Author Topic: The future of electric Vehicles.  (Read 61079 times)

AdeV

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Re: The future of electric Vehicles.
« Reply #45 on: March 31, 2018, 08:59:51 AM »
Here's an idea.
  Rechargeable on the fly, electric trains. 
 Put high voltage overhead lines in urban areas, (where here in USA, trains creep along at 10mph) and charge up battery banks, that then take over when out of the city.  Maybe leave a diesel/electric loco in the train for the long x-country hauls or hills

Oddly enough, something like that (only without the rechargeable batteries) are being considered here in Blighty. Bi-modal trains, they're called; they can work off the electric catenary where it's present, and switch to diesel power where there's no overhead lines. Of course, the reason we need them here is because a bunch of railway upgrades have just been cancelled - including electrification of an old line - due to cost. £38 billion spent, and no end in sight... so I suppose it's hardly surprising.

Isn't the problem with US urban rail, the fact that the rails tend to be wobbly as hell due to to years of heat cycling, and if the train tried t go any faster it'd basically fall off?
Cheers!
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BruceM

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Re: The future of electric Vehicles.
« Reply #46 on: March 31, 2018, 05:40:36 PM »
Quite a few US financial media sources suggest that potential US electric car charging (at home) is being viewed as the potential savior of the power companies, so many are getting on the EV bandwagon.  It will be primarily a night time load so disfavors direct PV and favors their existing fossil fuel plants.

The current stats for the US are 29 miles a day, so the current ranges of electric cars are sufficient for many and few would be charging on the road.  Recharging while at work via parking lot PV works today for that, 300 watt hours per mile, 29 miles is 8.7KWH to be replaced daily and 1800W of panels (6-300 watt panels roughly 3x6 foot) could practically do that.   The need for fast charging is for exceptionally longer trips so that a gas vehicle isn't needed for the vacation or occasional weekend trip. It's a matter of statistics to make it work out well-  if the vast majority of charging can be done during direct PV time, this is a real boon in terms of fossil fuel reduction for the SW US.

It will be a battle of vested interests fighting it out.

The electric semi truck would be appropriate for trucked local delivery and transport.  They will have to have battery swapping as their power needs are great and down time for charging isn't OK.  Long haul obviously needs something more energy efficient like a modern fast rail with automated fast transfers of modular containers.

That will also be a battle. 










« Last Edit: March 31, 2018, 05:49:44 PM by BruceM »

mike90045

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Re: The future of electric Vehicles.
« Reply #47 on: April 01, 2018, 04:55:26 AM »
Isn't the problem with US urban rail, the fact that the rails tend to be wobbly as hell due to to years of heat cycling, and if the train tried t go any faster it'd basically fall off? 

No, it's because folks built housing right up to the tracks and then complained about the noisy trains.  So they slow them way down in the city,   and no noisy horns, or crossing bells, disturbs my beauty sleep.

BruceM

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Re: The future of electric Vehicles.
« Reply #48 on: April 01, 2018, 04:54:02 PM »
Plenty of good books have been written about how America go steered away from rail and into road freight by the usual mean$.  Those aging rails in urban areas are poorly maintained and could hardly carry a modern rail system.  Most Americans don't read,  and have never seen a modern high speed rail system.

Some recent news for US freight rail:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-csx-trade-cuts/trade-groups-call-on-u-s-to-investigate-csx-rail-disruptions-idUSKCN1AV1ZY

Some recent news for US passenger rail:
https://tedium.co/2017/04/25/amtrak-train-delay-history/

The sorry state of US rail doesn't seem to have anything to do with people living near the tracks complaining about noise.






32 coupe

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Re: The future of electric Vehicles.
« Reply #49 on: April 01, 2018, 08:21:10 PM »

Bruce got it right.

Ford, Firestone, as well as others, and the oil industries killed the
railroads in the states.

Big $$$ always wins.

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mike90045

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Re: The future of electric Vehicles.
« Reply #50 on: April 02, 2018, 06:56:28 AM »
Those dangerous trains must be stopped so that we can text
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq9srtsC990
   I came across this, not written by me:

This is a video I made in Lakeland Florida on the Kentucky Avenue railroad crossing in the no train horn town of a woman texting and walks right in to a CSX intermodal train. This video shows that Lakeland Florida has dangerous crossings due to the no train horn and no pedestrian gates in place. If there were a pedestrian gate this woman would never have been injured or possibly killed

BruceM

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Re: The future of electric Vehicles.
« Reply #51 on: April 02, 2018, 09:21:37 AM »
The texting zombie apocalypse ?  Independent studies show your cell phone alters your brain waves,  opens your blood brain barrier.  The immediate direct effect is stimulatory at least initially, and probably accounts for the addictive behavior that sets in for some heavy users. 



 







oldgoat

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Re: The future of electric Vehicles.
« Reply #52 on: April 02, 2018, 10:58:45 AM »
Darwin award entrants ?

buickanddeere

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Re: The future of electric Vehicles.
« Reply #53 on: April 03, 2018, 03:08:18 AM »
Local rail transportation of goods failed because trucks are faster, cheaper, more flexible and deliver to any business's door.  Rail still exists for long haul of freight from shipping hub to hub.

buickanddeere

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Re: The future of electric Vehicles.
« Reply #54 on: April 03, 2018, 03:31:23 AM »
   Used nuclear fuel is loaded into concrete and steel flasks then welded shut . After 250 years the dose rate is less than 5 rem per hour contact.
   Today's used fuel works well in the next generation of molten salt reactors .
   Professional protestors make their livelyhood of scaring donations from the public they are scaring. With a vested interest what are the anti groups going to say. Anti vaccination, anti nuclear, anti wifi, anti meat, anti fluoride in the water, etc groups. They are a rallying point for the tin foil hat types who crave a crisis because they need  " Somebody is out to get them".  To obtain sympathy, political power, status , self worth etc.
   There is no use trying to use facts to change somebody's mind who is already made up. They just want attention and some excitement from a fight.
   If you want a long term health concern. How about toxic metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury etc.  Some nasty organic chemicals such as benzine , MEK or others. Or how about dioxins ? Then again these concerns are not sexy and exciting like nuclear.

BruceM

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Re: The future of electric Vehicles.
« Reply #55 on: April 03, 2018, 05:01:32 AM »
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/nuclear-waste-lethal-trash-or-renewable-energy-source/

B&D you are making some very unusual claims. What nuclear power plant facility is disposing of it's spent fuel rods by mixing with concrete and welding in steel drums?

To the best of my knowledge this was proven ineffective over 35 years ago.  The concrete and steel decompose, as did the glass composite attempt.  Dilution and containment of particles is an was an ideal approach in concept in that water seepage would not carry particles and contamination to aquifer(s).  Not one of many materials promoted and tried for this worked. 

Spent fuel rods with thorium have a 10,000 year half life. 

To suggest that storage of radioactive waste is a simple issue belies the work of a lot of serious scientists and people that certainly aren't wearing tin hats, and have serious concerns.  These include people with serious educations and no financial interests. 

If you have some good sources to back up your claims, I'd love to read them. and so would the DOE, NRA and many more.












mikenash

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Re: The future of electric Vehicles.
« Reply #56 on: April 03, 2018, 07:34:54 AM »

Hey Glort

re this:

Your  "In NZ you pay road tax by mileage. Don't matter what fuel you are using, you pay to be on the road. They may choose to do it a variety of ways and I'm sure they will do whatever they thing extracts max $$.
[/quote]"

Actually no.  Here in our Paradise at the bottom of the world you pay Road User Charges ("RUCs") on diesel (and only on diesel) by the kilometre travelled; and the $$ rate per kilometre depends on the size of your vehicle - big trucks pay lots, small cars don't pay much

It is done this way because there's a great deal of diesel used in agriculture & industry (tractors, harvesters, logging gear etc) by machines which don't go on-road and so make no contribution to wear-and-tear on the roads, and so pay no RUCs.  Vehicles that do go on the road, and which do contribute to wear-and-tear, pay by the kilometre and have to buy their RUCs either on an automatic system or in advance

Other fuels (petrol, LPG etc) have a road tax component included in the price-per-litre or whatever.  The thinking is that petrol is used in "light-ish" vehicles which make a modest contribution to roading wear-and-tear etc (cars, utes, SUVs etc) so it's fair to tax them per litre.  The bigger your car, the more gas you use (loosely) and the more tax you pay

What this overlooks of course, is that the government - as governments are wont to do - takes, say, $0.40 per litre in tax, uses maybe  $0.20 of that on roading and diverts the rest into the general "consolidated fund"

LowGear

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Re: The future of electric Vehicles.
« Reply #57 on: April 03, 2018, 03:02:10 PM »
You often get what you've paid for whether it's out of pocket cash or liens against your and others future.  There will always be sharks and folks that don't mind living in shit holes (just using my wonderful, brave, imaginative and very intelligent President's language).  If you want better stuff then just reach down into your pockets. 

Worried about an early death in the US.  The top three killers we kind of understand are cardiovascular, cancers and diabetes.  These three tragedies are a function of diet and lifestyle.  That makes premature death for most people a personal choice.  These choices may be state supported but they are still a matter of personal choice.
« Last Edit: April 03, 2018, 03:03:59 PM by LowGear »
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LowGear

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Re: The future of electric Vehicles.
« Reply #58 on: April 03, 2018, 03:09:55 PM »
Used nuclear fuel is loaded into concrete and steel flasks then welded shut . After 250 years the dose rate is less than 5 rem per hour contact. I thought radiation half lives were measured in thousands of years? 

250 years.  That would mean that if George Washington and Thomas Jefferson had sealed something up it would now be down to 5 rems.  What is 5 rems?  What does it mean if you drink water that has a 5 rem radiation load?
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oldgoat

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Re: The future of electric Vehicles.
« Reply #59 on: April 03, 2018, 03:25:12 PM »
Depends on which element or isotope you want to pick som e have very short half lives and some take 24000 years to decay to half life.