With pick ups, I am pretty much addicted to my F350, Power Stroke, 4x4, Long Bed(8’) Crew Cab with the 5 Speed Manual Transmission. I am simply too addicted to all those features, and won’t Willingly give up any of them. I have had 2 standard cabs, and like Andy, I will never own another. I just accept “Parking Out” shopping, and having a passenger AND Groceries in a Standard Cab Blows We have a 33’ Travel Trailer that tips the scale close to 10,000#, and the 6x12 tandem axle utility trailer is pushing 8,000# on the axles and 2,000# on the tongue when loaded with firewood, so I pretty much Need all the above, and definitely prefer the manual transmission, especially when pulling the trailers I prefer the 8’ bed, but do have the utility trailer for when the loads need it. We can load 2 cords on the trailer, and keep the saws, fuel and tools separated in the truck, and not get them beat up unnecessarily, I USE my saws, but try not to ABUSE them. The LB, CC with the trailer can get a bit “Large” for some of the places we have cut wood at, and I have backed the trailer over a mile before to get out of a cutting site, but after more than 30years as a truck driver, that was no big deal, though at that point, I wouldn’t have minded the trailer being even a bit longer, as trailer’s backing “Manners” improve with length Doug
I nearly bought one. Our new place was designed/oriented for solar panels on the back. We just ran out of funds on the build and I don't want to finance it as that doubles the cost. I can fit enough panels on the roof for the entire house andtwo cars worth of commuting. I'm like RGrant I'd much rather have a simple no bells and whistles basic electric vehicle.
While agree that a micro nuclear powerplant has several advantages over petroleum based fuels, it'll never go anywhere. Someone would inevitably try to get to the nuclear fuel for a dirty bomb or other such nonsense. An extremely small reactor could power and heat a home for decades, if not a century.
And I don't think wind is the answer, too much overhead and maintenance. IMHO solar is the answer. There are many others, geothermal, using the ocean movement and so on. There is no shortage of energy, just the means to utilize it. Fossil fuel is easy and the industry will try to hold on as long as possible.
I agree Horkn, but the profit margin on the volt was slim . GM makes there money on those HD trucks . At Flint truck and bus there are thousands of new HD trucks in the parking lot . Btw, the engine on the volt doesn’t charge the battery . All it does is maintain enough charge to keep you moving along . It would be inefficient to run the engine at a high rpm and burn fuel when grid power is cheaper .
I have been pushing for solar panels on every rooftop in America; all that space that could be producing electricity and feeding it into the national grid. Why isn't it happening, corporate greed and corrupt government. The electricity produced on my rooftop would belong to me and thus what I put out onto the grid that I don't use directly, I receive compensation. These huge solar farms are ridiculous and the ones that reflect to a dome to boil water kills wildlife. Another is the roadways that could also be producing electricity.
Electric vehicles have to be refuelled as quickly as we do now with petrol and diesel. In the short term we may have two vehicles, one electric that we use for our short commutes and petrol that we use for our longer commutes, that would help reduce the pollution. The problem is that a lot of Americans simply can't afford that. I drive a 1998 Buick LeSabre that I have to continue to drive for many years to come, there is no way I can replace that car. At my current rate of savings; actually I am never going to replace it because I can't afford to go out and buy even the cheapest new car.
Yes, I'm aware that the battery couldn't really be charged by the gas engine, and the only way to really charge the battery would be to plug it in. Since the engine, really a generator as it cannot by itself, provide any propulsion, since it's not coupled to the drivetrain aside from the battery cables. So even "idling" with the battery's 41 miles depleted, and the gas Genny running, the battery won't even go up a little? I mean, obviously if the battery is depleted, and you are moving from the generator, then it's still charging the battery, even if it depletes it right away.
There is absolutely nothing stopping any of us from installing solar panels.. There's even been gov't tax rebates, so corrupt Gov't doesn't apply or make sense. I think you're down the wrong path here also. Solar farms are not killing wildlife any more than windmills are bird quissanartes. The only seriously high powered solar collectors that can/may harm wildlife are the ones in the desert that reflect sunlight to a central point, and they use molten salt as a heat transfer agent. These systems are utilizing very high temps in order to sustain the electricity generation overnight. If I had the $$$ I'd have solar panels as well, and hope to at some point in the future.
OK. We are all entitled to our opinions. I guess it is OK for corporations to get billions in subsidises to build huge solar farms where the electricity is sold back to the taxpayers that funded the subsidies in the first place instead of the government investing the taxpayers' money directly in solar systems on every rooftop, building tops; look at all the wasted solar energy that falls on rooftops in Manhattan alone that could be producing electricity. Yet, the idea is massive solar farms eating up land that could be used to grow food or house people.
Mechanical systems are always more prone to breakdown. Watched a show where they found that just the dust particles in the air deteriorates the blades; they are looking for a good lightweight replacement surface for the blades.
I agree that we do all have differing opinions. Furthermore, I do not like public/private ventures. They are publically funded, with any revenues being privatized. But.. These are not the points that I contested in the previous posting.
My only issue is that they treat solar farms and concentrated solar as if they are the same. I'd liken the two as being in an accident with a Yugo vs a semi. Very different set of circumstances.