Sustainable Fuels

[Rolfe]

I have to kind of refute this. Snow, overcast skies, dust or anything that obstructs light negatively affects electricity generation. What really doesn't is extreme cold.

Cold temperatures actually increase the efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) cells by reducing electrical resistance and improving voltage output,

There are limits to solar. But I'm afraid you have exaggerated them. I live off grid. I generate all the electricity I need and then some nine to ten months of the year with solar. And I live in Western Washington where cloudy and overcast skies are common, particularly in the winter.
It doesn't make sense for me to buy an EV just yet. The closest commercial charging station is 15 miles away. And a Tesla super charger is 35 miles away. But the day when it does is coming fast.

It's all about electricity storage. Which is getting cheaper and cheaper. For thirty years I've been listening to the right wing bashing solar. But I've watched PV solar go from costing $110 a watt in 1975 to $.20 a watt in 2015. And batteries keep getting cheaper and cheaper as well. The fossil fuel companies are terrified. Their ability to own the energy market has been falling apart.

I have a friend who lives off grid in north-west Scotland. He has a wind turbine as well as solar. He bought an MG4 about the same time I did. His nearest charger is seven miles away and it's not cheap. He says he's still spending less than when he had his diesel car, and on dull windless winter days he simply runs the house from the car battery. His petrol generator has become redundant.

 

[Rolfe]

I am all for new technology replacing old and combustion based current technology.

That said even in my microcosm of things I need gasoline mowers and trimmers. I can't afford the professional level battery stuff yet.
I hope to replace what I have with battery powered when it wears out.
Right now it's 5X the price in my market, if I can find it.

Yet I am restoring a 4500 peso two stroke pro level trimmer back to life for less than 1000 pesos. Not exactly going the right direction. But it's affordable. The practical will usually beat the ideal .

Coincidentally there's a current thread on the EV forum where I'm a moderator where members are extolling the virtues of their battery powered electric mowers and questioning why anyone in their right mind would buy a petrol or diesel one nowadays.

 

[Mojo]

Formula 1 racing moves to fully 50/50% hybrid V6 engines in 2026, but the longer term plan is to move to V8 or even V10 cars running on sustainable fuels.

The FIA President thinks sustainable fuel V8s should be possible in 2029.

V8 engines to return? FIA president reveals possible timeline in ‘right way forward’ update

Mohammed Ben Sulayem has said the V8 engine proposal is "the right way" to go for Formula 1, as he offered a possible introduction date.

www.planetf1.com

“It’s about reaching the [Net Zero] numbers when it comes to the environment. If we can reach it this way or that way, who cares?"

I haven't read the whole thread, so this might already have been covered, but what percentage of F1's carbon footprint are the actual cars responsible for?

 

[rjh01]

Coincidentally there's a current thread on the EV forum where I'm a moderator where members are extolling the virtues of their battery powered electric mowers and questioning why anyone in their right mind would buy a petrol or diesel one nowadays.

I agree. Always had a corded electric lawn mower. They are very good. Easy to use. No need to worry about getting fuel. Cheap to buy and run.

 

[acbytesla]

I have a friend who lives off grid in north-west Scotland. He has a wind turbine as well as solar. He bought an MG4 about the same time I did. His nearest charger is seven miles away and it's not cheap. He says he's still spending less than when he had his diesel car, and on dull windless winter days he simply runs the house from the car battery. His petrol generator has become redundant.

It's a borderline value proportion for me still.
When I do it, I'll also double my PV and battery storage. Probably bite that bullet next year.

 

[The Don]

Coincidentally there's a current thread on the EV forum where I'm a moderator where members are extolling the virtues of their battery powered electric mowers and questioning why anyone in their right mind would buy a petrol or diesel one nowadays.

I have a battery powered mower and while I think it's excellent in many ways (lighter, more convenient, quieter, cheaper to run) it doesn't have the torque to deal with jungly, wet, grass compared to my old four stroke petrol mower.

Of course if I was more diligent about mowing the lawn that may be less of an issue.

 

[Rolfe]

That was exactly one of the topics of conversation in the thread I referred to.

 

[acbytesla]

I have a battery powered mower and while I think it's excellent in many ways (lighter, more convenient, quieter, cheaper to run) it doesn't have the torque to deal with jungly, wet, grass compared to my old four stroke petrol mower.

Of course if I was more diligent about mowing the lawn that may be less of an issue.

I don't have a lawn. Got rid of it years ago. Plant ground cover and other plants. Far easier to take care of.

 

[8enotto]

Coincidentally there's a current thread on the EV forum where I'm a moderator where members are extolling the virtues of their battery powered electric mowers and questioning why anyone in their right mind would buy a petrol or diesel one nowadays.

To Rolfe and those that followed..

Ii have consumers grade battery tools. I love the ease of "refueling" them and the lack of drama in using them. Trips to the gas station aren't needed, nor storage of dangerous liquids.

They aren't the grade I can trust to carry me through dozens of tough jobs and the cost of spare batteries is higher than the tools.
Pro grade tools have more power comparable to gasoline tools and get me out of your yard faster to another paying job. That's important.

Local markets determine what we each get. I need to wait about five more years to get what the suburban US or Oz citizen can get at any big box store today.

I would love to have a battery mower and pair of trimmers on the same battery platform. People love less noise on the job.

I may always use a gasoline chainsaw for sheer power and performance. Yet I wait for the market to show me an alternative. One I can buy in my city.

Oh, and a non petroleum based lubricant that doesn't slowly destroy my tools. Make it competitively priced.

 

[Rolfe]

It's a developing area of technology. You said perfectly correctly that the most suitable thing for you right now is diesel powered. We're just pointing out that not only is this state of affairs not going to last forever, the new tech will probably arrive before you anticipate it.

 

[acbytesla]

It's a developing area of technology. You said perfectly correctly that the most suitable thing for you right now is diesel powered. We're just pointing out that not only is this state of affairs not going to last forever, the new tech will probably arrive before you anticipate it.

Exactly. I'm always pointing out to lefties and righties the same thing. People don't or shouldn't care what powers their vehicles, toys or tools. I remember well when driving an EV was the equivalent of driving a golf cart. Underpowered and not a serious alternative to an internal combustion vehicle. Now look around.

The problem with technology is that we don't know where it is going. We can only guess. Flying cars were once predicted. Nuclear energy would power everything. Humans would be living on the moon by the end of the century. Some things have happened that no one could hardly predict.

 

[The Don]

Couldn't even predict the end of the post....

 

[theprestige]

... maybe I missed something here, but the batteries in a Cybertruck weigh 3/4 of a ton, and are underneath the vehicle. You think this is something you could just 'switch out' willy-nilly, maybe a couple times a day?

Why bring the cybertruck into this? It's pretty much the EV you'd get if you did everything wrong. The future probably lies in EVs with hot-swappable batteries, and multi-battery charging banks.

 

[acbytesla]

Why bring the cybertruck into this? It's pretty much the EV you'd get if you did everything wrong. The future probably lies in EVs with hot-swappable batteries, and multi-battery charging banks.

Maybe for a truck or heavy equipment.

 

[Rolfe]

Yeah, there are obviously applications where battery-swap is appropriate, but I don't see it for ordinary domestic motoring. Heavy plant, yes.

 

[theprestige]

Maybe for a truck or heavy equipment.

Especially for that.

 

[Orphia Nay]

I haven't read the whole thread, so this might already have been covered, but what percentage of F1's carbon footprint are the actual cars responsible for?

I seem to recall reading that it's only around 1%. Here's more on F1's efforts to reduce its overall carbon footprint.

EXPLAINED: How has F1 cut its carbon footprint by 26%

Formula 1 has announced it's over halfway towards achieving its target of becoming Net Zero by 2030, according to numbers released as part of its Sustainability Update. Lawrence Barretto has a round-up of the key takeaways...

www.formula1.com

 

[theprestige]

Yeah, there are obviously applications where battery-swap is appropriate, but I don't see it for ordinary domestic motoring. Heavy plant, yes.

Yeah. What I was trying to figure is why on earth Thermal would default to the Cybertruck, of all things, for his proof of concept.

 

[Rolfe]

Probably doesn't know very much about the subject. Or he was reaching for something grossly unsuitable in order to diss the idea.

 

[Thermal]

Yeah. What I was trying to figure is why on earth Thermal would default to the Cybertruck, of all things, for his proof of concept.

Because we were discussing switching batteries out in trucks as a rural alternative. I recalled that even the Itty bitty homeowner class Cybertruck has a freaking 3/4 ton array, far less than what would be needed for actual working trucks in rural areas. And they are, by necessity, under the vehicle, as the user needs the upper part accesable for use. And we are proposing switching out batteries daily like it's nothing?