Things that are WAAY overdue

[kazbates]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

Aaaah! my pet subject. I've been wanting an EV since 1973, I've driven a few in 2001 that have all been destroyed by their manufacturers, and there are still no decent affordable EVs as of today. Who's responsible? THE OIL SUCKERS.
They want us to drive their stupid hybrids, what a load a crock they are.
Even that idiotic pluggable Chevy Volt, I mean the thing weighs over 3000 pounds, totally irrational!
If you want good info go to the evcast.com . I'm listening all their 200 podcasts as I work.

It's physically impossible unless you have a power plant in your backyard, and a 3000amp charger. The best you can do is 15 mins for an 80% charge.



BTW I finally found the EV I want, and it's a bloody Ford! I still can't believe it! It's a small van fer my work and it will be available summer 2010. The Ford Transit Connect. It's made and sold in Europe and will be available in America starting this summer as a two liter petrol guzzler and next year with pure EV, hybrid and gas options.

Actually, Yvan, we have a Honda Civic hybrid that we've had for over 6 years now. My husband originally bought it so he could drive the HOV lanes here in Virginia , but, as gas prices went up and up, we realized how fortuitous the purchase really was. Now my kids use it in their commute to college everyday. It has over 100,000 miles and has only needed a small amount of servicing and they only fill it up once a week (they have about an hour drive to school and an hour back home). A hybrid isn't perfect, but it is a move in the right direction.

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

The one I want is pictured a page back. Unfortunately, I understand the company was bought out (or maybe just rebranded themselves), and is now about to declare bankruptcy. Dammit!

Unlike you, Yvan, I just need a small vehicle for 80-90% of my driving needs, that is, to and from work (or, in my case, the MARC train parking lot), and light shopping around town. If we save the gas-drinker for things like longer-distance trips, and carrying large loads, we could leave that car parked for months at a time.

We have a Honda mini-van that spends the week in the garage and only comes out when the whole family is going somewhere together. It gets fairly good gas mileage for such a large vehicle, but it is over kill for me to drive my little one back and forth to elementary school and my trips to the grocery store.

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

<SNIP>
Another waay overdue item: All lawn mowers--in fact, all powered lawn implements--should be cordless electrics by now (and waiting for their ultracapacitor batteries).

I thought you were going to say a lawn mower that does the work for you! I know that is definitely something my husband would like to see.

I think one of the most anticipated technological breakthroughs and one that would truly impact every aspect of our lives is a new energy source to replace the antiquated batteries we use. We've made some improvements in batteries in the last few years, but they really only are modifications. We need a new source that provides longer life with less weight.

[yvanleterrible]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Well, what do you think is going into the latest supercapacitor and ultracapacitor research? Fullerenes.

Fullerenes aren't the same as nanotechnology. nanotech is machines constructed atom by atom. Fullerenes are natural organizations of one atom, carbon. We just have to figure out easier ways of constructing them.

I'm not saying we're at the crux of turning them out by the ton, but scientists have already proven their capacity to store more energy in a smaller space, charge and discharge faster, and handle more cycles than conventional materials. The day we work out mass-production and controlled manufacture of fullerenes is a day worth celebrating. (And that day will probably be the first real day of the nanotechnology era, too.)

Another waay overdue item: All lawn mowers--in fact, all powered lawn implements--should be cordless electrics by now (and waiting for their ultracapacitor batteries).

Agreed, researchwise, those near production use an other technology nearer to production.
Agreed lawnmowers are tremendous polluters.
Corded E lawnmowers are preferable to cordless any time you can. Charging a battery wastes 30% of the energy. Lawnmovers not being used for long periods of time, well at least here, waste batteries faster than any cordless device. Not factoring in that any battery loses 3% of its charge per day of non use. letting a battery go to below 50% charge lowers its durability.Changing batteries is costly and toxic. A corded mower can also be much bigger and more powerful.

Best is to use an other type of ground cover that does not need such cares. Lawns are resource intensive. We could use edible lawnmowers anyway!

[Xiaopanda]

Originally Posted by Alphapheemail

I want to reiterate: Teleportation

This would cancel out:
-cars, trains and buses, which mean a super treat for the environment.
-mail, of all types
-movers
-improve online shipping

revloutionary!

Odd thought RE Teleportation.......
Isn't it (in reality) just cloning?
Deconstructing the body here....reconstructing it there.....
Sounds like "Kill me here....clone me there" tech to me.

You'd still be dead, but with a "pod person" who has all your memories etc.... wandering around in your place.

Ikky

[Xiaopanda]

Viral Batteries.

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by yvanleterrible

...
Agreed lawnmowers are tremendous polluters.
...

Get rid of the lawn?

Cheers,
Marc

[GeoffC]

get
sheep
goats
ducks !!!

[Sweetpea]

The big price falling on our number at the state lottery...

[GeoffC]

no! on ours in the national lottery, or from our friend ernie ....

[Patricia]

They do still make old-fashioned lawn mowers that you just push. They have rotary blades. No power and no nasty cord. I'm looking for a used one.

[pdurrant]

Geese are best. They keep the lawn short /and/ act as a living burglar
alarm.

Mind you - you do have to be careful where you tread with any animal lawn mower....

Originally Posted by GeoffC

get
sheep
goats
ducks !!!

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Patricia

They do still make old-fashioned lawn mowers that you just push. They have rotary blades. No power and no nasty cord. I'm looking for a used one.

I'm very glad we have the motor mower with a rear drive wheel... No nasty cord either

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I'm very glad we have the motor mower with a rear drive wheel... No nasty cord either

but they aren't half hard work - even on the littles of lawns ...

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

The idea of changing over our mowers is primarily a pollution thing: 2-stroke gas engines are incredibly polluting, and it's about time (or, to put it another way, waay overdue) we replaced them with something better (just as the U.S. has done with snowmobiles and personal watercraft).

Electrics are always better: My cordless is plenty powerful enough, and after owning it for going on 15 years now, I've only replaced the battery once. It's a good point about the inherent waste of charging systems, though... I should look into putting it on a phantom-checker. Manual is great, too. And yeah, if we could replace our lawns with something that didn't need mowing (or watering, or chemical treatments), the better off we'd be.

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

The idea of changing over our mowers is primarily a pollution thing: 2-stroke gas engines are incredibly polluting, and it's about time (or, to put it another way, waay overdue) we replaced them with something better (just as the U.S. has done with snowmobiles and personal watercraft).

Electrics are always better: My cordless is plenty powerful enough, and after owning it for going on 15 years now, I've only replaced the battery once. It's a good point about the inherent waste of charging systems, though... I should look into putting it on a phantom-checker. Manual is great, too. And yeah, if we could replace our lawns with something that didn't need mowing (or watering, or chemical treatments), the better off we'd be.

whatever you replace the lawn with, remember to keep the water-draining aspect ... too many 'gardens' in the UK have been paved and leaves the rain with fewer options of where to drain ....

[Peverel]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

The idea of changing over our mowers is primarily a pollution thing: 2-stroke gas engines are incredibly polluting, and it's about time (or, to put it another way, waay overdue) we replaced them with something better (just as the U.S. has done with snowmobiles and personal watercraft).

Can't buy new two stroke marine engines in Europe anymore either