4 ms·
Good enough for 99% of civilian cars, maybe, but I'm a lot more skeptical about the ability of battery-electric power to replace trains, long-haul trucks, etc.
by 666lumberjack 8y ago
Good enough for 99% of civilian cars, maybe, but I'm a lot more skeptical about the ability of battery-electric power to replace trains, long-haul trucks, etc. The expectation as far as range for those is high enough that enough batteries would either add too much weight or just flat-out not fit.
I expect long-term we'll probably settle on something like 75% batteries / 25% hydrogen for ground transportation, and the reverse of that ratio for aircraft (although I wouldn't expect hydrogen planes to be using fuel cells).
- tonyedgecombe 8y agoTrains don't really need it as you can just string up some overhead cables. Long haul freight should be on the railway anyway.
- 666lumberjack 8y agoElectrification is great, but it's also been declining for decades in the US, to less than one percent of route miles. Taking a figure of half a million dollars per mile (which is less than the numbers I could find, but let's be conservative) you're looking at ~130 billion dollars. That's theoretically affordable for the government, maybe, but never going to happen politically speaking.
- rusticpenn 8y agoTrains? I hope that one day we see electric trains...
- jhayward 8y agoI'm not sure what you mean. There have been electric trains for nearly 100 years. I mean, ever heard of the TGV?
- gamblor956 8y agoI've taken an electric train to work every day for the past year and a half... Most of the new light rail and subway lines in the US are electric trains.
- nradov 8y agoHydrogen is not viable. Production is inefficient, energy density is low, and handling is difficult. For long-range transportation where batteries are insufficient the real alternative will be carbon neutral synthetic liquid fuel.
- cies 8y agoBoats, seaships, airplanes, rockets... Big-F'in'-Rockets!
- spacenick88 8y agoWell as for trains you can still run them using wires, almost the entire European railway network is electrified