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Rolls Royce Electric Airplane
- Thread starter Jim
- Start date
Yet another nail for the ICE coffin. Kinda bittersweet I guess.....
I don't know about the ICE "coffin". Battery tech and the power grid are going to have to come a Loooooooooong way before that.
If Texas had such issues a week ago imagine when the grid is loaded with tens of thousands of cars charging every day and night
If Texas had such issues a week ago imagine when the grid is loaded with tens of thousands of cars charging every day and night
Well if you look at the advancements of just the last 20 yrs or so, the rate of development is accelerating (apologies to R R
). The last nail hasn't been poured yet, but the die has definitely been cast. In my lifetime? Doubtful... but it will happen.
That's kind of where I am. Of course all around the World we need to make major changes to the basics of our economy and the entire culture of how we use resources and relate to the world. And I look forward to seeing how that goes and the choices we make. But I see the forces of political correctness moving in the direction of making it harder and harder for people to use ICE vehicles. While the countries of the world continue to pump millions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every day, it will feel a wee bit petty that I might end up being prevented from riding a motorbike and adding a few pounds to that. Like saving a sparrow's fart of gas in the face of a hurricane.
Meanwhile we are finding other ways to destroy the planet without a word said. In the US, our soil is depleted. It's tough to get any nutrition from it. Our farming techniques have destroyed it and continue to do so. It's all about whatever is convenient and/or profitable, or for political reasons/power. Yes, I am a cynic.
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I have a feeling that this is a Hype for creating business and profits and will go away within a few years
the electric doctrine.
If it was a question of saving resources we all here know that with some clever adaption
Aluminum / Glass fiber / Rust free steel / Small engines that is possible to repair.
Virtually no automobile would ever be needing scrapping.
Here in Europe Fiat had 600 cc car engines smaller than our motorcycles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_600
VW beetle 1200 cc and so on .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citroën_2CV
Modern electronic for engine management
Would have reduced emissions and virtually no car would need to be scrapped
The ride might not be as good as a larger SUV or so and if you are a land Owner a pickup is a better choice
But then we are talking work tools
But the bigger problems is in the urban areas ..
Not everyone would be a suitable owner but many would be interested
Young families and others with low income needing the transportation.
Getting to work
The solution exists .. and is well rested ,,the gas stations exists
No effort in this direction .. Instead all kind of ..not developed ... sometimes not well thought through
not to say weird experiments .... more or less dreams .. That later on .. will be scrapped as non practical
experiment.
Nothing wrong in reducing emissions and saving environment noise reduction. But I cannot understand why not go in the direction
Smaller longer lasting vehicles
the electric doctrine.
If it was a question of saving resources we all here know that with some clever adaption
Aluminum / Glass fiber / Rust free steel / Small engines that is possible to repair.
Virtually no automobile would ever be needing scrapping.
Here in Europe Fiat had 600 cc car engines smaller than our motorcycles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_600
VW beetle 1200 cc and so on .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citroën_2CV
Modern electronic for engine management
Would have reduced emissions and virtually no car would need to be scrapped
The ride might not be as good as a larger SUV or so and if you are a land Owner a pickup is a better choice
But then we are talking work tools
But the bigger problems is in the urban areas ..
Not everyone would be a suitable owner but many would be interested
Young families and others with low income needing the transportation.
Getting to work
The solution exists .. and is well rested ,,the gas stations exists
No effort in this direction .. Instead all kind of ..not developed ... sometimes not well thought through
not to say weird experiments .... more or less dreams .. That later on .. will be scrapped as non practical
experiment.
Nothing wrong in reducing emissions and saving environment noise reduction. But I cannot understand why not go in the direction
Smaller longer lasting vehicles
In the meantime I can't find a car battery that will last as long as the Sears Diehard 60 month battery I had in HS.
So....
1. Battery tech is going backwards.
2. Quality ain't what it used to be.
3. Memories of our youth are more whimsical as we age.
Choose up to 3.
Seriously though, I'm with ya. Seems like every time I turn around, one of the vehicles has a dead battery.
I've got a 2012 Ford with the OE battery in it. I'm going to replace it soon, just because it's old.Seriously though, I'm with ya. Seems like every time I turn around, one of the vehicles has a dead battery.
A lot of stuff we buy has turned to junk because of gov't regulation, be it about economy, safety or pollution. The stuff costs far more and functions poorly. I sure wish I had kept the Maytag pair I bought in 1987!
Talk about batteries, wife has a Nissan Rogue 2018 that I believe she bought as a left over in spring of 2019. Well last fall she went out to take it someplace and it would not start. A couple click clicks and it was dead. Dealer sent out a roll-back to pick it up and called latter that day saying it was all set with new battery.
Now I drive what was her dad's 2011 Rav 4 and it sits for weeks on end outside with out running and a few weeks back after we had some serious cold temps, some in the negative side of the zero. When I went to start it it cranked too slow to start then stopped. Five minutes on charger and it fired up and has started every time since then. That I can understand on a 10 year old battery, but her's being only 2 or 3 years old and it is driven at least every other day and is always parked in a garage that is never below 40ºF?
Now I drive what was her dad's 2011 Rav 4 and it sits for weeks on end outside with out running and a few weeks back after we had some serious cold temps, some in the negative side of the zero. When I went to start it it cranked too slow to start then stopped. Five minutes on charger and it fired up and has started every time since then. That I can understand on a 10 year old battery, but her's being only 2 or 3 years old and it is driven at least every other day and is always parked in a garage that is never below 40ºF?
I used to have an '88 Ford F-150 (standard cab). The original Motorcraft battery wasn't replaced until 1997, with a DieHard! I sold it in 2001. It ran like a watch! (It just wasn't practical any more with a growing family.)
The mind wanders.
I have this image in my head, air-to-air refueling.
KC-135 dangling a long extension cord...
I have this image in my head, air-to-air refueling.
KC-135 dangling a long extension cord...
With my luck the cord would have the wrong end on it, something like a 250 volt 20 amp twist lock and I would have to crawl out of the cabin and install an adapter at 40,000 feet!
And that may be the answer? Might have sat on a lot without a battery top up for over a year. LA (or any battery tech) doesn't like sitting around a long time at a low state of charge. The $240 12 volt battery in the 2012 Prius died a couple of years ago, prolly from leaving a door light on a few times. a $24 F&F garden tractor battery went in it's place. LOL Yeah electric is coming at us like a diesel - well you know, locomotive.
In profile, the nose of that RR aircraft looks awfully familiar. Airflow hasn't changed much in the past 80 years.
Regarding batteries, I bought a Ford Transit a year old in 2002, sold it just two or three years ago and it still had the factory battery in it.
Reading up on the charging system, it had a smart alternator (probably pretty dumb compared to the ones now, though) and the battery chemistry was calcium dosed to aid efficiency. Over the years I had it, it went through a couple of lengthy periods of being off the road while I used other vehicles, but that battery never let me down.
Regarding batteries, I bought a Ford Transit a year old in 2002, sold it just two or three years ago and it still had the factory battery in it.
Reading up on the charging system, it had a smart alternator (probably pretty dumb compared to the ones now, though) and the battery chemistry was calcium dosed to aid efficiency. Over the years I had it, it went through a couple of lengthy periods of being off the road while I used other vehicles, but that battery never let me down.
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