Massive deliberate power cuts Northern CA

[Brent S]

How are the rechargable cars working out in California right now? I can't imagine anyone completely depending on an electric vehicle. Maybe someday. Unless they can come up with an electric vehicle that can haul 20,000 pounds of hay or cattle, has a minimum of a 500 mile range, true 4 wheel drive, heat and air conditioning, then I have no use for one of these liberal pipe dreams.

All I can say is the model T was a piece on crap too in the beginning. Not much better than a horse. Now look at what100 years of refinements and innovations have done. Even now a Tesla can beat most gas hot rods in a 0 to 60 competition. Give it some time.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Yes, infrastructure needs to be updated as well. Funny, energy is one of the most abundant things in the universe and we are squabbling over it coming from one source. The whole industry of oil has discouraged research into other alternatives for decades. I’m fine with them being the providers and only sellers even, but cleaner options are needed. Demand for juice is and will continue to rise world wide. I read that the sun bathes our planet with more energy in a single day than we consume in a year worldwide. I’m a big fan of hydroelectric too. I think fusion will make it one day too but don’t know how safe it is yet.

Brent, it's obvious that you know little to nothing about the oil and gas industry. How can one private company discourage another private company from developing a new product? It doesn't make sense and it doesn't happen. And fyi, oil companies have spent billions developing alternative sources of energy.
"Cleaner" options have been available for many years, and it's called oil and gas. Why do you keep fighting against the cleanest, most abundant, most reliable and cheapest form of energy currently known? Maybe someday when there's truly a need, some other reliable form of energy might be invented. Until then, continue to enjoy using the best form of energy ever developed. But in the mean time, if you want an electric vehicle, go buy one.

 

[Mountain trapper]

All I can say is the model T was a piece on crap too in the beginning. Not much better than a horse. Now look at what100 years of refinements and innovations have done. Even now a Tesla can beat most gas hot rods in a 0 to 60 competition. Give it some time.

I agree with you here. When there's enough demand for a product, someone will develop it and put it on the market.
Oh yeah, welcome back.

 

[Maverick]

I can get 600 miles on my duel tank 4x4 pulling a 27ft trailer before refueling, in 15 minutes I can be back on the road, the truck is 12 years old, I've done very little work on it, batteries x3 were replaced once for $466 dollars. I paid 27k for the truck.

If they can't provide me a consumer grade truck for around $27k where I can drive 600 miles recharge in 15 minutes, and batteries can be replaced in a 12 year period once for 466 bucks and can supply me full power in sub-zero temperatures then I don't want to here **** about how great they are, as far as I'm concerned they are nothing but toys for big people. I don't care about top end power, I'm more concerned about bottom end power. Wonder how the non-military electric trucks will do running in 3ft of water?

 

[lonewolf]

I always laugh about oil and oil supplies, oil is like everything else, its finite and will not last forever, at some point there will be no more, don't know how long that will take, I doubt anyone really knows.
the time to develop something new is before that happens, but with the oil companies and oil lobby groups I cant see it happening.

 

[DrHenley]

I always laugh about oil and oil supplies, oil is like everything else, its finite and will not last forever, at some point there will be no more,

Didn't we run out 30 years ago? That what Jimmy Carter said was going to happen.... OOPS

Didn't we hit "Peak Oil" 20 years ago? That's what the UN, the UK Dept of Energy, The World Bank, and Shell Oil all said was going to happen....OOPS

 

[Silent Earth]

I can get 600 miles on my duel tank 4x4 pulling a 27ft trailer before refueling, in 15 minutes I can be back on the road, the truck is 12 years old, I've done very little work on it, batteries x3 were replaced once for $466 dollars. I paid 27k for the truck.

If they can't provide me a consumer grade truck for around $27k where I can drive 600 miles recharge in 15 minutes, and batteries can be replaced in a 12 year period once for 466 bucks and can supply me full power in sub-zero temperatures then I don't want to here **** about how great they are, as far as I'm concerned they are nothing but toys for big people. I don't care about top end power, I'm more concerned about bottom end power. Wonder how the non-military electric trucks will do running in 3ft of water?

I can go 700 miles on one tank full of diesel according to the handbook but its nearer 600 averaging 57 to 60 MPG . never managed to get the 64 MPG Nissan said it could do. But It does 60 MPG with its cargo area full. I can refill from jerry cans in remote areas and my range is not affected by altitude, temperate or driving at night in winter. I paid $9000 for the Nissan van

 

[DrHenley]

It does 600 MPG with its cargo area full.

You wish! LOL

 

[JackDW]

First, I am the greener's nightmare. I have a garage full of old performance (gas guzzling) cars. I have a couple 4x4 trucks. Yes, I like my toys. I am looking forward to my first Electric Vehicle which I don't think will be that far off, based upon what Tesla had done already. I am looking forward to the "instant" torque that an Electric motor can provide. The acceleration will be fantastic. What I am looking for has NOTHING to do with "green" but everything to do with performance. That kind of performance is available today but just not affordable. In the future, the prices will start falling quickly.

On some other discussions, I have posted about my plans to install solar to run some devices around the house just to help with the electric bills and also provide a backup to the electric grid. Will not replace all my needs but will handle most of my "real" needs following an outage. If somewhere in the future, I end up with a EV, I expect, it should just require a couple additional panels (and associated controller/inverters) to be able to charge the vehicle. As long as I have the initial infrastructure (my own) in place, I don't expect that will be a big deal.

I also should point out, that I will do ALL of the installation and wiring myself. If someone has to hire someone to come in to do this, then, for them, it may be too cost intensive.

 

[Silent Earth]

You wish! LOL

Whoops Typo, will correct it

 

[Silent Earth]

I'm looking forward to electric 4x4s that can take hours, days, months of harsh riding, vibrations from dirt tracks, with batteries that dont fail when rock craewling etc

 

[TexasFreedom]

Musk did a great job raping taxpayers to fund his electric car junket. I'll agree, he did do it with style (but again, on the taxpayer's back).

The oil industry will not go away for 100's of years. Not only is it the only viable energy source, but a huge number of products are derived from it: plastics, lubricants, tar, etc. Eliminate oil, and everything else in your life will also change.

 

[Proud Prepper]

I always laugh about oil and oil supplies, oil is like everything else, its finite and will not last forever, at some point there will be no more, don't know how long that will take, I doubt anyone really knows.
the time to develop something new is before that happens, but with the oil companies and oil lobby groups I cant see it happening.

Not true, you should update your education on this subject.

 

[Maverick]

Looks like the newly restored power (after inspection) may have started the big fire in Cali after an line gone down in the winds. 100,000 people evacuated.

 

[tmttactical]

Hydrogen is one of the most, if not the most, plentiful resource on the planet. The byproduct from combustion engines using hydrogen is water. Once the fossil fuels become too expensive, then you will see hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen vehicles. Electric vehicles are a nightmare of hazardous waste byproducts. Too many do not do the research into what it takes to build, operate and maintain these electric vehicles. The Solar industry produces more hazardous waste than the Nuclear industry, the media just does not cover that aspect.

 

[Maverick]

More news on the outage

Oxygen-dependent California man dies 12 minutes after PG&E cuts power to his home
https://www.foxnews.com/us/oxygen-dependent-man-dies-12-minutes-after-pge-cuts-power-to-his-home

Honestly though, people got to take responsibility for some things including family members with known family issues.

 

[Brent S]

I can get 600 miles on my duel tank 4x4 pulling a 27ft trailer before refueling, in 15 minutes I can be back on the road, the truck is 12 years old, I've done very little work on it, batteries x3 were replaced once for $466 dollars. I paid 27k for the truck.

If they can't provide me a consumer grade truck for around $27k where I can drive 600 miles recharge in 15 minutes, and batteries can be replaced in a 12 year period once for 466 bucks and can supply me full power in sub-zero temperatures then I don't want to here **** about how great they are, as far as I'm concerned they are nothing but toys for big people. I don't care about top end power, I'm more concerned about bottom end power. Wonder how the non-military electric trucks will do running in 3ft of water?

I agree that big trucks will be a long time out before being replaced. I have 4 large v8’s that suck on fuel mileage but they are the only way to take a loaded shop of tools and supplies to job sites three hours away. We pull trailers too. I predict that within ten years we will see the battery improved enough to make even the larger trucks viable though. As far as power, espechially low end, the electric motor can’t be beat. Diesel trains don’t move with Diesel engines. They run generators that run electric motors. An electric motor can start under a heavy load without a clutch, being far more powerful and simpler than an internal combustion engine. Right now battery technology isn’t close to being able to store and release the power needed for heavy use, but it will happen.

 

[Maverick]

I agree that big trucks will be a long time out before being replaced. I have 4 large v8’s that suck on fuel mileage but they are the only way to take a loaded shop of tools and supplies to job sites three hours away. We pull trailers too. I predict that within ten years we will see the battery improved enough to make even the larger trucks viable though. As far as power, espechially low end, the electric motor can’t be beat. Diesel trains don’t move with Diesel engines. They run generators that run electric motors. An electric motor can start under a heavy load without a clutch, being far more powerful and simpler than an internal combustion engine. Right now battery technology isn’t close to being able to store and release the power needed for heavy use, but it will happen.

Burlington Northern/Santa Fe is coming out with a battery operated freight train next year for testing known as battery-electric locomotive with 20,000 cells and be testing 50,000 cells in 5 to 8 years, I was reading about this last year so I know the technology is almost here but for us consumer it's still a long ways off. I also read that Volvo/Freightliner freight trucks are going to build an all battery truck but as they say the technology isn't here for long haulers, the electric motors are here but batteries not so much.

 

[DrHenley]

The railroads have been using electric motors since the 1930s, with the electricity generated on board with diesel engines. And the reason is because electric motors have full torque at zero speed which helps get the trains moving from a standstill.

I've been saying for decades that hydrogen is the ideal fuel. With a hydrogen fuel cell, the only emission is water vapor. The ONLY problem is storage, but that can be solved.

BTW, Bush started a hydrogen fuel initiative that Obama killed.
https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/03/f12/hpwgw_doe_paster.pdf

 

[Brent S]

I agree hydrogen has a lot of potential. Even it uses energy, which has to come from somewhere, to be made. None of the new cleaner energies are perfect, but they are cleaner than what is being used now. It’s a step in the right direction. One thing I like about hydrogen is the oceans are full of it. It is seemingly as abundant as sunlight.

 

[DrHenley]

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe.

 

[lonewolf]

Not true, you should update your education on this subject.

2 subjects its a waste of time discussing with our American cousins:
oil supplies and climate change.

 

[Mountain trapper]

2 subjects its a waste of time discussing with our American cousins:
oil supplies and climate change.

Your right. We're better informed. Plus we don't fall for scams as easy as some do.

 

[lonewolf]

one of the biggest polluters on the planet thinks climate change is a scam whilst the rest of the world worries about how to combat it,nothing new there then.

 

[DrHenley]

Bigpaul, what you call "pollution" we call "PLANT FOOD"