Have you ever seen a gas station in a populated area that’s bereft of customers? Maybe for a couple of minutes, during off-peak times. But if you were to sit and watch, within 30 minutes, you will always see customers coming and going.
If not, the gas station would be gone.
In fact, it probably would never have been built in the first place, as demand precedes supply – when the free market is free to operate.
Contrast this with the unfree market. The top-down economics of the Left. Its putative leader, Joe Biden, thinks supply determines demand – on the Soviet model. Behold! The EV “station” – a whole row of places to plug in the battery powered devices for which there is no natural market. But there is no one plugged in at the EV “station” adjacent to the trendy food store in my hometown of Roanoke, Virginia.
I happen to drive by this place almost every day. Every once in awhile, there’s a device or two plugged in. Not once have I ever seen more than two plugged in. Most of the time, there is no device plugged in. If you’re wondering why that is, you have probably never wasted time idling for the half-hour or longer it takes to instill the electricity equivalent of about 3-4 gallons of gas into a battery powered device.
After awhile it gets old – like wearing a Face Diaper to “stop the spread.”
It’s why devices aren’t selling. The fact that they don’t go very far having very little to do with it. Most motorcycles don’t go very far, either – because motorcycles have small tanks and so can’t carry very much gas. They typically go about 150 miles before you have to stop to get more gas. But it’s no deterrent to motorcycle ownership because the tank can be refilled in about the same time it took to read this paragraph. Motorcycles are practical. Devices are not.
Not unless you have the time to wait the minimum of 15-30 minutes it takes to recover the charge-equivalent of a motorcycle tankful of gas. Which might take a device about as far as a motorcycle can go on a full tank.
Most people who aren’t retired – or unemployed – do not have 15-30 minutes of spare time available to spend on such waits. They need to get to work or home because they are not either of those places when they are out driving around. The ultimate point of being out driving around being to get somewhere. And then get back to work or home or to wherever you were going. Spending 15-30 minutes in a parking lot just waiting while everyone else is coming and going must feel a lot like wearing a Face Diaper when almost everyone else isn’t anymore.
After awhile, it gets old.
Especially for those who aren’t unemployed who can afford a device.
One of the main reasons people spend more on a vehicle than they need to spend to get a vehicle is to have a vehicle that offers something more than other vehicles. Devices offer more downtime. How many affluent people would freely choose to fly in an electric plane cross-country – one that had to stop for a several hours’ charge after every 30 minutes of flying time – rather than fly nonstop across the country in a fuel-burning jet-powered aircraft?
Ask John Kerry about that.
Waiting for things is what the poor – and those lacking pull – are obliged to do. As at a fancy and very popular restaurant. Your table is not ready, sir. But here comes Kerry, waltzing to the front of the line. His is. People who fly first class do not wait in the same lines as those who fly coach. Is it astounding that people with the means to buy a $50,000-plus device seem to have lost interest in waiting while the guy who cuts their grass is going?
How much money has gone along with all this waiting?
How about $75,000 for a single 480 volt, 250 amp “level 3” charger? It costs that much because it’s not just the charger – the sleek-looking totem pole thing the device plugs into. There must also be the cabling, transformers and related close-by commercial-grade infrastructure necessary to conduit that kind of voltage (and amperage) into the sleek-looking totem pole.
The cost to erect a dozen totem poles will run into the millions. How many billions to erect them all over the country? Ask a Soviet. Many rubles were spent on vast-scale building projects where cost was no object – because those paying the cost could not object. Ugly, useless things were built that often just stood there, unused, as monuments to the arrogant wastefulness of those with the power to waste other people’s resources on their grand delusions. 
It’s been 35 years since the Soviet Union collapsed. And now it’s America’s turn, probably – and for essentially the same reasons.
. . .
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Those wanting to force EV’s on the rest of us are not going to be the ones driving them. Not today, not ever. They are not going to be the ones to “lead by example”. The powers that be will “lead by force, and shoot the rest of us if we do not comply”. THEY will keep their gas-guzzling SUV’s, sports cars, what have you. As I have said before, the ultimate goal is to force us out of our vehicles altogether, and into the 15-minute cities, where you can “walk” everywhere. No flying around the world, no nothing. After all, slaves are so much easier to control when they are forced into ghettos.
[…] Guest Post by Eric Peters […]
If only Greenies showed the same enthusiasm to make synthetic fuel affordable.
I intend to do just that, Gil! Typical “greenies” might not be so enthusiastic about my plan to use biomass (mesquite trees?) as a feedstock, but if they really want a “carbon-neutral” fuel, they should be. I’m still years away from successful experimentation, but am bound and determined to make gasoline and diesel that will cost LESS than than prepared from distilled oil.
It could be quite the trade, and, with the proper vision, make an enterprising businessman very wealthy, as well as make moot the arguments of said greenies.
…Which I think is the fun part. If they came out protesting efforts to produce such fuel, it would mean unequivocally that their carbon complaints are just a bullshit excuse to flush human freedom and prosperity down the toilet.
Funny video Eric, especially the distracting swinging ball sack hanging from the visor. (well that is what it looked like to me, lol). Over in California ZH reports they are going to level an office building in LA to put in 30 EV chargers. Why don’t they convert it to apartments?
Yesterday I talked to a Mormon guy living out of his Prius C. He said he bought it new in 2012, and he has only replaced the small car battery, but now he regrets it, because he is broke and will not be able to do any substantial costly repair – being a hybrid. He says he wished he bought a straight gas engine car.
Well, as an avid reader of this site, that is a take I have not heard yet. The problem with all this high tech cars is that you can’t fix or afford them if you are broke. I wonder how many Amerikans are currently living out of their cars.
—————
Tomorrow the government slaves of South Carolina will go to the Republican primary polls and decide on Trump vs. Haley, Trump leads 30 points in the polling. Trump will whomp her sorry ass – in her home state.
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/president-primary-r/2024/south-carolina/
And the voting ends on Saturday night, so Haley should drop out and we all should know by midnight or at the latest Monday morning. Unless something happens … like Democratic voters voting for Haley in a last vain attempt to stop the Trump rolling thunder juggernaut..
I think she will drop out – even though the establishment, including far left and NPR, is pumping the slavish (p)sychophantic ass licking whore Haley. And after this weekend, Trump’s historic win will send Libtards into bat shit crazy fits of rage and frustration – because they will realize the Trump train is going to destroy any candidate they put up. And that means the Demoncraps will have their backs against the wall, and will have to take desperate draconian measures to stop Trump. The fate of the nation may depend on this election. And let us not forget that stealing an election is treason punishable by death.
Trump fans should listen to today’s James Kelso broadcast on RBN lots of Trump audio on today’s Rockhill SC stump speech today. Trump is a very good charismatic speaker.
The Trump Phenomenon with James Kelso, February 23, 2024
Well worth a listen, I will post the archive link later.
https://www.republicbroadcastingarchives.org/the-trump-phenomenon-with-james-kelso-february-23-2024/
It’s Mr T !!
“I pity the fool” 80s TV The A Team
Somebody should build a trailer with a couple EV battery packs on it and just go around charging them off these “free” charging stations. Come back home, run your off-grid homestead with them for a few days then rinse and repeat.
I started this thought trying to be sarcastic but the more I think about it the better it sounds. If you are looking to install a off-grid solar array you need a giant battery pack anyhow. If the system is going to game you game it right back.
EcoFlow delta pro has an adapter for EV charging stations. With all the extras one could assemble a fairly big battery bank and split phase backup power source.
https://us.ecoflow.com/products/delta-pro-portable-power-station?variant=40516140138569
It’s gonna be so funny when the tweakers figure out there’s pounds of copper and other crap inside the charging stations.
Watch the politicians mobilize their little attack dogs (cops) to protect the EeeVeee stations
480v three phase doesn’t need a lot of guarding.
With all of this ECV or EV or whatever kind of mishegoss going on with electric cars, the one thing that practically nobody is saying one peep about is nuclear energy. The only base load power source capable of generating the kind of electricity we’re gonna need if we adopt electric cars on a significant scale is nuclear power.
Yet I’m not hearing about any plans to build any new power plants, let alone approve next generation reactors that have a reduced risk of meltdown (or none at all) and produce less waste (or none at all).
‘Cause it ain’t about controlling the climate…it’s about controlling YOU, comrade!
They “killed” nuclear power in the early 80″s. I remember being at a businessmen ‘s meeting Rotary/Kiwanis in my home town. The local electric company had a rep give a speech about the wonders of nuke power and how it was coming. Then killed by the eco freaks. Look at what the ecofreaks did to WPPS nuclear plant in Washington State, killed em and cost the Washington tax payers billions.
At the time WPPSS was the largest muni bond default in history. Another WA state mega failure. They got off to a grand start in the late fifties with the Packwood Lake dam project which was completed late, a sign of things to come with the total mismanagement of the nuclear power plants project that ended in the bond failure in 1982. One of the five was completed and actually produces power.
Hey Bryce,
This was a recent revelation that surprised me.
https://www.powermag.com/westinghouse-secures-first-customer-for-evinci-nuclear-microreactor/
Communist Canadia will be the first customer, of all places.
But yes, I agree that we’d have to have distributed nuclear reactors all over the country if the current EV debacle is to cling to life.
I can recommend solar and wind for off-grid living, at least in many places. But for industrial sectors and charging stations everywhere, I think the best option is nuclear.
Solar is great for powering homes, with an easily dispatched back up source. But it really doesn’t have the ability to scale up to the necessary requirements of industrial use. That’s why every wind and solar project is referred to in number of homes instead of number of aluminum smelting furnaces.
FWIW, I think augmenting grid power for office and retail makes a whole lot of sense, given that most work is done during daylight hours. Cover the parking lot with solar panels and keep customers cars cool and dry too.
Hey ReadyK,
Yep, regarding industry.
Also, I agree about the parking lots. In fact, that’s really the best way an EV-work-commute paradigm might function in places with adequate sunlight, sans nuclear. The charging totems would be at work, in the parking lot, under the solar array, and charge the cars while people worked. That way the grid wouldn’t be heavily taxed at night, when there’s no solar input. Doesn’t seem to be the way they’re building things, though, does it?
It’s already quite an absurd notion that for EVs even to work, they regularly need to be connected to a charger for hours on end. It’s even more absurd that the performance of the charger, as abysmal as it is to begin with, could be adversely affected by the weather (!). Your suggestion therefore is a matter of taking something that is already broken, and making it even worse. (And it wouldn’t be acceptable simply because “people don’t need their cars when they’re working”, which would be the typical Pavlovian knee-jerk response from the average EV apologist, because lousy charging performance isn’t acceptable just because people could be conditioned into putting up with it.)
Amen, Stufo!
All of these excuses – and rationalizations – amount to a confession. A superior product does not require these. An inferior one does. “People don’t need their cars when they’re working”? According to whom? What if something comes up and you need to leave work unexpectedly (or just because you feel like it)? If you have a car – as opposed to a device – you can spontaneously drive whenever you want to or need to. With a device, you must plan to.
Christ, Stufo.
I’m saying that if the people who champion the “electric vehicle transition” are trying to succeed at charging EVs using solar energy, they’re doing it wrong, and in fact, don’t act like they intend to succeed.
What would happen instead, should enough people actually buy electric cars, is that grids will fail and power sources will be overwhelmed. There will be “rolling brownouts” and blackouts and then there will be austerity, in the form of “smart-grid” management, meaning rationing. And perhaps acclimation to this new paradigm is the entire point.
Which is why I’m nowhere near a city or grid.
IMO, they only way forward for the future of nukes is much smaller decentralized systems, like one for a County or two depending on population/manuf.
I believe it’s the only way.
I second that, Chris. Of course, I think decentralization is the answer in many areas, but micro-nuke plants, especially in industrial areas, would be ideal.
I remember when the pitch, right after WWII, was that every new home would have a unit in the basement, providing all its power needs. (The garage would be for the flying car.)
But then there is this: https://daverupert.com/2023/05/soviet-rtgs/
His last two paragraphs in the text make one think. Surely, we wouldn’t make the same mistakes those Ruskie Commies made, would we? After all, the decision makers were all bureaucrats and political leaders. Not at all like here in the U. S. of A. Experience tells me that I should probably say NIMBY.
I was curious, so my County has 150K people and we use 1M MWh.
I suck at electrical definitions, so hopefully RK can let us know.
So this is an example of tech that seems to be ready for prime time.
https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/171660-1-megawatt-cold-fusion-power-plant-now-available-yours-for-just-1-5-million#:~:text=The%20E%2DCat%201MW%20Plant,times%20more%20efficiently%20than%20combustion.
And just the first one I clicked on, so probably way more info avail.
Of course, if we could do it, and we can, the mini nuke plant would be very small relative, and be able to feed the existing infrastructure. BUT, and a big but. It will never happen in our current political BS climate.
Nuclear power to power EV’s?
France runs their bullet trains on nuclear power. A thought experiment worth running while you’re on your daily walk is to consider what might be possible if the decision was made to fully electrify the rail network using small modular reactors spaced strategically throughout and with the option to sell excess power into the grid at market rates. Zero carbon transportation, with minimal adaptation necessary and thousands of standardized small reactors all over the US. And dropping the fuel cost of shipping by 90% or more.
But no way would Buffet ever green light that project. Buffet won’t ever put any of his money into CAPEX no matter how beneficial it will be. He’d rather pump money out of investments than put it in. A modern day Nero playing his ukulele while planet Earth “burns.” *
*Yea, I know Climate Change is fake, but not to the true believers. If you really think it’s an existential crisis, wouldn’t you want to do anything in your power to stop it? Besides limiting energy supplies, I mean…
“It’s been 35 years since the Soviet Union collapsed. And now it’s America’s turn”
Yes, Eric you are right. The Communists(socialists, Marxists, those who think that people are created equal Intelligence-wise) think that Communism in Russia failed because the people there were poor and backward but here in the USSofA Communism cannot fail because here we have very, very smart people and very, very rich people. Therefore they reason that Communism here cannot fail. But it will be a slow train wreck to hell on earth.
Both my former employer and the other big electric utility that serves Taxachusetts have filed for billion dollar rate increases to “build out the grid” to be able to handle the increased load from EV charging and the equally insane push for heat pumps/all electric homes. Somehow the PTB think this will all be powered by solar panels and windmills while reliable base load power plants are gradually being phased out. This is so incredibly stupid I hope I live long enough to see it all come crashing down; meanwhile get ready to be writing bigger checks to your electric company.
If only the public schools taught basic physics instead of gender studies we might be okay, but that ship has sailed.
‘powered by solar panels and windmills’ — Mike in Boston
In a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson issued Wednesday, the House Freedom Caucus demands:
‘Defund Biden’s radical “Green New Deal” climate change actions such as the EPA Electric Vehicle mandate, DOT’s CAFE standards, EPA’s anti-power plant rules, and each of the President’s radical “climate” executive orders.’
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24439596-policy-riders-letter-2212024
… or else we’ll shut down the government next week.
Make my day! 🙂
Hope it happens but I don’t have any faith in the Republicant party or Mikey J.
Of course, they’ll cave.
But gov shutdowns tend to be bullish, when Clowngress retreats into the shadows like craven mice when the cat’s around.
If Big Gov sputtered to a stop and never restarted, ol’ Huey Long’s promise would come true: Every man a kiiiiiiiing!
“Presidential Executive Orders have taken on a life of their own and are particularly disturbing in the area of undefined “emergencies”. Dictatorial power has been given to the president and federal agencies, eliminating all constitutional protections. Two Executive Orders – 12919 and Executive Order 12407 are the primary vehicles for this power grab.
“Resolution: The Constitution (Article 1, Section 9) refers to suspension of protected rights (habeas corpus) in times of internal rebellion or external invasion. Those two items must be the determining factor in emergency executive orders or laws. Additionally, federal agencies such as, but not limited to, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (BATF), FBI, and the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) should be limited to their constitutional jurisdiction – federally designated property such as Washington DC, military installations and national parks. Amending the Constitution is the proper method to legitimize any federal unauthorized actions or agencies.”
Yeah; I am in MA too, and I worked for the “other” utility company years ago.
I’m glad that I live in a town served by a municipal utility – our average rate has not budged above 15 cents total per kWh for many years.
But with Pilgrim closed, and my understanding is that Mystic is closing…where will all of the megawatts come from?
Yes, I know some that have earned their wealth and have 6 figure EV’s. They like them because they’re “cool” and fast. They are beyond their years where they had to build wealth.
And they obviously no longer value their time or their money…
Sutfo, The ones I know are retired and just pissing away their kid’s inheritance. It’s playtime for septuagenarians. Did you ever play the lottery (for kicks when it gets into the 500+M territory) and think, man if I hit this I’d…? Well, they have in a way. They’ve accumulated more bucks than they can ever spend. These are the guys that are bidding on $3.7 Million dollar 1937 Packards at Mecum.
LA Slimes fesses up to the emergent EeeVee debacle:
‘Irvine-based Rivian hit the brakes Wednesday, announcing a 10% cut to its workforce and lower production expectations. The news sent its stock plummeting. The 25% drop in stock price that it notched Thursday was its worst day in its history.
‘It’s all part of a larger reckoning for EV companies, which now face falling demand amid a shrinking pool of wealthy buyers who don’t already have an EV and lingering questions from the broader consumer market about whether EVs can truly fit into their lives and budgets.
‘Despite years of growth in EV sales, mass-market customers remain wary of EV battery life, range and the availability of reliable charging stations. That’s why hybrid vehicle sales have grown alongside those of EVs.
“Rivian went from a Cinderella story to a horror show.”
http://tinyurl.com/mvctbs6u
When you’ve lost the Lügenpresse in Commiefornia, it’s ovahhhhh …
The EV waxing is waning.
Oil is selling today for 77 dollars per barrel, must be demand, not really anything else, if you ask anybody.
Just enough paraffin wax in the asphalt makes for a smooth racing surface.
Totems have significant spiritual meaning. One is to memorialize the dead.
That would be the EV totem.
A small town gas station closed its doors about a year ago. A brand new gas station replaced the old.
Seems as though commodities rule the game and nothing else. Where the money is, no question there.
Joe is the evil totem on the totem pole, hands down.
I read yesterday that Brandon was going to up the amount of ethanol to 15%.
Read carefully the positivity in this article!
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4483469-epa-ethanol-yearround-decision-states/
this could/would be a disaster to the majority of small engines and all motorcycles/atv’s.
Fed Gov knows this already, because the AMA (american motorcycle association) has been lobbying DC for many years about how this 15% will not work, and why Gov is probably pushing it.
The article only says that the EPA will allow states to sell E15 year round if they WANT to do so; E15’s use won’t be mandated, nor will it supplant E10 anytime soon.
Famous last words…
Hi Mark,
That’s true – but it will serve as an incentive to further adulterate gas, because there’s more profit in it. I may write at length about this.
The point is in the direction they are pointing us, and the small progressive steps that people will ignore or rationalize away. No big deal, huh.
Of the few charging stations in my area, I’ve literally never seen an EV charging, except in one place. There’s this nice little car museum on Route 66 that has a couple of charging stations on an adjacent piece of land. Amazingly, there seems to be one or two EVs charging there every time I drive by.
I need to stop by (I’ve never been there) and talk to the owner and ask what’s up. I’m willing to bet that he doesn’t own the adjacent lot and some crazy leftists thought it would be funny to put these chargers next to a place that celebrates automotive history!
https://ibb.co/LSkFMkx
On a related note, since we’ve been experiencing global warming temps of 70 degrees this week, I’ve been spending my lunch hour cruising around town with the windows down in my 4 speed cat deleted Formula. Driving that car just makes my carbon footprint get all swole up. Contributing to the climate crisis. We all have to do our part.
Every hydrocarbon and carbohydrate is burned one way or another, every one of them.
This winter is no doubt the mildest I have ever experienced. A few days of below zero temps is all. Most days have been in the mid 20’s and higher.
I know what it is like to see temps as low as minus 42 degrees F in mid-February. 1997 was the year. Nothing like that this winter in 2024.
It is unprecedented. I will blame the Hunga Tonga eruption on the Pacific Ocean floor that vaporized 146 teragrams of ocean water into the atmosphere. The ocean water vapor is still up there in the stratosphere. You can see it in the clouds, more of them, me thinks, just from observation, looks like it has happened.
Emissions from 100,000,000 barrels of oil consumed each day and another 20 million tons of coal burned each day is a drop in the bucket compared to Hunga Tonga’s emissions.
You need an industrial strength volcanic eruption to warm the earth like never before.
I think it has really happened.
On a topic of some concern:
I am going to write a check to the US Treasury for 34 trillion dollars to pay off the debt. It’ll bounce, but I don’t care. No use, forget about it. The debt will still be there and the 34 trillion will be gone in a New York minute.
If the bank won’t cash the check, it’s not a bank. Not my fault then. har
34 trillion in debt is a two mile thick ice sheet, might as well be Antarctica. Nobody cares anymore if they get bowled over by it ice sheet of money that isn’t there anymore. It’s game over these days.
And… it’s gone.
Always will be.
wow, re: Hunga Tonga eruption
didn’t know that. learn something every day.
And I knew already that volcano eruptions emit more than man can ever, but didn’t know about the Hunga Tonga eruption.
Thank you
Like all non-market ventures, Joe Manchin’s domestic content requirement for EeeVee batteries is tripping over its own shoelaces:
‘Since Congress passed his signature Inflation Reduction Act, automotive companies find themselves in a precarious situation: stringent requirements to produce batteries sourced from the US and its free-trade partners risks making them uncompetitive on costs.
‘Tesla, the dominant EV-maker in the US, took advantage of a temporary opening in the rules to stock up on cheaper batteries, including those from China.
‘But US Treasury guidelines now effectively cut Beijing out of the equation. Because China is the dominant producer and processor of the key materials in batteries, the guidelines risk undermining Biden’s primary aim to develop the domestic EV market.’ — Bloomberg
http://tinyurl.com/5yd2dnfa
Who could have seen this coming??
Once again, when it comes to gaming a politicized command economy, Elon runs rings around the clueless likes of EeeVee Mary Barra and Jim ‘Lightning’ Farley.
I’ll say it again: subsidized battery plants are white elephants, wheezing their last breaths on the black beach of the tar pits.
And they ask me why I lick fentanyl lollipops …
“I’ll say it again: subsidized battery plants are white elephants, wheezing their last breaths on the black beach of the tar pits.”
Nice imagery, Jim.
Take it easy on those lollipops. 🙂
Little off topic.
I suggest using the acronym ECV instead of EV.
The EV’s are really External Combustion Vehicles. ECV is a more accurate descriptive term. Might even catch on if people start using it.
Love it!
Don’t give them any ideas. They will use that next to make us walk or ride bicycles.
Will people on “The Left” ever grasp the fact that the government and the billionaire class aka the globalist/ technocratic elite don’t REALLY care about the environment, given the fact that the government has been involved in endless wars since 9/11, and the uber wealthy elitists such as John Kerry & Al Gore continually fly to their elite meetings in private jets to lecture the masses on how THEY need to reduce their living standards. Not only that, the “solutions” that these elitist sociopaths advocate to “Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaave the planet” (eating bugs, driving an EV, etc.) are either freaking INSANE, EVIL, or actually WORSE for the environment. What next, will these sociopaths also push for implanting chips into humans disguised as “Protecting public health”, “Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaving the planet”, or some other BS claim?
Indeed, John –
I am fascinated by the psychological pivoting of the Left, which now embraces every authoritarian thing the Left once pretended to oppose. In italics, of course, because that’s just what it was. Pretend.
Isn’t that the case, John?!
After fleeing the city, I’m enjoying my life off-grid. I think the most environmentally responsible way to live is to make your own power and food, if at all possible, as well as live in some harmony with nature, rather than to cluster in horrible, nature-razing cities.
But what do the elites push constantly? They sure as hell don’t advocate rural living. They want you trapped in these enormous cities, with your activities and energy usage constantly monitored by all manner of electronic surveillance. They want you quite hopeless and dependent.
I may own 3 pickups that run off of gasoline, and even one backhoe that runs off of diesel (and will continue to do so while they can still be repaired), but what I DON’T do is continuously fly back-and-forth to Asia and Europe in fuel-thirsty private jets, all the while lecturing everyone else about how they’re using too many resources.
They aren’t environmentalists. They are vampires. They’re parasites, who want their hosts contained for the ease of feeding.
Sorry, not for me.
I don’t know. If I had their kind of money, I would run around in a private jet, drive to the extravagant hotel in a 1973 Jaguar XJ 12, eat escargot, caviar and live like a king, meeting up with all sorts of cute looking girls from everywhere. I certainly wouldn’t spend a minute trying to screw anyone else out of the same dream.
These people are twisted fucks
That’s just it, Swamprat. YOU probably have a tiny bit of respect for your fellow man, and wouldn’t try and corral everyone else in a box while you were out enjoying yourself.
There is an inherent self-righteousness and jealousy to elitism. It seems invariable that those possessed of such ideas are best fit to acquire power and least fit to exercise it.
If they were well-meaning and concerned that a human tendency for excess was destroying the planet, they’d live by example.
Ironically the pre-roll ad for your video was for a back up battery. The opening of the video started with something like “More people than ever are worried about the possibility of the grid going down…”
There’s a pretty big push for some electrification of aviation. They know that even at a slow cruise there’s no way to build a long-legged electric aircraft. Several prototype aircraft are going through the FAA certification process now. There are a few Chinese and international companies building electric multicopters with enough lift to carry 4 humans (or 2 Americans) and their bags. The push is not for cross country flights but for “urban air mobility,” AKA air taxis. Instead of taking an Uber from Trump International to Terminal 4 (and the hour it requires), you simply walk to the nearest heliport and hop on the giant drone. It whisks you out in plenty of time for your flight and a stop at the duty free.
Funny thing is, no one is talking about replacing even a small Cessna 172 with an electric equivalent. Really not even talking about replacing Bell 360 either. The physics won’t work and everyone knows it. These are “new mission” aircraft with a very narrow focus. Completely unproven green field “wouldn’t it be cool if” ideas.
I sat in one of the Chinese prototypes at a drone show last year. They designed it with no controls inside. You are cargo. Should anything go wrong, well, the pilot is safe in his home office. Just another “whoops” for him. Granted, most people would probably make it worse if they tried to take command in an emergency, but at least put a panic “land now” button on the thing!
There once was an air taxi service in NYC, and I think a few other cities too. The Pan Am building had a heliport on the roof for just such a business. Someone picked up a few Vietnam surplus Chinooks, painted ’em white and put them into service in the 1970s. I believe a fatal crash and the oil shock put them out of business. Maybe this time it will be different, who knows. I say best of luck, but I think I’ll wait for version 3.0 of the airframe before I buy a ticket.
It happened in May 1977:
‘A New York Airways helicopter idling on the heliport atop the Pan Am Building in midtown Manhattan keeled over on a broken landing gear yesterday afternoon and a huge rotor blade snapped off and slashed four people to death before coming to rest 59 stories below and a block away on Madison Avenue. A fifth victim died later at Bellevue Hospital.
‘Whirling like a gigantic boomerang, the blade struck four people on the rooftop landing pad, killing three instantly, then plunged over the skyscraper’s west parapet. About halfway down the gray tower, the blade crashed into a window, and broke in two. One piece of blade continued to fall, whirling onto Madison Avenue and killing a woman walking on Madison and 43rd Street shortly after 5:30 P.M.—the height of the evening rush hour.
‘At least seven persons were injured, five seriously. Three of the injured were a man, his wife and their young son. Most were said to have been struck by the runaway rotor blade or by fragments of it or of the shattered window of the Pan Am Building.’ — NYT
Funny thing about military aircraft. All of them would be labeled “experimental” if used in civil aviation.
A death from a fatal crash in a war zone is just a casualty. In downtown Manhattan, it’s the end of a successful business.
Montgomery Regional Airport (Montgomery, AL) installed an electric airplane charging station. Lots of press & ribbon cutting and back pats.
Sharing the tarmac is the Alabama Air National Guard’s 187th Fighter Wing that pays homage to the Tuskegee Airmen with their red vertical stabilizers.
Not sure if they’re fully converted from F-16s to F-35s yet, but the point is the war machine runs on Jet A, not electric.
When the war machine converts to eeeeveees maybe I’ll take it seriously. Until then, it’s ice ice engines baby.
Chicago had the famed Meigs Field (think Microsoft Flight Simulator) general aviation and light commercial service facility downtown until Mayor Daley 2.0 declared war on the airport and had bulldozers deliberately destroy the runway late one night in 2003.
Daley’s actions were part of a wider war on general aviation which has been ongoing in the US for at least 30 years. There won’t be an electric Cessna 172 even if the physics worked, which they don’t.
These days, the island which used to host the airport is a amphitheater boondoggle which is a miserable place to see a concert.
Hi RK,
Yup. In aviation, weight matters bigly. Far more so than on the ground. A three-ton EV can sort-of function as transportation. But what’s the weight penalty of the battery that would be necessary to power even a small private aircraft more than briefly, in flight?
When I given talks to regular people about drones I usually have one on display as a prop. I point out the various components. When I show the camera I point out how small and light it is compared to the rest of the aircraft. Then I hold up a battery for comparison. Some people smile and understand, most have no way to process the information.
But that’s true for any aircraft. The fuel is measured in pounds or Kg, not gallons. And except for civil aviation, the weight of the cargo is a minor fraction of the total all up weight.
Last gig in aerospace was the Fuels group. The oldster design engineer next to me always shook his head on aircraft weight gain. I wish I’d written down the lbs fuel to get one lb of commercial airliner to cruising altitude remembering it was tens of lbs. So another factor in your ticket price, all that extra fuel hauling American lard asses cross country at 35k feet, lard including the crew.
Eric, my husband bought a small drone to play around with and do some aerial photography. When you pick up the drone without its battery and then with the battery installed you can easily feel the difference. The thing weighs about 1 3/4 pounds with battery and most of that weight IS the battery!
That totally limits the cargo that a battery powered craft can carry.
Good stuff RK. I have been watching the rhetoric about E-aircraft. Any engineer knows it can never work except in small scale taxi type thing as you mentioned.
I would love to shorten my commute from airport to my rural house from 1:15 (60miles road) to say 15-30min assuming they did 120-150mph? 45-50 miles straight.
I believe these will come, however, if it starts to go mainstream, the regulations will be off the charts to protect the rich from the plebes being able to use them (my guess).
Ultralights are as dangerous as helicopters.
To the issue of chargers….
In my state, there’s a significant tax deduction communities can get from installing these units. One community next door to me installed 6. It’s a townhouse community, so there are owner spots and guest spots. None of the charging spots are used. The residents don’t have any EVs, or the residents have chargers installed in THEIR spot, but the community got the tax deductions for their property taxes.
Hi Damon,
In my area, there are three “fast” charger stations I’m aware of, that I drive by regularly. I rarely see any of them being used. The waste is enormous.
Eric,
I go to Hershey Park a couple of times a year and for some time they have had a long row of charging stations (right next to the park entrance, while ICE vehicles have to park in the main lots). I’m thinking there are maybe 8 or 10 spots, and most of the time they are all empty. Last September I saw one lone EV in one of the spots….
And just yesterday on ZeroHedge:
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/absolutely-crazy-vacant-la-office-tower-be-torn-down-just-30-new-ev-charging-stations
The rich and powerful don’t worry about charging their devices that’s for the little people.
From what I’ve read; in the East Bloc under communism one benefit of lining up for everything and anything was that if you were lining up you were not doing something the state disapproved of. Well charging stations are the West Bloc’s equivalent.
Funny how the sci-fi writer Spider Robinson way back in the 80’s referred to the 2010’s onwards as “The Crazy Years”, prophetic or what.
‘The top-down economics of the Left.’ — eric
In communist Romania, the dictator Nikolae Ceausescu built an immense structure now called the Palace of Parliament. It’s one of the largest buildings on Earth. But as Wikipedia notes, about 70% of the building remains empty.
As a non-market phenomenon, EeeVees are more insidious than communist vanity projects because they are one prong of a global War on Carbon. There is no free-market West to show a better way, because the West invented this insane campaign.
Nevertheless, chinks in its armor have appeared. The ‘crats who issue EeeVee ukases — people like EPA red guard Michael Regan — are sensing trouble. Regan’s sweeping, fatuous plan to force two-thirds of new car buyers into EeeVees by 2032 reportedly is being scaled back, as it becomes evident that 1) it’s impossible and 2) it’s a political albatross for the ‘Biden’ entity.
Eric was early and right in his EeeVee hesitancy [/sarc]. Belatedly, auto makers, along with the Lügenpresse and its contemptible EeeVee fanbois, are now forced by adverse circumstances — namely, billions in red ink — to concede Eric’s point.
EeeVees, like the George Jetson flying cars we were promised in childhood, are an idle juvenile fantasy. Our job is to relentlessly heckle EeeVee promoters until their abject capitulation is obtained. These deluded megalomaniacs owe us an apology — and reparations. I would accept a Miata as a good faith down payment on what is owed.
The Carbon units declaring war on carbon. Ya gotta love it!
What you are missing is that installing the totems is undoubtedly somebody’s soup bowl, and the work gets done by trades people who are supposedly in short supply.
Here in Texas, we have a problem with overbuilt football stadiums and performing arts halls at high schools as of late, even in very rural areas. Everybody complains about the property taxes, but when you suggest going after the pork projects, suddenly the justifications for the totems start rolling since a lot of people have a piece of that action.
“Say, that’s *my* livelihood!”
Exactly right, some people benefit. It’s what we weren’t told about the Soviet Union and probably why it lasted as long as it did.
And then there’s the ongoing maintenance costs. Cables wear, pylons are damaged, copper is stolen. I saw a picture of a Tesla Supercharger plug that clearly was getting the green death on the contacts. What’s that gonna do when you pump 400 VDC into it? Who’s going to pay for the new socket when it melts down? “Well, you should have looked” or “The interlock would shut it down if there’s a problem.” OK fine, now I can’t charge even though your app steered me here.
How old is the saying, “Time is Money”? I have no idea but, it’s been around a long, long time. People who have EARNED the money to afford an expensive car know this. They don’t want to waste time on such inanities.
On the other hand, those that have had large sums of cash dropped in their laps, that is Born With A Silver Spoon In Their Mouth, don’t have a clue as to the value of time. They will just play on their phones, texting and gaming, while the device recharges. La Dee Dah..
Yes, I know some that have earned their wealth and have 6 figure EV’s. They like them because they’re “cool” and fast. They are beyond their years where they had to build wealth. It’s their toy.
Anyone that is still trying to build wealth doesn’t have the time for this kind of crap.
True dat.
It’s because, with the possible exceptions of folks like Donald Trump, the politicians who are pushing these EVs never earned their money.
Agree Mark, earn vs receive is a big deal. Been trying to understand it more.
We grew up with nothing, single mom, no heat for months, etc…
My mom is now pretty well off relative at 88yrs old, and she won’t buy her favorite car of all time, a Maserati. Her kids are begging her to get one and enjoy it before she can’t drive, soon.
We just tried to split one with all the kids and she will have none of it. It’s built in, she can’t do it.
My wife an I built a successful biz from zero, borrowing little amounts to eat, etc… Over 25yrs and now are doing well. 2 people to 17.
We need a new building, and in our area, that means $2-3M. we can’t do it. We have to do it, but we can’t, just like my mom I guess. It’s how/where you came from I guess.
But the next Gen that runs our biz, it won’t be their creation, so a new building will be a lot easier to do for them. we are trying to make sure they understand. I hope it goes OK. Ethics, morals and all that………. praying.