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  1. How will you enable long distance EVs? on Ask GM's Exec. Chief Engineer For Electric Vehicles Pam Fletcher a Question · · Score: 1

    Tesla has invested a lot of capital in building a comprehensive network with banks of superchargers capable of providing 135kW to make long distance EV travel possible. Lacking such a network other manufacturers are currently limited to producing limited range city EVs and plug-in hybrids.

    Most Chademo and sae+combo chargers max out at 50kW and offer power for just 1-2 vehicles at charging locations are poorly located for interstate travel.

    How will GM work to enable long distance EV travel with their vehicles?

    ps: I live in Wisconsin where Tesla will soon have 9 supercharging stations, I take delivery of my Model S 85D in two weeks.

  2. 20kW is not fast enough on How the World's Fastest Electric Car Is Pushing Wireless Charging Tech · · Score: 3, Informative

    Tesla superchargers charge at 120kW with a wired connection. 20kW is not fast enough to quickly charge an electric vehicle that has enough batteries to provide adequate range. Even the Fast DC chademo chargers for the leaf can charge at 50kW.

    Fast wireless charging will never happen because wasting 10% of your power as heat under the vehicle will cause things to melt at high power rates.

  3. Re:He continues to show himself to be ... on Musk Will Open Up Tesla Supercharger Patents To Spur Development · · Score: 2

    As a fellow TSLA stock holder, I absolutely agree.

    The growing electric vehicle market has plenty of room for multiple manufacturers. Tesla by itself cannot grow faster without introducing quality issues and cannot make vehicles fast enough to transition the entire vehicle market. Other automakers are unwilling to invest in their own supercharger network and without access to high power fast charging they will be forced to produce plug-in hybrids for the foreseeable future. Opening the standard would help bring in more capital to build the supercharger network and hasten the transition to zero emission vehicles.

  4. Re:consistency more important on Why US Mileage Ratings Are So Inaccurate · · Score: 1

    I think that over a certain speed, fuel economy goes way down.

    This is because:
    For high velocities drag will vary as the square of velocity. Thus, the resultant power needed to overcome this drag will vary as the cube of velocity. The standard equation for drag is one half the coefficient of drag multiplied by the fluid mass density, the cross sectional area of the specified item, and the square of the velocity.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag_(physics)

  5. Feedly sucks on What's the Best RSS Reader Not Named Google Reader? · · Score: 1

    https does not work.

  6. Re: Backup Heating on Germany Exports More Electricity Than Ever Despite Phasing Out Nuclear Energy · · Score: 1

    I installed a wood burning insert into our fireplace. It has a large glass door so you can still see the flames for ambiance. It is 70% efficient, using a blower to circulate heat and is designed to reignite smoke to reduce particulates. I gather wood locally from trees my neighbors cut down after summer storms.

    So I can heat the house in the event of a power outage. I also have an inverter so I can use my prius as a generator to run the blower, router, wifi.

  7. Re:Gasoline-like energy density on IBM Creates 'Breathing' High-Density Lithium-Air Battery · · Score: 1

    So... recharge at work? Even 110V trickle charge would be able to provide you with the few extra miles you "need".

  8. Re:Chinese Subsidies on Solar Power Is Booming — Why Do We Want To Kill It? · · Score: 1

    But oil? That has subsidies?

    Yes, the united states has a long history of encouraging petroleum extraction.

    Currently the industry get $4B per year in tax credits specifically designed for oil companies.
    http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/business/04bptax.html?pagewanted=all

  9. Re:My W-2 just shuddered with the Force on Solar Power Is Booming — Why Do We Want To Kill It? · · Score: 3, Informative

    Have you been to a non-electrified camping ground that allows RVs? People who drive huge vehicles towing huge campers and sometimes an extra vehicle, ATV or boat achieving a paltry 8-13mpg have absolutely no qualms about breaking out the gasoline generators.

    They can't leave the comforts of home behind, including the noise and smog.

  10. Re:I'm the legislator and prime sponsor, and autho on New Hampshire Passes 'Open Source Bill' · · Score: 3, Funny

    Can you move to Wisconsin and run for governor?

  11. Re:They're still around? on Occupy Protesters Are Building a Facebook for the 99% · · Score: 1

    Fuck you. Seriously. The downfall of my country is not just another dysfunctional reality show.

    By the way how is the weather there? Cost of living? Employment opportunities? Government Corruption? I could really use a change of pace.

  12. Re:Break even points on Tesla Motors Announces Prices For Their Upcoming Models · · Score: 1

    Because electric cars can (and should) be charged at night, they do not add to peak loads. Excess nighttime capacity will be sufficient to charge electric vehicles for quite some time. Additional renewable resources such as wind power will help to bolder nighttime grid capacity.

    "It’s estimated that 75 percent of the 250 million vehicles on our highways could be charged at night on the current electric grid – without any new power plants"
    http://goelectricdrive.com/GetStarted/Top10Questions.aspx

  13. Re:Break even points on Tesla Motors Announces Prices For Their Upcoming Models · · Score: 1

    Good luck buying gas for only $4 a gallon in 10 years.

    Also many utilities will allow you to switch to time of day billing and charge at off peak rates. My utility charges only 6.5 cents per kWh off peak.

  14. Re:No on Tesla Motors Announces Prices For Their Upcoming Models · · Score: 1

    You are correct. I have a reservation for a leaf and the last time I went to cracker barrel was over 10 years ago.

  15. Re:In Canada on Can a Playground Be Too Safe? · · Score: 5, Informative
  16. can I haz invite plz? on Google+ Already At 10 Million Users · · Score: 1

    kthxbai

  17. Re:Say waht you will about MS on Bill Gates On Energy · · Score: 1

    Pumped Water storage is 80% efficient, energy stored only depends on the reservoir size. Molten salt solar concentrators can be designed to provide power around the clock.

    But the great thing about solar is that it's production curve is very similar to our electrical demand curve. Which means that expensive solar plants can replace expensive fossil fuel peaker plants.

  18. In other News on Passcodes Prove Predictable · · Score: 1

    9 out of 10 iphone users don't know how to lock their phones or have never bothered to setup a passcode.

  19. Re:Most important point not in summary on Capturing Solar Power With Antennae · · Score: 3, Insightful

    From TFA:
    The individual nantennas can absorb close to 90 percent of the available in-band energy.

    So the total system efficiency depends on how wide that band is in relation to total solar energy available and whether nantennas can be stacked and designed to capture energy over a range of bands.

  20. Re:Not Really Sold on the Correlations on The Top 50 Gawker Media Passwords · · Score: 1

    I had an account on Gawker, and my password was not very complicated, better than those listed, but still very simple. Why would I be so careless about login security? Because my Gawker account had no real information.

    I signed up using a sneakemail.com temporary email address which has since been deleted so the only thing the hackers got was a junk email address and a junk password. No reason to secure something that is worthless.

  21. Re:The leaf is not a hybrid on Chevy Volt Not Green Enough For California · · Score: 1

    Actually my toyota dealer makes money installing hymotion battery packs. The vehicle warranty remains in effect and hymotion's warranty covers the battery. The downside is that it costs a lot of money to improve the mileage to 60mpg, so I am planning on keeping the prius stock and upgrading our gasser to a leaf.

  22. Re:People are just now realizing this? on High Depreciation May Slow Electric Car Acceptance · · Score: 1

    I agree with your long view and forward thinking. When we bought our house we spent $300 on 80 bales of cellulose & a blower to add insulation to our attic, paid for itself 1-2 years. Over the years we replaced the furnace insulated the walls and installed new windows. Last winter we added an 80% efficient wood burning fireplace insert. I scavenge wood when my neighbors cut their trees down. Our heat bill in wisconsin in jan & feb was 100per month and we rarely need to run the AC in the summer. Yes improvements cost money but done wisely they can yield greater dividends than the stock market. Energy savings that put money back into your pocket are tax free and increase property value. But I also bought a prius, yes I am a geek and I like the new shiny and all cars are a bad investment, but it uses half the gas of my old car. At low gas prices the car will pay for itself in 10 years and when gas prices rise I wont be economically impacted. I am looking forward to being able to upgrade our 2nd vehicle to and electric car that will have half the running costs of the prius because I don't have control over what oil will cost in the future but I can take steps to reduce the the amount that rising energy costs will affect me.

  23. Bluff City is south of Bristol Motor Speedway on Anti-Speed Camera Activist Buys Police Department's Web Domain · · Score: 1, Insightful

    The reason why they have speed cameras is because they get lots of racing fans because the town is located just south of Bristol Motor Speedway. Nascar racing fans have a general disregard for speed limits and I bet that on a big race weekend one police car could not write tickets fast enough.

  24. Re:About damn time. on Government Approves First US Offshore Wind Farm · · Score: 1

    Or you use the power saved in your pumped storage system.

  25. Bill Gross was working on this a long time ago. on MIT Making Super Efficient Origami Solar Panels · · Score: 1

    Here is his 2003 talk on designing solar collectors.