Its happening in US too. China is the place that is growing ...
However - we cant have growth growth growth in a world with limited resources. Or ... we can, and we'll end up eating ourselves out of a planet.
Cool.
Srinath.
Sorry I had it backwards - and it took me a long time to find it too, cos I saw it back about 4-5 years ago -
But speak to Toyota and Honda now, as I have done, and the answer is a little different. Honda's own life cycle analysis suggests that 78% of a Honda car's total CO2 output is produced during the driving of the vehicle. The remaining 22% is emitted during "production, resource procurement, transportation, service, and disposal".
Its 22% in production and 78% in its driven lifecycle. But you know that is a Insight he's talking about. So a regular car will probably use less in production (cos it uses more gas when driven).
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/aug/17/car-scrap-energy-efficiency
Cool.
Srinath.
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Working close to home is rather different than from working "at home". My wife and I live 8 miles and 12 miles respectively from our work places, and I commute by bicycle at least some of the time. Before I married her I lived within a mile of work. We both have co-workers that drive over an hour each way to get to work - madness IMO.
It has been interesting to see how the construction of a couple of new BART stations in the east SF bay area has spurred the construction of tons of high-density condos right near the stations - given a reasonable transit choice, Americans can actually give up their cars.
Bill
Bill, NorCal, is actually very different from big part of US from many perspectives. Locals here see it as more advanced while the rest think about it, lets say it... differently. Overall, public here is very socially and environmentally conscious, as well as concerned about public health, wellbeing and interest. This is one of the rare enclaves that is not completely destroyed yet, or over exploited by big corporate chains. At the same time living here is on average 5 to 8 times more expensive than anywhere else in US, NYC excluded. So put those two together - consciousness and possible more affordable price of living and yes, impossible ideas could turn into reality. Here in Marin, Teslas are as common as 4 x 4s or guns in Texas. And the key motivating reason for majority of buyers is environmental responsibility.
As for the bike riders, a lots of my employees are riding from City, over Golden Gate to Marin. In same cases around 20 miles in one direction. Some ride it all the way, some use ferry, some busses, but not small amount of riders. So all is possible when society is supportive. Yet, weather is a big factor as well. Although when it comes to weather, Dutch people really could not brag about the weather yet everyone rides a bike there (very often with umbrella in one hand).
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Commuting 40 miles on bart is also a huge waste of energy.
The point about working from home has been lost - well I confused you as well.
Most of the grocery stores etc in India were owned by mom and pop, and mom and pop lived in the store (or above the store). I dunno if you lived in san ramone - you would only work in pleasanton/dublin/walnut creek etc - like 1 town over. Sounds really stupid when I say it doesn't it. But that was what it used to be.
Cool.
Srinath.
The point about working from home has been lost - well I confused you as well.
Most of the grocery stores etc in India were owned by mom and pop, and mom and pop lived in the store (or above the store). I dunno if you lived in san ramone - you would only work in pleasanton/dublin/walnut creek etc - like 1 town over. Sounds really stupid when I say it doesn't it. But that was what it used to be.
Cool.
Srinath.
OK, so while not a Tesla product, I took my first little spin in son's new BMW I3 electric - cute, cozy and zippy little rig (emphasis on "cozy"- particularly in the back seat)
"starting at" $45K with an average range per charge of 160km, and minimum 3 hrs recharge time - I dunno, could be hard to make sense out of those numbers for a long distance commuter with extra errands to run. I know for sure that I can blast through well over 100k on an average work day - then there's the miniscule cargo capacity.
Now, a little van like Ford Transit Connect XL and range of 250 per charge could be a huge seller.
"starting at" $45K with an average range per charge of 160km, and minimum 3 hrs recharge time - I dunno, could be hard to make sense out of those numbers for a long distance commuter with extra errands to run. I know for sure that I can blast through well over 100k on an average work day - then there's the miniscule cargo capacity.
Now, a little van like Ford Transit Connect XL and range of 250 per charge could be a huge seller.
I dont remember who said this (Benjamin Franklin ???) but it does loosely reflect my take on electric cars - Nothing is as futile as making some thing that need not be done at all, more efficient ...
Those that commute long distances - cant use it, those that commute short distances - are better off riding a bicycle ... and all of us, should do our best to work from home (or closer and closer and closer to home) - LOL.
We used to have colleges in India (not all of em, but a lot of em) would only admit you if you lived within a few miles of their location.
Cool.
Srinath.
Those that commute long distances - cant use it, those that commute short distances - are better off riding a bicycle ... and all of us, should do our best to work from home (or closer and closer and closer to home) - LOL.
We used to have colleges in India (not all of em, but a lot of em) would only admit you if you lived within a few miles of their location.
Cool.
Srinath.
Electric cars work perfectly for the average european commute which is well within their range but too far for a bicycle at 30-45miles for the round trip.
So basically you are mocking a european car manufacturer who has come up with a model eminently suitable for their home market.
It might not be much use in North america or India but that is not what it was designed for in first place.
It's like Brazilians claiming that designing a decent snowmobile is a waste of effort because they are useless in the rain forest.
Like my old delta98 olds. 150mph was like going 70mph in a honda.
Once did the new york state thruway from newburg to albany in 50 minutes.
I paced the new york times truck @ 115mph for 20 miles before
passing. 2nd gear shift point to 3rd was @ 120mph. Max was >175mph.
I only did that once - I was scared. 😱
OS
huh >175 mph nothing like real time testing the speed rating of tires on a heavy car.
measured by the force of speedo against the stop?
measured by the force of speedo against the stop?
One of my g/f's collegues lives in the next village. He drove to his work in Rotterdam by bike, 60 mile round trip, rain or shine.
Hauled in a $200k salary, till he retired last year. I gathered he fully paid off the mortgage of his >$1m home.
An allergologist collegue in the next village on the other side does the distance to the same hospital in a Mercedes E-class convertible.
She will not pay off her mortgage, not even if she continues till age 65.
Electric freeway for e-bikes, including charge points, 30 miles round trip.
Accessible for high speed e-bikes (30mph, driving license, age 16 and over)
Operational since late 2013. =>
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Hey, I am not saying that at all ... I am just saying we should all commute less. We need to break the model of the "mega corp" where they have "Headquarters" 1000 miles from nowhere, and the ongoing policy of ... "if you aint here you aint shieiete" all the way to the small mom and pop grocery store.
Cool.
Srinath.
Hey, I am not saying that at all ... I am just saying we should all commute less. We need to break the model of the "mega corp" where they have "Headquarters" 1000 miles from nowhere, and the ongoing policy of ... "if you aint here you aint shieiete" all the way to the small mom and pop grocery store.
Cool.
Srinath.
So then, included in our short list of being nicer to mother earth is to change human nature, reduce overpopulation, and ensure the capitalist goal of non-stop sustainable economic growth -otherwise not all 8 Billion of us hominins will share equally in this bright and shiny future.
I can almost hear the cockroaches smugly discussing their patience and bemusement at "those crazy bipeds"
I can almost hear the cockroaches smugly discussing their patience and bemusement at "those crazy bipeds"
Nuclear war
The cockroaches are to take over the earth only when the nuclear bombs blow up the earth ... I dont think that will happen ...
We can live in a planet that is even 10 degrees warmer, in fact food is more abundant on a warmer and wetter planet ... except ... the butterflies, the hummingbirds, the gold finches etc etc etc cant ... and the burmese pythons, the 8ft alligators, the translucent scorpions etc etc will thrive.
Oh yea, we'll all need to move to canada and siberia ... much of the tropics will be near un inhabitable.
I am paraphrasing and using some imagination clued in by history ... we have had a huge snake crawling the planet many eons ago ...
Cool.
Srinath.
The cockroaches are to take over the earth only when the nuclear bombs blow up the earth ... I dont think that will happen ...
We can live in a planet that is even 10 degrees warmer, in fact food is more abundant on a warmer and wetter planet ... except ... the butterflies, the hummingbirds, the gold finches etc etc etc cant ... and the burmese pythons, the 8ft alligators, the translucent scorpions etc etc will thrive.
Oh yea, we'll all need to move to canada and siberia ... much of the tropics will be near un inhabitable.
I am paraphrasing and using some imagination clued in by history ... we have had a huge snake crawling the planet many eons ago ...
Cool.
Srinath.
I doubt this, think about the floods with polar ice cut in half. Most of the worlds populated land will be covered with sea water. In California alone the central valley would be submerged along, with a good percentage of this nations food supply. Farmers cant instantly gear up production in lands that they are unfamiliar with.
10 degree is huge in terms of global warming.
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john - some of my mornings are more dyspeptic than others (high veggie and wine content diet can do that sometimes )
Rather like Lux Luther in that Superman movie "gee, if ocean front property is so valuable, I'll just make some more"
Unintended consequences, what're those?
Brave new world indeed - perhaps my dyspeptic, dystopian view of the next century is overly optimistic, and the smart money's not on the cockroaches, but the giant three eyed tube worm?
With a staggering demand for fish, seaweed and...a shtld of boats.
The mere thought makes me want to burn some extra carbons this weekend.
(a paranoid obsessive would see a bunch of similarities between Luther's vessel and Mr Allen's Octopus)
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