Absolutely. A friend of mine has a model S Tesla, now the fastest production car ever built in 0-60 time. All electric all wheel drive. He told me to make sure my head was back against the headrest and floored it. Unbelievable acceleration. Also has automatic driving mode which is mind boggling to me, totally hands free driving.shaz":3j7ejh8b said:Don't let an electric car scare you. They have some great advantages.
slick4591":akvm9hy9 said:My deal with them is the range of power and when you need a charge. Maybe they've improved the charging situation, I don't know. I'd sure hate to overnight somewhere so my batteries got charged for another 300 miles.
Caterpillar is. Look up the D7E. It has a diesel that powers a generator and the drive is electric. Ive been doing a lot of pipeline work lately and have been seeing a lot of D7Es in action. They are calling them a hybrid dozer.shaz":2nq1onv6 said:No exhaust, no transmission. Whole lot less stuff to wear out.
What I'm not seeing is electric vehicles finding their way into applications that require lower power to weight ratios like bulldozers and tractors. Seems like a good fit but no one is running with it yet.
slick4591":23mxf1bs said:My deal with them is the range of power and when you need a charge. Maybe they've improved the charging situation, I don't know. I'd sure hate to overnight somewhere so my batteries got charged for another 300 miles.
Brute 23":1kwiuzft said:My brother has been driving electric hybrids for a couple years now. He likes them. No issues so far.
For cars I don't see why not other than cost at this point but that will change in the next 5-10 years.
Caustic Burno":1lxft7u1 said:Brute 23":1lxft7u1 said:My brother has been driving electric hybrids for a couple years now. He likes them. No issues so far.
For cars I don't see why not other than cost at this point but that will change in the next 5-10 years.
It is very inefficient your making electricity with fossil fuel to charge a battery.
This is psychics 101 it takes X pounds of carbon to move Y pounds to Z.
It doesn't matter if it comes from a internal combustion engine or out the smokestack of a Utility company.
I would have to research the electric car if I remember correctly gasoline is 30% efficient. The electric car is like 50% the efficiency to make the electricity isn't counted against it.
You still have the same amount of drag on both all things equal. The electric is more efficient losing the tranny where it looses efficiency is the production of the electricity. This goes back to boiler, generator, transformer, transmission lines, temperature etc. loosing in every step. This is the smoke and mirrors the consumer doesn't see.
Caustic Burno":2co398sa said:Brute 23":2co398sa said:My brother has been driving electric hybrids for a couple years now. He likes them. No issues so far.
For cars I don't see why not other than cost at this point but that will change in the next 5-10 years.
It is very inefficient your making electricity with fossil fuel to charge a battery.
This is psychics 101 it takes X pounds of carbon to move Y pounds to Z.
It doesn't matter if it comes from a internal combustion engine or out the smokestack of a Utility company.
I would have to research the electric car if I remember correctly gasoline is 30% efficient. The electric car is like 50% the efficiency to make the electricity isn't counted against it.
You still have the same amount of drag on both all things equal. The electric is more efficient losing the tranny where it looses efficiency is the production of the electricity. This goes back to boiler, generator, transformer, transmission lines, temperature etc. loosing in every step. This is the smoke and mirrors the consumer doesn't see.
bird dog":2arrkzdl said:And now here is where it really gets stupid. First of all, the electric grid can not in its present form handle the load. Imagine everyone in the big city coming home from work and sticking their car on a charger. You don't plug these things into a regular wall socket. They require a lot of amperage.
Next they have been trying to improve batteries for quite a while with very little progress. May happen, may not. Is there enough lithium to go around?
Last the green folks are doing there best to get rid of coal plants. Nobody mentions that you will need these to generate the power to charge all these machines, Just ask China.
Wind energy is not economic. Solar is and getting better but still has to have back up generation. Nat. gas is best but will get more expensive if it is the only thing left after coal and nuclear are gone.
I'm sorry to say (well not really) but gasoline and diesel are going to be used much longer than these companies and the media realize.
shaz":25l80ma6 said:Caustic Burno":25l80ma6 said:Brute 23":25l80ma6 said:My brother has been driving electric hybrids for a couple years now. He likes them. No issues so far.
For cars I don't see why not other than cost at this point but that will change in the next 5-10 years.
It is very inefficient your making electricity with fossil fuel to charge a battery.
This is psychics 101 it takes X pounds of carbon to move Y pounds to Z.
It doesn't matter if it comes from a internal combustion engine or out the smokestack of a Utility company.
I would have to research the electric car if I remember correctly gasoline is 30% efficient. The electric car is like 50% the efficiency to make the electricity isn't counted against it.
You still have the same amount of drag on both all things equal. The electric is more efficient losing the tranny where it looses efficiency is the production of the electricity. This goes back to boiler, generator, transformer, transmission lines, temperature etc. loosing in every step. This is the smoke and mirrors the consumer doesn't see.
Cheaper to transport gasoline? I highly doubt it.
Brute 23":e4ub2lp5 said:slick4591":e4ub2lp5 said:My deal with them is the range of power and when you need a charge. Maybe they've improved the charging situation, I don't know. I'd sure hate to overnight somewhere so my batteries got charged for another 300 miles.
The battery technology will be 100+X what we use now in 5 years. So will solar panels. That is what will be the game changer.
shaz":46lrjy1x said:No exhaust, no transmission. Whole lot less stuff to wear out.
What I'm not seeing is electric vehicles finding their way into applications that require lower power to weight ratios like bulldozers and tractors. Seems like a good fit but no one is running with it yet.
And trainsFarm Fence Solutions":6747y74o said:shaz":6747y74o said:No exhaust, no transmission. Whole lot less stuff to wear out.
What I'm not seeing is electric vehicles finding their way into applications that require lower power to weight ratios like bulldozers and tractors. Seems like a good fit but no one is running with it yet.
Draglines and shovels have been running on electricity for several decades.