When Toyota offers an opinion on the car market, it’s probably worth listening to. This week, Toyota reiterated an opinion it has offered before. That opinion is straightforward: The world is not yet ready to support a fully electric auto fleet.
-Chuck
It was obvious to me (as a licensed professional engineer--but you don't need to be one to see the obvious--you don't need to be a chicken to smell a rotten egg!) all along that if the number of electric cars increases much beyond what is on the road now, the electric companies that are already beyond their designed 100% capacity on peak summer demand will be unable to meet electric demand.
ReplyDeleteCalifornia right now has rolling blackout/brownouts in the peak demand times. If electric cars become more prevalent, brown will turn to black and more brown will appear throughout the state. New York City is also beyond their design capacity for summer electric demand. Overheated wires and transformers blowing up are routine summertime events. Placing gas turbine generators on line to meet the power demand taxes the distribution system to sporadic failure.
So, unless more power plants are built and there is an upgrade to the electric distribution infrastructure, the system cannot support more electric vehicles.
More electric vehicles would work and be a good thing in areas supplied by the Tennessee Valley Authority or in areas that have electricity generated by nuclear or hydro-power where there excess capacity and a distribution system that is not being used to capacity. For other areas, using fossil fuels to generate electricity to charge the vehicle's batteries only gains a small amount in pollution NOX, CO, particulates) control and nothing in greenhouse gas (CO2) control.
My take is that the country should wait until the electric infrastructure is upgraded to handle the expected additional demand for electricity, and a conversion to nuclear power generation to make electric vehicles into lower pollution machines.
This. All of what you said. Exactly what the Utility industry has been saying for over 20 years, that the grid is compromised, there's not enough generation, and 'renewable' energy in the form of solar and wind are further compromising the system.
DeleteBut, as usual, politicians know better than scientists and engineers and actual linemen that work on the crappy systems.
Ask Texas, a state with very own power grid, how that renewable energy generation worked for them this past winter.
DeleteTexas' grid went down for many because the idiots who controlled the industry decided to go green. Windmills froze up with ice and solar panels were covered with ice and snow. And when you shut down big power plants they don't just start back up in several hours.
DeleteThere were five people who sat on the board of ERCOT (the overseer of Texas' grid) who didn't even live in Texas. So far I believe most of the board has quit. Now we need the Gov to quit and a host of other greenies who lobby for such bullshit.
All this is obvious to anyone who knows anything at all about engineering. In the UK this doesn't include any of our politicians. Of course, if they were capable of doing anything as useful as engineering they would be doing that instead of politics.
ReplyDeleteHere in the US it doesn't have to really do anything more than look good on a sound bite and make money for certain people.
ReplyDeleteOh ya' think that will stop eco-wackos? ....laws of physics and common sense? Hear them yell, "HOLD MY BEER!" They have been trying to repeal the Laws of Physics (and Economics) for decades now... if they will it into existence, it will appear. Right? Right?
ReplyDeleteNot sure we of the pleb or working class are intended to have our own transport when the great reset is completed, those who rule over us seem to be hell bent on taking us back decades, similar with air travel 'they' have no intention of us unimportant little people flying, we'll be on the bus or bicycle or walking, where 'they' think we belong.
ReplyDeleteLew
Got it in one.
DeleteAirplanes are for actual human beings (and the occasional lap dog). Cattle walk or ride in rail cars.
Moooo.
"Not sure we of the pleb or working class are intended to have our own transport when the great reset is completed"
DeleteDon't be silly! You filthy peasants will absolutely have boxcars.
- Your Friendly Elites
Hey, it's nothing that a couple hundred new Nuke plants couldn't help fix!
ReplyDeleteThe left is already planning to outlaw vehicles that are not "zero emission". Kali has already passed a law banning the sale of such new vehicles starting in 2035. Expect a Federal law to be passed soon. After banning new gas/diesel vehicles they will start shutting ALL refueling stations for gas/diesel. Won't be long before your gas/diesel vehicle is USELESS because you can't get fuel for it. As for electric vehicles fillng the gap.....not going to happen. Anyone who understands the technology of such vehicles and the state of our power grid knows this. The commies pushing to eliminate gas/diesel also know this. They aren't interested in replacing the vehicles Americans currently have. Their goal is to render it IMPOSSIBLE for us to travel at will. Freedom of travel thwarts their plans to rule us. So they intend to end the current transportation structure and replace it with a technology that DOES NOT WORK....so they can decide when, where and IF we get to travel. THAT is the motivation behind the lefts assault on oil and vehicles that use oil. The environment has NOTHING to do with their plans.
ReplyDeleteFuck the elites. I will run my diesel truck as long as see fit.
DeleteWhen friends say "Electric vehicles are the answer!" I write out E=IR and say "OK, using this formula explain HOW you're going to make it work." I have fewer friends now.
ReplyDeleteToyota sells world wide. Not just to rich greenies living in western cities.
ReplyDeleteWhich country supplies all the stuff needed for electric vehicles and all the wind turbines and solar panels. And makes all the high CO2 stuff that West has given up on?
Who was it said never interfere when your enemy is fucking up?