Would you ever buy an electric car?

[acalles]

DOT approved CNG tanks are pretty much bomb proof.  Even if the valve breaks, there is a checkball inside to prevent gas from flowing out.

I'd say they are safer than a regular gas tank, esp now that many cars have plastic tanks

plastic tanks are way better then metal tanks.

they can take a hell of a beating and do not rust.

I've seen the floor pan of cars dented in 2" deep leading up to the tank, a small not leaking scratch in the tank then a dent continuing on to the back of the car. a metal tank would have ruptured with out a doubt.

I still think diesel combustion is the way to go. it fits our infrastructure with minor modification, and we can get burnable hydrocarbons from many sources, I'm telling you watch for Algae based fuels, as that technology grows it will simply replace regular diesel. all auto manufactures have diesel technology.

semi's are the back bone of this country, they need diesel, how many trains are diesel? shipping vessels? we love gasoline but the truth is the diesel engine is a better way to go.

[derby]

Interesting info, guys.


So how sturdy is my LP Tank for my grill?

track down the mythbusters episode where they try to 'splode one by shooting it.

[Triple J]

track down the mythbusters episode where they try to 'splode one by shooting it.

Better yet...Cyrus has a bunch of guns. Go in your backyard and shoot it. Be sure to video it and post it here. 

[NorDog]

track down the mythbusters episode where they try to 'splode one by shooting it.

As I recall, they couldn't get it to explode.

[ducatiz]

I agree about diesel.  The taxation structure for dietsel sucks tho.  Almost double that of gas

[ducpainter]

Interesting info, guys.


So how sturdy is my LP Tank for my grill?

What are you gonna try?

[mitt]

Propane was a fad in France years ago.  There must have been some big bang some where, cause a lot of communal garages and parking ramps had big signs at the entrance - NO LP CARS


mitt

[ducpainter]

Propane was a fad in France years ago.  There must have been some big bang some where, cause a lot of communal garages and parking ramps had big signs at the entrance - NO LP CARS


mitt

It's all that's available in our area...propane that is.

The infrastructure DM spoke of doesn't and won't exist until T Boone Pickens gets his way.

[ducatiz]

Propane was a fad in France years ago.  There must have been some big bang some where, cause a lot of communal garages and parking ramps had big signs at the entrance - NO LP CARS


mitt

must have been weird for the French to put up English signs like that

maybe it was just a misprint and they meant "NO LE CARS"

pieces of shit..err.. merde...

[Howie]

I just figured the tank would be much bigger on a vehicle then on a camper/RV.

They must be well protected.


We aren't that advanced in the midwest.

CNG talks and hardware must meet extremely strict codes.  The few NYC bi fuel (CNG gasoline) taxis that went up in after crash flames, after investigation, turned out to be gasoline fires.

[Drunken Monkey]

Interesting info, guys.


So how sturdy is my LP Tank for my grill?

I dunno. Shoot it and find out 

[NuTTs]

A work colleague and I had this discussion a few times this week. Basically our employer has moved my dept. from a nice, quiet area where we had plenty of parking space for everyone in my team to the heart of Madrid and then cancelled our parking spaces at this new office.

I've started biking it in every morning again however, the rest of my team don't ride motorcycles or scooters. So we did some research and found that Zero Emissions vehicles can park for free inside Madrid. Anywhere, all day.

This would be awesome for all of us however there are no Z.E cars on sale in Spain at the moment. Tesla cars are just OTT on price and the LEAF sounds tempting but it would sell in Spain for around 20,000EUR. That isn't the whole picture however as you have to buy or lease the batteries (only) from Nissan!! On a positive note, the government has already started installing electrical charging points around the city ( I have yet to see one of these ).

Unfortunately I don't have a private garage anymore so I wouldn't be able to charge the car up at home (communal garage) but on a 3 phase socket the charge time is minimal at 220v.

We have electric scooters by Vectrix that have been on sale for a few years now but, as with any scoot that costs nearly the same as a GSXR600. I haven't seen one yet.

If I had a charging point near my new home and near the office I would buy one. It could work out cheaper than riding a motorcycle.

[Bun-bun]

moreover, the power grid would have to be upgraded significantly.  how many cars are on the road?  i remember reading it is something like 200 million.  if only 10% of them become electric overnight, what kind of impact on the electrical grid is that?  probably a lot worse that we can imagine.

so now figure in the cost to upgrade the grid, as well as the increased waste.

This is an excellent point.
The current U.S. power grid is at or above max load as it is. The increased load of multiple thousands of electric cars all being plugged in at approximately the same time would almost certainly result in blackouts.
Highest electrical usage is during summer months in the early evening, as this is when the majority of the working population returns home, and turns on electrical appliances such as stoves, A/C units, water heaters, etc. Adding the load from recharging vehicles will only exacerbate the problem.
Witness the brownouts in the past decade in California, Chicago, and NYC.
Therefore, any large scale electric vehicle production would require an upgrade in the electrical power grid. Power cable is manufactured of copper or aluminum, and a coating of plastic. Copper and aluminum are both mined and refined, using strip and open pit mining, and all of the unused material from the mining and refining processes are discarded, adding to pollution levels and our carbon footprint. Most plastics are refined from. . . wait for it. . . petroleum!
     Therefore, any analysis of the carbo footprint of an electric vehicle must take into account not only the materials used to build the vehicle and generate the power for it, but also the materials used to provide the infrastructure to deliver power from the generating plant to the end user.

[KnightofNi]

This is an excellent point.
The current U.S. power grid is at or above max load as it is. The increased load of multiple thousands of electric cars all being plugged in at approximately the same time would almost certainly result in blackouts.
Highest electrical usage is during summer months in the early evening, as this is when the majority of the working population returns home, and turns on electrical appliances such as stoves, A/C units, water heaters, etc. Adding the load from recharging vehicles will only exacerbate the problem.
Witness the brownouts in the past decade in California, Chicago, and NYC.
Therefore, any large scale electric vehicle production would require an upgrade in the electrical power grid. Power cable is manufactured of copper or aluminum, and a coating of plastic. Copper and aluminum are both mined and refined, using strip and open pit mining, and all of the unused material from the mining and refining processes are discarded, adding to pollution levels and our carbon footprint. Most plastics are refined from. . . wait for it. . . petroleum!
     Therefore, any analysis of the carbo footprint of an electric vehicle must take into account not only the materials used to build the vehicle and generate the power for it, but also the materials used to provide the infrastructure to deliver power from the generating plant to the end user.

i *heart* you

that's what i keep pointing out but i suck at the use of words to describe what it is i want to explain.

[ducatiz]

This is an excellent point.

well thank you.

Copper and aluminum are both mined and refined, using strip and open pit mining, and all of the unused material from the mining and refining processes are discarded, adding to pollution levels and our carbon footprint. Most plastics are refined from. . . wait for it. . . petroleum!

Copper mining and refinement is particularly expensive and pollution-prone if old methods are used.  Much of the current copper we get comes from huge strip mines and even the best stewarding methods leave a lot to be desired.

The price of copper has incresaed something like 300% in the last 10 years as a result of China's industrialization and modernization as well.