.

I do agree with you, but I have an experience that leads me to disagree with you. I have worked outdoors at a place where we were repairing a water main on the property in the middle of winter with no way to warm up. I had an 86 ford escort, I parked it next to the hole and we would take turns going from wet hole in the ground to warm up in the car. I don't think I should have had to provide my own car for that, and that job could have been dangerous with out it.

 

[Slammed2007Lbz]

The issue here is if they break it on the job, they get replaced on the company dime. Isn't much if it's a $500 beater, but if it is like my truck, it's more than any smart car. And this doesn't include any other damages incurred. Then there is the modifications required to perform that job. There was a forum I came across some time ago for LEO's that used POV's on the job, was interesting to read through, but every time one got wrecked, it didn't even go on their (the individuals) insurance, it went to the state. Even if it was off duty.

Perhaps things have changed a bit in the last few years, and I know it will be different from state to state. For me, when standing watch, I have used my own POV on occasion instead of the provided when I felt my 4x4 was safer than the 2wd death trap van we were provided with, but I have been told that if I had an accident doing that, my INS wouldn't cover it as it was on duty, and the Navy wouldn't cover it ether, and I would have to pay all expenses out of pocket.

I do agree with you, but I have an experience that leads me to disagree with you. I have worked outdoors at a place where we were repairing a water main on the property in the middle of winter with no way to warm up. I had an 86 ford escort, I parked it next to the hole and we would take turns going from wet hole in the ground to warm up in the car. I don't think I should have had to provide my own car for that, and that job could have been dangerous with out it.

Yes you make very valid points. What i was meaning to point out is the people with office jobs that have company/govt supplied vehicles. They are not needed and a waste of tax payers money. Yes they shouldn't have to use there own vehicle while on the job but lots of these people have the vehicles 24/7 and do not even own there own car. Those are the types we need to eliminate.

 

[leehype]

Yes you make very valid points. What i was meaning to point out is the people with office jobs that have company/govt supplied vehicles. They are not needed and a waste of tax payers money. Yes they shouldn't have to use there own vehicle while on the job but lots of these people have the vehicles 24/7 and do not even own there own car. Those are the types we need to eliminate.

I had a feeling that was your meaning, simply wanted to cover all the bases.

You have any idea how much I would love to see company executives issued smart car's and prirus's? Or better yet, moped's and vesba's.

 

[08 Black Max]

It is sad that all that natural gas is being burned off at the well sites.
Imagine that energy being harvested and used in local delivery vehicles and fork lifts across the country.
Those type of vehicles do not have a need of great range vs high reliability, good example mail system they usually operate in a given zip code, they can be fueled at the post office as often as needed and lower cost vs the gasoline they currently burn.
That is a start as the technology improves the fleet as it ages can be improved.

We do need to reduce our use of Middle east oil and we need to start pricing our food products at outrageous prices just like the OPEC does. They have a greater need of our food products than we need for their oil.

We then need to correct our trade balance with countrys like china, we need to start making things here in the US vs some other country.

These are just some of the steps that we need to take to fix our economy and start to work on our monumental debt.

 

[adeso]

It is sad that all that natural gas is being burned off at the well sites.
Imagine that energy being harvested and used in local delivery vehicles and fork lifts across the country.
Those type of vehicles do not have a need of great range vs high reliability, good example mail system they usually operate in a given zip code, they can be fueled at the post office as often as needed and lower cost vs the gasoline they currently burn.
That is a start as the technology improves the fleet as it ages can be improved.

We do need to reduce our use of Middle east oil and we need to start pricing our food products at outrageous prices just like the OPEC does. They have a greater need of our food products than we need for their oil.

We then need to correct our trade balance with countrys like china, we need to start making things here in the US vs some other country.

These are just some of the steps that we need to take to fix our economy and start to work on our monumental debt.

Good luck putting people back to work in hot smelly factories with a robust welfare program. People have no idea how good they have it imho

 

[bigmackmiller]

It would also help if we didn't ship all of our oil off to Canada and Mexico because the epa labels it unsafe, guess what Canada and Mexico use it and it goes right into the atmosphere exactly where it would go if we used it