tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708908742323002823.post1336126859117352053..comments2024-02-10T02:18:27.240-08:00Comments on Trader Dan's Market Views: China Plays Chess - The US plays CheckersTrader Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05484363461047659198noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708908742323002823.post-27353892650054839272011-03-09T11:46:39.200-08:002011-03-09T11:46:39.200-08:00markbc, Thanks for the info. You've given me a...markbc, Thanks for the info. You've given me a few things to think about and actually put forth some arguments I had yet to hear in regard to the battery issues. Thanks for that. :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708908742323002823.post-6004657310622651912011-03-08T18:10:17.492-08:002011-03-08T18:10:17.492-08:00Goldtracker, electric cars are better than regular...Goldtracker, electric cars are better than regular cars in (just about) every way.<br /><br />The batteries will be recycled because of the metals they contain. They will be too valuable to throw away, unlike regular car batteries made of lead acid.<br /><br />The new AC induction motors do not use rare earth metals.<br /><br />The batteries will work fine down to minus 30, they aren't lead acid. Plus their temperature will be managed in their compartments unlike a regular battery under your hood.<br /><br />http://www.toshiba.com/ind/data/tag_files/SCiB_Brochure_5383.pdf<br /><br />Regarding powering EV's, here is an interesting stat. It takes about 1/2 to 1 times as much energy just to extract and refine tar sand into gasoline as the gasoline contains itself. It is a very inefficient process. We could instead just take that external energy (in the form of natural gas, and a lesser extent electricity) and use this to charge our EV's directly and be able to drive about the same distance as the gasoline would take us, that we are no longer making. Then we wouldn't need any oil, at least for driving!<br /><br />So when people say we have so much domestic oil in the shales and tar sands, well that doesn't take into account the energy needed to get it out and turn it into something useful. That mostly comes form natural gas. We are running out of the easy sources of natural gas. We have lots more reserves but these need to be liberated with fracking, which is not a benign process and leads to problems with groundwater. Not to mention GHG emissions.<br /><br />The easiest and best solution is EV's charged by solar panels on your roof and if suitable, wind turbines in your yard. The powers that be really don't want this solution to be adopted mainstream because there's no way they can tax you making your own energy. They don't want us to become energy independent.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708908742323002823.post-86847564027645945352011-03-08T16:06:52.074-08:002011-03-08T16:06:52.074-08:00Ho, ho, ho, whoa, whoa, whoa, Dan! Hold up!
Ther...Ho, ho, ho, whoa, whoa, whoa, Dan! Hold up!<br /><br />There IS a reason why the US is not drilling so much in our backyard as using up the reserves of other countries, especially the hostiles before touching our own. We learned early on that if you use up the reserves of hostiles or any country for that matter, then you'll be the last ones to have reserves and thusly the remaining power with military capability. The US is trying to run the other countries out of their oil. You figure out why.<br /><br />SEAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708908742323002823.post-40366886874683735902011-03-08T12:48:38.447-08:002011-03-08T12:48:38.447-08:00Glad to see someone with a similar feeling about e...Glad to see someone with a similar feeling about ethanol, Dan. Here in Florida that has become a bane for boaters. It is reeking havoc on boat engines with and finding fuel without the stuff is difficult. I spoke with a auto mechanic too, and he's seen some issues related to the stuff in autos as well. I really wish we would get away from it as a fuel source and get back to dirty work and actually drill.<br /><br />I am definitely not an electric car fan either, as MarkBC appears to be. No one seems to be considering the impact of those batteries long term on the environment - though it's a heck of a business opt for heavy and rare-earth metals miners. Plus an electric car is a fair weather car. They won't fair well in cold environments and it still takes fossil fuel or radioactive fuel to power them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708908742323002823.post-44505704163505350462011-03-07T19:04:25.620-08:002011-03-07T19:04:25.620-08:00The US is playing chicken with a supernovaThe US is playing chicken with a supernovaDocJimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07843290019596517118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708908742323002823.post-72770105621544093932011-03-07T17:21:09.380-08:002011-03-07T17:21:09.380-08:00I believe the point is that China is proactive in ...I believe the point is that China is proactive in it's pursuit of alternate energy while the US Administration really has no effective solutions to deal with an impending energy crisis which is illustrated by their penny ante conservation advice to consumers. China is searching which speaks to their forward or superior think tanks (in chess you have to plan several moves in advance to be sucessful) while the US takes a simple minded approache to a serious and complex problem. (checkers)Tiger-Cat Greathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01358701704602975176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708908742323002823.post-91857927877570128182011-03-07T17:14:26.547-08:002011-03-07T17:14:26.547-08:00We just bought a Prius and I'm currently order...We just bought a Prius and I'm currently ordering some batteries to turn it into a plugin. This will give me 50 miles electric range before the gasoline engine turns on. $20,000 for a nice 2008 Prius, $9000 for the batteries, $5000 for taxes and extras etc., that is $35,000 for an electric car! When everyone's lining up at the gas station to buy $10 gasoline, I'll be waving and smiling as I drive by!<br /><br />Next step is to get some solar panels for the roof of our house to charge the car. Maybe even a wind turbine too. The solutions are very easy, it's just that our governments and the oil industry are making way too much money off everyone's addiction to oil, so they do everything they can to keep the alternatives from coming to market. They actually try to convince us (and largely successfully, sadly) that getting off oil is going to cost us money!!! Ludicrous!!! Has anyone checked the price of gasoline lately?!?!?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708908742323002823.post-9004549963236608082011-03-07T16:14:45.229-08:002011-03-07T16:14:45.229-08:00Actually.....
sounds like the feedback I get from...Actually.....<br /><br />sounds like the feedback I get from my kidsjake the snakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02472541600848206116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1708908742323002823.post-61581581922993141922011-03-07T14:43:51.012-08:002011-03-07T14:43:51.012-08:00Actually, thorium reactor is an old idea and has l...Actually, thorium reactor is an old idea and has little advantages (if any):<br />http://www-pub.iaea.org/mtcd/publications/pdf/te_1450_web.pdfbearcalahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16385314948644926751noreply@blogger.com