Michigan Radio & TV Buzzboard

These clowns should've bought a hybrid vehicle instead:

https://www.wxyz.com/news/region/detroi ... mperatures

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/ ... 253545007/

The WXYZ story is particularly good.

Three too many words...

Fair point. Perhaps I should've said they suck even more than usual in frigid weather.

The auto makers had to have known about this.

https://www.gm.ca/en/home/company/canad ... round.html

The Ford F150 Lightning has a range drop of about 70%. It's a problem several companies have figured out.

Which companies have solved the problem?

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/17/busi ... ather.html

https://www.npr.org/2024/01/16/12249136 ... treme-cold

Besides charging issues, how do you keep tires and rims on those Tesla's?

A couple of thoughts after reading the linked articles:

I have many friends who walk in the door and plug their cellphone in, regardless of it's current state. And it stays plugged in even if it's been fully charged for hours.

What's the pros and cons of EV owners doing the same? When they're home, it's plugged in. Even though a home charge is slower than a commercial charging station, sure seems it would help somewhat, especially the bloke in the first WXYZ link.

Secondly, and this applies to fair weather too. If you're spending all that money for an EV, seems you could also afford a gently used backup fossil fueled ride to drive during crummy weather and long drives.

Just random thoughts while I hold down the Bell Curve of Performance here at work. Make everyone else look good.

The solution is simple. Haul a generator on a trailer behind you.

craig11152 wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 18, 2024 10:41 am

The solution is simple. Haul a generator on a trailer behind you.

Well, the best solutions so far involve heating the batteries from an external source. My buddy who is 100% battery/solar in his bus uses a tiny super efficient diesel heater when it gets below 10⁰.

TC Talks wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 18, 2024 10:58 am

My buddy who is 100% battery/solar in his bus uses a tiny super efficient diesel heater when it gets below 10⁰.

How can he be "100%" alternative energy if he needs to use fossil fuel for the system to work?

bmw wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 18, 2024 11:24 am

TC Talks wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 18, 2024 10:58 am

My buddy who is 100% battery/solar in his bus uses a tiny super efficient diesel heater when it gets below 10⁰.

How can he be "100%" alternative energy if he needs to use fossil fuel for the system to work?

Sorry, this is his house systems on the bus.

Electric vehicles have been around for over 100 years. I saw them at antique car shows in the 1960s. Under the hood there were a bunch of 12V Lead Acid batteries. They were from circa 1930. I also used an electric golf cart type vehicle to deliver internal mail to dozens of plants and locations in an auto manufacturing complex one summer, while in undergraduate college. You had to go on city streets some of the time between plants. I was scared that the charge would run out sometimes.

I think electric vehicles have a place. Going on short jaunts to grocery stores, home repair and DIY and office supply stores, the post office and private shipping facilities, doctors appointments, church activities, and other short driving distances for examples.

They need Zoning Changes to allow masonry constructed garages with breakaway roofs 20 feet from residences because the batteries catch fire and explode.

But not long distances more than 100 miles round trip. You need some variation of a fossil fuel vehicle or new SAFE hydrogen power technology being developed for longer trips.

Chrysler is already testing a hydrogen/ev hybird