forpinks

I can't wait to have an electric supercar! Electric motors could hit 100MPH in like 2 neck snapping seconds. And run for free with a bunch of solar panels in you backyard and roof.

bagwell

great! another person is with me!!!

I'll wave bye-bye to you V8 ICE guys when I blow past you in my electric

Vlad_Stein

Well, the problem is mankind's high energy consumption. Don't forget that solar power on the roof of your home is not feasible everywhere (some places are not sunny enough, some places are very dusty). It is also expensive to buy and install and not many regular folks can afford it.

I personally like the nuclear option (provided we can bury the waste appropriately). However, don't think that it does not have its own side effects. Sure, nuclear powerplants do not produce CO2 that a lot of people are very concerned about, but they do produce a lot of (by-product) heat, so you're still contributing to global warming. Nuclear powerplants are usually located near a large body of water for secondary cooling and the water there is probably significantly warmer than if the plant was not there.

I have read that coal power plants are very cheap to build but expensive to run, while the nuclear ones are the reverse of that. Plus, to be completely fair, nuclear power plants are potential targets for terrorists. I saw a program that focused on inadequate security at these installations and their succeptibility to a coordinated terrorist attack. To beef up the security at these installations would add to costs of the energy, but I would take that over the alternative any day.

bagwell

true, but the price of solar panels would be dramatically lower if mass produced [and sold by walmart].

...and I don't know of any place that the sun doesn't shine...except for the poles in winter...ok and Seattle

SilverBull

To the person that thinks we should just throw up some solar panels on our roof...That won't work my friend. The energy we get from Solar is so small that you could barely run your house off of it let alone a car along with the house. Solar energy isn't being used because you need panels the size of a baseball field to generate any real power. It just isn't efficient. That is NOT the future.

bagwell

ok, yep you're right it won't 100% replace anything so let's just give up on
the technology.


or we can try to make the technology BETTER.....



The US Department of Energy announced on Tuesday that a project it funded had set a new world's record for solar cell efficiency. According to DOE's press release,

...with DOE funding, a concentrator solar cell produced by Boeing-Spectrolab has recently achieved a world-record conversion efficiency of 40.7 percent, establishing a new milestone in sunlight-to-electricity performance. This breakthrough may lead to systems with an installation cost of only $3 per watt, producing electricity at a cost of 8-10 cents per kilowatt/hour, making solar electricity a more cost-competitive and integral part of our nation’s energy mix.

Let's give this some context:

According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Power Technologies Energy Data Book, Fourth Edition, concentrator solar technologies "...produce electricity at solar-to-electric efficiencies for the system of up to 30%." In the best case scenario for cells used with this technology, the Data Book reports efficiencies of 27-39%, with pre-commercial models averaging 15-24%.
A post at Slashdot points to a German site that shows where to best place solar sites for matching the world's energy consumption (2003 figures) based on an 8% efficiency rate. The Slashdot writer notes "At 40% efficiency, it looks like a square 265 miles on a side in the American southwest would do it.
While we're still a ways off from commercially-available technology with that kind of punch, this is promising news. Vinod Khosla likely feels vindicated... ::US Department of Energy via Slashdot

Vlad_Stein

You're right - the sun shines everywhere, but it does not always get to the ground level (because of clouds, pollution, trees blocking potential installation spots on the roof, lattitude, etc.). You have to weigh the amount of electricity that you could get out of them against the cost of purchase and installation. In some places like Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, it may make sense. In others it probably won't.
I think that presently, solar panels are not a viable alternative, but hey, if they make some progress on efficiency and price, and god forbid, the government steps in with tax breaks and what not, I am all for it...

LexFather

That is great work

Nextourer

Then you'll be friends of all who are blind . Cause the rest of us in EV sports cars are apparently a hazard to them

G Star

iTrader: (2)

BEEFINESS?


sorry man but beefiness is what brought America to it's knees...

RX_330

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eOLq07VwSE


I don't really care for American cars.

SLegacy99

Dear automakers,

I need better gas mileage now. Please give us direct injection, smaller displacements with turbos, hybrids, diesels, CVTs, active fuel management, lighter cars, etc.

Ben

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

More cars comes from more prosperity, increasing population, and 'higher expectations'. By the last I mean in times past, maybe not every kid got a car IMMEDIATELY upon turning 16. Now it seems like many do, with high school parking lots FILLED to overflowing.

Also, I don't have stats to back it up but my perception is that cars have gotten SUBSTANTIALLY cheaper (when inflation is taken into account). What you can buy for $20K today for example is truly amazing compared to something of corresponding price 30 years ago.

With cheaper new cars and rapid innovation in safety and features brings downward BIG pressure on used car prices, so cars are again, much more affordable and accessible.

Let's face it, people only take the bus or subway if they're either broke, can't drive, or it really is more convenient than a car (like in DC or NYC for example).

These trends are not about to stop, so expect MORE cars on the road. In particular, increasing life expectancy and continued big population growth guarantee we're going to have big jumps in the number of vehicles on the roads. Cities will become more and more clogged because the politicians lack the courage to tackle the problem fearing the bonds or taxes now for less pain down the road will force them out of office.

It's a mess. Some bright spots: more 'information workers' will work remotely, and more high rise condos/apartments will be built in cities for people to get to work quickly and hopefully without driving. And other transportation options like Segues, scooters, electric carts and moving sidewalks will come into play.

Threxx

I have a feeling that 22 years from now 'mpg' isn't even going to be a commonly spoken term.

Nextourer

Or in my case, a transit authority that doesn't give a crap about customer service and services only half the region and forces university students to buy a pass then claim "ridership is up" (no shh**** cause you forced like 500,000 students to pay for it) and then can't meet the demands as students wait 7 busses before boarding. Oh.. and if there's any money problem, it isn't the fact that they spend $50,000 on glass bus stops do nothing to protect you from sun, wind or rain, but rather it's the fact they haven't gotten enough money from the taxpayers. Oh.. and the board is self-elected.

/rant