What is the benefit to society of Battery Building Obama Style?

Quote from LordOfChaos : Drive 1000 miles then sit and charge for 20 hours? Or will charging be more efficient too?

If it is a breakthrough, I'm sure the charging would be more efficient, too.

Quote : Oh and you realize that the majority of electricity in the US is created by fossil fuels right? I am curious to know the actual cost and resources used from electric cars vs. normal ones in manufacture and operation.

Which is why the government is investing in research on alternative sources of energy including renewables and fusion.

As for the actual costs and resources, the only fair comparison would be if you increase the cost of fossil fuel vehicles to account for the cost of infrastructure already established for these vehicles (gas stations, pipelines, refineries, etc.) as well as the negative externalities associated with tailpipe emissions.

Quote from MISHNAH : Like I said, we've be trying to do this for 100+ years,

We haven't done jack shit on battery technology for 100 years. Almost all of the R&D funding have gone into fossil fuel technologies during that time period.

Quote : And no, you cannot say "good bye" to fossil fuels because A) cars are heavily made of petroleum-derived plastics,

I meant to say good bye to fossil fuel as internal combustion energy source.

Quote : and B) most electricity is made by burning fossil fuels.

Hence the increased government R&D funding into alternative sources of energy. . . . .

Quote : The longer the distance between the power output and power input, the more room there is for waste. An electric car is pretty damn inefficient when a large percentage of power is lost through transmission between the plant and your garage outlet. Having a small generator on-board the vehicle would cut that loss to a minimum. Thats why trains and most heavy equipment run diesel generators with electric motors doing the actual work.

I'm sure the government is increasing the R&D funding for research into room-temperature superconductors. . ..

Quote from Danman114 : Who's to say a better technology than batteries won't come along absent government subsidies?

Did you ask this question to DARPA and Vint Cerf?

Quote from kharvel : That is no longer the case.

No longer the case compared to what? 0bama's pie-in-the-sky source of efficient, readily-available, carbon neutral power that doesn't actually exist?

Quote from BigBananaMess : No longer the case compared to what? 0bama's pie-in-the-sky source of efficient, readily-available, carbon neutral power that doesn't actually exist?

No longer the case compared to 20 years, 40 years, 50 years, and even 100 years ago.

Quote from kharvel : No longer the case compared to 20 years, 40 years, 50 years, and even 100 years ago.

Fossil fuels have become more clean and efficient over those time periods, not less, due to modern technologies. And they are still cheap in real dollars.

So, I'll ask again. What is out there today that will eliminate the need for fossil fuels in the forseeable future?

Quote from BigBananaMess : Fossil fuels have become more clean and efficient over those time periods, not less, due to modern technologies. And they are still cheap in real dollars.

Compare the technological progress in fossil fuels with the progress we have made in solid-state electronics.

In less than 30 years, we have squeezed down a Cray supercomputer into a handheld machine (iPhone 5). Fossil fuels had over 100 years to make significant progress. Instead, we went from 8 miles per gallon to 30 miles per gallon and most of the energy in fossil fuels are still wasted as heat even today.

It will take another 100 years for us to reach 100 miles per gallon. I think we can get to 100 mpg much, much faster with electricity than with fossil fuels. Tesla Motors utilizes solid-state electronics, semiconductors, etc. in their batteries to extract 300 miles in a single charge. I wouldn't be surprised if someone made a breakthrough in which we could get 1000 miles in a single charge at the same price.

Quote : So, I'll ask again. What is out there today that will eliminate the need for fossil fuels in the forseeable future?

Technologies such as batteries that will get us to 100 mpg in 10 years when it would take fossil fuels another 100 years to get to 100 mpg.

Quote from kharvel : For starters, if a breakthrough is achieved, we could have electric cars going 1000 miles before charging and costing the same as today's car. Then we can say good bye to fossil fuels.

Quote from kharvel : It will take another 100 years for us to reach 100 miles per gallon. I think we can get to 100 mpg much, much faster with electricity than with fossil fuels. ... Technologies such as batteries that will get us to 100 mpg in 10 years when it would take fossil fuels another 100 years to get to 100 mpg.

OK, I got it loud and clear. Electricity and Batteries will replace fossil fuels as the energy source of the future. There is no point in arguing with that.

Quote from BigBananaMess : OK, I got it loud and clear. Electricity and Batteries will replace fossil fuels as the energy source of the future. There is no point in arguing with that.

Windmill power is the energy source of the future for cars. Of this there can be no disagreement.

Quote from kharvel : Compare the technological progress in fossil fuels with the progress we have made in solid-state electronics. In less than 30 years, we have squeezed down a Cray supercomputer into a handheld machine (iPhone 5). Fossil fuels had over 100 years to make significant progress. Instead, we went from 8 miles per gallon to 30 miles per gallon and most of the energy in fossil fuels are still wasted as heat even today. It will take another 100 years for us to reach 100 miles per gallon. I think we can get to 100 mpg much, much faster with electricity than with fossil fuels. Tesla Motors utilizes solid-state electronics, semiconductors, etc. in their batteries to extract 300 miles in a single charge. I wouldn't be surprised if someone made a breakthrough in which we could get 1000 miles in a single charge at the same price. Technologies such as batteries that will get us to 100 mpg in 10 years when it would take fossil fuels another 100 years to get to 100 mpg.

And that 100MPG tesla will still cost 100,000 dollars.

Quote from politicaljunkie : Why do people need personal computers when they take up an entire room? What, are we supposed to all have boxes of punch cards?

Why doesn't the federal government subsidize Apple so that we can get an maps application that actually works?

Quote from Hawk2007 : Why doesn't the federal government subsidize Apple so that we can get an maps application that actually works?

I know, right? Can you imagine how much better the maps app would be if the govt was involved? Hell, they'd probably have the iPhone 8 out already if the govt got involved.

Quote from Hawk2007 : Why doesn't the federal government subsidize Apple so that we can get an maps application that actually works?

Interestingly, without the evil, wasteful government, none of those map apps would work--and if they did, they sure as hell wouldn't be free.

Quote from politicaljunkie : Interestingly, without the evil, wasteful government, none of those map apps would work--and if they did, they sure as hell wouldn't be free.

Hmmm.... why was GPS developed?