Re: Power production

["Peter VanDerWal" <peter_v@primenet.com>]

>> If all the coal burning power plants shut down tommorow you wouldn't
>> be running your EV at all since they would be rationing electricity.
>
>I doubt that they'd ration electricity even in that unlikely event.
>They'd just raise the price -- especially if they get the deregulation
>they want.  Besides, most Ohio coal-fired plants can also use natural
>gas.


If you cut back energy production by 56% you'd have to ration it or else
you'd end up with brown outs all the time.

FWIW the figures I've seen state that we have enough natural gas to last 70
years at current consumtion levels.
Current natural gas account for only about 10% of electricity production.
If you increased it's use by almost 600% I doubt our reserves would last
more than 10 years.

>
>Even in the dark, cold days of the 1970's oil embargo, when even natural
>gas was spiraling upward in price (and there were rumlings of shortages),
>there was no thought of natural gas rationing.  Nor was there ever any
>discussion of electricity rationing.


Consumption didn't go up that much and it's relatively easy to pump more
gas, building more power stations or converting them can't be done over
night.

>
>That's not to say electricity rationing is impossible.  But it's easy to
>prepare for it by setting up a few PV panels in your back yard.  There's
>a limit to how much gasoline and diesel fuel you can safely stockpile,
>though.


Quite true.

>It's become rather fashionable to bash "old fashioned" pure EVs, since
>the Detroit and Tokyo buzz has turned to fuel cells and hybrids.  Hey,
>these are the same folks who told us we didn't want EVs because the
>initial, low-volume models might cost a little more than gas cars.  Now
>suddenly a vehicle with the ~combined~ complexity of both electric and
>gas vehicles is a great idea?  Give me a break.


I'm not trying to bash EVs just pointing out that they aren't the be-all
and end-all that some folks make them out to be.

Also untill they come up with a cheap, clean renewable way to produce
electricity, EVs for the most part only move the pollution problem
elsewhere.  Renewable electricity production simply isn't available for
everyone and that's not going to change in the foreseable future.

For the vast majority of us, producing our own electricity in quantities
large enough for an EV simply isn't an option.

Finally until they develope the holy grail of batteries, most people simply
won't buy EVs due to the range issue, regardless of whether or not it's a
real problem.

>Don't get me wrong; I think the Toyota Prius is a masterpiece of
>engineering.  But don't be too quick to hand it the prize -- read EV
>World's report first.  Bill got 37 mpg from the Prius.  He really had to
>coax it to get over 50.  Heck, I average over 48 every time in mixed
>driving with my Honda Civic VX.


The Prius is just a first step (and it's a lot bigger and heavier than your
Civic).  I was looking more towards the other Hybrids coming out in the
near future.