Current Events > Company Says It Will Soon Cross $100 Battery Threshold, Slaying Gas Cars

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Lvaneede posted...

Im no engineer, but I still think hydrogen powered electric cars are a better idea than battery powered electric cars.

The problem with hydrogen cells is they really don't solve anything. You still make hydrogen gas and oxygen gas by splitting them from water, using coal or hydro power or whatever means you would use to charge a Li-Ion anyway.
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Silver Bearings posted...

Cool, but this only helps the environment if the electricity to charge the battery does not come from fossil fuel power stations.

The even bigger shitshow is when this (or something else) sparks a mass exodus to electric, and gas tax revenues evaporate.

Questionmarktarius posted...

Silver Bearings posted...

Cool, but this only helps the environment if the electricity to charge the battery does not come from fossil fuel power stations.

The even bigger shitshow is when this (or something else) sparks a mass exodus to electric, and gas tax revenues evaporate.

Or the grid collapses from the huge demand increase in electric...forcing retired coal plants to re-start. We need more reliable renewable energy plants, NAO!!!
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There's definitely going to be challenges, but we shouldn't just not do it just because gas tax revenue won't be a thing anymore.

Silver Bearings posted...

Cool, but this only helps the environment if the electricity to charge the battery does not come from fossil fuel power stations.

Not true. Electric cars are much more efficient than ICE cars, so even if all the energy is from the same method, it uses quite a bit less.

DevsBro posted...

The problem with hydrogen cells is they really don't solve anything. You still make hydrogen gas and oxygen gas by splitting them from water, using coal or hydro power or whatever means you would use to charge a Li-Ion anyway.

Actually, most hydrogen is produced from oil refinement.

JE19426 posted...

Silver Bearings posted...

Cool, but this only helps the environment if the electricity to charge the battery does not come from fossil fuel power stations.

Not true. Electric cars are much more efficient than ICE cars, so even if all the energy is from the same method, it uses quite a bit less.

DevsBro posted...

The problem with hydrogen cells is they really don't solve anything. You still make hydrogen gas and oxygen gas by splitting them from water, using coal or hydro power or whatever means you would use to charge a Li-Ion anyway.

Actually, most hydrogen is produced from oil refinement.

As a by-product? Interesting.

But I wonder also how oil refinement rates will change when/if electric cars take over and how organic respiration rates will balace out with O2 consumption for fuel a well.
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The problem is, everyone has gas cars right now, and most can't afford a new electric car, even at the prices gasoline cars cost. People are broke lol. How are they going to phase them out?
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If we started to use electric cars exclusively, we would merely shift the environmental impact. We need to look into different options.
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pres_madagascar posted...

The problem is, everyone has gas cars right now, and most can't afford a new electric car, even at the prices gasoline cars cost. People are broke lol. How are they going to phase them out?

Buy a used one.

MaverickXeo posted...

If we started to use electric cars exclusively, we would merely shift the environmental impact. We need to look into different options.

Electric cars are much more efficient than ICE cars, so even if all the energy is from the same method, it uses quite a bit less.

DevsBro posted...

As a by-product? Interesting.

Correct.

JE19426 posted...

pres_madagascar posted...

The problem is, everyone has gas cars right now, and most can't afford a new electric car, even at the prices gasoline cars cost. People are broke lol. How are they going to phase them out?

Buy a used one.

MaverickXeo posted...

If we started to use electric cars exclusively, we would merely shift the environmental impact. We need to look into different options.

Electric cars are much more efficient than ICE cars, so even if all the energy is from the same method, it uses quite a bit less.

DevsBro posted...

As a by-product? Interesting.

Correct.

But I just bought a brand new car 5 years ago
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JE19426 posted...

MaverickXeo posted...

If we started to use electric cars exclusively, we would merely shift the environmental impact. We need to look into different options.

Electric cars are much more efficient than ICE cars, so even if all the energy is from the same method, it uses quite a bit less.

If you look at the short term usage, that is correct. However, when factoring in the total life and production of the batteries/cars, there is no real difference in the environmental impact.

The materials needed for the batteries need to be mined, the batteries themselves only last so long before being rebuilt or replaced. If we all shifted to electric cars over night, our power structures would be so strained that there would be many, many rolling blackouts which means a higher production is needed than what is currently provided. That would cause prices to go up and resources would deplete faster.

We need other alternatives.
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MaverickXeo posted...

If you look at the short term usage, that is correct. However, when factoring in the total life and production of the batteries/cars, there is no real difference in the environmental impact.

Wrong, when you look at the total life and production, they get even better.

The materials needed for the batteries need to be mined, the batteries themselves only last so long before being rebuilt or replaced.

The materials needed to make pretty much any part of any modern vehicle needs to be mined, or drilled for. The batteries last for years and years. People with hundred of thousands of miles on their electric cars, still haven't needed to replace the batteries. Sure eventually you'll have to replace them, but that's true of literally every vehicle.

If we all shifted to electric cars over night, our power structures would be so strained that there would be many, many rolling blackouts which means a higher production is needed than what is currently provided.

This is one of the only actually true statement you made, and even that's not neccasarily true, most electric cars get charge at night when the electric use is low.

That would cause prices to go up and resources would deplete faster.

The first part of your statement here, that prices would go up is the only correct part, do you really think ICE cars use no resources? Of course they do.

JE19426 posted...

do you really think ICE cars use no resources?

If you think the only change would be electric prices, it's because you don't understand supply and demand or logistics.
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Crazyman93 posted...

If you think the only change would be electric prices, it's because you don't understand supply and demand or logistics.

Where on Earth did I say the only change would be electric prices? The answer is nowhere.