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I think the promise is in the future. Right now electric cars might not be as eco-friendly as you'd expect, but once they've become popular, recycling technique

by relix 14y ago

I think the promise is in the future. Right now electric cars might not be as eco-friendly as you'd expect, but once they've become popular, recycling techniques for the batteries will improve, and we can easily switch the generator of the electricity from coal to something like nuclear power to cut back on emissions, the car won't care. When you're driving a gasoline car though, you're basically stuck with gas.

randomdata 14y ago
It seems like the electric car will be important in normalizing the grid as solar and wind projects expand. The hard part will be convincing people that their batteries do not need to be full all of the time, and making cars intelligent enough to ensure that the batteries are full when they need to be.
- notdonspaulding 14y ago
  > The hard part will be convincing people that their batteries do not need to be full all of the time... This is the hard part not because people are stupid, but because their needs and wants, in aggregate, are complex. My wife is an extremely efficient commuter. She grew up on a farm where they had a "bi-weekly trip-into-town". As a consequence, she doesn't go anywhere without having her route figured out and optimized, traveling salesman style. But she's the exception. The rule is people who spontaneously change their minds about where they want to go in their cars in the next 6 hours. The reason gasoline wins is not because it's more efficient, but because it augments people's behaviors instead of trying to alter them. That being said, electric vehicles are certainly able, today, to positively augment the driving habits of people who are near charging infrastructure or who regularly drive less than 50 miles/day.
  - randomdata 14y ago
    I wasn't suggesting stupidity, just that people tend to think about the worst possible situations when presented with new technologies. It is handy that the aforementioned sources of power start to diminish as people are also settling in for the day and are less apt to use their car. You are certainly not going to be driving while you are sleeping, for instance, which is a great time for the car to give back to the grid for a while, as needed, before charging back up for the morning. However, the idea that your car isn't juiced up for that late night emergency that happens, maybe, once in your life is a concern many, including myself, will have. I don't think a car with appropriate learning systems would need to get in the way of your normal life here, but knowing you have a car available for those rare emergencies is a comfort blanket many will realize they have.

by relix 14y ago

randomdata 14y ago

It seems like the electric car will be important in normalizing the grid as solar and wind projects expand. The hard part will be convincing people that their batteries do not need to be full all of the time, and making cars intelligent enough to ensure that the batteries are full when they need to be.

notdonspaulding 14y ago
> The hard part will be convincing people that their batteries do not need to be full all of the time... This is the hard part not because people are stupid, but because their needs and wants, in aggregate, are complex. My wife is an extremely efficient commuter. She grew up on a farm where they had a "bi-weekly trip-into-town". As a consequence, she doesn't go anywhere without having her route figured out and optimized, traveling salesman style. But she's the exception. The rule is people who spontaneously change their minds about where they want to go in their cars in the next 6 hours. The reason gasoline wins is not because it's more efficient, but because it augments people's behaviors instead of trying to alter them. That being said, electric vehicles are certainly able, today, to positively augment the driving habits of people who are near charging infrastructure or who regularly drive less than 50 miles/day.
- randomdata 14y ago
  I wasn't suggesting stupidity, just that people tend to think about the worst possible situations when presented with new technologies. It is handy that the aforementioned sources of power start to diminish as people are also settling in for the day and are less apt to use their car. You are certainly not going to be driving while you are sleeping, for instance, which is a great time for the car to give back to the grid for a while, as needed, before charging back up for the morning. However, the idea that your car isn't juiced up for that late night emergency that happens, maybe, once in your life is a concern many, including myself, will have. I don't think a car with appropriate learning systems would need to get in the way of your normal life here, but knowing you have a car available for those rare emergencies is a comfort blanket many will realize they have.