Electric Car News

PeoplesElbow

PeoplesElbow

Well-Known Member
glhs837 said:
Epidemic. I might quibble with that word. I would like to see what 100 charging cables looks like expressed as a percentage of total charging stations in Seattle. Down here in St Mary's, that would certainly be an epidemic. Charles or Calvert even.

According to this, there are more than 500 charging locations on this map of Seattle. If you figure 2 per station, 100 cables in a year isn't an epidemic. So, impossible? No. Harder, more inconvenient, for sure. SO its the reporting that does the damage with words like epidemic and impossible. Owners of the charging points might be tempted to place cameras triggered to buffer the video to a remote server when a cable gets cut. But in Seattle, its not even gonna net the criminal a stay in jail, and there will be no restitution. Hell, they cant sweep the junkies off 4eh streets.

chargefinder.com

ChargeFinder - Charging stations for electric cars (EV)

Find charging stations near me with a simple search or browse the map. Real-time availability, pricing, and other useful information for 100 000+ EV chargers.
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For city dwellers with no garage to charge in i'd imagine it would put a real damper on things. I'd imagine the entire thing for city dwellers is a pain even if the chargers haven't been vandalized. The one person interviewed said she hasn't been to a station recently that hasn't been vandalized.
 
P

phreddyp

Well-Known Member
PeoplesElbow said:
For city dwellers with no garage to charge in i'd imagine it would put a real damper on things. I'd imagine the entire thing for city dwellers is a pain even if the chargers haven't been vandalized. The one person interviewed said she hasn't been to a station recently that hasn't been vandalized.
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A city dweller with no garage to charge in has to be the dumbest of the dumb, hell in D.C. you may as well paint a target on your back.
 
Sneakers

Sneakers

Just sneakin' around....
PeoplesElbow said:
www.thecooldown.com

Thief caught on camera trying to steal EV cable from outside home: 'Some people will do anything but an honest job'

As electric vehicles continue to spread throughout the country, so too do thefts of EV charging cables, which contain valuable copper that can be sold to scrap yards.
www.thecooldown.com www.thecooldown.com

I had a gas door all f'd up back in 2007ish where someone tried to pry it open sitting at the shithole Esperanza lanes during league night.
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I never thought it was a great idea to have a charger openly showing on the outside of a house or garage. Just an invitation for damage or theft. Haven't seen one, but a spooling cable mounted inside and accessed thru a locked panel would resolve that.
 
PeoplesElbow

PeoplesElbow

Well-Known Member
Sneakers said:
I never thought it was a great idea to have a charger openly showing on the outside of a house or garage. Just an invitation for damage or theft. Haven't seen one, but a spooling cable mounted inside and accessed thru a locked panel would resolve that.
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I always wondered why so many houses in SOMD didn't have garages.

In this case I think they were charging. Rates probably lower at night.
 
SamSpade

SamSpade

Well-Known Member

Been reading this, this morning --- aside from the plug for hydrogen cells, he makes a good point in this --

The fault lies with the very concept that Government Knows Best. Nothing is proving that tautology wrong more than the plethora of alternatives to BEVs – including a wide variety of hydrogen-powered engines and a new self-rotating engine– that are emerging on the world scene. None of these have been “blessed” with massive subsidies, and none would require a heavily subsidized nationwide charging station network.

It may be surprising to some, but even The New York Times back in 2021 questioned the wisdom of Biden’s bold BEV plunge. Niraj Chokshi wrote both that the $174 billion “might not be enough to push most Americans toward EVs.”

And that's just it - just as so many were putting all of their eggs in one green basket during Obama - windmills and solar panels - the intelligent path to a working alternative SHOULD have been a wide net - including technologies not only OTHER than BEVs - battery-run electric vehicles - but AT LEAST an alternative where we aren't totally dependent on resources coming from our adversaries, like China (e.g. LITHIUM).

I must admit, I've been skeptical of hydrogen as a fuel source for - well, decades. People were discussing it even in high school (for me) when I was growing up in the 70's. I sneered at my friends, because I couldn't see the value in CREATING hydrogen - using electricity powered by fossil fuels - only to turn around and BURN IT again, and losing eificiency during the process.

Well, I was wrong. Mostly. Some time in the 90's, I heard Newt Gingrich propose an idea that nuclear plants could be configured to load balance the output by redirecting the "extra" electricity to make hydrogen. While not knowing the logistics, practicality and to be fair, a bit of the science - it sure seemed like a good idea. I don't work at a power plant, but I do know that balancing load is crucial, and this seems to help that.

BUT - there are other less expensive ways to make hydrogen, and of course, hydrogen CELLS don't really "burn". But - a significant and inexpensive way to produce hydrogen - is - wait for it - natural gas. Probably THE cheapest, and - of course, hydrogen is ZERO emiisions. It creates - water. The next one - and it's not - awesome - is that it's already created via many industrial processes, such as ones to create ammonia and fertilizer. We produce a lot of it already, but not nearly enough to power a country. It is however, the most plentiful element in the universe - and I now realize that if green methods can be harnessed to PRODUCE it, you have the middle solution between a car you can use, and a recharge/refill that takes a minute - that isn't gas.
 
Sneakers

Sneakers

Just sneakin' around....
If I may play devil's advocate for a moment....

The thing about hydrogen as a mainstream fuel is the insane ease in making it yourself. Plain water with the right ions, easily obtainable, a bit of electricity and you have recoverable hydrogen and oxygen. The more inventive people will be able to produce, capture and use the hydrogen. Less inventive will create hydrogen, but not do anything with it. The inept will blow themselves to kingdom come, and totally legal, free and easy. It's easy to see a gasoline leak, it puddles and form wet spots, and can be smelled. Without expensive safeguards, hydrogen leaks are not easily detectable.

And then there is the government and big business. If people successfully make and use hydrogen at home for personal use, what happens to the fuel industry? Would it be significant enough for regulations prohibiting home manufacture and use under the guise of safety?

And I speak partially from experience. In my younger and more experimental days, I did make hydrogen and oxygen at home. A dilute solution of battery acid, a couple of wires, a glass Coke bottle and a battery charger. Insert the wires into the bottle which is upside down in a container of the liquid and connect the charger. In no time at all, you have a bottle of hydrogen and oxygen. Don protective gear (motorcycle helmet with plastic face shield and oven mitts). Light a candle, uncork the bottle and put the open neck to the flame. Makes the biggest bang. Thank you, Mr. Pitts, my 9th grade science teacher.
 
GURPS

GURPS

INGSOC
PREMO Member
Sneakers said:
The thing about hydrogen as a mainstream fuel is the insane ease in making it yourself. Plain water with the right ions, easily obtainable, a bit of electricity and you have recoverable hydrogen and oxygen.
Click to expand...

you WASTE more electricity then energy you get from hydrogen

Same thing with Ethanol ... more energy if required to make alcohol then derived from burning as an automotive fuel
 
Sneakers

Sneakers

Just sneakin' around....
GURPS said:
you WASTE more electricity then energy you get from hydrogen
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Agree, but that won't stop people from doing it if they think they don't have to buy it.

Same with solar. The investment costs far exceed any cost to buy the power to begin with. ROI is YEARS down the road, and some never make the break even point.
 
glhs837

glhs837

Power with Control
GURPS said:
you WASTE more electricity then energy you get from hydrogen

Same thing with Ethanol ... more energy if required to make alcohol then derived from burning as an automotive fuel
Click to expand...
The other issue is that it's a damn slippery molecule. Standing up filling stations and then maintaining them so nobody goes boom is an issue. CA has been pushing that rope uphill for decades and got nowhere.
 
SamSpade

SamSpade

Well-Known Member
I've never read anything about hydrogen that suggests it would be distributed in such a fashion as to make Hindenburgs happen everywhere.

I'm reminded of that woman in "I, Robot" who was against a motorcycle running on gasoline

“Please tell me this doesn't run on gas. Gas explodes you know.” It's not as though the method of refill will be any more dangerous than it does for propane.

Secondly - sure you can MAKE hydrogen - you can MAKE ethanol too, but not enough to drive you down the block.

Believe me, every argument mentioned so far - *I* have made, up until this year, and I am old. No one is going to have a hydrogen gas pump like we do for gasoline. And we have buses runing on propane.
 
LightRoasted

LightRoasted

If I may ...
For your consideration ...

PeoplesElbow said:
www.theverge.com

An analysis of 20,000 EV stations concludes that charging is still a massive bummer

There might be more broken chargers than the apps say.
www.theverge.com www.theverge.com
Click to expand...

This looks kinda crazy. It appears these cars are street parked next to a sidewalk with the charging cables crossing over said sidewalk to the cars. WTF is up with that?

1723636588468.png
 
LightRoasted

LightRoasted

If I may ...
For your consideration ...

Sneakers said:
If I may play devil's advocate for a moment....

The thing about hydrogen as a mainstream fuel is the insane ease in making it yourself. Plain water with the right ions, easily obtainable, a bit of electricity and you have recoverable hydrogen and oxygen. The more inventive people will be able to produce, capture and use the hydrogen. Less inventive will create hydrogen, but not do anything with it. The inept will blow themselves to kingdom come, and totally legal, free and easy. It's easy to see a gasoline leak, it puddles and form wet spots, and can be smelled. Without expensive safeguards, hydrogen leaks are not easily detectable.

And then there is the government and big business. If people successfully make and use hydrogen at home for personal use, what happens to the fuel industry? Would it be significant enough for regulations prohibiting home manufacture and use under the guise of safety?

And I speak partially from experience. In my younger and more experimental days, I did make hydrogen and oxygen at home. A dilute solution of battery acid, a couple of wires, a glass Coke bottle and a battery charger. Insert the wires into the bottle which is upside down in a container of the liquid and connect the charger. In no time at all, you have a bottle of hydrogen and oxygen. Don protective gear (motorcycle helmet with plastic face shield and oven mitts). Light a candle, uncork the bottle and put the open neck to the flame. Makes the biggest bang. Thank you, Mr. Pitts, my 9th grade science teacher.
Click to expand...

Problem is, as you know, it is very easy for hydrogen to go boom. Would need a complex delivery mechanism to an engine, plus a very safe, accident protected, storage medium.
 
GURPS

GURPS

INGSOC
PREMO Member

This car headlamp has cryptographic keys that restrict repair. HEADLIGHTS DO NOT NEED CRYPTOGRAPHY!!​



 
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