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Eh don't think for a minute they have intentions of bringing to market the F150 Lightning without having thought some of what you've mentioned through. It would not be successful and they are all about success at this point in time. My ID.4 on days so far below freezing where I'll use my heated seats and some heat, like say 80 degrees to stay warm has only taken off a tad more than 5% extra from the battery life. So you are a bit exaggerating. It's not quite that dramatic a drop. There are different modes one can choose from that changes the battery usage as well. I believe last I looked at some reviews of the Lighting they are going to offer it with 3 battery sizes to choose from, so that helps. Besides I see no chance of a drive from Teutonia to Idaho Falls taking even 1/2 the battery even in winter.
Probably for trips to town and back. I wonder how he will feel when his 240 mile range drops to 150 or less on a 0 degree winter day due to the heater using up the battery power. Driving faster for less trip time doesn't solve the problem.
At least the newer F150 chassis retained a frame, but putting a load on it is not gonna work like a 3/4 ton or larger, and the range is gonna become even less. With a load, in winter, I bet you'll be on the edge or range for a round trip from, say, a Tetonia farm to Idaho Falls. And it won't go far at all towing a trailer.... the energy used in overcoming the wind resistance of a medium or large sized trailer trailer far exceeds the energy used to move the vehicle by itself.
The Teslas don't seem to have a cold weather performance problem. Their heaters use the heat generated by battery discharge, much like the heaters are in cars now, that use engine heat to warm the inside of the car.
I don't know much, though. I'm mostly relying on Ford's reputation for building good trucks.
But those car batteries are not at all like the old lead batteries we're still using in our gas-powered cars.
Since those advanced lithium batteries are so different, Ford may have the cold weather problem licked; Ford engineers were certainly aware of cold weather starting, so the company wouldn't attempt to sell a truck that won't start in extreme cold.
Michigan gets as cold as Idaho. Ford always has made vehicles that start in cold weather. Their guys found ways to make gasoline, diesel, propane and other fuels work in engines they designed. I don't expect it's any different with electricity. Their present hybrid trucks always start and run on electricity first, and the gas engine only kicks in after it has warmed up.
I guess we will both have to just wait and see how well the Lightning does here.
Most of what you say is based on the need for power, but the drive from Tetonia to Idaho Falls pulling a heavy load in a truck has been successfully done daily by trucks with far less power and less sophistication for at least 90 years. Ever since trucks over took horse teams hauling spuds to market.
The only difference in 90 years is the speed of travel.
All trucks were slower than cars for most of my life. The trucks that could hit 90 mph were all recent developments. The most recent of all are the truck's return to small 4-cylinder engines that can pull the same load it once took a V-8 to pull at half the speed.
Those problems you mentioned were exactly the same back then, but auto engineers conquered them with the gas engines. I see to reason why the engineers couldn't conquer the same old problems with new solutions.
Bill Gates' nuclear-power firm will help build a $170 million experimental nuclear reactor in Idaho
I've heard of this, but know nothing at all about what Gates' intentions are.
I expect Gates wants to try to develop very small reactors that use very little fuel and are transportable. And modular.
Gates has spent really a lot of time in Africa and the Sahara, trying to find ways to fight diseases. Power is an important element in that fight, especially in dry Africa's places where anything other than muscle power is hard to find.
There's a lot of impetus in the nuclear industry now to leave the huge nuclear power station complexes behind as obsolete remnants of the past.
Ariva, the big French reactor company, has already made some serious plans to begin building some kind of production facility here. The land has been purchased, and they're now in the permitting process.
Ariva built all the tiny French reactors that are now used there for small-town power generation. They're one of Europe's nuclear leaders in the industry. The company sees a great future here for their products, especially in Alaska's outback.
I think Gates may be working with Ariva in some way or other. His goals are probably different, but the solutions may be very similar.
That's one thing about Bill Gates. The guy knows the value of being the firstest with the mostest. Microsoft didn't ever spend time inventing computers. IBM did that. Microsoft just made an IBM a computer anyone could use. Ariva could become Gates' next IBM.
Well take some time to read up on the use of electricity for heat in cold weather, guys. One Alaska school bus uses more electricity to heat the kids than used for the running operation; that is the usage measured by the operators. So it is not trivial. Here is an actual test; you would be well served IMHO to read things like this test in Michigan; it is for a Tesla 3 which does NOT use any battery discharge heat but just a straight resistance heater: https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a3...fect-ev-range/
This test shows a drop in range from 243 to 173 miles with the heaters full on. Changing to a heat pump will drop that usage due to heat pump efficiency.
Dcisive, I know you like you new EV, but the energy use is what it is. A cold interior when sitting outside overnight just needs a bunch of heat for folks to be comfy. If your EV is indoors overnight every night, then that is not showing what the use can be, and you are not driving yet in really cold temps. And BTW, the advertised range for the F150 EV is 240 miles with the standard battery, not close to 300 miles which is only for the extended battery option. A 2way trip Tetonia to IF is 130 miles.. over half the advertised range.
Mike, power is not energy use. Energy use and limits is like the size of the gas tank. Try driving a 1/2 ton PU from Tetonia to IF and back on a 4 gallon gas tank.... that is the problem: energy storage, not power. (The EV F150 advertises plenty of power and torque, though it is unknown by me and everyone at this time if it can sustain the needed power output to do real towing or load hauling without overheating the motors.)
And yes, there are some newer large vehicles that use 4 cylinder engines... I rented an Expedition with a 2.7L turbo a couple of years back... it needed a 10 speed automatic trannie to make that work LOL. But no, it is NOT rated to pull the same load as a larger V8; that is just a fact. And there is no way you are going to tow a livestock trailer very far with that 2.7L 4 banger; it is not going to hold up. There is LOT more here than speed of travel.
You're right... it will be what it will be. But not some dream... nor will farm or contractor use be anything like an individual's commuter experience. I can't even start to pull a 20' trailer for the 350 miles one way average trip distance that we do for work, with ANY EV truck on the market or currently advertised; it would literally take 2-3 days of 16 hours per day of either driving or re-charging to make that trip one way! A range in that scenario of well under 100 miles is what will be the result. And hauling extra batteries will reach a point of diminishing returns; you either haul batteries or payload. Moving a lot of cattle from field to field all day long is going to be the same deal....
Last edited by nm9stheham; 11-24-2021 at 11:45 AM..
I've heard of this, but know nothing at all about what Gates' intentions are.
I expect Gates wants to try to develop very small reactors that use very little fuel and are transportable. And modular.
Gates has spent really a lot of time in Africa and the Sahara, trying to find ways to fight diseases. Power is an important element in that fight, especially in dry Africa's places where anything other than muscle power is hard to find.
There's a lot of impetus in the nuclear industry now to leave the huge nuclear power station complexes behind as obsolete remnants of the past.
Ariva, the big French reactor company, has already made some serious plans to begin building some kind of production facility here. The land has been purchased, and they're now in the permitting process.
Ariva built all the tiny French reactors that are now used there for small-town power generation. They're one of Europe's nuclear leaders in the industry. The company sees a great future here for their products, especially in Alaska's outback.
I think Gates may be working with Ariva in some way or other. His goals are probably different, but the solutions may be very similar.
That's one thing about Bill Gates. The guy knows the value of being the firstest with the mostest. Microsoft didn't ever spend time inventing computers. IBM did that. Microsoft just made an IBM a computer anyone could use. Ariva could become Gates' next IBM.
Terrapower is not the scientific developer of these so you're probably right: they are the implementors, not designers.
Ditto for Terrpower's planned reactor in WY; the actual makers are GE and a Japanese firm. IDk who is the design firm for the ID proposal. Sounds like Mike is making a good guess!
I think they're all seeking new technological answers to some large new problems.
It's interesting to me that when gasoline was a new fuel, it only became popular because it was a cheaper alternative to kerosene.
And kerosene as a fuel for the internal combustion engine only became popular when the internal combustion engines became more powerful than the battery-powered electric cars, the very first cars to become popular motor driven vehicles.
Up until then, gasoline was nothing but a troublesome by-product that had to be burned off to make oil lubricants. Those lubricants were extremely more valuable because they were by far the best lubrication for steam-powered engines, especially locomotives. No other oil could ever withstand the steam and heat of the locomotive, the most vital transportation humans ever invented.
Kerosene was much the same. Another troublesome by-product until it's ability to produce the same clear, white light as whale oil produced was discovered. At much less cost than whale oil eventually.
Before kerosene, only the most wealthy humans could ever enjoy an evening that was lit in home by beautiful, bright, strong, white light. Smoke free.
Whale oil was also the very best lubricant available to humanity until people learned how to refine oil.
Lubrication was vital to the machine age. White light was a luxury, but never a necessity.
Nowadays, since electricity is so cheap, we all stay awake longer in the night than our ancestors ever did.
We all take for granted something that was once reserved for only royalty. Their extravagance has become our nightly necessity.
We have also never known how pleasant whale oil smells as it burns. The scent itself was nothing but a by-product of ambergris in the whale oil.
That's humanity. As we progress as a species, we have always abandoned something that was good for something better. Most often when the new isn't any better than the old, just cheaper and more abundant.
Idaho Falls man charged in Capitol riot spent two hours on Capitol grounds, was pepper sprayed
The article adds that he: "was in and around the Capitol for more than two hours during the riot."
He traveled there from Idaho Falls?
So he was IN the Capitol. That's a violation right there, regardless of how much he tries to minimize it. Meanwhile, he's not minimizing on facebook how proud he is for having participated. I should think his remorseless attitude could get him the max punishment: one year plus another possible half year in prison.
'Pioneers': Idaho's new hemp industry draws first applicants
By ERIN BANKS RUSBY erubsy@idahopress.com
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