"deekster_caddy" (deekster_caddy)
04/22/2014 at 12:35 • Filed to: None
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"deekster_caddy" (deekster_caddy)
04/22/2014 at 12:35 • Filed to: None | 0
| 8 |
Have some global warming caused by lithium mining and coal power plants! Oh, wait. That's not what Earth Day is about, is it? What about 110 MPG? That's cool, isn't it?
Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2
> deekster_caddy
04/22/2014 at 12:52 |
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God I wish those smug bastards actually knew more about their cars. Batteries aren't made out of fairy dust and when you plug your car into the wall, you are putting a product made from coal into your car, not Austin Power's Mojo.
I support fuel efficient cars, but don't drive them and be oblivious as to what your bought or are doing.
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deekster_caddy
> Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2
04/22/2014 at 13:00 |
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That's actually my car. I am more in it for the technology than the 'green car' BS. But I do like to stay informed about the contents and components. I know that the majority of our power comes from natural gas (I'm not a fan of fracking either). Our local power utility lists what percentage of our power comes from which sources. But how does that compare to drilling and refining oil for gasoline? What about all of the wars over oil-rich countries? Is lithium mining that much worse than other precious metals? Oil drilling? Look at the damage done by oil spills over the years. Is mining for lithium worse or better? I don't have the answers, but I am at least aware of the questions.
I am hoping the rare metal aspect of these batteries will get better with time. I'm not blind to their origins, but I think the mining for lithium balances out with the amazing gas milage I am getting. I went from 12 MPG to 120 MPG when I switched cars. The more EVs that hit the roads, the more research will go into energy storage and battery chemistry, the better all of that will hopefully become.
I'm also looking into solar power at home, so that I'm not even using natural gas for most of my driving! Solar power is getting less and less expensive.
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Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2
> deekster_caddy
04/22/2014 at 13:06 |
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Solar is a great option these days. It's finally worth it. A neighbor of a friend has a windmill. It powers three other neighbor's houses and he still collects money from the electric company. And yes, hopefully more companies will invest in the future of sustainability and making it more cost efficient.
The Dummy Gummy
> Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2
04/22/2014 at 13:08 |
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That's a pretty narrow way to look at things. I don't drive an EV, but I'm 100% powered by Solar. A lot of regions have the option for green power at an extra cost. You're also assuming everyone that drives them is oblivious to common facts/figures; which is again very short sighted.
BaconSandwich is tasty.
> The Dummy Gummy
04/22/2014 at 14:52 |
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Don't mind me asking, but would you be interested in sharing more about your solar setup? I've been quite curious about it for some time now. Unfortunately we currently (no pun intended) rent our place, so putting up a big solar installation will have to wait, but that hasn't stopped me from wanting to learn more about it.
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deekster_caddy
> BaconSandwich is tasty.
04/22/2014 at 15:07 |
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No firsthand experience but I've heard of renters who got freestanding solar panels for their backyard. I could envision but never ever recommend something like that installed (with very illegal electrical) on the extension cord that has the window air conditioner plugged into it. The more sun, the cheaper your A/C is to run! If you have a cool landlord he would let you bring in an electrician to install it the right way. Look up "freestanding solar panels for renters".
Basically, solar panels generate DC power and feed a DC-AC inverter, which wires into your electricity feed. If the system produces more AC power than you are currently using, it 'gives back' and can make your meter spin backwards. In a more advanced setup, the DC power maintains a battery array charge and then extra is turned to AC and used or fed back to the grid. You can have a separate breaker box for "emergency" power items, then when you lose power, a switch is thrown (could be automated) that feeds power from the batteries to your inverter to your critical devices (fridge, heater etc). Much more expensive to have a battery backup arrangement.
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deekster_caddy
> The Dummy Gummy
04/22/2014 at 15:08 |
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I'd like to know more about your solar power too. I'm really curious how much it will cost to buy, but can't seem to get anyone to give more specifics. Most companies around here want to lease the systems, I'm not interested in that.
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BaconSandwich is tasty.
> deekster_caddy
04/22/2014 at 16:05 |
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One of the things I'm most curious about is cost. Someone over at Ars Technica said he was able to get some 120 watt panels for $100, which seems like an amazing deal. The cheapest I've seen is still more than $2/watt, which would make those same panels $240 instead of $100.