Electric Vehicles

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delvo (Post 13387229) The range issue for cars is caused by the "energy density" factor: "how much energy can you get out of this system per pound, and/or per cubic inch, of energy source you need to carry around?". The answer is still much lower for batteries and capacitors/supercapacitors than for carbon compounds, and likely to stay that way. And, even if we adapt and get used to the range issue in cars, it's much more crucial for aircraft. They're just not going to really work at all with a power source that's heavier and delivers less total output between refuelings/rechargings/replacements. Then there's also the fact that batteries (along with LCD panels) call for some nasty mining processes to get at rare elements that only exist in a few (mostly foreign) places in the world and will run out in roughly the same time frame that fossil fuels will, and the fact that so many of those who are pushing for alternative energy sources think that one major energy source we'll definitely need to rely on is the work of the Devil, and the agricultural depletion of soil and diminishing groundwater supplies everywhere along with the loss of concrete-suitable sand... the loss of the resource that we make plastics and road tar out of could very well be the least of our problems over the next hundred years or so.

Really? My buddy's Tesla has a range of 400 miles. That's plenty
And no, the range is unlikely to stay low. Every issue you just mentioned are being addressed. Cobalt is being phased out for example. And methods are being created to effectively recycle and reuse the elements. Batteries are also getting lighter. Aviation is going to be harder to replace "electrically" but that doesn't mean mined petroleum fuels won't be able to be replaced through carbon capture created fuels.

But even if we can't replace aviation fuels in 30 years, we should able to replace petroleum and fossil fuels in passenger vehicles, trucking and industrial heat applications such as making concrete. If we can do that, we will have done a lot.

I'm convinced that it's important to get the ball rolling. Once we do, it's going to be a lot easier.

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