OT: Electric Vehicles--anyone driving them or seriously looked at them?

[peanutgallery]

EVs are interesting...so are their drivers

https://nypost.com/2024/05/05/us-new...n-tony-island/

Classic tesla user

[Mr. Pink]

Originally Posted by peanutgallery

EVs are interesting...so are their drivers

https://nypost.com/2024/05/05/us-new...n-tony-island/

Classic tesla user

Ah, a rich entitled Ct. Resident. I am familiar with the species. Still haven't seen one of those things, though.

His other car is a Mercedes AMG G 63, no doubt. Or a tricked out Range Rover.

[NHAero]

Originally Posted by peanutgallery

EVs are interesting...so are their drivers

https://nypost.com/2024/05/05/us-new...n-tony-island/

Classic tesla user

Saw my first Cybertruck Saturday on our only slightly less tony Island
It be ugly

[AngryScientist]

Went into NYC to see a Broadway show yesterday. Parked at an underground parking lot, and saw a row of EVs plugged in.

I wonder if there are any current regulations on the number and type of chargers that can be placed in the basement floors of Manhattan high rises? It sure would be a huge disaster if there was an EV fire down there.

[robt57]

Originally Posted by NHAero

Saw my first Cybertruck Saturday on our only slightly less tony Island
It be ugly

It just needs a Dazzle Camouflage wrap to complete the visual journey.

[tomato coupe]

Originally Posted by peanutgallery

EVs are interesting...so are their drivers

https://nypost.com/2024/05/05/us-new...n-tony-island/

Classic tesla user

I think we can all agree that the New York Post is a good source for reliable reporting of social behavior, and this portrait of Tesla drivers is pretty accurate. Their findings are supported by the National Enquirer, which independently concluded that the majority of Tesla owners are 2-headed, human-alien hybrids that flagrantly ignore the rules for entering and exiting traffic circles.

[fijichf]

None of this happens without government subsidies, right? So whether or not you support EV's and renewable energy, you're footing the bill. An example of a subsidy (that's paying part of my salary so not complaining, just stating the facts) involving the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which I bet many here aren't aware of.

We are involved with the incorporation of PV panel (solar) systems on two buildings, in two different geographic locations, where one site (Cook County, IL) is eligible for a 30% rebate and one site (Ventura County, CA) stretched the rebate to 40%, because the site zip code indicates that it is in an energy community as defined by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). When you read the definition of an energy community, it will make you pause.

Both systems are designed around 250kW output, with the CA location being about 35% more efficient of course, because of its peak sun hours. The rebate for the Cook County site is $225,000 on a system cost of $750,000 and the Ventura County site rebate is a whopping $300,000.

We could receive another 10% bonus if 50% or more of the materials were manufactured in the US, but over 75% of the world's commercial bifacial PV panels, currently come from China, an environmentally sensitive country for sure. So the rebates offered by the IRA; a decent percentage supports the manufacturing of PV panels in China.

https://energycommunities.gov/fundin...s-code-¤-48c/

https://arcgis.netl.doe.gov/portal/a...01bd0e08495e1d

[benb]

Originally Posted by fijichf

None of this happens without government subsidies, right? So whether or not you support EV's and renewable energy, you're footing the bill. An example of a subsidy (that's paying part of my salary so not complaining, just stating the facts) involving the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which I bet many here aren't aware of.

We are involved with the incorporation of PV panel (solar) systems on two buildings, in two different geographic locations, where one site (Cook County, IL) is eligible for a 30% rebate and one site (Ventura County, CA) stretched the rebate to 40%, because the site zip code indicates that it is in an energy community as defined by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). When you read the definition of an energy community, it will make you pause.

Both systems are designed around 250kW output, with the CA location being about 35% more efficient of course, because of its peak sun hours. The rebate for the Cook County site is $225,000 on a system cost of $750,000 and the Ventura County site rebate is a whopping $300,000.

We could receive another 10% bonus if 50% or more of the materials were manufactured in the US, but over 75% of the world's commercial bifacial PV panels, currently come from China, an environmentally sensitive country for sure. So the rebates offered by the IRA; a decent percentage supports the manufacturing of PV panels in China.

https://energycommunities.gov/fundin...s-code-¤-48c/

https://arcgis.netl.doe.gov/portal/a...01bd0e08495e1d

Meanwhile of course no one really bothers to talk much about the annual $20 billion in subsidies we still give to the fossil fuel industry.

We'll need a couple hundred years of EV, Solar, Wind, etc.. subsidies at the current rate to ever catch up to what we gifted fossil fuel companies.

All these comparisons even, they ignore we're all subsidising the cost of gas, cost of natural gas to heat your house, etc..

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by benb

Meanwhile of course no one really bothers to talk much about the annual $20 billion in subsidies we still give to the fossil fuel industry.

Or the health costs created by fossil fuel pollution. Those are hidden, except for those suffering, so they don't get factored into the equation.

[benb]

Originally Posted by C40_guy

Or the health costs created by fossil fuel pollution. Those are hidden, except for those suffering, so they don't get factored into the equation.

Externalities. I graduated from college 25 years ago (engineering school) and we had required classes in humanities that were about externalities.

The person considered responsible for the largest # of human deaths is the engineer who created lead fuel additives, and it's still estimated to be causing 1M deaths/yr even now after it's gone in most markets.

The largest externality that didn't have to be paid for in history, though CO2 production might eventually exceed it.

[Black Dog]

Originally Posted by benb

Meanwhile of course no one really bothers to talk much about the annual $20 billion in subsidies we still give to the fossil fuel industry.

We'll need a couple hundred years of EV, Solar, Wind, etc.. subsidies at the current rate to ever catch up to what we gifted fossil fuel companies.

All these comparisons even, they ignore we're all subsidising the cost of gas, cost of natural gas to heat your house, etc..

This ^ many billions of times over.

[fijichf]

Originally Posted by benb

Meanwhile of course no one really bothers to talk much about the annual $20 billion in subsidies we still give to the fossil fuel industry. We'll need a couple hundred years of EV, Solar, Wind, etc.. subsidies at the current rate to ever catch up to what we gifted fossil fuel companies. All these comparisons even, they ignore we're all subsidising the cost of gas, cost of natural gas to heat your house, etc..

We’ll need to subsidize another government in the DRC if we’re going to compete with China to have access to cobalt and The Rocky Mountain Institute has published an informative piece about the EV battery supply chain, that I found to be quite interesting. Excerpt from the piece below.

https://rmi.org/the-ev-battery-supply-chain-explained/


What is the “upstream” portion of the EV battery supply chain? In the upstream portion of the supply chain, mines extract raw materials; for batteries, these raw materials typically contain lithium, cobalt, manganese, nickel, and graphite.

Because of the energy required to extract and refine these battery minerals, EV production generally emits more greenhouse gases per car than cars powered by fossil fuels. However, the average EV makes up for this difference in less than two years. Over a typical vehicle’s lifetime, EVs produce significantly less emissions than traditional vehicles, making them an essential tool to combat climate change.

Lithium-ion batteries, the kind that power almost all EVs, use five “critical minerals”: lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and graphite. The Energy Act of 2020 defines critical minerals as a “non-fuel mineral or mineral material essential to the economic or national security of the U.S. and which has a supply chain vulnerable to disruption.” There are around 35 minerals categorized as critical.

Critical minerals are found across the world, but most economically viable deposits are found in only a few places. For instance, much of the world’s cobalt is located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo while lithium is concentrated in South America and Australia. As a result of this geographic diversity, the supply chain for electric vehicles is truly global.

[rounder]

I believe that some day, I may go electric because it is probably the future. Right now though, I am happy with my current gas car (premium) which is paid for and have no current plans to change. Every year, I drive from Maryland to Maine on one tank of gas. When I am driving, my thoughts are on traffic and going the right way. No thoughts on where will I be getting my next charge or what would happen if I run out of electricity. I drive a lot of miles and an electric car is not for me.

[Mr. Pink]

https://insideevs.com/features/71901...ahead-of-west/

[Mr. Pink]

This reminds me, like a lot of things today, that we're all going to be living in the movie Elysium soon.

https://twitter.com/MyLordBebo/statu...XA_xfW-_g&s=19