Posted on 01/31/2011 7:40:40 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Edited on 01/31/2011 7:44:41 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
I counted my blessings. The situation could have been worse, I realized: My fellow commuters and I could have been trying to make it home in electric cars, like the ones President Obama is constantly promoting, most recently in his State of the Union address.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Hey, you know what might be *really* efficient?
Instead of burning fuel at a power plant then converting that into electricity, then losing some in the power lines, then converting that electricity back into heat, why don’t we just burn fuel in the engine so that we can use the waste heat of combustion to warm the interior!
I wonder why hasn’t anyone ever thought of doing...oh, wait.
The USG is now spending about 250million to install charging stations in CA, LA and SD plus some other cities and states where the weather is good to help the electric car program along. Plus handing out tax credits, plus the broke states are giving cash rebates.
I listened to a presentation by one of the Beltway Bandits on the charging station program. Even in CA, in the winter when it is down to 40-50 the batteries loose a large percentage of their power output. It will be interesting to see how many of these Leafs(all electric) you see stalled along the freeways next year.
Ion the other hand enjoy keeping up with current events, and got a charge out of it.
So, it still won't start your car, but you can listen to it go RawrRawrRawrRawrRawr for up to 60% longer!
Two atoms were moving down the street one day in one of the new electric cars, when one of them exclaimed, “Oh no - I’ve lost an electron!” “Are you sure?” the other one asked. “Yes,” replied the first one, “I’m positive.”
I work in SW Texas and the laws of physics seem to be on holiday more often than not.......:-)
As Rush says regularly, with Libs it's never about results--or unintended consequences--but all about their "Good Intentions," dontcha know?
Anyone who has ever lived in cold climes and was over the age of reason, could have figured that one out.
Even with a BRAND NEW (2 mos old) battery, last week when it was 20 below here in the Socialist People's Republic of Utopian Moonbats (VT) my ride turned over....as all of my vehicles I've owned for the past 50 years...velllllly slowly before finally catching and starting and the service stations were so inundated with calls re: cars not starting, there was a 3 hour waiting time for service calls.
I can just imagine what this kind of weather would do to an electric car.
Never mind, cuz I'll NEVER know...at least personally.
Now for the Einstein Award, I nominate.......!
Wow, for a moment I thought the moderators were charging this thread with conductive criticism...
A post yesterday boasted of an all electric car in England made a trip in 4 days with 9 - 10 hour recharging stops, the same trip was 2 days in a stagecoach.
Nailed.
You read my mind.
Better Amish than Electric!!!!
1. Re-introduce vent windows. Opening vent windows past half-way procuced ram-cooling, a “poor man’s air conditioning” common in cars up to the 1960’s.
2. Go back to the hand operated windshield wipers in the early jeeps.
3. Provide a tray to lay a battery-powered radio.
Boy, does that bring back memories.
Way back when I was young and poor I had a 74 VW Beetle with a radio that didn't work. I had a battery-powered radio that I would lay in the passenger seat when I went on a trip. Even rebuilt the engine once with hand-tools in the garage. Didn't know what I was doing, but it ran.
I think I put about 200K miles on that bug. Don't know for sure because the odometer was broken and the gas gauge didn't work either. I would estimate miles driven, estimate mpg and fill-up as necessary. Don't think I ran out of gas more than once or twice.
Had a little street-header on it and a deep sump oil reservoir with a filter. Put some 225/R15 tires on the back to reduce rpm's and left the little tires on the front because they drove the speedo. That was about the only thing that did work. I would just buzz on down the road for hours driving around western OK for my job with my 10-speed on a bike rack on the back bumper.
Oh to be young and foolish again. Well, young anyway. I think I still have most of the foolishness... :-)
Gee, you mean like regular car batteries have been doing for, well, since we’ve had regular car batteries?
Not that I would buy a Volt, but just to be fair, the Volt underwent extensive very cold weather testing.
http://gm-volt.com/2010/02/23/chevy-volt-cold-weather-testing-update/
They can keep their electric cars.....
Our desert heat kills batteries. Around these parts a ‘premium’ 5 to 7 year warranted battery usually doesn’t make 3. I tend to replace them even before they show any signs of stress, because when they crap out, they crap out NOW...
The volt reminds me of the Chevette. GM had to have a small car to compete with the Japanese small cars. Only they forgot the reason was fuel economy so they took a truck chassis and scaled it down to small car size. Ours got about 23 mpg and finally died on the highway when the transistor burned up (the high tech Chevette had a single power transistor to run the engine).
Your ideas really represent a leap forward, don't they? Civilization will be better off with such marvels!
1. I remember the days of "side-vents," and even moving along at highway speeds, "cooling" was negligible. I do remember the noise it made--and while the driver or front-seat passenger might feel some warm air blowing on them, there was none in the back seat. If you're not moving at highway speeds--such as when you're stuck in city traffic--the vents offer nothing in terms of cooling.
2. We are introducing legislation as to punish those who text or read e-mails while driving because they're too distracting, and yet you want to have hand-operated windshield wipers?
3. A tray for a radio? Why not install a wheel for a gerbil to run on? If the gerbil's fast enough, it may be able to power the radio AND the manual windshield wipers.
Then the wise voters in WV elected a Demoncrat to replace KKK Byrd...and he is a faithful Obama supporter....wow, what an electorate!
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