Storm URI Nothing to Mess Around in Very Long ! Very Rought!

[1995 520H+96+97 937]

The world has had the answer (technology) since the 1950s.

Think submarine.

Heated home, driveway, foundation, steps, garage, greenhouse, bridges, and then roads.

Get rid of the  rural grid.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a33896110/tiny-nuclear-reactor-government-approval/

Edited February 17, 2021 by 1995 520H+96+97

[ranger 1,750]

48 minutes ago, Racinbob said:

 

That equates to a lot of battery draw, The cars already have such a limited range. 

Imagine sitting in a traffic jam in sub zero conditions for a few hours, steadily draining your limited battery supply just to keep warm and stay alive!. Main heating may possibly be via the electric motor cooling system, as in i.c. engine vehicles, but that will only work if the motor is running! Maybe all electric vehicles will have to be fitted with a small generator as a safety item?

[Ed Kennell 38,227]

A side note....87 octane changed from $2.59 to $2.99 while I was filling up this morning.

[SylvanLakeWH 25,600]

14 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

A side note....87 octane changed from $2.59 to $2.99 while I was filling up this morning.

Sad...

By design...
Gettin’ while the gettin’s good... Originally thought $3.00... but now I’m thinking $4.00 / gallon by summer...

[Handy Don 12,237]

1 hour ago, ranger said:

Imagine sitting in a traffic jam in sub zero conditions for a few hours, steadily draining your limited battery supply just to keep warm and stay alive!. Main heating may possibly be via the electric motor cooling system, as in i.c. engine vehicles, but that will only work if the motor is running! Maybe all electric vehicles will have to be fitted with a small generator as a safety item?

I get your concern, but isn't a situation like this really a very remote possibility? I can remember only once in the past several years where I was stuck in stopped traffic for more than an hour and I live in a metro area.

IMHO, I genuinely doubt that we'll see any widespread sales of vehicles that have both liquid-fuel and battery. Too much weight, too much complexity, too expensive to design/build, too expensive to maintain. There may be emergency or other special-purpose vehicles where this approach makes sense, of course. I'm told that Chevy lost money of every Chevy Volt they sold and the car has just not made that big an impact!

There is no doubt in my mind that I'm likely (hoping actually) to witness the end of high-volume sales of gasoline-powered new vehicles. I'm equally certain that we will adapt to new ways of using our vehicles. Change is a constant, right? I try to embrace it rather that resist. (And, I have started planning which gasoline-fuel vehicles I may want to acquire or hang onto!)

[ranger 1,750]

45 minutes ago, Handy Don said:

I get your concern, but isn't a situation like this really a very remote possibility? I can remember only once in the past several years where I was stuck in stopped traffic for more than an hour and I live in a metro area.

IMHO, I genuinely doubt that we'll see any widespread sales of vehicles that have both liquid-fuel and battery. Too much weight, too much complexity, too expensive to design/build, too expensive to maintain. There may be emergency or other special-purpose vehicles where this approach makes sense, of course. I'm told that Chevy lost money of every Chevy Volt they sold and the car has just not made that big an impact!

There is no doubt in my mind that I'm likely (hoping actually) to witness the end of high-volume sales of gasoline-powered new vehicles. I'm equally certain that we will adapt to new ways of using our vehicles. Change is a constant, right? I try to embrace it rather that resist. (And, I have started planning which gasoline-fuel vehicles I may want to acquire or hang onto!)

Over here in the UK things are a bit different, especially around the larger cities. I’ve spent hours sitting in traffic on the M25 for example. It once took me 7 hours to travel between 2 junctions on my way to Heathrow airport, these were only a few miles apart. In bad weather it can get even worse! Surprisingly, since I retired I don’t miss it at all.

[Horse Newbie 7,075]

23 hours ago, 953 nut said:

My wife and I left Florida fifteen years ago, it was too crowded then, worse now I'm sure.

And you knew E X A C T L Y how far north to move...The Ole North State !

[8ntruck 7,016]

On 2/16/2021 at 1:57 PM, Handy Don said:

Worked for Ebasco Services as my first job out of college and visited a couple of the power plants under construction. Seeing huge components like these being installed was a great treat for a young engineer!

I had two notable projects during my carrier.  The first was moving a 9 station 4000 ton transfer press from Chatham, Ont. to Bowling Green, Ky.  The other was moving a 7 station transfer press from Mendota, Ill. to Bowling Green Ky.  Each move involved three heavy duty (4 truck) railroad flat cars, and about 40 semi loads.  Various components of the presses were routed over several states for rebuild.  

[8ntruck 7,016]

Woke up yesterday to single digit temperature and about 6" of powder over the 8" already there.  Mr 2 Cycle Toro drank a tank of gas taking care of the snow, no fuss.  Cleared driveways, front walk, dog run, and paths to the shed, birdfeeders, and lake.

 

Enjoyed a mile walk with the dog, kicking through the fresh powder.  Dog was pushing a little snow with his chest when he ventured off of the beaten path.

 

I was noticing the varied colours in the reflected sunshine off of the snow.  Most likely caused by the ice crystals in the snowflakes acting as prisms.

[Handy Don 12,237]

3 hours ago, ranger said:

Over here in the UK things are a bit different, especially around the larger cities. I’ve spent hours sitting in traffic on the M25 for example. It once took me 7 hours to travel between 2 junctions on my way to Heathrow airport, these were only a few miles apart. In bad weather it can get even worse! Surprisingly, since I retired I don’t miss it at all.

I take your point traffic in the UK (it was already bad in the 80's when I lived there).

I'll offer some food for thought....

So, in those gridlock situations, an electric vehicle is using power only for comfort (survival?), not locomotion. I did a little digging and found numerous posts from Tesla owners putting their heater's consumption at 7kw (initial heating of a cold-soaked car at 30º F) down to 3kw (maintaining comfort in same car after cabin & battery reach operating temps). If half of the charge of an 85kw battery was gone as you hit the gridlock and you moved very little, you'd have many hours of comfort or time to work out an escape, if needed, and still have some driving range left. 

Yes, an idling gasoline-fueled vehicle will maintain comfort for a lot longer on half of a 14 gallon tank at around 0.2 US Gallons per hour. A whole day, probably! But if snow covers your tailpipe without you clearing it you might well die of carbon monoxide poisoning, too. Plus, the tailpipe emissions over that timeframe are quite high (car engines are not efficient at idle speed). You'll be getting it not only from your vehicle but from those upwind and sharing yours with others.

So I'll ask, how many of your hours behind the wheel are like that?  If you had an app that told you as you set out that, "your expected time in traffic is 6 hours" would you continue your journey or reconsider it? 

So you are absolutely correct. You will always be able to create a scenario including unexpected and extreme situations where there might be advantages to gasoline power. I'll ask each time the likelihood and risk of encountering it and whether there were options to avoid it. I submit that advances in automotive technology will continue to shape our actions and behaviors to where there is very little lost by using an EV and much gained.

I can promise you it'll cost more.