Electric conversions, are they happening now?

[DILLARD000]

@Dirtman
Not putting down new technology,
just folks who have more dollars than sense, buying a $100k Tesla & claiming they're saving the planet.

 

[Dirtman]

@Dirtman
Not putting down new technology,
just folks who have more dollars than sense, buying a $100k Tesla & claiming they're saving the planet.

110% on board with this statement.

If you own a tesla in my area you have a coal powered car. There's no way around it. You are not helping the environment, your car burns coal.

 

[Dirtman]

And probably at a substantial loss vs a car that literally burns coal in its engine...

 

[DILLARD000]

There are more factories now that have CogenerationGasTurbines,
which generate Steam for their process, then export excess electricity to the grid.

 

[RonD]

The source of the electricity for most people is out of their control

So the EV is not coal powered if local power is coal fired power plant, thats like saying a local light bulb is coal powered, funny, but doesn't make sense

And if you extend it farther back then its Solar Powered, as that's what coal is made from, plants and animals that existed because of the Sun

 

[Dirtman]

The source of the electricity for most people is out of their control

So the EV is not coal powered if local power is coal fired power plant, thats like saying a local light bulb is coal powered, funny, but doesn't make sense

And if you extend it farther back then its Solar Powered, as that's what coal is made from, plants and animals that existed because of the Sun

Battery is storing energy made by burning coal to power steam turbines. My point is unless your battery is storing energy made by a cleaner source than coal, your not exactly helping and should not brag about how "green" your car is.

 

[DILLARD000]

My father-in-law, rest his soul, lived for 60+ years in an old house in Colorado
that when it was sold 5yrs ago, still had a "Coal Room" & delivery chute thru the back wall of the basement.
Furnace had long ago been converted to Gas, so they used the room for storage.
Technology does change things; imagine shoveling coal into your own furnace several times during a cold winter day.

 

[Dirtman]

I still have a coal furnace. An octopus. It was replaced by a normal natural gas forced air heater but the entire octopus, vents, and coal chute still exist and work. I poop in it. I frequently burn nonsense in it...

 

[RonD]

"Green" vehicle just means it has low or 0 emissions as compare to ICE vehicle

So they can/should brag away about being "green" in that one aspect

Not doing "enough" is not the same as doing nothing

As more energy/electricity is needed and because people are more aware of how electricity is generated locally, there will be more of a demand for "cleaner" power generation than there was say 50 years ago

 

[Dirtman]

Ok bottom line...

My feista gets high 30s for gas mileage. Does a Tesla charging on a grid powered by coal have a lower, in hippy terms "carbon footprint"? I'm arguing no. Coal is dirtier than gasoline. They are both filthy to extract, refine, and burn, but my car does it on the spot in the engine where the tesla does it out of sight out of mind.

 

[DILLARD000]

We can all work toward better\cleaner machines,
just stay reasonable\practical
& not let hopes\wishes overwhelm reality.

 

[Dirtman]

We can all work toward better\cleaner machines,
just stay reasonable\practical
& not let hopes\wishes overwhelm reality.

Again 110% with this. I love the new ecoboost engines. They are making power v8s didnt even make with a fraction of the fuel. Tech can make ICE engines cleaner, and make power to support EVs cleaner...

My moms edge which is a heavy SUV is no slouch for power and still gets 20's for MPGs. 30 years ago the same sized vehicle would get 8mpg with similar power. My ramcharger with a 360 v8 TBI got 8mpg and was slower than my moms edge. I had to sell my beloved 89 ramcharger when gas hit 2 dollars a galllon because i was too poor to drive it.

 

[RonD]

Yes, but...............................

Impractical, wild eyed dreamer, visions have always been around, and SOME of them are good visions and we have them now

I mean carrying a phone with you all the time, who the heck would want that, stupid idea

It always starts somewhere, and always has push back
If it was good enough for my Dad its good enough for me

 

[Roert42]

There are some of my neighbors that still use coal.

Pleanty of people burn wood or pellets too.

 

[Dirtman]

There are some of my neighbors that still use coal.

Pleanty of people burn wood or pellets too.

The thing about a coal furnace is, they are literally just burn pits. You can burn almost anything in them. I burn old pallets (not pellets lol), paper trash, anything... they are horribly inefficient but I love mine as a backup heat source. Forced air natural gas heat uses like a millionth of the fuel to make the same heat but its nice to be able to go downstairs and shovel crap in and keep the house warm when the power is out. No fans, no electricity needed, if you can make a fire you have heat through the whole house. And unlike a wood stove, its central and heats the whole house.