EV's

[Scoop Snoop]

Thanks for the link Unk, but it is not for the article about a 4th generation farm in Massachusetts that I read. I DO appreciate the FIFY though. Same basic story, just a different setting- England rather than Massachusetts.

Back to generators- unless they have really improved in fuel efficiency since we got ours 20 years ago, they are very thirsty. Not cheap to run at all. Our local electricity co-op is far, far less expensive when measured on a per diem basis. Something else to consider before buying a huge one. Rico, please comment regarding the more recent models regarding fuel efficiency from your salesman days.

[jesmu84]

  yes, glad it works out for you.  however, for uber/lyft/taxi/shuttles it may not be as feasible.  according to some references, EV's account for about 6% of our vehicles.  in order to allow for that number to increase to ?? we need to make sure our grids can support the extra demand. 

  how is this done?  coal, natural gas, petroleum and nuclear.  some solar, wind, biomass and geothermal are negligible. 

we NEED to get back to being energy independent and that includes battery manufacturing.  if our adversaries control this, we will be in a state of bohica

has anyone else noticed the increase in demand for residential generators?  i am looking to buy a couple myself as we speak
 

If it's not feasible, then Uber/Lyft/taxis/shuttles won't use EVs. But that's true of any individual's use case. If it's not feasible/reliable, then don't buy an EV.

I fail to see the problem.

On an energy supply discussion, when was the last time we were truly energy independent? Is it a good thing that we don't control our own energy even within our own borders?

[Hards Alumni]

  yes, glad it works out for you.  however, for uber/lyft/taxi/shuttles it may not be as feasible.  according to some references, EV's account for about 6% of our vehicles.  in order to allow for that number to increase to ?? we need to make sure our grids can support the extra demand. 

  how is this done?  coal, natural gas, petroleum and nuclear.  some solar, wind, biomass and geothermal are negligible. 

we NEED to get back to being energy independent and that includes battery manufacturing.  if our adversaries control this, we will be in a state of bohica

has anyone else noticed the increase in demand for residential generators?  i am looking to buy a couple myself as we speak
 

I think the biggest issue that EVs will run into is the charging station infrastructure.  There needs to be regulations and government funding to make them all the same and ubiquitous.  Otherwise there is no point in mandating car manufacturers to build only EVs after XXXX year.

I don't think we need to get back to being energy independent, but we should always have plans to become energy independent quickly if the need should arise.  Otherwise, we should be buying inexpensive petroleum while we can, and saving ours as a reserve in case of a global crisis.  I agree with you that we should be manufacturing batteries and committing a lot of financial resources to battery development.

My parents have a residential generator at their lake house.  I think it has gone on once in 5 years.  Peace of mind, but there is maintenance to consider.

[jesmu84]

I think the biggest issue that EVs will run into is the charging station infrastructure.  There needs to be regulations and government funding to make them all the same and ubiquitous.  Otherwise there is no point in mandating car manufacturers to build only EVs after XXXX year.

I don't think we need to get back to being energy independent, but we should always have plans to become energy independent quickly if the need should arise.  Otherwise, we should be buying inexpensive petroleum while we can, and saving ours as a reserve in case of a global crisis.  I agree with you that we should be manufacturing batteries and committing a lot of financial resources to battery development.

My parents have a residential generator at their lake house.  I think it has gone on once in 5 years.  Peace of mind, but there is maintenance to consider.

Charging stations are a mess right now. The only reason we have any semi-usable system is because of the VW lawsuit and Tesla (and lots of govt subsidies)

But there needs to be significantly more rollout of more chargers with better upkeep. Regulations would help immensely.

[Scoop Snoop]

My parents have a residential generator at their lake house.  I think it has gone on once in 5 years.  Peace of mind, but there is maintenance to consider.

Ours goes on 4-6 times a year, but when we first had it installed, it kicked on more often. Our electric co-op has been more aggressively trimming or cutting down trees that threaten the power lines in recent years, but probably the biggest improvement in keeping the power on is their use of technology to pinpoint where the problems are as soon as they occur. In the past, it took them a quite a while to find the problem in the woods (there are thousands of acres around here) but they now get power back up quickly.

With the developments in batteries, it may be easier in the future to rely on a battery system for short term outages. As you said, there are maintenance issues with generators. A common misconception is that they are simply engines that can easily be repaired and maintained. Not so. They require special knowledge and skills to repair.

[dgies9156]

Imagine what could be generated from a steady diet of Real Chili and Amigo's chimis.

The EPA would shut that bad ass down so fast heads would spin.

Talk about global warming -- you can't produce enough petroleum to do what that would!

[Scoop Snoop]

The EPA would shut that bad ass down so fast heads would spin.

Talk about global warming -- you can't produce enough petroleum to do what that would!

Let's pass this idea to the Ukrainians. They could probably develop a stink bomb out of it that would make the Russians surrender and beg for mercy.

[rocket surgeon]

We have had one for 20 years, but that's because we live in the country and have well water. No power, no water. That's a BIG deal. Ours is fueled by an underground LP tank. Remember that if power is out in an area, the gasoline pumps are often down.

There is a common misconception that a generator can power the entire house easily, including A/C.    If you are trying to keep within a reasonable budget, take some time to determine what appliances, circuits etc. are important to you and those which you can easily do without. If you simply have to have A/C, be ready to spend Big Time.

   all good points scoop.  i also have my own well water/septic.  i'm thinking 20,000 Kw should do it.  i'd run mine off the natural gas line that presently supplies the house. 

      if one was worried about the amount of power needed, don't run your water, flush toilets etc if you need to heat/cool your house.  use certain aspects independently.  if your house is warm enough-62-65? shut off the furnace and visit the library in your leggings, get rid of the growler, bust it up with an old broom stick, flush twice, let the water refresh, resume heating your house

[Scoop Snoop]

   all good points scoop.  i also have my own well water/septic.  i'm thinking 20,000 Kw should do it.  i'd run mine off the natural gas line that presently supplies the house. 

      if one was worried about the amount of power needed, don't run your water, flush toilets etc if you need to heat/cool your house.  use certain aspects independently.  if your house is warm enough-62-65? shut off the furnace and visit the library in your leggings, get rid of the growler, bust it up with an old broom stick, flush twice, let the water refresh, resume heating your house

That's one big ass generator. Ours is 5,000. We run everything we want to but keep things pretty basic. No problem with water pump, blower fan to move heat generated by gas furnace (heat pump off), TV, internet, lights, fridge, etc. I planned carefully for all this when we built the house- gas as the source for heat, water heater, generator, stove, clothes dryer- so we are all set if power goes out for days. A/C is not available via generator, but we have ceiling fans, lots of windows and two sets of French doors and 12 acres with lots of trees.

If the cost of running that huge generator does not bother you, go for it. It should handle your A/C in summer. Unless they have become much more efficient, they guzzle fuel. Does not matter if you are drawing the power generated from them or not. They are very inefficient as a power source in terms of operating expense.

[rocket surgeon]

That's one big ass generator. Ours is 5,000. We run everything we want to but keep things pretty basic. No problem with water pump, blower fan to move heat generated by gas furnace (heat pump off), TV, internet, lights, fridge, etc. I planned carefully for all this when we built the house- gas as the source for heat, water heater, generator, stove, clothes dryer- so we are all set if power goes out for days. A/C is not available via generator, but we have ceiling fans, lots of windows and two sets of French doors and 12 acres with lots of trees.

If the cost of running that huge generator does not bother you, go for it. It should handle your A/C in summer. Unless they have become much more efficient, they guzzle fuel. Does not matter if you are drawing the power generated from them or not. They are very inefficient as a power source in terms of operating expense.

   that is the calculation they make for a 3000 sq ft house if you want essentially everything pretty much working within normal.  i will be asking a lot of questions however, based on what i find out along the way including here.  given that i will probably want one for each of my homes, i will be looking more toward running essentials, i.e. heat/A/C, refrigeration, water pump and intermittent IT. i have gas stove and oven.  what are my NEEDS to get by hopefully for short bursts of time up to a few days or so.  i'm hoping and/or not planning for an "armageddon" but would like to protect my investments

[Scoop Snoop]

   that is the calculation they make for a 3000 sq ft house if you want essentially everything pretty much working within normal.  i will be asking a lot of questions however, based on what i find out along the way including here.  given that i will probably want one for each of my homes, i will be looking more toward running essentials, i.e. heat/A/C, refrigeration, water pump and intermittent IT. i have gas stove and oven.  what are my NEEDS to get by hopefully for short bursts of time up to a few days or so.  i'm hoping and/or not planning for an "armageddon" but would like to protect my investments

Since A/C-heat pump is on your list of must-haves, yeah, you'll need a pretty big one. From what you wrote itis clear that you are analyzing this and, I think, alert to being sold on more than is needed. Our heat/AC guy is great and explained to me that when a compressor kicks on, there is quite a spike in power before settling down. This is probably the biggest reason that a large capacity generator is required. Also, compressors-including fridges- can be damaged if they have insufficient power. Most A/C's have built in safety systems to prevent this, but some fridges do not.

As I said, our power outages have become far less frequent. Now, tree trimming on steep, rocky paths through the woods is often done by a helicopter with a huge, remotely controlled chain saw.

[lawdog77]

Now, tree trimming on steep, rocky paths through the woods is often done by a helicopter with a huge, remotely controlled chain saw.

This is the first step for AI taking over the world

[ATL MU Warrior]

Somewhat lengthy global reveal of newest EV from VW.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VamBddnCwak

Too bad the electro-luminescent paint will not be standard (or likely available at all). 

[JWags85]

Somewhat lengthy global reveal of newest EV from VW.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VamBddnCwak

Too bad the electro-luminescent paint will not be standard (or likely available at all).

The paint is slick.

I find it interesting that the German automakers seem opposed to integrating (for lack of a better term) the touch screen into the dash.  BMW, newer VWs, etc.. have the appearance of a large tablet mounted on instead of recessed into the greater dash panel.

[muwarrior69]

The wave of the future.

Mandated by the government.

[ATL MU Warrior]

The paint is slick.

I find it interesting that the German automakers seem opposed to integrating (for lack of a better term) the touch screen into the dash.  BMW, newer VWs, etc.. have the appearance of a large tablet mounted on instead of recessed into the greater dash panel.

Aren't most EVs the same in terms of the appearance of the screen?  Seems to be the trend, but I also prefer the look of it integrated into the dash.

[Hards Alumni]

The paint is slick.

I find it interesting that the German automakers seem opposed to integrating (for lack of a better term) the touch screen into the dash.  BMW, newer VWs, etc.. have the appearance of a large tablet mounted on instead of recessed into the greater dash panel.

Personally, I don't care for the touch screen panels.  They're hideous.  Give me the analog dials that Mazda uses.

[Scoop Snoop]

This is the first step for AI taking over the world

The Pillow Guy Mike Lindell says "It's End Times" for elections due to AI.

Steve Bannon agrees. "The artificial intelligence changes everything," Bannon opined. "You can't have anything related to a machine have anything to do whatsoever with a vote. It's got to be a paper freaking ballot."

[lawdog77]

The Pillow Guy Mike Lindell says "It's End Times" for elections due to AI.

Steve Bannon agrees. "The artificial intelligence changes everything," Bannon opined. "You can't have anything related to a machine have anything to do whatsoever with a vote. It's got to be a paper freaking ballot."

If that's what they think, we have nothing to worry about.

Election voting should be in public, and once you cast your vote, you need to be tattooed.

[WellsstreetWanderer]

If that's what they think, we have nothing to worry about.

Election voting should be in public, and once you cast your vote, you need to be tattooed.

Or dip your finger in purple paint

[PBRme]

Somewhat lengthy global reveal of newest EV from VW.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VamBddnCwak

Too bad the electro-luminescent paint will not be standard (or likely available at all).

Will never own another VW.  The just make garbage with no quality control.  And they are lying no integrity bastards to boot.

[lawdog77]

Will never own another VW.  The just make garbage with no quality control.  And they are lying no integrity bastards to boot.

Hitler created the VW Beetle

[MU82]

Hitler created the VW Beetle

And Hitler ... there was a painter! He could paint an entire apartment in one afternoon! Two coats!!

[MuggsyB]

Every EV CEO has blood on their hands and are flat out lying about child labor in the Congolese mines.  We need to find an alternative to cobalt and support basic human rights which is nowhere to be found there.  The single most cobalt rich spot on earth doesn't even provide electricity for its people.  It's a fking catastrophe as bad as rubber under KLII.  These poor people have no way out and are living in conditions as if it were 100+ years ago.  This needs to be part of the conversation and very few are giving it the time of day. 

[jesmu84]

The paint is slick.

I find it interesting that the German automakers seem opposed to integrating (for lack of a better term) the touch screen into the dash.  BMW, newer VWs, etc.. have the appearance of a large tablet mounted on instead of recessed into the greater dash panel.

I think this is true across the board. Kia, Hyundai, Ford, GM.