Ford: Electric cars will soon overtake Gas

Bar Sinister

Bar Sinister

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pgs said:
Maybe within 15 years , but for now worldwide use of fossil fuels is on the rise .


Yet use of fossil fuels are on the rise throughout the world .
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Of course they are. They are the easiest fuels to use as nations industrialize, and currently most of the world's nations are not fully industrialized. You may have noticed that nations with the cleanest air have been industrialized the longest and nations that are newly industrialized generally have high levels of air pollution. However, this does not last forever. Eventually industrialization reaches a level where nations can look for cleaner sources of energy.

Predicted use of fossils fuels is expected to increase at least until 2040, and probably beyond that, however, green energy use is also expected to increase and it may actually increase faster than expected given continued improvement in green technology. Germany is a case in point in that it is a nation that went from only 6% green energy use in 2000 to 40% by 2016. Green energy simply has too many advantages for it not to be used on an increasing scale.
 
pgs

pgs

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Bar Sinister said:
Of course they are. They are the easiest fuels to use as nations industrialize, and currently most of the world's nations are not fully industrialized. You may have noticed that nations with the cleanest air have been industrialized the longest and nations that are newly industrialized generally have high levels of air pollution. However, this does not last forever. Eventually industrialization reaches a level where nations can look for cleaner sources of energy.

Predicted use of fossils fuels is expected to increase at least until 2040, and probably beyond that, however, green energy use is also expected to increase and it may actually increase faster than expected given continued improvement in green technology. Germany is a case in point in that it is a nation that went from only 6% green energy use in 2000 to 40% by 2016. Green energy simply has too many advantages for it not to be used on an increasing scale.
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And yet Germany is presently putting decommissioned coal plants back on line .
 
Bar Sinister

Bar Sinister

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pgs said:
And yet Germany is presently putting decommissioned coal plants back on line .
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True, but the fact that Germany is a leader in green energy is quite impressive in itself. The country is not exactly suited to be a major producer of green energy unlike larger nations like Canada, China, and the US. Green energy will continue to grow as a source of energy simply because people like to breathe clean air, and interestingly because it has become more economically viable. Check any stat on green energy and your will see that its growth has outstripped the growth of fossil fuels for the last few years. I doubt that trend is going to go away.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-04-06/wind-and-solar-are-crushing-fossil-fuels
 
Jinentonix

Jinentonix

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mentalfloss said:
That's at least a 5 hour drive every Sunday.
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Yeah, and? I realize that living a sheltered life in a Metropolis in Southern Ontario for your entire existence, you might think 5 hours is a long drive. Hell, I've lived places where something basic like grocery shopping was a 4-5 hour excursion, in good weather.

Bar Sinister said:
Maybe this will help.


and this:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_production_battery_electric_vehicles

Electric powered vehicles are not going away.
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Yeah they are. Hydrogen fuel cells will overtake them. The associated infrastructure costs to incorporate them as opposed to electrics is substantially cheaper. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and relatively cheap to produce.
I'm also not really sure how reliable an electric vehicle would be when trying to start it in -40 degree temps. It certainly wouldn't be an issue for more temperate climates, but for arctic countries I'm not so sure.
Then there's the issue of increased lithium production (assuming they're still using lithium-ion technology in 15 years).
Most lithium mining (for now) is done in countries with less than respectable environmental laws meaning the way things are right now, that resource will be exploited at the expense of the local people and surrounding environment in those countries.
But here's the real kicker, lithium is also a non-renewable resource and commercial size deposits aren't all that common. In fact all of the elements used to make battery power are non-renewable. Hydrogen power is.
 
mentalfloss

mentalfloss

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No one claimed hydrogen wasn't also an alternative but it is a ways off compared to electric.


And a 5 hour drive is more than enough time to find a gas station unless you're driving in NWT.
 
pgs

pgs

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mentalfloss said:
No one claimed hydrogen wasn't also an alternative but it is a ways off compared to electric.


And a 5 hour drive is more than enough time to find a gas station unless you're driving in NWT.
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Are there not Canadians living in the NWT ?

pgs said:
Are there not Canadians living in the NWT ?
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What good is a gas station if you are driving an electric car ?
 
Dixie Cup

Dixie Cup

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Sep 16, 2006
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Unfortunately, these vehicles will only be useful in areas where they can be plugged in and charged, likely in the larger centers.


Plug-in stations are required in order for people to use these vehicles and since we are such a large country, it'll be a long time before these vehicles will be actually useful to the vast majority of us.


Then, of course, there are trucking companies and construction companies whose vehicles will have to continue using fossil fuels - doubt if any "electric" 18 wheeler would be able to pull "tons" of goods so fossil fuels will be here long after I'm gone LOL


JMHO
 
C

Curious Cdn

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You should be able to charge a car where there is a 220V electrical service, which is anywhere that has an electric stove or electric clothes drier. Those special charging stations give you a "rapid" charge but you can achieve the same thing plugging in at home and charging overnight.
 
DaSleeper

DaSleeper

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lone wolf said:
Bundle up and shiver. It works for doggers
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My first car was a Volkswagen beetle....I know what it is to drive with mitts on, with one hand on the wheel and the other with a scraper to keep the windshield clean......after running for a half hour it wasn't too bad...
 
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