However when we look at the purely electric car...

Where is the electricity, in quantities great enough to replace existing gas vehicles, supposed to come from?

 

Where is the electricity, in quantities great enough to replace existing gas vehicles, supposed to come from?

That would be, China, Bolivia and Afghanistan... among others... they're the biggest sources of lithium on the planet .... scary, isn't it?

 

That would be, China, Bolivia and Afghanistan... among others... they're the biggest sources of lithium on the planet .... scary, isn't it?

Lithium is an energy source? That's news to me!

 

Where is the electricity, in quantities great enough to replace existing gas vehicles, supposed to come from?

Ask yourself. Where does OIL come from and how efficient is it as an energy? It takes a whole lot of energy to make it to market!

That would be, China, Bolivia and Afghanistan... among others... they're the biggest sources of lithium on the planet .... scary, isn't it?

May I add. Apparently Iceland is the mains when it comes to silicon. Not an energy source though.

 

Lithium is an energy source? That's news to me!

Hey, you asked where it was supposed to come from...

 

Ask yourself.

I have. Now I am asking you.

 

Where is the electricity, in quantities great enough to replace existing gas vehicles, supposed to come from?

Coal, of course. I'm always perplexed why all the greenies are so in love with coal-powered cars. But they are.

Nukes would be better, but the odds of us finally adding a bunch of them is mighty slim for now.

 

Actually, solar supply may be coming on line faster than electric car demand. That's certainly Tesla's approach.

 

Hey, you asked where it was supposed to come from...

Remember, as far as the children who never grew up are concerned, electricity comes from the light switch. How it got there is a question never bothered to be asked.

 

Actually, solar supply may be coming on line faster than electric car demand. That's certainly Tesla's approach.

From a left leaning source:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/quora/20...w_much_energy_would_we_need_to_fuel_them.html

Choice quote:

This means electric vehicles are a pretty crummy way to reduce CO2 emissions, given the current U.S. power mix. You can do three times as much good per dollar by fitting coal plants with carbon capture systems.

 

From a left leaning source:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/quora/20...w_much_energy_would_we_need_to_fuel_them.html

Choice quote:

Nuclear would be the way to go... but unfortunately politically-minded, science-neglecting dimwits are strongly opposed...

 

Nuclear would be the way to go... but unfortunately politically-minded, science-neglecting dimwits are strongly opposed...

Yeah. And earthquakes and tsunamis keep getting in the damn way. There oughtta be a law...

 

Yeah. And earthquakes and tsunamis keep getting in the damn way. There oughtta be a law...

I read an article a few months ago claiming that new designs in nuclear reactors made it safe against destruction from earthquakes and flooding from tsunamis... I'll try to do a search for it, see if I can find it again.

 

I read an article a few months ago claiming that new designs in nuclear reactors made it safe against destruction from earthquakes and flooding from tsunamis... I'll try to do a search for it, see if I can find it again.

You're correct. Modern designs ARE coming that solve a number of problems. It's just glacially slow to get them on line.

 

You're correct. Modern designs ARE coming that solve a number of problems. It's just glacially slow to get them on line.

I am a strong proponent of nuclear power -- I'd like to see it replace all energy sources, including cost-ineffective and environmentally disastrous renewables (i.e. solar, wind).

But I fear that, politically, nuclear is dead. Permanently.

Edit: Regardless, commercial aviation will always run on fossil fuels. I cannot even begin to imagine a satisfactory replacement.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_Nuclear_Propulsion

 

But I fear that, politically, nuclear is dead. Permanently.

Keep your hopes up... after all, we're only 30 years away from achieving stable, viable nuclear fusion... again...

 

I cannot even begin to imagine a satisfactory replacement.

I can:

​

 

I can:

View attachment 136143​

What a waste of good beer...

 

But I fear that, politically, nuclear is dead. Permanently.

I'm more optimistic. Once better designs become a real thing, I think people will be able to make the distinction between the old and the new. Only old people will remember Three Mile Island and Chernobyl and public perception will change quickly. Electric, self-driving cars will be common by then and people will be more receptive to the need for cheap, clean nuclear.

As usual, so-called "progressive" thinking will want to get in the way but I think practicality will win.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_IV_reactor#Molten-salt_reactor_.28MSR.29

 

Yeah. And earthquakes and tsunamis keep getting in the damn way. There oughtta be a law...

For a few years I called a nuclear powered submarine home. Reactor in the middle of the boat, you could never get more than 100ft from it. '70s tech, and still able to withstand all kinds of angles, vibrations, mechanical shock. Earthquakes, tsunamis, no problem. Tiny reactor could still power a small city/ large town via shore power cable if needed. We had to wear dosimeters on our bodies to measure our exposure. We weren't allowed to take them on airplanes because the amount of radiation you receive on a brief airplane ride exceeds the allowable level for one month on the boat. And this thing was operated by a group of guys whose average age is probably mid-20s.

Being a bit more familiar with nuclear power than the Layman, it's seriously irritating when I watch the news and they make it sound like nuclear power is soooo dangerous. People hear "nuclear," and they picture a bomb. It's maddening that this stupid misconception is preventing us from utilizing the ultimate clean power source, and making us waste all this money on these stupid "renewable" sources like wind and solar. Wind and solar are great, but they don't come anywhere close to nuclear. We have a perfect solution staring Us in the face and we're totally ignoring it.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesc...cane-harvey-makes-the-case-for-nuclear-power/