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This has been argued a multitude of times already. Cars are massively less efficient than coal power plants at converting fossil fuel to energy. Massively. Mor

This has been argued a multitude of times already. Cars are massively less efficient than coal power plants at converting fossil fuel to energy. Massively. More concerning to me about 100% electric cars is the dependence it places on the power grid. The 2003 NE Blackout(1) was caused by a software bug in a small office in Ohio. Two days without power. At this rate, it's really only a matter of time until our electric grid is compromised by someone with an agenda. I hope you have at least a few gallons of gasoline lying around and a gasoline-powered car to maintain locomotion. 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_blackout_of_2003 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_blackout_of_2003

Nrsolis 13y ago
If the cars are charged at night, it's not a big deal. TOU metering should provide some evidence of that.
greenyoda 13y ago
"I hope you have at least a few gallons of gasoline lying around and a gasoline-powered car to maintain locomotion." Although during the last blackout in NYC, when the power was out in some parts of the city for over a week after Hurricane Sandy, gasoline was also hard to come by since (1) gas stations rely on electricity to run their pumps and had no backup generators, (2) gas hoarding disrupted supplies (gas stations would run out of gas shortly after they received a shipment because everyone ran to top off their tank), and (3) supplies were limited due to damage to shipping terminals. So having a gasoline car is useful, but it won't get you through an extended natural disaster or an attack that disables the electrical grid for an extended period of time.
dkokelley 13y ago
It's already been touched on elsewhere in this thread, but considering the market affluence of Tesla vehicles, it's equally valid to argue that a solar garage (see: http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2009/09/18/ex20090910_msKwg_12.jpg http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2009/09/18/ex20090910...) would provide that same emergency power source for transportation. In fact I would make the case that it's better, because it can be replenished without relying on infrastructure. It's not feasible to secure automobile-grade petrol from your backyard. I suppose that's really the beauty of solar. It has the potential to decentralize energy production.
moocowduckquack 13y ago
it's really only a matter of time until our electric grid is compromised by someone with an agenda Already happened, they were called Enron.
- oojensen 13y ago
  Public utilities (and any other kind of government sanctioned/protected monopoly) are a terrible idea. Any other kind of monopoly has pressure to stay ahead, but government backed monopolies don't sort themselves out. The person who compromised the electric system are those who made utilities public.

Nrsolis 13y ago

If the cars are charged at night, it's not a big deal. TOU metering should provide some evidence of that.

greenyoda 13y ago

"I hope you have at least a few gallons of gasoline lying around and a gasoline-powered car to maintain locomotion." Although during the last blackout in NYC, when the power was out in some parts of the city for over a week after Hurricane Sandy, gasoline was also hard to come by since (1) gas stations rely on electricity to run their pumps and had no backup generators, (2) gas hoarding disrupted supplies (gas stations would run out of gas shortly after they received a shipment because everyone ran to top off their tank), and (3) supplies were limited due to damage to shipping terminals. So having a gasoline car is useful, but it won't get you through an extended natural disaster or an attack that disables the electrical grid for an extended period of time.

dkokelley 13y ago

It's already been touched on elsewhere in this thread, but considering the market affluence of Tesla vehicles, it's equally valid to argue that a solar garage (see: http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2009/09/18/ex20090910_msKwg_12.jpg http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2009/09/18/ex20090910...) would provide that same emergency power source for transportation. In fact I would make the case that it's better, because it can be replenished without relying on infrastructure. It's not feasible to secure automobile-grade petrol from your backyard. I suppose that's really the beauty of solar. It has the potential to decentralize energy production.

moocowduckquack 13y ago

it's really only a matter of time until our electric grid is compromised by someone with an agenda Already happened, they were called Enron.

oojensen 13y ago
Public utilities (and any other kind of government sanctioned/protected monopoly) are a terrible idea. Any other kind of monopoly has pressure to stay ahead, but government backed monopolies don't sort themselves out. The person who compromised the electric system are those who made utilities public.