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Tesla, Hybrids, Diesel, And Other Unique Vehicles

Discussion in 'Automotive' started by Ken Anderson, Apr 22, 2019.

  1. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    If they use a solar powered charging station, then there would not be much for ongoing expenses once the station was built and running. Off-Grid people have used solar power for years to power their home electricity with batteries, and the batteries charge up during the day and then hold the energy overnight.
    I just looked, and besides the commercial solar powered charging stations, there are pictures of people making a solar carport, which then becomes a home charging station, thus not using any of their home electricity to keep the car charged.
    While it might not be easy to make a cross-country trip in an all-electric car, I believe that it would be doable, if you planned out the trip to make sure you went where there were charging stations, or stayed overnight at a hotel with charging areas for parking. The good electric vehicles can go over 100 miles, and some of them can go twice that far (or more) before they need recharged.
    Personally, I like the idea of a rechargeable hybrid, like the Mini Cooper, because you can still use fuel to get to a charging station if the battery is low on charge.

    Back in 1908, Ford made a flex fuel vehicle, which could run on either gasoline or ethanol, or a mixture of both. Because Rockefeller’s owned Standard oil, they wanted to stop ethanol production for automobiles, and that is actually the main reason that the US had Prohibition. Rockefeller know he could not stop it by talking about ethanol fuel, but there was a group of women protesting alcoholic beverages, and he funded them, and pushed the movement, which effectively stopped the flex-fuel Model T car.
    I said that because I think that the big oil companies are one of the biggest opponents of using solar power now. I do think that there is a future for electric vehicles, and that we can do so without more damage to the earth than we already do with the fracking and oil spills.

    http://moorishharem.com/rockefeller-ford-secret-history-alcohol/

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  2. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    I know it's not what you have in mind but some towns allow the use of golf carts on their streets.

    My wife's 2013 Ford Focus says "Flex Fuel" on it, but we've never tried anything but gasoline.
     
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    Last edited: Sep 7, 2020
  3. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    I believe that has to do with the percentage of ethanol; still gasoline or a gas/ethanol blend.
     
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  4. Bobby Cole

    Bobby Cole Supreme Member
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    #34
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  5. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    #35
  6. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    They've already been pouring into Texas and overloading the grid here.
     
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  7. Bobby Cole

    Bobby Cole Supreme Member
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    But wait, there’s more!
    Used electric cars in France. Seems no one wants to buy them when the batteries need replacing.
     

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  8. Al Amoling

    Al Amoling Veteran Member
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    I no elder abuse when I see it......Saw an elder get into his Tesla with a license tag of "solarpwr".
     
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  9. Joe Riley

    Joe Riley Supreme Member
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    Tesla's Sleeping GIANT Is On The Verge Of DISRUPTION
     
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  10. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    The newest Tesla creation is called the Robovan, and it looks like something futuristic, for sure ! I have not read much about it yet, but the inside has seating like a smaller bus would have. It looks like one of those rail cars they have at an airport to get you from one loading area to another one across the airport, but this drives on a regular road and not on rails.


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  11. Jacob Petersheim

    Jacob Petersheim Very Well-Known Member
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    I'm more interested in refinements to hybrid systems that have become pretty simple, reliable, light, and cost-effective. Here's an inside view and explanation of Honda's system of 3 years ago. This has been further refined since to replace the axially-mounted motor-generators with a side by side configuration which is simpler, more compact, and easier to service.

    If you like a look at the guts of mechanical devices you may enjoy this guy's videos.

     
    #41
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