The beginning of the end for fossil fuels?

Banned 9 years ago

It only took 100+ years. Goes to show how (oil) money trumps common sense.

I read somewhere yesterday the 2015 Chevrolet Spark EV was going to have a huge price cut with tax credits in the US. The downside is the battery only last about 80 miles before needing charged. They need to at least triple that battery range to be taken seriously.

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whateverpedia

9 years ago

Originally Posted by yukon

They need to at least triple that battery range to be taken seriously.

Here's an interesting breakthrough on the battery scene:

Aluminium battery can charge phone in one minute, scientists say | Technology | The Guardian

Scientists say they have invented a new battery that could fully charge a smartphone in just one minute. The researchers have created an aluminium battery which they hope could replace the lithium models commonly found in laptops and mobile phones.
And as well as the “unprecedented charging times” of their aluminium prototype, the team said it was also safer than lithium-ion batteries as it was less prone to catching fire and more environmentally friendly than alkaline models such as AA and AAA.

At the moment it's only being looked at for mobile phones and laptops, but imagine if this can also be used for cars and households, which is not that hard to imagine at all.

Using recycled soft drink and beer cans to produce batteries could be the next growth industry. Its positive effect on the environment is obvious, but imagine all the new jobs that could be created, even if they're only picking up and collecting the cans.

There are also geopolitical implications as well which I won't discuss here due to the forum's rules.

The list of positives goes on and on.

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yukon

Banned 9 years ago

Originally Posted by whateverpedia

Here's an interesting breakthrough on the battery scene:

Aluminium battery can charge phone in one minute, scientists say | Technology | The Guardian

At the moment it's only being looked at for mobile phones and laptops, but imagine if this can also be used for cars and households, which is not that hard to imagine at all.

Using recycled soft drink and beer cans to produce batteries could be the next growth industry. Its positive effect on the environment is obvious, but imagine all the new jobs that could be created, even if they're only picking up and collecting the cans.

There are also geopolitical implications as well which I won't discuss here due to the forum's rules.

The list of positives goes on and on.

Yea, I read about that alum. battery a few days ago on Google News.

If this guy in the video (7m16s - dated 2009) can use older power tool batteries I'm sure the new alum. batteries can also be used on cars.

WORLDS FASTEST street legal ELECTRIC CAR - YouTube

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Karen Blundell

9 years ago

Originally Posted by whateverpedia

Here's an interesting breakthrough on the battery scene:

Aluminium battery can charge phone in one minute, scientists say | Technology | The Guardian

At the moment it's only being looked at for mobile phones and laptops, but imagine if this can also be used for cars and households, which is not that hard to imagine at all.

Using recycled soft drink and beer cans to produce batteries could be the next growth industry. Its positive effect on the environment is obvious, but imagine all the new jobs that could be created, even if they're only picking up and collecting the cans.

There are also geopolitical implications as well which I won't discuss here due to the forum's rules.

The list of positives goes on and on.

this puts a small on my face - I hope this gets implemented soon - the environmental implications cannot be over-looked, I think. And anything that stimulates the economy is a positive thing.

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HeySal

9 years ago

We should have had free ecologically correct from the get go. Hopefully hell had a special place for the thugs that set up a system solely to keep the population enslaved to oil profit. I agree, though - 80 miles isn't far enough. Seems they should be able to rig something special for cars.

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lanfear63

9 years ago

Originally Posted by whateverpedia

According to this article in Bloomberg's it is:

Fossil Fuels Just Lost the Race Against Renewables - Bloomberg Business

Good.

In Houston, there is a guy called Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale, a millionaire many times over. He got his nickname because he started out selling mattresses at the side of the road, he made so much money that he was able to buy the land and build a huge superstore selling american furniture and beds etc. He now has a second store, advertises on the TV and radio as the frontman and is a fast talker. Now in his sixties he still works in his original store and greets customers and barks orders over the tannoy. Not that he needs too.

Everything he sells is available same day, delivered and assembled in your home. (you pay a bit extra for that) A true individual.

He has crazy bets with his customers as promo's, like if the Texans go to the superbowl, then if you have spent so much in a set period of time you will get your purchase price refunded. A lot of his bets though, he loses and pays up. Probably generates a lot of revenue based on the publicity.

His latest is, if the price of oil is $85.00 a barrel on 12/31/2015 then anyone who has spent 7k on furniture from him this year will get their money back

Do you think he will lose this one?

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tagiscom

9 years ago

Originally Posted by HeySal

We should have had free ecologically correct from the get go. Hopefully hell had a special place for the thugs that set up a system solely to keep the population enslaved to oil profit. I agree, though - 80 miles isn't far enough. Seems they should be able to rig something special for cars.

Yes, wind and solar is good, but only to a point!

If Australia was totally dependent on these two systems only, then when we had a few days with no wind, and it was overcast, then we would be stuffed, to put it mildly, (this happened over 3 states, several times a year).

But thankfully there are other more reliable ways to generate power.

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Kurt

9 years ago

Originally Posted by tagiscom

Yes, wind and solar is good, but only to a point!

If Australia was totally dependent on these two systems only, then when we had a few days with no wind, and it was overcast, then we would be stuffed, to put it mildly, (this happened over 3 states, several times a year).

But thankfully there are other more reliable ways to generate power.

To a point.

However, this will change in the near future. Elon Musk of Tesla Motors is creating huge industrial battery systems that will be able to store electricity from solar/wind and release the energy when needed to the "grid". These battery systems will start construction soon. I "think"starting in a year or two...

There's also kinetic energy that can be used which is stable. As long as there are tides and waves, there is kinetic energy. Doesn't most of Australia's population live near a coast?

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rondo

9 years ago

Kurt, unfortunately the Australian government seems to be governed by the coal and gas industry.
So it's more drilling and fracking our prime agricultural land, and more deforesting for new open cut mines for the foreseeable future here.

Andrew

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Kurt

9 years ago

Originally Posted by rondo

Kurt, unfortunately the Australian government is governed by the coal industry.
So it's more drilling and fracking our prime agricultural land, and more deforesting for new open cut mines for the foreseeable future here.

Andrew

Same here. Here it's Big Oil that runs everything. There was even one politician from Texas that claimed wind turbines would cause global warming because they would block the wind which cools the Earth. Seriously.

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Kurt

9 years ago

Originally Posted by Kurt

Same here. Here it's Big Oil that runs everything. There was even one politician from Texas that claimed wind turbines would cause global warming because they would block the wind which cools the Earth. Seriously.

BTW, this is the same politician that actually apologized to BP for the "shake down" after the big oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

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thunderbird

9 years ago

Following the money sometimes tells a nice little story...

Oil-Rich Nations Are Selling Off Their Petrodollar Assets at Record Pace - Bloomberg Business

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butters

9 years ago

When a battery charges a car as quick as petrol tops one up, that's when I think your see that major transistion. But oil will be around for a while, while we have the capabilities of these cars, most third world, develop countries will not... When we pass the era of oil, a new era will be in a developing country.

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Kurt

9 years ago

Originally Posted by butters

When a battery charges a car as quick as petrol tops one up, that's when I think your see that major transistion. But oil will be around for a while, while we have the capabilities of these cars, most third world, develop countries will not... When we pass the era of oil, a new era will be in a developing country.

Countries like Israel and Denmark have started battery swapping systems. They can swap a car battery about as fast as you can fill a tank of gas, maybe faster.

Also, most fleet service vehicles travel less than 80 miles per day. Things like postal delivery vans, etc. And they return "home" every night, where batteries could be swapped out easily. Or maybe some routes need additional swap stations, which could be shared by multiple companies.

Getting fleets to go electric is really where we need to start and makes the most sense, especially here in the Western US where there's abundant sun and solar can be effectively used to charge the batteries.

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