Joined: May 28, 2007 Posts: 125 Location: Tempe, AZ
Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 11:08 pm Post subject: Smith Electric Vehicles Makes Large Electric Trucks
Smith Electric looks to have a few promising prototype electric trucks. Here are some vids of their products at an auto show.
"http://youtube.com/user/cvsnec2008
This begs a list of questions. Can industrial farming be done via electric tractors? Can mining be done with electric dump trucks? Can construction be done with electric vehicles?
Also of critical importance, does the world have enough lithium to meet the world's transportation demands? _________________ Brian Jackson: Weird, old, and rare car preservatinist.
61 Corvair Van, Turbo Charged 62 Corvair Rampside, Retired SCCA Improved Touring 74 Rx2 Road Race Car, 75 Rx4 Sedan, 79 Triumph Spitfire, and a couple of boring practical cars.
Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 2:16 am Post subject: Re: Smith Electric Vehicles Makes Large Electric Trucks
I really don't know where they will get all the electricity from?
Probably the entire world wil go nuclear (power plants).
But i've read somewhere that radio active waste stays deadly for 2.5 millions years, i'm not sure it's correct but i think it is.
and unless we can put that waste on the moon or something i'm totally against nuclear power it's even worse then putting all those co2 emmisions in the atmosphere in my opinion.
And by the time those trucks are available it wil take a long time to replace all the trucks with electric ones let alone the price on those new trucks.
I don't see any truck company invest into elektric trucks when they probably payed so much for the gas trucks.
Joined: Apr 06, 2006 Posts: 3330 Location: 3 miles NW of Champoeg, Republic of Cascadia
Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 7:06 am Post subject: Re: Smith Electric Vehicles Makes Large Electric Trucks
xrotaryguy wrote:
Can mining be done with electric dump trucks?
Curiously enough the first hit when you search for 'mining machinery electric' on Google is Peak Oil Debunked: 36. ELECTRIC COAL MINING MACHINERY, with a little photo gallery. Mining machinery is usually electric, for safety reasons among other things. Read more at the Wiki Mining Machinery
page.
Smith Electric Vehicles _________________ Cogito, ergo non satis bibivi
I will not abide another toe.
Joined: May 28, 2007 Posts: 125 Location: Tempe, AZ
Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 10:53 am Post subject: Re: Smith Electric Vehicles Makes Large Electric Trucks
Yes, a lot of mining equipment is actually electric. A lot of it is air powered too. Of course, the air compressors that supply the compressed air could be powered by just about anything, but I'm sure that things are most frequently powered electrically from the grid.
Open pit mines don't use so much electric machinery. Many of them do use large drag line powered electric shovels, but every other rolling machine in an open pit mine is generally diesel powered. I guess if large battery electric vehicles are actually possible, then the diesel vehicles in open pit mines could be replaced by battery electric vehicles.
Electric vehicles don't use as much energy as one might think. In fact, many experts believe that our current grid could power as many as 185 million automobiles. Actually, the US' grid could power many more vehicles than that if people didn't waste so much energy. On top of that, electric vehicles can actually be used to provide energy during peak demand which further reduces the load on the grid. From what I have read, we are in no danger of having the grid fail for any reason. _________________ Brian Jackson: Weird, old, and rare car preservatinist.
61 Corvair Van, Turbo Charged 62 Corvair Rampside, Retired SCCA Improved Touring 74 Rx2 Road Race Car, 75 Rx4 Sedan, 79 Triumph Spitfire, and a couple of boring practical cars.
Joined: Apr 06, 2006 Posts: 3330 Location: 3 miles NW of Champoeg, Republic of Cascadia
Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 6:40 am Post subject: Re: Smith Electric Vehicles Makes Large Electric Trucks
xrotaryguy wrote:
From what I have read, we are in no danger of having the grid fail for any reason.
Huh? Olduvai theory. Lots of fun reads there on our inevitable demise.
We have a perhaps unfortunately titled thread on Review of the Olduvai Gorge, which is a tally on crumbling infrastructure, sort of.
You know about the Infrastructure Report Card 2005, right? Grid got a D+. Unconventional NG drilling is moving a little too fast these days - fields deplete very quickly, wells are very expensive, and thousands have to be drilled every year just to keep up with depletion. There are reports of some producers having trouble keeping up the pace; imagine them trying to work in the middle of fuel shortages, too. Just yesterday I read about a driller who'd simply jack the rig up onto skids and tow it to the next site, they were in such an awful hurry.
NG is critical for grid balancing during times of peak demand.
_________________ Cogito, ergo non satis bibivi
I will not abide another toe.
Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 3:55 pm Post subject: Re: Smith Electric Vehicles Makes Large Electric Trucks
TheDude wrote:
xrotaryguy wrote:
From what I have read, we are in no danger of having the grid fail for any reason.
Huh? Olduvai theory. Lots of fun reads there on our inevitable demise.
Wikipedia wrote:
The Olduvai theory states that industrial civilization (as defined by per capita energy consumption) will have a lifetime of less than or equal to 100 years (1930-2030)
What's the cut-off in terms of energy consumption between a industrial civilization and otherwise? Seems a bit fishy IMO, since energy consumption does not strictly correlate with having industrial contraptions, or even a high standard of living up to a point. _________________
Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 3:59 pm Post subject: Re: Smith Electric Vehicles Makes Large Electric Trucks
As for the grid, the occasional , or potential for occasional blackouts during peak loads a few days per year does not make for a crumbling system. I imagine as demand side management for the common good runs into the inertia from conspicuous consumption for the sake of greed, we'll see this in other arenas as well. If worried about a grid in poor condition, look to countries like Iraq for examples. _________________
Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 6:38 am Post subject: Re: Smith Electric Vehicles Makes Large Electric Trucks
Smaller-scale farming can be done using electric tractors and lithium batteries will help with this. (There's several small conversions around but I think they can only plow for about an hour at a time due to PbA capacity.) Smaller farms perhaps growing biodiesel feedstock or horses will help keep local food production viable. At least where I live...
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