Comments on: Why electricity is the only alternative fuel that can lead to energy independence

By: Kobus

Kobus — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 21:16:39 +0000

Where did you get the idea that electricity is a fuel – alternative or otherwise? 90% of the electricity in the world is produced by burning some sort of fuel – coal,oil,gas etc. Most of the electricity which will be used to power your electric cars will come from fossil fuel power stations. How will that reduce costs and reduce energy dependence on fossil fuels. How will it reduce carbon emissions given that the extra electricity to drive these cars will have to come from extra production from these very same fossil fuel power stations? Electricity does not just come out of a plug – it comes from a fuel burning power station.

[JR: Not a regular reader, I see.]

By: msn nickleri

msn nickleri — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:13:13 +0000

Your comment about PHEVs and Disneyland implied that PHEVs have a range limitation, but they don’t. You may be thinking of pure batter EVs, and even there solutions may be coming, but a PHEV can do anything a regular car do. It just does it cheaper and with less greenhouse pollution.

By: Earl Killian

Earl Killian — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:34:45 +0000

Michael D, Most PHEVs are going to recharge from regular 110V outlets. There is another connector being considered as well, but it would be easy to make adapters.

Coulomb Tech is making charging points for installing on light poles and the like.

By: Michael D

Michael D — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 05:33:25 +0000

Does anyone know if standards for recharge points have been developed and/or considered?

ie. what volts/amps etc do most PHEV need and do most recharge points allow for this?

any links would be a bonus.

By: Earl Killian

Earl Killian — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:52:35 +0000

Marty, there are other proposals out there besides TBP’s. The point of a forum discussion is to debate which one should be supported. We shouldn’t go with TBP’s just because it is the most recent. The particular problem with half of TBP’s proposal is the idea of making two vehicle fleet transitions, instead of half a transition.

By: Marty Flick

Marty Flick — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 04:48:25 +0000

We need to quit thinking of the latest advance as the ‘only’ or ‘best’ solution. Start somewhere!

We could start by using the PHEV as a commute car. Hopefully, I won’t have to commute to Disney world – but if I did, the answer to that would be to move closer to my job, wouldn’t it?

For leisure travel, CNG might be indicated – the infrastructure already is there – it’s cleaner than petro, and might possibly be manufactured. That’s for another tech revolution.

The point is to be creative with our thinking – wherever ‘off-the-shelf’ is available, let’s use it. [T. Boone Picken's idea might be a start, a stopgap until we can get a better solution online.]

We need a mix of ideas, and this might be a good place to propose them. Good chatting with you all, and I’ll be watching progress. …

Marty

By: David B. Benson

David B. Benson — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:19:31 +0000

There used to be four different mainlines into the Pacific Northwest. Now there are only two.

The U.S. has decided to build freeways rather than railroad tracks; a mistake not easily rectifiable.

By all means move freight by rail; even with diesel power it is more efficient (although slower) than by large truck.

By: scatter

scatter — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:06:05 +0000

MeltyMan, don’t forget that homes may well be heated in winter or cooled in summer so the carbon savings are not clear cut. It depends on where you live and what time of year. But there are certainly benefits to be had and communications technology is sufficiently capable to make it easy to do.

By: Tom G

Tom G — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:55:09 +0000

There’s already a method of moving truck trailers over long distances and you don’t need the truck.
It’s called piggy-back and it’s been in existance since the 1950’s.
Another word for it is intermodal and it now includes containers, both sea containers and domestic cans.
The trailer/container is loaded on a specialized railroad flatcar, or in what’s called a well car, in one city, railed to its destination city, off-loaded and delivered to the customer with a city tractor.
Huge savings in fuel…

By: Earl Killian

Earl Killian — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 04:52:51 +0000

David, to add to Michael’s reply, Smith already has a facility in the US, and is planning to open another. And did you know that there even used to be an electric rail line crossing the Rockies? (Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad)

I agree we aren’t going to electrify everything. That’s not necessary. There is no single solution; we need a diverse portfolio to address the challenge. Joe’s post was clearly talking about passenger vehicles, not freight.