Electric cars myth: when everyone buys an electric car, there isn't enough electricity to charge them all

submitted by Hoomsns from (youtu.be)

all 13 comments
sorted by:
top
newinsightfulfun

[–]Tums_is_Smut_bkwrds 5 insightful - 3 fun5 insightful - 2 fun6 insightful - 3 fun -  (12 children)

The whole situation is summed up in the one phrase: EVs are toys. People buy them because they are fun to own and make you feel good about yourself. But as Scotty points out the second you have to get serious you will always choose a ICE car.

I have a battery powered dirtbike. It is an absolute blast to ride. I get about 4 hours of riding on a full charge, which is a respectable amount if I'm just screwing around on the trails so I have no complaints. BUT it also means that longer trails that I used to ride on a gas powered dirtbike are no longer an option. I could buy a second battery but 1. they cost about 1/2 price of the bike itself so it's not going to happen, and 2. the batteries are so heavy that it's not practical to carry a spare one like I used to carry spare gas, but even if I did the range is still not that great.

It's a fun toy motorcycle, that's all it is.

[–]Hoomsns[S] 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (7 children)

I appreciate your response, but I disagree that ev's are toys.. people sometimes fail to see the future as it will actually be.

For example, when the touch tone telephone was first developed, people rejected it.. they said that it would never catch on.. they said that people like to spin the rotary dial and hear it clicking.. but now nobody uses a rotary dial telephone.. in fact, if you are very young, you might not even know what a rotary phone is..

Next issue.. when the airplane first came around, people first insisted that it would never work and that God only meant for birds to fly.. one high ranking military official was quoted saying that the airplane had no commercial application, but that it was only useful as an amusement for people to use for as a hobby.

Check out this super capacitor car battery.. it has a life expectancy of thirty to fifty years, as opposed to two to four years like a lead acid battery..

https://youtu.be/z3x_kYq3mHM

[–]Tums_is_Smut_bkwrds 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (5 children)

The capacitors are replacing a 12V car battery for starting a car NOT for running it. It's a cool idea but I'm not sure how it applies to a discussion about EVs.

Let me qualify my assertion: Today's EVs are toys.

Presumably they'll get it right someday, but as the general, better alternative to ICE powered vehicles -- which is how they are constantly being portrayed -- the EV's that we have today are terrible. That's not to say that in some circumstances they are not acceptable, or better. My daughter, for example, has one and given where she lives and her lifestyle it's a fine solution. In fact I think it could be argued that for her it's even better than a gas powered car. Except when she wants to drive 400 miles to visit us, however. You know those charger networks they like to brag about? Well the reality of them is not so great. Maybe someday, but not today.

So yeah, there's a place for EVs. And what's more, as you point out, it's completely reasonable to expect that they will continue to be refined and improved. Presumably EVs will eventually surpass gas in all respects, though I'll be surprised if it happens in most of our lifetimes. Or some other technology that no one has thought of yet will make it possible. But baring some remarkable breakthroughs in chemistry we've squeezed virtually all we're going to get out of lithium, and that's not even touching on issues with supply. Did you see the recent article about the lady with a Chevy Bolt that has a bad battery? She can't get a replacement for 4 years because of how limited the supply is.

I'm hopeful that the research that's been going on into sodium batteries will start to bare fruit soon and that will take some of the pressure off of lithium. Sodium is better than lithium for certain applications, though unfortunately car battery is not one.

Anyhow I don't disagree with much of what you say. My point is only that as they stand EVs are not the solution to ICE powered cars that everyone wants them to be. But they are a lot of fun.

[–]Hoomsns[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

I mentioned supercaps because of how ev's take so long to charge and have a life span of a few years..

Supercaps have a smaller holding capacity for their size, but they charge very quickly, because they are electronic electric whatever and that could be a huge improvement right there.

I just wanted to show the video above to show how simple an ev can be, they don't need to be as complicated as Mr musk is making them.

I am very serious when I say that Mr musk is operating a Ponzi stock scam, on that he keeps selling selling selling more and more stock that he will never be able to buy back which means that the stockholders will be left holding a big bag of air while Mr musk retires with billions of dollars of their cash.

Chew on that.

[–]Tums_is_Smut_bkwrds 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Bitcoins are a ponzi scheme. Tesla, and Musk, is capitalism.

If you buy a Tesla you're at least getting the use of a car, and it's a pretty cool car at that. Whether the high price is justified and the fact that you don't fully own the thing is proper is besides the point exactly because you're driving one of the coolest toys money can buy.

And if you think that Telsa is a scam then what about the many many financial institutions that do absolutely nothing to generate wealth yet turn (often) high profits? I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but I am saying that participation is voluntary and what is more it (capitalism) is vastly superior to all of the alternatives.

[–]Hoomsns[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I made a claim about a Ponzi scheme and you began mixing apples and oranges..

He has issued way more stock than he will ever be able to buy back.. he keeps selling more and more and more...

The stockholders will be stuck holding worthless shares, eventually.. it might be a minute, but it will happen.

[–]Tums_is_Smut_bkwrds 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Well if you're going to call the stock market a ponzi scheme then I can call bitcoin one as well. In actuality neither are.

If Tesla fails it will be the result of mis-management or some other factor that results in loss in confidence in the corporation and a resulting devaluation of the share price. Companies routinely have more shares than they can buy back BECAUSE THE MARKET SETS THE VALUE. This is the essence of the so-called free market.

And if I'm starting to sound like a pompous twat it's because I'm several beers in and drinking does that to me. Anyhow I think we're done here.

[–]Hoomsns[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Companies routinely have more shares than they can buy back BECAUSE THE MARKET SETS THE VALUE

I do believe that this is a defective assumption on your part.

And no, the company that issues the shares decides what the initial face or par value is.

Stocks are not my focus, but I think that I am correct.

[–]Musky 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

I have a battery powered dirtbike. It is an absolute blast to ride

That does sound fun, or a electric bike. You have any recommendations?

[–]Tums_is_Smut_bkwrds 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I have a Sur-Ron Light Bee X. Calling it a dirtbike is a bit of a stretch TBH since the shocks and brakes are more like what you find on a mountain bike. The company is introducing larger models this year though.

[–]proc0 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

EV's are one technology breakthrough in batteries away from making gas cars obsolete. EV's are more powerful, break less, and are easier to repair (less moving parts), but the only major drawback is battery technology (charging time, lifespan, relatively risky).

Cars just need a power source to make the wheels turn, and that can come from anywhere. It's important to separate this technological breakthrough from "climate change". We can still have new tech just because it's better and not because the world is about to end. That said, electricity would have to be cheaper and the grid would have to be much more reliable and provide more output, which is doable with nuclear, but that is a different subject matter.

[–]Hoomsns[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

As a computer programmer and shadetree hardware engineer, I enjoy simplifying projects..

First, the motor could be a basic 36 volt DC forklift motor, like this:

https://youtu.be/hIshNVQ9M2s

Then, for the battery setup use some large supercars(they would fit into the trunk or pickup bed).

In the beginning of this video, you will see some small D Cell sized caps, but halfway thru the video you will see some larger ones , create an array of these for your battery cell.. hint: these caps have a life expectancy of maybe thirty years.

https://youtu.be/z3x_kYq3mHM

It could charge in a couple minutes, using either 110 volt house current or a small gas engine connected to an alternator.

[–]Hoomsns[S] 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

My personal opinion is that electric car makers should hold off on the autonomous portion of the electric vehicle equation.

Learn how to build electric cars that have a strong charging network FIRST, and then maybe make them autonomous.

Electric cars really aren't as complicated as Elon musk makes them out to be, and he makes them way too "high end", when he should just focus on making basic and simple electric cars that CAN charge by simply plugging in to a basic wall outlet.

Just fyi, Mr Elon musk is operating a stock scam/Ponzi scheme and when this becomes public knowledge his stock will plummet and Twitter will crumble.

https://youtu.be/mIPMRwzT1Lk