Anyone have an idea of how “cell to pack” packaging of cells differs from “bundling cells” ?
Nice example of the impacts and costs of getting solar, Zappaman, that is very insightful.
That’s one of the biggest problems with trying to “go green”. Too many of those who’d “lose out” start stuffing their hands down your pockets like some playground perv.
Electric companies started penalising those who’d want to go solar, claiming that they’re not paying for “infrastructure” by reducing their demand on the grid. Eliminating net-metering for those who produce an excess also penalises those who have bigger better setups (on their own dime).
Want to “go green” with an electric car? Be prepared to pay fees and surcharges to “pay your fair share” because you’re ostensibly skirting gasoline taxes.
What better way to keep people off solar power, and not buy EVs, than to punish them financially for doing so.
Was gonna point out
as an example, but just goggle
https://www.google.com/search?q=electric+vehicle+surcharge
for more examples.
And Solar Power World magazine has pretty good articles discussing incentives/disincentives like credits/rebates, net-metering fights in various states, etc.
You are welcome djozz… I should mention I have gain MUCH insight from your many posts over the years also!
And Lightbringer confirms things well here too (as always, but hey?… no funny video this time?) 
Going solar here raised many (farmers’) eyebrows as I’m an anomaly coming from ranching, to high-tech, then back to rural— to the heart of the Midwest. I’ve had no less that a dozen farmers “stop by” to ask about the “solar system” and I always think to myself… “what would Carl Sagan say?”
I’m pretty sure they think I’m kinda’ “off” but they do stay interested and a FEW keep asking me every now and then if I’m still, “screwing the power company?” Good guys really… just not interested in it much beyond basic curiosity (*AND, they’ll not go solar, but drop $600k on a new combine in a heartbeat). As long as farm diesel exist… there isn’t a problem to them anyway 
Okay, okay…
Batteries used by another car manufacturer:
Seems like the top cells on the market (as of a few years ago) were these 26700s.
Why You Won't See A Koenigsegg Regera Super Battery In Your Car – www.APEX.one - YouTube “price is roughly 100 times higher” . Assuming 3.7V nominal voltage, 4.5kWh, 384 cells = 3167mAh per cell. Power output is 525kW meaning the discharge rate per cell looks to be about 370 Amps if my calculations are right.
Even if those cells aren’t at a nominal voltage, you’d need a whole order of magnitude’s difference to get to a “reasonable” to us amperage discharge rate.
Crazy
Wow… I had no idea lizards farted
Maybe if we get enough in one sealed hydroelectric turbine… they could act as capacitors or something??? (ok, enough scotch for tonight maybe)
Oh yeah, absolutely.
q: Whut’s invisible and smells like mice?
a: Snake-farts.
Without attempting to be cynical, I do not think the majority of people have any interest in trees or forests or proprieties with trees, at least that is my experience when talking with people that have land propriety, apartments, businesses, etc.
There are unfortunately people that think deforestation of old forests is reversible by just plating trees, that in itself is flawed on a couple of levels, but I am not going into that matter.
Unfortunately I do not have pictures of most of the places I have seen, I know today if you do not have photos or videos it does not exist, but there still are examples of what I am saying with deforestation for making room for solar panels, except very little photos online, especially since does not stand well with the “green energy” label.
Ewww. Those look like big scabs on the earth’s “skin”.
Interesting article on Engadget yesterday.
Dyson finally unveils its canceled electric car
Of note (to me, anyway) was the bit at the end about how you need “a fleet of profitable gasoline cars and diesel cars to offset the ‘huge losses’ on every electric vehicle made.”
That’s true. The logistics and re tooling needed to build electric powertrains and the infrastructure are significant. This is why the major automakers still make gasoline amd diesel vehicles. Demand is still too low. Americans in particular won’t be willing to give up their Honda Civic that gets 400 mi to a $35 tank of gas effortlessly and runs for 180k miles. Or their Ford Superduty that hauls their toys. Tesla has a big corner of a small market. That’s what’s keeping them in business. As soon as Ford or GM or FCA develops, markets and mass produces an affordable electric car that matches Tesla’s cars for cheaper then that will change the game. But that’s years, maybe a decade off. I think the biggest innovation to electric vehicles is in electric motorcycles like the Harlwy Davidson Live Wire, but it’s around $30,000 still.
That’s what i was thinking, and that doesn’t even include any sort of charging network to make long distance trips, just the basic commuter car.
People feel like they must have an unlimited travel range, but what’s the reality of how far they actually drive every day, starting and ending at home? 40 miles, 50, 60?
Case in point. I have 2 cars. I drive about 20 miles per day average, my wife drives the other more. That would work with an EV, but I need 2. Now say I want to take off for the weekend or for several days into the boonies, I might drive over 100, maybe 200 miles. I drove over 200 miles one way last summer to SE Oregon with my Subaru wagon fully loaded with camping gear and my two kayaks on top. This was driving up steep hills (over Santiam Pass, up the Cascade foothills). Could a Tesla do that? I doubt it. Putting any kind of extended load on battery drains it fast (anyone who owns a high power flashlight kknows this).
If it could, how would I recharge it in the woods? An RV hookup maybe? What if one’s not available? So you see the conundrum of owning an EV. For a family, it almost means owning 2 or maybe 3 vehicles…a EV (or two) for around town, or a getaway vehicle with a gas or diesel engine for longer trips. That’s pretty expensive since you need to register, insure, store/park, maintain, etc. I think some folks would do really well with an EV. I know it wouldn’t work for me (at least now).
With a Tesla with extended range battery you may well be able to but you need to plan ahead to “top off” your charge before heading up hill. Tesla does have route planning apps/maps. A stop at the Woodburn outlet or down to Eugene before heading up Santiam should get you up and over the cascades. On long down hill runs your regenerative braking will help top off the battery. Not the most ideal but will work.
I went with a friend in their Tesla through the north Cascades highway, and you do get range anxiety when battery goes down. Even if the trip planner says you can make it. We took longer routes just to hit the superchargers. Think of it as an “extended” road trip. Also even without superchargers, many places do have AC power to connect and charge. Much slower than supercharging. Out in the boonies, you will be out of luck short of bringing a power generator and gas. 
LOL.
Depending upon if these weekend trips occur every weekend (52x a year) or a some lesser frequency, it might work out to just rent a suitable recreational vehicle, such as a van for trips to the beach, a jeep or suv for mountain trips, a large luxury diesel for cross country cruising, etc. You can even rent a truck at home depot for hauling stuff for home projects. Compared to the convenience, selection and ownership cost, an occasional rental is a good deal.
Tesla is a nice car but too rich for me, i’m driving a Mitsubishi iMiEV and my daughter drives a Nissan Leaf, lots of value left in used EVs (BLF forum after all). i use a 40V lithium pack for the lawn mower, weed eater, leaf blower, chainsaw. Don’t really miss the mess and smell of watered-down alcohol-diluted gasoline gumming up carburetors.
i’d love to get a solar roof, but the first thing BoneSpurs did when he got into office was put a 25% tariff on solar panels, then went to sword dance with the saudis.
This x100. When I worked at a Toyota dealership I HATED driving Prius Primes for this reason. You can’t set your cabin temp, fans, etc. without looking over at the center touchscreen. With physical controls you can do it solely by touch.
Not just annoying, but downright dangerous because stupid people will look at it while driving. OTOH, the fact that more controls like audio, bluetooth, etc. have buttons right on the steering wheel is probably my favorite feature that most newer cars have.
People do this all the time, rent trucks, cars, motorhomes, boats, jet skis, etc. It gets expensive though long-term. A guy I know has a Leaf (1st gen I think from 2012?). It goes realistically 65-75 miles before needing charged. The regen brakes are nice though when we drive up a mountain with steep hills going back down. The battery will be 39% at the top (hills kill the range), but back to like 50% at the bottom. Downside is it gets cold in there in the winter since the heater is used for mostly defrosting the windows. It eats the battery quite a bit!
Since few separate Tesla Motors from Elon Musk, let me start with stating I don’t agree with everything he says, but he knows how to build a killer car company.
I’ve owned a Model 3 from Tesla Motors for about a year and half, and it is the best engineered and best driving car I have ever owned, by FAR.
A Home Depot employee asked me last week “how long it takes to charge that”. The correct answer would have been, how long did our phones take to charge last night? Hell if we know, we just plug them in. At home.
As far as people’s fears the grid can’t handle them, you should know that you can set how fast they pull power. If you want it to sip power at 5 amps, no problem.
How many miles in a year and a half?
Until a vehicle has shown me it’s maintenance needs for 60,000 miles it means nothing.
Then the true cost of ownership becomes clear.
When they hit 150,000 it separates the men from the boys.
Yes, I pound the miles.