Friday, March 04, 2016

Electric Cars - The Way Of The Future?


Everyone is getting on the renewable energy bandwagon these day, no more need for fossil fuels or hydro electric dams and such.

The above came off the Net and is for a 2016 VOLT which sells for about $40,000.00. I couldn't help but notice it's range is listed as 85 kms and has a charging time of 4.5 hours. 

Nanaimo is said to be 110 km from Victoria. If I wanted to visit my son in Victoria and I was the proud owner of a $40,000 VOLT, I couldn't get there on one charge. I would have to find a charging station and park it for a couple of hours, presuming I could find a charging station, and providing someone wasn't already in front of me.

If that is going to get me out of my gasoline burning jalopy, they are going to have to do a whole lot better.

On a side note, all this talk about eliminating the need for petroleum by engaging all these alternate energy ideas, doesn't answer the question of what are we going to make all those plastic things we seem to need. It is said about 50% of a barrel of oil is not consumed by burning, but rather goes into the manufacture of everything from contact lenses to the computer you are reading this on, not to mention that smart phone you can't get along without.

While we are fussing about building a hydro electric dam it is said there are about 1000 new coal burning electrical generation plants being built world wide. Hydro electrical generation is one of those renewable, clean energy sources that most nations would kill for if they had the capacity. There is a reason wind and solar are so popular where hydro electrical dams are not a possibility. They don't have a choice.

allvoices

5 comments:

  1. Well then put your order in for a new Tesla 3, coming out this year. Enjoy the HOV lane on the lower mainland, with no extra passengers needed, and the many discounts coming from BC govt. with your purchase.

    "The world is patiently waiting for Tesla’s “common man” offering, and now we have even more reason to look forward to a Tesla compact sedan. CEO Elon Musk has revealed the Model III will achieve a driving range of at least 200 miles on a single charge, and in Musk’s words, “hopefully a fair bit more than that.”
    By comparison to the startup automaker’s current vehicles, the most frugal Model S achieves a range of 253 miles while the Roadster can go for 245 miles. Considering the new Model 3 will be far less expensive than both of those EVs, a 200-plus mile range is quite good. Add in the supercharger stations cropping up across the country and range anxiety becomes much less of an issue."


    Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/tesla-model-3-performance-specs-news-rumors/#ixzz41wTQ5H8N
    Follow us: @digitaltrends on Twitter | digitaltrendsftw on Facebook

    ReplyDelete
  2. And just a quick blurb from 'Discover' magazine----there are safer alternatives, that, when responsibly added to solar, wind, tidal power sources, may see us to a sustainable and clean electric energy future.

    as Rubio said to Trump the other night
    "breathe, breathe, breathe" :-)

    "Nuclear power has long been a contentious topic. It generates huge amounts of electricity with zero carbon emissions, and thus is held up as a solution to global energy woes. But it also entails several risks, including weapons development, meltdown, and the hazards of disposing of its waste products.

    But those risks and benefits all pertain to a very specific kind of nuclear energy: nuclear fission of uranium or plutonium isotopes. There’s another kind of nuclear energy that’s been waiting in the wings for decades – and it may just demand a recalibration of our thoughts on nuclear power.

    Nuclear fission using thorium is easily within our reach, and, compared with conventional nuclear energy, the risks are considerably lower."


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't forget, the Volt has a gas engine also, so really the total range is around 400km if you never stopped and charged the batteries...

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  3. Half of China coal generating stations sit unused or only on line for 50% of the time.
    New battery technology is coming to the market on a regular basis.
    Coal use is down and the world has little use for the sludge called oil produced in Alberta.
    The world does change regardless of the neophytes.

    ReplyDelete

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