Category Archives: Automobiles

How Much Oil is in an Electric Vehicle? by Nicholas LePan

Posted on September 28, 2019 by

LePan shows how plastics, made from fossil fuels, make up so much of a car, plus lighten the weight so the car can go further on gasoline. Since fossil fuels are finite, many assume we’ll just make them out of … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Automated vehicles: more driving, energy wasted, & congestion

Posted on August 1, 2019 by

Preface. There’s no need to actually worry about how automated vehicles will be used and their potential congestion, energy use, and whether there are enough rare earth minerals to make them possible, because they simply can never be fully automated, … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Energy Efficiency | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

EV cars only go half as far in freezing weather

Posted on July 29, 2019 by

Preface.    Below freezing, li-ion batteries don’t perform as well.  Consumer reports found that about half the driving range was lost.  Perhaps this is why nearly half of PHEV/BEV vehicles are sold in balmy California, while the half of the states … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Lithium-ion | Tagged | 5 Comments

Not enough lithium to electrify transportation

Posted on September 24, 2018 by

Preface. Breaking news: The New York times just reported that there are only 25 years of zinc reserves left and goes on to say that lithium reserves are even smaller — just 5% of zinc reserves (Penn 2018).  The authors of … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Electrification, Peak Lithium | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

If we really cared about CO2, we’d reduce car size and weight, not make electric cars

Posted on December 8, 2017 by

Preface. Since my book “When trucks stop running: Energy and the future of transportation makes the case that it’s trucks that need to be electrified to keep civilization going, since biofuels don’t scale up, natural gas and liquefied coal are … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Electrification | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Notes from “The Powerhouse: Inside the Invention of a Battery to Save the World” by Steve LeVine

Posted on December 2, 2016 by

[ My notes from 2015 “The Powerhouse: Inside the Invention of a Battery to Save the World” by Steve LeVine follow this introduction. I read this book because I’ve done extensive research on batteries and was surprised by all the … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Batteries, Energy | Tagged , | 1 Comment

A billion new autos by 2030 will kill climate change

Posted on October 13, 2016 by

[ By 2030 we’ll be 25 years past peak conventional oil production, as well as the tiny amount unconventional oil kicked the numbers slightly up from the conventional oil plateau, and there will be a lot fewer autos on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Climate Change | Comments Off on A billion new autos by 2030 will kill climate change

Natural gas is a stupid transportation fuel

Posted on September 23, 2016 by

[ My comment: The only reason natural gas has come up as a transportation fuel at all is the false belief that there is 100 years of natural gas (even this article does, but natural gas may last far less … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Natural Gas Vehicles, Transportation | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Natural gas is a stupid transportation fuel

What is most energy efficient mass transit mode: bus, rail, or auto?

Posted on April 28, 2016 by

Before I get started on which of these transportation modes is better, consider how much lightweighting buses, locomotives, (and trucks) would save on energy.  I can’t find similar figures for trucks and locomotives, but the next 2 slides about autos … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Mass Transit, Railroads | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on What is most energy efficient mass transit mode: bus, rail, or auto?

Who Killed the Electric Car and more importantly, the Electric Truck?

Posted on March 22, 2016 by

Preface. Who cares about electric cars?  Civilization ends when trucks stop running, and trucks can’t run on batteries because they’re too heavy (93% of the cargo weight, 25% of the cargo space), and an all-electric truck fleet would require thousands … Continue reading →

Posted in Automobiles, Batteries, Critical Thinking, Electric trucks impossible, Electrification, Transportation, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Who Killed the Electric Car and more importantly, the Electric Truck?