Thoughts on cars going all electric?

[nonobaddog]

These seem interesting for smaller off grid purposes, iirc they are too large/heavy at the moment for EVs but for home storage seems nice. And scalable for large commercial use. Under $20 for 1 kwh storage capacity compared to $100 for lithium.

Form Energy's $20/kWh, 100-hour iron-air battery could be a 'substantial breakthrough'

Form unveiled a chemistry process for powering a battery the company claims can deliver electricity for 100 hours.

www.utilitydive.com

That $20 number isn't real yet.

"if the commercial costs end up that low"

 

[Timjoebillybob]

That $20 number isn't real yet.

Agreed, they are starting their first commecial project, expected to online in 2023. They say 1/10 the cost of lithium ion, but who knows. I would expect home units to probably be more than commercial.

 

[BugI02]

If I had his $$$, I'd be building nuclear power plants in any state Kalifornakstan adjacent that would have me.

Even throwing some of that money and undeniable talent at fusion would be cool, too

 

[BugI02]

It’s not from Apple but there are 3rd party magnetic connectors for iPhone that I’ve seen advertised. I think it only charges though.

Edit:
This isn’t the one I remember seeing but it is an example of one. You can use these with USB-C or lightening connectors.

Mine is power only, no data transfer which is the preferred implementation. That way the jump to Thunderbolt 4 (or 5,6, or 7 for that matter) won't interfere with charging/powering in any way

Remember the stupid wireless mouse that had to be charged with a Lightning cable but you had to turn it upside down to do it so you couldn't use it and charge it at the same time?

 

[BugI02]

Did you guys see the gravity batteries being tested? It's pretty much the same concept as a water tower. In this case, during low demand times energy is used to lift heavy weights via a crane and then it's locked into place. During peak demand times, the weights are allowed to descend and turn a generator, creating electricity. It's a way to even out the flow from things like wind turbines which may make way more power then is needed at some points and not keep up with demand at other points. Apparently this same concept has been in use for quite awhile with stored water and hydro-power. This just lets it work in areas without the ability to store a bunch of water uphill of the power generation plant.

Gravity Could Solve Clean Energy’s One Major Drawback

Finding green energy when the winds are calm and the skies are cloudy has been a challenge. Storing it in giant concrete blocks could be the answer.

www.wired.com

I'm telling you guys, there are smart people and there is money to be made. Many of these ideas will likely be deadends, but someone is figuring this stuff out.

"There's no place like the all electric future. There's no place like the all electric future ..."

 

[Percolater]

New tech with nuclear SMR's (small modular reactors) are really progressing and companies like NuScale have benefits to improve our energy quality of life. They've already received approval from NRC on one of their US projects. https://www.nuscalepower.com/projects

 

[Leadeye]

This country won WW2, out producing the entire world in several areas while developing the next generation of weapons which were only ideas to the Axis. Americans drove cars on the moon and got them there in the 70s with rockets still not surpassed for power.

One thing that's absolutely for sure is that you can accomplish anything with borrowed money and taxes. When this is all done and the climate still changes, ignoring man's great project to manipulate it in the direction of his choosing, how will history see us?

Like broke citizens of a town watching the last New World Order medicine show driving out of town and the turning around to welcome the next one.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

View attachment 175636

"There's no place like the all electric future. There's no place like the all electric future ..."

I figure unless we nuke each other into oblivion, the species will outlast fossil fuels that are economically viable to extract. I'm not worried about it in my lifetime, mind you, but unless we step on our crank in a giant way we've got centuries and centuries ahead of us. Poke all you like, but the future is renewables. Electric, biomass (see: fuel from seaweed), etc. We'll not be a gasoline powered society in 500 years any more than we're a whale oil powered society today. There's nothing special about today and today's technology, we're all transient.

 

[1gunaholic]

 

[BugI02]

I figure unless we nuke each other into oblivion, the species will outlast fossil fuels that are economically viable to extract. I'm not worried about it in my lifetime, mind you, but unless we step on our crank in a giant way we've got centuries and centuries ahead of us. Poke all you like, but the future is renewables. Electric, biomass (see: fuel from seaweed), etc. We'll not be a gasoline powered society in 500 years any more than we're a whale oil powered society today. There's nothing special about today and today's technology, we're all transient.

If we get fusion for cheap electricity, I'd rather see a competing hydrogen fueled ICE ecosystem develop. Not so much for cars but for aircraft. Without major, major improvements in batteries I just don't see the power to weight ratio ever making electric aircraft practical except at the smallest scales. Hydrogen would also support SSTO for sub-orbital high speed travel

 

[BehindBlueI's]

If we get fusion for cheap electricity, I'd rather see a competing hydrogen fueled ICE ecosystem develop. Not so much for cars but for aircraft. Without major, major improvements in batteries I just don't see the power to weight ratio ever making electric aircraft practical except at the smallest scales. Hydrogen would also support SSTO for sub-orbital high speed travel

Someone will figure out something, I'm sure. Wireless power transmission would open up a ton of new possibilities, where batteries would be a stop gap if the wireless transmission was unavailable for awhile. Smart guys with money behind them are already on that, too:

PowerLight is hitting its targets with a power beaming system that uses lasers

PowerLight Technologies is turning wireless power transmission from science fiction into science fact ... with frickin' laser beams.

www.geekwire.com

 

[Jaybird1980]

Someone will figure out something, I'm sure. Wireless power transmission would open up a ton of new possibilities, where batteries would be a stop gap if the wireless transmission was unavailable for awhile. Smart guys with money behind them are already on that, too:

PowerLight is hitting its targets with a power beaming system that uses lasers

PowerLight Technologies is turning wireless power transmission from science fiction into science fact ... with frickin' laser beams.

www.geekwire.com

 

[nonobaddog]

Current Silverado is certainly one of those things that you either love or hate. I love mine. My biggest complaint though is seeing over the massive hood. Damn that thing is high and wide. If I were to complain about anything else it would be that the interior is dated compared to Ram. But I have no complaints about its appearance. Most people I've encountered either love it or hate it. There is no 'meh' about it.

But I'm not all that fond of the EV version. Just looks too much like an Avalanche.

I just saw some Silverado commercials and they don't look bad at all. When they have the all-chrome front end or the bumper painted to match front end like below they look pretty good - a little busy maybe but not bad at all. I still don't like that photo upstream from here though.

 

[jamil]

I just saw some Silverado commercials and they don't look bad at all. When they have the all-chrome front end or the bumper painted to match front end like below they look pretty good - a little busy maybe but not bad at all. I still don't like that photo upstream from here though.

I think the front looks great in Black. Minimal chrome. But yeah, that's the complaint I hear from most people who hate it. It's "too busy." Maybe that's why I like the black. It doesn't look as busy because not as many parts contrast other parts.

 

[actaeon277]

 

[wsmith1indy]

I still don't know why they don't adopt the train engine technology. A single cylinder engine running a generator. Electric isn't the end all to the climate problem, battery making, recycling (yeah right) and piles of junk batteries will be a disposal nightmare as well as an ecological nightmare.

Farmerjon, I think you are on to something there. Combine that with the ability to charge off the grid, or solar panels also. I like it.

 

[ancjr]

Existing technology can't be made proprietary and patented.