The Future of Gas Powered Cars for Hobbyists

[Warren]

Okay maybe a bunch of you guys are in California and can't see that a lot of the time the ones aren't even spinning here.
It's a technology thing they'll come apart if they go too fast but I guess we know that driving our old cars.
Everybody's known that there's more wind higher up that's why they build modern sailboats high aspect ratio rigging.
The reality is people are out buying a bunch of stupid gas generators that have no evap systems and really aren't very clean. Yet they still allow two-stroke leaf blowers damn near everywhere.

So let's get this straight they'll need to have guys de-icing the windmills like they de ice planes ? Maybe they'll have to put batteries at the bottom and heating elements in the blades.
No technologies perfect it's science fiction or dilithium crystals or a flux capacitor.
I remember my dad wrote a book in the '70s on methane gas generators and the search goes on.

 

[Bill Blue]

Mike, have you been able to determine exactly what happened to shut down the solar panels? Were they no longer able to track the sun? Can't imagine that a layer of ice would stop light penetration. Snow could be raked off. My attempt to google the question came up with nothing. Just that they shut down because of cold and ice.

Bill

 

[John W]

Mike, have you been able to determine exactly what happened to shut down the solar panels? Were they no longer able to track the sun? Can't imagine that a layer of ice would stop light penetration. Snow could be raked off. My attempt to google the question came up with nothing. Just that they shut down because of cold and ice.

Bill

There's a solar farm near downtown Columbia SC, ironically, at the power company headquarters. If it started snowing, you'd need 300 people working 24 hour shifts to rake off the snow. It'd be like raking 20 acres of land. Out in the country, the solar farms are even larger. I'd imagine in Texas, they're even larger.

 

[Bill Blue]

Wait until it stops snowing and you have to rake it off only once. Some panels follow the sun, don't know if they can be made to tilt to dump the snow.
Bill

 

[alpine_64]

I believe the solar panels in TX got covered in snow. You would need some automated system to solve that issue.. Clearing them of snow manually would not be very efficient.. And waiting for it to stop snowing not practical either...
Again... You need a diversity of power generation... Renewables come in many flavours....

My understanding is texas has many power generation sources renewable and fossil based.. The issue was none was installed to operate in these winter conditions.

Another issue apparently is they are not connected to the national grid.. So there was no backup.... I did hear a government member talk about how it was worth suffering no power to have independence from the rest of the country... That seemed somewhat confussing to an outsider....not so "United" states...

 

[husky drvr]

Michael,

Here is a short video that may help with some info on the Texas grid. I can't vouch for every detail, but seems reasonably correct. I suspect one thing not discussed is how geography affects how some areas probably can't easily connect to surrounding grids.

Many probably don't realize Texas was an independent Republic before deciding to join the US. You might think many Texans would consider independence from the US preferable still today. For comparison, Texas is about 10% the size of Oz but has about the same population.

 

[John W]

God bless Texas!

Benjamin Franklin once said: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

Get too organized, and next thing you know, you've got the elite declaring things "unobtainium," but just for you.

 

[Bill Blue]

Excellent video Don.

I really don't understand your comment about communities not being able to connect to the grid. Could you elaborate?

Bill

 

[Bill Blue]

God bless Texas!

Benjamin Franklin once said: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

Get too organized, and next thing you know, you've got the elite declaring things "unobtainium," but just for you.

Okay, where did you get that nonsense?
Bill

 

[Alpine 1789]

Guys: I have been watching this thread anxiously, fearing that it would devolve into discussions that violate our bylaws. I have been impressed with everyone's restraint so far, although it has certainly veered pretty close to the edge at time. I've also found it interesting and hope we can keep it going without problems. We'll all be fine as long as we stay away from politics and personal insults.

 

[jdoclogan]

I have been on hiatus due to major back surgery. Recovering with the grace of a gooney bird landing.

What Franklin meant by his often misunderstood quote was: It was "essential" to the "Liberty" of Pennsylvania's Villagers that the Pennsylvania General Assembly authority "temporarily" override the Penn family's (predominant land owners in Pennsylvania) request for the Pennsylvania's Governor to veto the requested taxes. The emergency tax money was to be used for the frontier defense during the French and Indian War. There was constant raiding and pillaging of villages throughout Pennsylvania during that time period.

Moving away from political rhetoric I still stand by the physics of Fusion for future energy. I would also add that the concept of Fusion might be applied to a society. You know, "two heads are better than one." Or a collective group of Sunbeam owners fussing together to present an incredible show like SUNI in Kansas City 2021.
Cheers
Jerry

 

[Aladin Sane]

In the long run, fusion is the only answer. I have seen the fusion reactor at Sandia labs, it is really cool, but still decades from practical operation.

 

[Alpine 1789]

In the long run, fusion is the only answer.

It will be the answer for our classic cars, too!

 

[Aladin Sane]

Roads? Where we are going, we dont need roads.

 

[husky drvr]

Excellent video Don.

I really don't understand your comment about communities not being able to connect to the grid. Could you elaborate?

Bill

Bill,

It's not can't, just not easily. Considering the overall population density of the region where Texas and New Mexico border each other, there is not a lot of grid infrastructure. I suspect the distances involved for right of way acquisition, possible political negotiations to cross Native American reservations and/or national and state parks, then actual construction of transmission lines in areas of possibly difficult terrain might mean no one has considered the Cost/Benefit Ratio to make a worthy project for private capital.

Just my thoughts,

 

[Bill Blue]

Not so familiar with Texas, but after driving through remote ares of New Mexico, I don't think a cost/benefit ratio even exists in the state. We drove for hundreds of miles down a two lane blacktop that had a parallel power line with a ranch hook up every five miles or so. I think that perhaps we have differing visions of "grid". To me, it is simply interconnected sources with very diverse users, with few, if any, users directly connected. In my mind (perhaps crazy, definitely not knowledgeable) that long power line could have been hooked into the grid. In fact, it is possible the grid was its only source of electricity.

Which brings up a question. When we look at a map of grid are we seeing every line hooked into the grid or just the supply structure? By that I mean if a small city in New Mexico is dependent upon the grid for power, does the line that serves them appear on the maps we see?

Bill

 

[husky drvr]

Bill,

In my mind, the "grid" is the network of main kV size transmission towers and lines that travel from power source to substations where power is delivered into the local power networks. YMMV

Found this video. It makes some interesting points about EV's.

 

[Bill Blue]

Another great video, all information, zero propaganda. What an argument for government standards! Maybe Biden will "Europeanize" the charging networks.

Don, I understand your definition of "Grid", but I don't understand if the Texas grid can serve Texas and the Western grid can serve New Mexico, why can't they be joined? Seems to me the grids manage to penetrate every nook and cranny of the nation.

Bill

 

[Bill Blue]

Freightliner announced production of a medium duty electric truck aimed at the local heavy delivery market. The truck has a battery range of 250 miles and returns to terminal at night for recharge. It is easy to underestimate the size of the fleet of heavy trucks that make routine, defined runs. I knew a guy that drove from Indy to Cleveland and return on a daily basis. He worked for a bakery and carried a full load of finished product each way for over twenty years.

Bill

 

[alpine_64]

The video made me laugh my ar$e off.... The average buyer expects to get 291 mile range.....

My 2xdcoe with overdrive alpine will make 220-235miles.....

The Tiger... If my foot is light.... 200....

Guess the sunbeam owner is not the average motorist