Your opinion on electric vehicles

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

As for tow-behind battery trailers...

Since 80% of the cost of an electric car is batteries, that tow behind will probably cost 60% of the car itself... (and a prime target for theft.)

Ever heard of trailer locks. Never had a trailer stolen and I carry stuff that's way more expensive than the truck and trailer combined.

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Okay, when I said DRM, I was being cute. But let's face it, physical equipment is easier to restrain, and its use limited to the owner (all it takes to protect most cars is a key)...

DRIVING RIGHTS MANAGEMENT.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

DRIVING RIGHTS MANAGEMENT.

Say... someone should write that one down.

[Greg Anos]

Maybe I come from South Texas, where the Mexican border is only 2-3 hours away. Stealing cars was a common occurrence, (and still is, from what I can gather)...

[Daithi]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

Ever heard of trailer locks. Never had a trailer stolen and I carry stuff that's way more expensive than the truck and trailer combined.

So, uhm, where do you park?

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by Daithi

So, uhm, where do you park?

I stuck a pin on the frapr map... if you can afford the travel!

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Daithi

So, uhm, where do you park?

In Canada, they still have to invent crime there

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

Maybe I come from South Texas, where the Mexican border is only 2-3 hours away. Stealing cars was a common occurrence, (and still is, from what I can gather)...

Finally, the truth about Texas comes out. Wimmin, hide yer daughters!

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

In Canada, they still have to invent crime there

We had Hells Angels too. They're all in prison but one. I believe he's hiding in the Dominican Republic.

[nekokami]

I currently drive a 2003 Prius, still using its original batteries... when I drive a car, that is. Regrettably, there's no public transportation between my workplace and home. But tonight I'll be headed home on my new Currie EZip bike with electric assist for the steep hills we have around here. So... the title of the thread was "electric vehicles." Does my bike count?

Originally Posted by HarryT

Unfortunately it takes a great deal of energy to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen. The supply of water may indeed be effectively limitless, but it costs way to much to get hydrogen from it.

I keep hoping someone will invent the artificial chloroplast, and use sunlight to separate oxygen and hydrogen from water.

Nuclear waste concerns me. The vitrification method sounds good, but how do we leave a warning note guaranteed to still be understandable in 10,000 years, or even 500 years?

I'd feel better if we could get fusion plants working. But really, any energy production has an impact on the planet, by raising temperatures. I can't help thinking that improving efficiency (including conservation) is a critical part of our overall strategy.

[eumesmo]

Fuel cells are interesting, but requiring extremely rare metals, with life of only 5 to 10 years, and very picky about the purity of the fuel they're designed for. Of all these new prototypes, I'm particularly fond of pneumatic cars, for design, maintenance, material and recyclable simplicity.

Heh, a warning that will be understood in 10,000 years is pretty straight forward, but a warning that will be heeded is something else entirely. I can already see the "hot metal of the gods" being traded at prices higher than gold's. A study on this exact problem has been conducted recently, claiming that any warning against digging a certain area would only exacerbate exploration, and that if left unmarked, eventually geological science would again enable the identifying of once dug up land.

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by nekokami

Does my bike count?

If it can replace a gas-powered car for your transportation needs, I say: Why not?

Originally Posted by nekokami

Nuclear waste concerns me. The vitrification method sounds good, but how do we leave a warning note guaranteed to still be understandable in 10,000 years, or even 500 years?

Pictograms can quite often get the message across, if well thought-out. (Skeletons=the universal indicator of death.) There are only 2 catches:
1. How do you keep the pictograms from fading away; and
2. What about other animals? (If this sounds facetious, keep in mind that animals getting into dangerous materials can spread them before dying, and become a danger to the food chain and, by extension, other humans.)

[Greg Anos]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

If it can replace a gas-powered car for your transportation needs, I say: Why not?



Pictograms can quite often get the message across, if well thought-out. (Skeletons=the universal indicator of death.) There are only 2 catches:
1. How do you keep the pictograms from fading away; and
2. What about other animals? (If this sounds facetious, keep in mind that animals getting into dangerous materials can spread them before dying, and become a danger to the food chain and, by extension, other humans.)

Let's see, 3,000 meters down a mine shaft, out kilometer from the mine shaft, dry salt mine, no water at all, and then chew through a couple meters of glass to get to the radioactives, maybe even 100 meters of backfill salt first..... Yep, top of my worry list!

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

Let's see, 3,000 meters down a mine shaft, out kilometer from the mine shaft, dry salt mine, no water at all, and then chew through a couple meters of glass to get to the radioactives, maybe even 100 meters of backfill salt first..... Yep, top of my worry list!

Not all radioactive waste is stored that way now. You really think we'll be sensible enough to store it all that way later?

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by eumesmo

Of all these new prototypes, I'm particularly fond of pneumatic cars, for design, maintenance, material and recyclable simplicity.

That air car is promising. If it were available here, I'd buy it right away. I'm familiar with compressed air since I use it in the shop. I would construct a series of small wind gererated compressors, slowly feeding an array of reservoirs and recompress as needed to reach necessary requisite pressure for the vehicle.

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Not all radioactive waste is stored that way now. You really think we'll be sensible enough to store it all that way later?

Agreed. Nuclear control requires a uniform responsiblity that can not be maintained aross land and time.

We are self centered, arrogant and bigots if we think that we will be able to maintain a sense of responsibility across time. Any containment can be breached by ignorance. The past tells us that all civilizations disappear after a short while, our own word is about to be blown to bits (pun intended). Who will understand our warnings then? The use of such poisons is selfish and pretentious, period. Wez goin' down the drain baby!