The Off Topic Topic

[Ideologue]

Basically, Denmark is the only country God will spare when He returns.

[Ideologue]

Went to bed at eight last night, slept till now.  Granted, I was making up some hours (I'd slept about twelve hours the last three nights combined ), but I really fucking hate coming home from work and essentially going right back.

[Valmy]

Um we are all going to have electric cars eventually.  Besides the cost and environmental damage of covering all of North America with rail lines so we could live the Danish lifestyle would be pretty high.

[Duque de Bragança]

Yes, putting domestic polluting producers out of business just so that China can pick up the supply slack while happily polluting will neither benefit us nor the planet.  It might make us feel better about ourselves, though, and for some people that's priceless.

this is just wrong

No its not you can see it everywhere. Like how Germany and UK bravely ignore their gas supplies accessible by fracking, because the population doesn't want to RUIN TEH ENVIRONEMENT, but they are fine with importing Russian gas and oil instead, AS IF Russia would give a rats ass about damage to the environment.

Fixed!



There's something called nuclear power plants in France.

[derspiess]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2718143/Obamas-monsters-ball-How-White-House-opened-doors-Africas-evil-dictators-homophobes-turned-blind-eye-human-rights-record.html

[CountDeMoney]

And, unlike the Germans, they're not afraid of 9.0 earthquakes and the resulting tsunamis.
Because we all know how how that is a threat to Bremershaven.

[derspiess]

Went to bed at eight last night, slept till now.  Granted, I was making up some hours (I'd slept about twelve hours the last three nights combined ), but I really fucking hate coming home from work and essentially going right back.

Sucks, doesn't it? 

[derspiess]

Holly Chabowski recently spent five weeks travelling around Canada with her partner, but it appears their "overwhelming" takeaway was an overabundance of car parks.
So disgusted was Chabowski by Canada's "dirty" air and "huge SUVs," she felt compelled to pen an open letter to Canada and its politicians, urging them to take serious action toward a more "sustainable" land.

  Awesome.  Eurrogance at its finest.

[alfred russel]

Um we are all going to have electric cars eventually.  Besides the cost and environmental damage of covering all of North America with rail lines so we could live the Danish lifestyle would be pretty high.

The world is going to be very resistant to going all electric.

Significant amounts of oil are produced at extremely low prices--there was plenty of production in the 1990s when prices were under $20/barrel, and until recently I understand oil companies were basing drill/not drill decisions based on anticipated future oil prices in the $30-$40 range.

The point is that if demand falls as we begin to shift to electric cars, I'd expect gasoline prices to plummet with still significant production. The increase in the ultimate fuel sources for electric (coal/natural gas/nuclear/whatever) will also probably increase to some extent. Current tax subsidies for electric will be challenged (lots of revenue losses by governments not exactly flush with excess cash).

[crazy canuck]

Silly Danes, thinking those cities equal Canada.  If they had visited Quebec City, Vancouver, Victoria or even Calgary they would probably have seen more of what they were expecting. 

[The Minsky Moment]

Electric motors are more efficient at generating power and quieter and don't have emissions.  So if battery tech improves and there is a critical mass of recharge/swap stations such that range is no longer a big issues, then yes electric will replace IC engines and ultimately will do so regardless of gasoline price.

[crazy canuck]

Electric motors are more efficient at generating power and quieter and don't have emissions.  So if battery tech improves and there is a critical mass of recharge/swap stations such that range is no longer a big issues, then yes electric will replace IC engines and ultimately will do so regardless of gasoline price.

I think that is going to happen sooner rather than later here.  There is a push by multiple levels of government to provide the appropriate infrastructure.

[frunk]

Oil is still an energy source even if all the whole world goes to electric cars.  There's nothing that says it has to be burned in cars instead of more efficient (and less polluting) oil plants. 

[alfred russel]

Electric motors are more efficient at generating power and quieter and don't have emissions.  So if battery tech improves and there is a critical mass of recharge/swap stations such that range is no longer a big issues, then yes electric will replace IC engines and ultimately will do so regardless of gasoline price.

That may happen in the US, Canada, and Europe in the not to distant future, but I think we are still going to have a shitload of gasoline powered cars operating in the world in 40-50 years. To keep things in perspective, I think that most people live in countries where significant parts of them don't have reliable power sources right now. I don't think it is likely that over 100 years on from the introduction of the light bulb a country that can't deliver power to its people will in 50 years have the infrastructure to deliver power to electric vehicle fleets.

[Barrister]

Electric motors are more efficient at generating power and quieter and don't have emissions.  So if battery tech improves and there is a critical mass of recharge/swap stations such that range is no longer a big issues, then yes electric will replace IC engines and ultimately will do so regardless of gasoline price.

That may happen in the US, Canada, and Europe in the not to distant future, but I think we are still going to have a shitload of gasoline powered cars operating in the world in 40-50 years. To keep things in perspective, I think that most people live in countries where significant parts of them don't have reliable power sources right now. I don't think it is likely that over 100 years on from the introduction of the light bulb a country that can't deliver power to its people will in 50 years have the infrastructure to deliver power to electric vehicle fleets.

Technological advancement isn't a steady line though.  Often developing countries can "leap" into modern technologies without using some of the earlier technologies.

You see it most noticeably in mobile phones.  Places like Africa did not have wide spread adoption of wired telephones, but they now do have nearly ubiquitous cell phones.

You can imagine something similar happening for electric cars.  With fast and efficient recharge stations you don't need a widespread power network.