What Happened to the Affordable Pickup Truck?

#376
#376
walkenvol said:
Most all cars/trucks of that era had a bare bones base option then you could pay more to upgrade the drivetrain, accessories, and trim packages. When’s the last time you saw a new car without a radio or a/c?
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Our local Kia dealer used keep one bottom end one like that in stock. I think it was a Rio or whatever thier subcompact was at the time. That was about ten years ago and it was weird even then. But they always sold it quick.
 
#378
#378
Impossible Girl said:
So, 43 years since they STARTED building the reactor until it came on line.

I’m sorry, what frigging point are you trying to make sweetie?
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The 2nd reactor delays were more due to TVA putting it on the back burner in 85. It was 60% complete at that time, but due to design problems and regulatory issues, they were burning through cash and it was deemed unnecessary since TVA was already generating more than sufficient enough power from other areas. The restarted on it in 2007 but had to fix those design flaws, and finished it in 2016.

The bigger obstacle with electric cars, imo, is not how we'll generate the power the supply them, but battery life. Not only on a single charge, but the total life of the battery along with what we're gonna do with the waste. Good news on that front is that there are plenty of companies working making better batteries.
 
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#379
#379
Carp said:
The 2nd reactor delays were more due to TVA putting it on the back burner in 85. It was 60% complete at that time, but due to design problems and regulatory issues, they were burning through cash and it was deemed unnecessary since TVA was already generating more than sufficient enough power from other areas. The restarted on it in 2007 but had to fix those design flaws, and finished it in 2016.

The bigger obstacle with electric cars, imo, is not how we'll generate the power the supply them, but battery life. Not only on a single charge, but the total life of the battery along with what we're gonna do with the waste. Good news on that front is that there are plenty of companies working making better batteries.
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Power companies have built projects like Raccoon Mnt pumping station to store excess nighttime energy by pumping water up an elevation then releasing the water to generate power during peak load. Seems like cars could be charged at night during low demand times without putting a huge demand increase on the grid? Or maybe I’m all wet
 
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#380
#380
walkenvol said:
Power companies have built projects like Raccoon Mnt pumping station to store excess nighttime energy by pumping water up an elevation then releasing the water to generate power during peak load. Seems like cars could be charged at night during low demand times without putting a huge demand increase on the grid? Or maybe I’m all wet
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There are currently 276 million vehicles registered in the US.
 
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#381
#381
JCHateSteve said:
Can you read?

From the first link I have you at eia.gov.
"The newest nuclear reactor to enter service, Watts Bar Unit 2 with 1,122 MW net summer electricity generating capacity, began commercial operation in October 2016."

Here another link, directly from the TVA showing it. Reactor 1 started operation in 1996 and reactor 2 in 2016.
Watts Bar Nuclear Plant

I have no idea where you're getting 1973 from. But it's wrong.
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lololololololololol
 
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#384
#384
There are other articles saying it was canceled. It’s certainly not a 2021 model, I can see that.
 
#385
#385
Firebirdparts said:
There are other articles saying it was canceled. It’s certainly not a 2021 model, I can see that.
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The last thing I read was that those reports are wrong and it will share a platform with the forthcoming Jeep Gladiator Hybrid. I hope that's the case. I'd be more interested in the Dakota than the current Gladiator. I'm still mad we got a Wrangler with a bed instead of this. Call me superficial.
68bef8360aad848ae82323cf64bfdb37.jpg
 
#386
#386
JCHateSteve said:
The last thing I read was that those reports are wrong and it will share a platform with the forthcoming Jeep Gladiator Hybrid. I hope that's the case. I'd be more interested in the Dakota than the current Gladiator. I'm still mad we got a Wrangler with a bed instead of this. Call me superficial.
View attachment 374822
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Just curious, but what is the major difference between what is pictured and the Gladiator?
 
#393
#393
walkenvol said:
Home solar panels should become more popular in California
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Considering the energy density of sunlight and the conversation efficiency of solar panels, that’s kind of like filling a swimming pool with a tablespoon I would think? (Not sure but wondering)
 
#394
#394
OrangeTsar said:
Considering the energy density of sunlight and the conversation efficiency of solar panels, that’s kind of like filling a swimming pool with a tablespoon I would think? (Not sure but wondering)
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I've always heard the same thing. Solar farms are popping up all over South GA though and I've wondered how much energy they really create. The government subsidies have to be substantial though for all the farmland that's being converted.
 
#395
#395
GAVol said:
I've always heard the same thing. Solar farms are popping up all over South GA though and I've wondered how much energy they really create. The government subsidies have to be substantial though for all the farmland that's being converted.
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Solar has its place, especially for low power requirements not near the grid. Perfect for a tiny house in the mountains or for recharging a cell phone on a backpacking trip. But the amount of wattage per square foot for sunlight is tiny. Fossil fuels are really nothing more than stored solar energy from ancient plants. But it is solar energy accumulated over millions and millions of years, so the energy “density” is much higher than you can ever get sticking a small square of silicon in the sun for a few hours a day. Plus, as a liquid, you can carry the energy easily to where it is needed as opposed to a very heavy and inefficient battery. And don’t even get me started on the toxic metals and environmental footprint involved in production of those batteries.
 
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#396
#396
I do think solar becomes very practical decades from now when we have the ability to construct very large and very thin solar panels in space. A several square kilometer Mylar thin photovoltaic fabric screen situated at the L1 Lagrange point could accumulate loads of energy uninterrupted 24 x 7 x 365 with no earth land needed to be taken from productive use
 
#397
#397
OrangeTsar said:
Solar has its place, especially for low power requirements not near the grid. Perfect for a tiny house in the mountains or for recharging a cell phone on a backpacking trip. But the amount of wattage per square foot for sunlight is tiny. Fossil fuels are really nothing more than stored solar energy from ancient plants. But it is solar energy accumulated over millions and millions of years, so the energy “density” is much higher than you can ever get sticking a small square of silicon in the sun for a few hours a day. Plus, as a liquid, you can carry the energy easily to where it is needed as opposed to a very heavy and inefficient battery. And don’t even get me started on the toxic metals and environmental footprint involved in production of those batteries.
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Not sure your perception is completely accurate as I have a neighbor with solar panels on apx 30% of his roof. He says he has basically no power bill. Surely it doesn’t cost more to charge a car than the entire power useage of a 3000 sq ft home
 
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#398
#398
I’ve always assumed that down the road municipalities will start making it code to put solar in wasted space such as parking lots and roofs. The technology just isn’t good enough right now to take the place of fossil fuels but on small scale applications it makes some sense.
 
#400
#400
OrangeTsar said:
Solar has its place, especially for low power requirements not near the grid. Perfect for a tiny house in the mountains or for recharging a cell phone on a backpacking trip. But the amount of wattage per square foot for sunlight is tiny. Fossil fuels are really nothing more than stored solar energy from ancient plants. But it is solar energy accumulated over millions and millions of years, so the energy “density” is much higher than you can ever get sticking a small square of silicon in the sun for a few hours a day. Plus, as a liquid, you can carry the energy easily to where it is needed as opposed to a very heavy and inefficient battery. And don’t even get me started on the toxic metals and environmental footprint involved in production of those batteries.
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I have had a solar panel array for 8 years. It completely powers our house with just over half of the power produced and sell the rest directly onto the grid. I haven't had a power bill since installation. Also, no maintenance costs. With subsidies, payback was less than 6 years Without right at 7 years. Unconditional 25 year warranty on the panels themselves.

So I think there are tens of millions of high power applications, just like mine, for solar power directly attached to the grid. That doesn't even address any possible ecological advantages.

It works better here in the west than in the north, for sure. But there are tens of millions of houses in the Sun Belt that could easily implement solar and save money.
 
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