To get a scale of the issue you really need to do some math. The problem is people have no idea how much energy they're expending when they drive around. Reason being is cars are measured in HP, while houses are measured in watts. A car takes something like 34 hp to maintain a highway cruise, that's about 25 kilowatts. Say about 15000 miles a year so 1250 miles a month. That's about 20 hours of steady driving or 500 kilowatt hours. And that's if you just did a steady state highway cruise, most driving is a lot less efficient than that, so realistically it's at least 750 kilowatt hours a month or roughly about as much as an apartment or small house.
I'm not the most knowledgeable person about this sort of thing, but wouldn't you need magnetic roads for that to work?
If so, then the expenditure required to build a magnetic road network would make the hydrogen infrastructure look affordable.
This. Also, you need power to drive the electromagnets on the cars. Japan and France use nuclear power for their rail systems, because they suck so much energy it's the only thing that's remotely affordable. The amount of cars we have and need would take something like a Dyson Ring to even be remotely feasible. And that's before you even consider the materials cost. Better hope there's a moon-sized NEO made out of neodymium!
I'm not the most knowledgeable person about this sort of thing, but wouldn't you need magnetic roads for that to work?
If so, then the expenditure required to build a magnetic road network would make the hydrogen infrastructure look affordable.
This. Also, you need power to drive the electromagnets on the cars. Japan and France use nuclear power for their rail systems, because they suck so much energy it's the only thing that's remotely affordable. The amount of cars we have and need would take something like a Dyson Ring to even be remotely feasible. And that's before you even consider the materials cost. Better hope there's a moon-sized NEO made out of neodymium!
The US needs culture change far more than it needs technology when it comes to transit.
I mean, I don't have any issue with US car culture as it stands. We can tolerate a society in which cars are the main form of transport, and cars are fun besides. However, at the same time, people who don't need pickups and SUVs should stop driving them, no family realistically needs more than one car per driver, and we need to stop thinking that the answer to our energy crisis (and make no mistake, there is one) is to keep drilling and exploiting new petroleum reserves instead of finding a way to make our own fuel from the ample CO2 we have belched into the sky these past 200 years.
However, at the same time, people who don't need pickups and SUVs should stop driving them, no family realistically needs more than one car per driver, and we need to stop thinking that the answer to our energy crisis (and make no mistake, there is one) is to keep drilling and exploiting new petroleum reserves instead of finding a way to make our own fuel from the ample CO2 we have belched into the sky these past 200 years.
Tell that to everyone in my hometown. You at least need four wheel drive there because it gets crazy snowy in the winter but everyone and their goddamn mothers has a huge ass truck.
However, at the same time, people who don't need pickups and SUVs should stop driving them, no family realistically needs more than one car per driver, and we need to stop thinking that the answer to our energy crisis (and make no mistake, there is one) is to keep drilling and exploiting new petroleum reserves instead of finding a way to make our own fuel from the ample CO2 we have belched into the sky these past 200 years.
Tell that to everyone in my hometown. You at least need four wheel drive there because it gets crazy snowy in the winter but everyone and their goddamn mothers has a huge ass truck.
Very true. For most people, you don't need a 4WD vehicle larger than a RAV4/CR-V/Subaru Forester-ish sort of thing. If you want something even smaller, the Subaru Impreza is an AWD compact that gets well over 30 MPG. Unless you're actually going to be plowing snow in the winter, you don't need that F-150 just for dealing with snow.
Where I'm from, the Subaru Forester is a huge-ass car, bigger then anything we'd normally need....
Interesting, as the Forester is considered a "compact SUV" here. Personally, we (as in my wife and I) own one (but only one -- a RAV4 to be exact, which we got to replace a Forester) as we do need the cargo capability (based on prior experience) when we go on road trips -- even more so if/when we have kids. However, we don't have 2 of them -- our other car is an AWD sedan. One larger car is more than enough for our purposes. For that matter, if either of us were single, we wouldn't have the RAV4 either as we wouldn't need a car that big.
Of course, part of the problem is that there is, at least in the USA, a severe shortage of 4WD/AWD cars that aren't SUVs or trucks. Subaru is nice in that their entire line is AWD, but you may want to go with another manufacturer for whatever reason. Audi also has AWD across their entire product line, but you may not want a German luxury car for various reasons (budget, maintenance, etc.). All the other manufacturers, by and large, pretty much only have one or two non-SUV/truck models with AWD/4WD, if they have any at all. Also, given some experiences I've had with some of the hilly roads near where I live when it snowed, I never, ever want to drive a non-4WD/AWD car again as long as I'm living in an area where it snows. I don't need a F-150, but something like the aforementioned Subaru Impreza would be a minimum.
I've been watching this, "The Booth at the End" and I enjoy it a bit. But the people that claim the writing and acting are good... I disagree... a lot...
Upgraded from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion last night. Does have some nice things, but just as many negatives, if not more. I'm sure I'll just have to get used to the apps on computers looking and acting like those on tablets/phones in the long run.
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EDIT: Sorry, that was a bit crass of me. Suffice to say that magnets are already used in regenerative braking, but the same issues still apply.
If so, then the expenditure required to build a magnetic road network would make the hydrogen infrastructure look affordable.
Of course, part of the problem is that there is, at least in the USA, a severe shortage of 4WD/AWD cars that aren't SUVs or trucks. Subaru is nice in that their entire line is AWD, but you may want to go with another manufacturer for whatever reason. Audi also has AWD across their entire product line, but you may not want a German luxury car for various reasons (budget, maintenance, etc.). All the other manufacturers, by and large, pretty much only have one or two non-SUV/truck models with AWD/4WD, if they have any at all. Also, given some experiences I've had with some of the hilly roads near where I live when it snowed, I never, ever want to drive a non-4WD/AWD car again as long as I'm living in an area where it snows. I don't need a F-150, but something like the aforementioned Subaru Impreza would be a minimum.
Sounds totally legit, amiright?