The climate change consensus extends beyond climate scientists

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I agree with all that, and I'm a fan of EVs. That said, there are huge hurdles to overcome to get widespread adoption. A $10,000 "fuel tank" that doesn't have much range, takes an eternity to refuel, and degrades over time is a tough sell.

The idea appeals to me, but good luck selling my sister (typical American) on it. An EV that would satisfy her 4Runner craving would likely cost $100,000.

I suppose we'll crawl before we walk.
As far as your sister goes,it will take someone she already looks to for advice,to influence any potential change in her attitude/behavior.
At Lake Nacimiento,California,folks are already paying for a single pizza,what I budget for a week's worth of groceries.
CAR and DRIVER commented on what a bargain 'filling up' a Tesla was,compared to a BMW which had shadowed them on a test drive.
Regular Unleaded kW/h vs Premium fuel,over the cycle life of the car (12-years)
The Tesla packs are good for 20-years.They're coming down in price.It won't be any Moore's Law,but it looks like the cross-over point between EV and ICE cost is only a few years away.We'll see.

[redpoint5]

I expect EVs to become more and more commonplace as variety expands and prices come down. Don't know if there will be a hockey stick moment like the transition from horse-drawn carriages to horseless carriages, but it's certainly possible, especially if there are breakthroughs in battery technology.

My wife's always getting stuff for our baby, and I'm always commenting "well how did anyone have children 100 years ago". Most recent purchase; a nursing necklace. I didn't know such a thing existed until yesterday.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

The most popular ranger and S10 converts were mostly 90's and some 2000s trucks when I was watching it.

Okay,thanks.
The 2nd-gen S-10 dropped from Cd 0.475,to Cd 0.42 for the 1992 model year.
A Ranger of the same vintage would be 0.40.Both good candidates!
The Banks Engineering guys and GM got a 1st-gen GMC S-15/Sonoma to Cd 0.315 (lower than a Corvette of that era) for an assault at Bonneville around 1990.207 mph or something like that.
In 1995,there was a whole field of EV pickups at the Phoenix International Raceway,for the APS Solar 500.All they could run were tonneau covers.Too bad!
It was there that I got the idea for a Cd 0.12,EV range-extender trailer.
And driving a Formula-E was cool!

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I expect EVs to become more and more commonplace as variety expands and prices come down. Don't know if there will be a hockey stick moment like the transition from horse-drawn carriages to horseless carriages, but it's certainly possible, especially if there are breakthroughs in battery technology.

My wife's always getting stuff for our baby, and I'm always commenting "well how did anyone have children 100 years ago". Most recent purchase; a nursing necklace. I didn't know such a thing existed until yesterday.

Yeah,some companies are on it!
KIA and Hyundai are selling the same car in 4-dfferent flavors,from entry-level,hopped up,Hybrid,and EV.
Had GM done this with the EV-1,we could have had 80-mpg HWY cars in 1996.

[redpoint5]

I'm most looking forward to a plug-in hybrid truck. There has to be a lot of potential there. I probably wouldn't buy one since I rarely need a truck and already have several, but considering they are the most popular "passenger" vehicles sold in the US, I think good could be done in that area.

It was a mistake for modern hybrid technology to have started with the Insight. That car gets good fuel economy regardless of EV use. Better to start where the weight is and move to the lighter platforms. Just imagine where we'd be if Honda didn't let the Ridgeline languish and instead introduced a hybrid in that model.

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I'm most looking forward to a plug-in hybrid truck. There has to be a lot of potential there. I probably wouldn't buy one since I rarely need a truck and already have several, but considering they are the most popular "passenger" vehicles sold in the US, I think good could be done in that area.

It was a mistake for modern hybrid technology to have started with the Insight. That car gets good fuel economy regardless of EV use. Better to start where the weight is and move to the lighter platforms. Just imagine where we'd be if Honda didn't let the Ridgeline languish and instead introduced a hybrid in that model.

With SUVs and Pickups constituting the lion's share of corporate profits,I wonder if the product development committees get ultra conservative when discussing changes to these golden gooses.
Ford debuted a hybrid pickup concept a decade ago at The Detroit Auto Show and weren't stormed by show-goers with cries for production.
GM actually produced a very mild hybrid pickup a decade ago or so.I've never seen one on the street.
15-mpg seems to be okay with a lot of truck owners.Folks who don't even need a truck will drop over $50,000 for one.
Bob Lutz, I'm sure could provide some serious insight into this.
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One thing about the full-size SUVs and pickups; since many are body-on-frame construction,the R&D and tooling could be shared across a number of variants,spreading out the cost.With a freshening,instead of an actual 'new' design at 4-years,a lot of cost would be amortized out already,and production cost would fall,with profit rising.
A plug-in Denali/Silverado/Tahoe or Lincoln Navigator,Excursion,F-150,etc.,could be a walk in the park.
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Either consumer demand pull 'carrot',or EPA,CAFE 'stick' would be a catalyst.
Get Vin Diesel to drive one in a blockbuster motion picture,and every 14-year-old in the country would be begging for one.And their dads.

[freebeard]

A decade or so ago (it seems) GM showed a concept truck for contractors that had 240v AC under the right tail light. Prolly a hybrid.

Wait a minute, this is the climate consensus thread. The cost of grid power went up by 42 souls in California, not to mention the burnt-out street rods.

[aerohead]

PBS Television has been airing a series entitled,'Sinking Cities.'
They've already covered New York and Tokyo.
Tonight is London.
Their covering efforts to adapt to sea-level rise and extreme rain events.It's been interesting.
Tokyo also must deal with subsidence due to earthquake-induced liquifaction,while tsunami tidal surge, on top of high tide,and wind-blown typhoon waves.',flooding,mudslides.
A real cluster----.
If you miss the broadcasts,they're available @ PBS.org podcast,or something close to that.

[All Darc]

If energy problems was in scale of small LEDs, lighted by coin batteries, our problems would be solved, since the Maria Helena Braga battery it's already in a battery model that converts heat to energy even while the LED it's connected to the battery.

I wonder up to what scale this principle can produce energy.

[freebeard]

There were pictures of that city in Japan that was hit with simultaneous tsunami and earthquake. The buildings were on fire, but the streets were flooded.

Tolls up to 61, but ISIS is saying we deserve it. Taking heat off the California governor who just vetoed a [non-partisan unamimously passed] bill to cover costs of powerline maintenance?