Are gas cars the cigarettes of the near future?

[creeg]

I am in the process of figuring out the costs of converting a gas car to electric. Its not cheap.

The best kit that I have found so far is for a Porsche 914. You spend $2-4K on the car, take out the engine, exhaust, gas tank, etc. Then you put in an electric motor (mated to the transmission), batteries, controllers, etc. The kit is $13K and doesnt include the $1000.00 for batteries. Im still gonna do it probably, but its going to hurt my pocketbook for a while.

It will have a range of about 50 miles- which is plenty for most commuters. I will keep the VX for hauling and the weekends and long trips.

Granted, this is a very specialized industry right now. As this becomes more popular to convert to electric (and Im sure it will), and the battery technology gets cheaper and lighter, it will go down in price. But it will take a while and its wont go down that much.

So I think all the gas cars will stick around for a long time until:

1) Gas is too expensive NOT to convert or trade in for an electric vehicle
2) the government bans gas vehicles (yeah, right!)
3) the conversion to electirc or hybrid comes down in price enough that most people can afford it, and it supplants the cost for gas.

The reason I say all this is that its really not an option for most people to convert, as it is pretty expensive and it will require them to provide the maintenance on the vehicle in most cases (until there are garages that work on electric vehicles). With smoking, that required inaction to make it happen, and no money down. Converting to an electric or hybrid car requires action: either buying a new car or converting a gas one. Both of which require time and money.

But I do agree that gas cars will become "unfashionable". Especially the guzzlers like large SUVs and hummers and such. Its going to take a bit longer for that to happen though. Even here in LA where it seems like every other car is a hybrid. I think that right now is when the 50-year clock will start, not the 1970s. So around 2060, most gas vehicles will be phased out.

But like I said, I live in Los Angeles, where everyone talks about that stuff a lot more (or so I am told).

Just my 2 cents, not worth much more. :-)

[nfpgasmask]

I think that right now is when the 50-year clock will start, not the 1970s. So around 2060, most gas vehicles will be phased out.

Right, that's EXACTLY my point. 2060 WILL BE TO LATE! I've been thinking about it a lot lately....that I might, and my niece and nephew most likely WILL, see something along the lines of a global societal collapse, and quite possibly some sort of "apocalypse" scenerio.

Bart

[ZEUS]

Right, that's EXACTLY my point. 2060 WILL BE TO LATE! I've been thinking about it a lot lately....that I might, and my niece and nephew most likely WILL, see something along the lines of a global societal collapse, and quite possibly some sort of "apocalypse" scenerio.

Bart

That is your wishful thinking coming to in to play though! I could definitely see you taking your favorite pair of masks, guns, some ammo, maybe even reloading equipment and stashing it out in the desert some time... or have you done it already? And aren't you trying to import Mad Max's car?

In 2030, there will be Mad Bart and the solar powered Nisuzu VXterra hybrid, hunting rabbits in the Nevada promiseland which people die trying to get to. And I will be wearing a fake whip cream bikini, riding a stolen horse in the 100,000 densely populated Wyoming wasteland, still looking for some hot chick I've never met... and if I was to find her, you and I would both be completely happy!

[nfpgasmask]

That is your wishful thinking coming to in to play though! I could definitely see you taking your favorite pair of masks, guns, some ammo, maybe even reloading equipment and stashing it out in the desert some time... or have you done it already? And aren't you trying to import Mad Max's car?

In 2030, there will be Mad Bart and the solar powered Nisuzu VXterra hybrid, hunting rabbits in the Nevada promiseland which people die trying to get to. And I will be wearing a fake whip cream bikini, riding a stolen horse in the 100,000 densely populated Wyoming wasteland, still looking for some hot chick I've never met... and if I was to find her, you and I would both be completely happy!

Oh trust me dude, I know my "fantasy" of what I want the apocalypse to be is vastly different than what it will be. Yesterday, I posted a review of Idiocracy on my LJ, basically saying the same thing:

http://nfpgasmask.livejournal.com

Bart

PS - And yes, my Falcon is getting done, and it looks like I will have it within the next 3-4 months. Too bad gas will be appropriately expensive when it gets here. I will probably be sopping juice up off the road with a rag really soon.

[Chopper]

You're buying the Global Warming thing, lock, stock and barrel? Your (as a species) CO2 output, all activities included, is around 3 or 4 percent of the total....marginally insignificant by itself. A big part of that 4 percent is coal...your car just really doesn't figure into the scheme in a huge way. What has been done, that really impacts stuff, is strip away the forests. They (and the ocean) are our carbon sinks. Yeah, it's gettin' warmer, but it's not your car that is doing it....it's strip malls, and farms in Brazil.....it's the Teak table in your dining room, and your Rosewood bed. I am a radical greenie....and I love all things automotive. Do we need something else to burn? Yes, and for a lot of good reasons, but warming ain't one of them. Wanna save the earth and it's marvelous, wondrous diversity of life???? Plant a tree a day, and shoot three of the next five people you meet, right between the eyes. Actually, getting the humans out of the tropics altogether would be much more productive, and just as likely to happen.
It's all short term anyway....it seems that when the salinity of the Arctic Ocean and North Sea drops low enough, the Gulf Stream stops streaming, all of Europe enters an ice age overnight (literally) and the warming problem is solved Earth... 1.....clever hairless ape...0 Thank You for the rant, Bart

[creeg]

Im doing the electric car for 3 reasons:

1) dont have to pay for gas
2) minor environmental reasons
3) I get to say that I drive a zero-emissions car that I built.

I totally agree about the coal: an electric car is powered by coal when you get down to it. But if I understand it correctly, the pollution from a coal energy plant is less than from cars: its easier to scrub the exhaust from a coal plant than it is to scrub the tailpipe.

Also, I am not having any kids as a way to reduce pollution and overpopulation. That is probably one of the biggest ways I am reducing pollution: not reproducing.

And I do beleive that global warming is real, based on the evidence provided. sure, I could be mistaken- but then so is a lot of the world.

[nfpgasmask]

Also, I am not having any kids as a way to reduce pollution and overpopulation. That is probably one of the biggest ways I am reducing pollution: not reproducing.

CHEERS, MATE! HERE, HERE FOR ZERO POPULATION GROWTH.

But I just watched Idiocracy....and this movie almost made me want to go home and make babies with the wife. Just watch the first 10 minutes of it, and you will see what I mean!

Bart

[nfpgasmask]

Chop, I am 100% with you. I know that the climate change issue is only 1 small facet of the gloabal problem, and climate change is just an avalanche effect of ALL of the things rapidly changing on the planet, due to people. Again, this thread, was really just me thinking about how society now "looks down" on smokers, and how I think it will take twice as long for society to "look down" upon people driving gas vehicles, and how it will be too late anyhow. That, and how even if we switched to an alternative source of transportation, how we will be left with MOUNTAINS of "old" gasoline vehicles.

Bart

You're buying the Global Warming thing, lock, stock and barrel? Your (as a species) CO2 output, all activities included, is around 3 or 4 percent of the total....marginally insignificant by itself. A big part of that 4 percent is coal...your car just really doesn't figure into the scheme in a huge way. What has been done, that really impacts stuff, is strip away the forests. They (and the ocean) are our carbon sinks. Yeah, it's gettin' warmer, but it's not your car that is doing it....it's strip malls, and farms in Brazil.....it's the Teak table in your dining room, and your Rosewood bed. I am a radical greenie....and I love all things automotive. Do we need something else to burn? Yes, and for a lot of good reasons, but warming ain't one of them. Wanna save the earth and it's marvelous, wondrous diversity of life???? Plant a tree a day, and shoot three of the next five people you meet, right between the eyes. Actually, getting the humans out of the tropics altogether would be much more productive, and just as likely to happen.
It's all short term anyway....it seems that when the salinity of the Arctic Ocean and North Sea drops low enough, the Gulf Stream stops streaming, all of Europe enters an ice age overnight (literally) and the warming problem is solved Earth... 1.....clever hairless ape...0 Thank You for the rant, Bart

[Chopper]

Chop, I am 100% with you. I know that the climate change issue is only 1 small facet of the gloabal problem, and climate change is just an avalanche effect of ALL of the things rapidly changing on the planet, due to people. Again, this thread, was really just me thinking about how society now "looks down" on smokers, and how I think it will take twice as long for society to "look down" upon people driving gas vehicles, and how it will be too late anyhow. That, and how even if we switched to an alternative source of transportation, how we will be left with MOUNTAINS of "old" gasoline vehicles.

Bart

Volcanoes do a bunch more than humans, that is really where most of it comes from. As for the carcasses.....ultimately, they'll mine them....like the dumps.

[mdwyer]

Chop, I am 100% with you. I know that the climate change issue is only 1 small facet of the gloabal problem, and climate change is just an avalanche effect of ALL of the things rapidly changing on the planet, due to people. Again, this thread, was really just me thinking about how society now "looks down" on smokers, and how I think it will take twice as long for society to "look down" upon people driving gas vehicles, and how it will be too late anyhow. That, and how even if we switched to an alternative source of transportation, how we will be left with MOUNTAINS of "old" gasoline vehicles.

Bart

I think we already do look down on climate criminals. I certainly don't hold a whole lot of respect for this guy: What's wrong with this picture?
The sign is displaying the weight limit of a parking structure. Only the H3 fits under that limit. Many city streets have the exact same limit. If they actually enforced weight limits on city streets and parking structures, nobody'd be able to drive a Hummer anywhere.

Still, I can't quite make myself feel bad for buying fruit out of season and stuff like that. I'd really like to be able to take a train to places, but out in the west, we just want our cars too much. I'm certainly picking the low-hanging fruit -- I've got a programmable thermostat, CF lightbulbs, etc. But I'm still willing to spend $20 worth of gas to make it up to the mountains.

[creeg]

And I will be wearing a fake whip cream bikini, riding a stolen horse in the 100,000 densely populated Wyoming wasteland, still looking for some hot chick I've never met... and if I was to find her, you and I would both be completely happy!

Im assuming this is a movie reference, but I dont know what movie.

[Mark B]

Civilization was stagnant for thousands of years. Man invented the wheel and built a cart and pulled it behind a horse. Thus the invention of transportation.
No one invented anything new for a very long time.
When the alien space ship crashed in Roswell, Nevada, the US government got all the current techonology from that ship to bring civilization to what it is today.
I am sure that we will find a way to invent some form of clean and economical transportation before we pollute the earth and run out of oil.
For now I still love to drive my VX.

[navistar]

Global warming and cooling is a natural, cyclic thing...period. It's caused by the Sun's radiation...duration, output level and type of nuclear activity.

But beyond the PC & BS there is no consensus among thousands of scientists that the Earth is experiencing a rise in average global temperature. It's a political agenda thing.

http://opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110008597
http://www.cato.org/pubs/regulation/.../reg15n2g.html
http://www.populartechnology.net/200...l-warming.html
http://theanchoressonline.com/2007/0...lobal-warming/

and hundreds of other articles....

For those of you who are that concerned and want to do your part...cancel Moab.

[Ldub]

For those of you who are that concerned and want to do your part...cancel Moab.

BLASPHEMY !...don't you blaspheme in here...

[nfpgasmask]

Well, this thread turned out to be as interesting as I thought it would be.

We are all very opinionated about what we think is happening. I'm sure there were similar conversations just like this one, about smoking. Take the below quotes, and change them a bit...

You're buying the smoking causes lung cancer thing, lock, stock and barrel?

Im quitting smoking for 3 reasons:
1) dont have to pay for cigarettes
2) minor health issues
3) I get to say that I kicked that dirty habit.

I am sure that we will find a way to make smoking safe before we all die from lung cancer. For now I still love to toke my Reds.

Lung cancer and heart attacks are hereditary, a genetic thing...period.

And finally, me:

CHEERS, MATE! HERE, HERE FOR SMOKE FREE RESTAURANTS!

But I just watched Thank You For Smoking....and this movie almost made me want to go to the store and buy a carton of Luckys. Just watch the first 10 minutes of it, and you will see what I mean!

So, you see what I am getting at here. This thread perfectly illustrates what I was originally writing about. I know this was a really odd thread, and probably both pointless and stupid, but...

I don't know what is true. I don't really know if smoking causes lung cancer or if greenhouse gasses really do cause climate change. But what I DO KNOW, is that there are consequences to human activity, and I don't think we as a species have the brain power, or the collective will to fix it before its to late.

Bart