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It will be interesting to see if Elon can push electricity and batteries in time to get over the momentum petroleum has. I actually see hemp and bio diesel bei

by geggam 7y ago

It will be interesting to see if Elon can push electricity and batteries in time to get over the momentum petroleum has. I actually see hemp and bio diesel being easier to push because it could leverage the huge existing infrastructure.

Consultant32452 7y ago
I'm still betting my $0.02 on gen 3/4 nuclear, even though I'm rooting for solar/wind/battery.
WhompingWindows 7y ago
Petroleum certainly has momentum, however there's no reason to suggest EV and ICE won't co-exist for a couple of decades. I doubt bio-fuel will ever be as cheap as oil, sadly, there are simply too many sources with very easy to extract oil (Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, etc.)
mcguire 7y ago
I suspect progress in electricity and batteries has lagged far behind the excitement and hype that Tesla needs to keep afloat.
gpapilion 7y ago
The bio diesel relies on a net investment in calories to achieve its green fuel. Most of the investment comes from petroleum products used as fertilizer. (All be it some time ago, I remember it being 4:1 calories invested:harvested for corn).
- geggam 7y ago
  hemp... aka weed grows like a weed. https://phys.org/news/2010-10-hemp-viable-biodiesel.html https://phys.org/news/2010-10-hemp-viable-biodiesel.html
asdff 7y ago
Battery tech is fine today if companies like Tesla and other EV manufacturers weren't so against open standards. You should be able to pull out your battery and swap it with a full one at a gas station, just like you do with a propane tank (and the gogoro electric scooter). You don't see a car manufacturer making a proprietary gas inlet that only takes a proprietary pump, but that's exactly what EVs are currently doing because they can squeeze more money this way at the cost of how good the tech could be for people.
- geggam 7y ago
  Carrying a battery to a car / truck / tractor way out in the middle of nowhere ( US has those places ) would be extremely difficult. Regardless of their availability. Bio diesel is renewable... batteries are not.
  - asdff 7y ago
    Take a look at the gogoro battery system, you swap your empties for a fresh battery and you go off on your way while your empty ones stay in the rack charging, waiting for the next scooter user. https://i.imgur.com/SJmPZb3.gifv https://i.imgur.com/SJmPZb3.gifv
    - geggam 7y ago
      Thats nice for a scooter. Imagine how big that battery would be and how hard it would be to get to a tractor stuck 3 miles from a road. Personal transportation is not the largest user of petroleum.

by geggam 7y ago

Consultant32452 7y ago

I'm still betting my $0.02 on gen 3/4 nuclear, even though I'm rooting for solar/wind/battery.

WhompingWindows 7y ago

Petroleum certainly has momentum, however there's no reason to suggest EV and ICE won't co-exist for a couple of decades. I doubt bio-fuel will ever be as cheap as oil, sadly, there are simply too many sources with very easy to extract oil (Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, etc.)

mcguire 7y ago

I suspect progress in electricity and batteries has lagged far behind the excitement and hype that Tesla needs to keep afloat.

gpapilion 7y ago

The bio diesel relies on a net investment in calories to achieve its green fuel. Most of the investment comes from petroleum products used as fertilizer. (All be it some time ago, I remember it being 4:1 calories invested:harvested for corn).

geggam 7y ago
hemp... aka weed grows like a weed. https://phys.org/news/2010-10-hemp-viable-biodiesel.html https://phys.org/news/2010-10-hemp-viable-biodiesel.html

asdff 7y ago

Battery tech is fine today if companies like Tesla and other EV manufacturers weren't so against open standards. You should be able to pull out your battery and swap it with a full one at a gas station, just like you do with a propane tank (and the gogoro electric scooter). You don't see a car manufacturer making a proprietary gas inlet that only takes a proprietary pump, but that's exactly what EVs are currently doing because they can squeeze more money this way at the cost of how good the tech could be for people.

geggam 7y ago
Carrying a battery to a car / truck / tractor way out in the middle of nowhere ( US has those places ) would be extremely difficult. Regardless of their availability. Bio diesel is renewable... batteries are not.
- asdff 7y ago
  Take a look at the gogoro battery system, you swap your empties for a fresh battery and you go off on your way while your empty ones stay in the rack charging, waiting for the next scooter user. https://i.imgur.com/SJmPZb3.gifv https://i.imgur.com/SJmPZb3.gifv
  - geggam 7y ago
    Thats nice for a scooter. Imagine how big that battery would be and how hard it would be to get to a tractor stuck 3 miles from a road. Personal transportation is not the largest user of petroleum.