Climate News & Discussion

[Go Bama]

Biden Suspends Drilling Leases in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

The decision blocks, for now, oil and gas drilling in one of the largest tracts of undeveloped wilderness in the United States.

www.nytimes.com

The Biden administration on Tuesday said it would suspend oil drilling leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge that were issued in the waning days of the Trump presidency.


The decision could ultimately end any plans to drill in one of the largest tracts of untouched wilderness in the United States, delicate tundra that is home to migrating waterfowl, caribou and polar bears. Democrats and Republicans have fought over whether to allow oil and gas drilling there for more than four decades, and issuing the leases was a signature achievement of the Trump White House.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland on Tuesday published a secretarial order formally suspending the leases until the agency has completed an environmental analysis of their impact and a legal review of the Trump administration’s decision to grant them.

 

[Tidewater]

The biggest problem with their timeline - almost half of car owners do not have access to a home parking spot which would allow them to charge their car at home. Consider people who live in apartments, condos or cities. The technology to allow them to charge their cars at home does not exist right now. Can this be solved? Sure. But the solution will likely come at a higher cost than that for homeowners with a driveway/garage.

Also, the power grids around the world will likely require massive upgrades to provide all of this new electric power demand. Again, a problem that can be solved, but one that also comes with huge price tags.

I support the idea of electric cars, and will own one eventually - when the infrastructure is ready to meet my needs.

In Oslo, I saw parking spots on the street which were reserved for electric cars. The parking spots came with a charging cable and free electricity (well, free to the vehicle owner). Parking in Oslo, like in many large cities, is at a premium, so the city government is providing a powerful incentive to Norwegians to get an electric car: free parking and charging.

 

[B1GTide]

In Oslo, I saw parking spots on the street which were reserved for electric cars. The parking spots came with a charging cable and free electricity (well, free to the vehicle owner). Parking in Oslo, like in many large cities, is at a premium, so the city government is providing a powerful incentive to Norwegians to get an electric car: free parking and charging.

I will be stunned if this is ever done in the US. Where is the profit?

 

[TIDE-HSV]

It also depends on charging time. If the car can charge in 5-10 minutes then home outlets won't be a huge concern. People don't fill up with gas at home and that's generally how long it takes.

I did a little reading, trying to see what I needed to do. If I bought a Volt, I could charge it overnight (around 13 hours) with my 120V outlet. If a Tesla, it would take 3-4 days, so not feasible. I would have to run a 240 out there to charge overnight...

 

[NationalTitles18]

I did a little reading, trying to see what I needed to do. If I bought a Volt, I could charge it overnight (around 13 hours) with my 120V outlet. If a Tesla, it would take 3-4 days, so not feasible. I would have to run a 240 out there to charge overnight...

I know they are working to solve this problem - and it's a huge one for widespread adoption.

 

[B1GTide]

I know they are working to solve this problem - and it's a huge one for widespread adoption.

They are also working on a charging system that does not require the use of a plug - just park over the charger and you recharge wireless.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

They are also working on a charging system that does not require the use of a plug - just park over the charger and you recharge wireless.

Unless they pass a nice tax credit, an induction charger will not be the answer for most homes. The expense for the rewiring, upgrading, etc. will still remain...

 

[Bamaro]

I did a little reading, trying to see what I needed to do. If I bought a Volt, I could charge it overnight (around 13 hours) with my 120V outlet. If a Tesla, it would take 3-4 days, so not feasible. I would have to run a 240 out there to charge overnight...

Quick swap standardized battery packs would be helpful.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Quick swap standardized battery packs would be helpful.

I think the Tesla batteries weigh over 1000 lb...

 

[crimsonaudio]

I did a little reading, trying to see what I needed to do. If I bought a Volt, I could charge it overnight (around 13 hours) with my 120V outlet. If a Tesla, it would take 3-4 days, so not feasible. I would have to run a 240 out there to charge overnight...

Keep in mind with an EV you don't typically charge it up every night, just as you don't top your gas tank off daily. Most folks I know just run a dedicated 240v line tot he charger and use it when needed - fill up overnight before a long drive, but day to day they trickle charge (120v) if at all. I also know folks who piggy-back off existing 240v lines (such as an oven or dryer run).

 

[crimsonaudio]

Quick swap standardized battery packs would be helpful.

Yeah, Tesla demonstrated that almost 10 years ago - the system can automatically swap the entire battery pack twice in the time it took to fill an ICE powered Audi. But I think the overall cost wasn't worth chasing so they moth-balled it.

 

[crimsonaudio]

The power grid can't handle the load, but more and more people with EVs are turning to solar to supplement their electrical needs. If the timeline goes as I expect, I won't get my Tesla for about two years, in which time I hope to finishing paying off our house and installing a large solar panel array with a Powerwall or three.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Keep in mind with an EV you don't typically charge it up every night, just as you don't top your gas tank off daily. Most folks I know just run a dedicated 240v line tot he charger and use it when needed - fill up overnight before a long drive, but day to day they trickle charge (120v) if at all. I also know folks who piggy-back off existing 240v lines (such as an oven or dryer run).

I estimate my 240V run would be 80-90 feet and there's no handy 240V outlet to "piggy-back" off of. Even extension cords for EVs, ones much shorter than I would need, are very expensive. As I said in my first post, if I install a demand water heater, it will be intermediate between the entrance panels and the carport, so it may become more attractive at that point. As for swappable battery packs, they will have to wait for lighter batteries to be invented...

 

[crimsonaudio]

As for swappable battery packs, they will have to wait for lighter batteries to be invented...

Tesla has had the tech in place for this for 7-8 years:

My understanding is Tesla knew there would be reticence among many users about swapping their known battery pack for an unknown pack. Cost was never released but I expect it would have been a luxury item as you can typically charge the avg Tesla from single digits to ~80% in <20 minutes (depending on battery size) at a SC.

 

[NationalTitles18]

Imagine the entirety of the outside panels of the car made of photovoltaic material that can continually recharge in the sun - even as you drive. We may see something like it in the next several years.

I also still like the hydrogen magnesium paste because it's just a swap and go, if they can develop it soon enough.

 

[crimsonaudio]

Imagine the entirety of the outside panels of the car made of photovoltaic material that can continually recharge in the sun - even as you drive. We may see something like it in the next several years.

We're nowhere near the tech to have that level of regeneration yet. Might not ever be, I've not crunched the numbers on solar energy per square inch. Tesla has patented solar panels on the retractable bed cover for the CT, but even that will likely only yield about 15 miles/day of range. Plenty for some, but not for most.

PVCs are still improving and iirc are only about 22% efficient right now.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Tesla has had the tech in place for this for 7-8 years:

My understanding is Tesla knew there would be reticence among many users about swapping their known battery pack for an unknown pack. Cost was never released but I expect it would have been a luxury item as you can typically charge the avg Tesla from single digits to ~80% in <20 minutes (depending on battery size) at a SC.

I checked and the average cost of a battery replacement is $16K, so you do the math...

 

[Bamaro]

I think the Tesla batteries weigh over 1000 lb...

Not meant to be exactly what is needed but its a start

 

[crimsonaudio]

I checked and the average cost of a battery replacement is $16K, so you do the math...

Yeah, but that's because you've got a bad pack. In this case you're swapping a good (but depleted) pack for a good (but fully charged) pack. I suspect it was going to cost $100 or more for the convenience, and likely 2-3x that. They just realized most people are gonna charge and go grab a bit to eat for 20 minutes then be on their way.

Some day this will likely be a thing, but it was (and still is) too early for this kind of infrastructure to work at a reasonable rate.

 

[Elefantman]

I did a little reading, trying to see what I needed to do. If I bought a Volt, I could charge it overnight (around 13 hours) with my 120V outlet. If a Tesla, it would take 3-4 days, so not feasible. I would have to run a 240 out there to charge overnight...

What ever it takes