Gigafactory

Quote: DRich

I have never known any girl/woman that got excited about a big engine or going fast. The ones I know all like "pretty" cars and luxurious brand name expensive cars.

I have no idea where everyone is meeting their women. Was just at the races last night and it was packed with hotties. Every time a 604 sits there idling and then the driver makes it bark, there's a visible cringe of pleasure and their thighs get all jello-y. It's a scene =)

Some women are attracted to power. They
love riding on the back of a loud Harley.

If you ever go to those race boat shows, which burn like 2-4 gallons per minute, there are a lot of cute girls. Of course any man with a hobby like that has money to burn.

An Unlimited Hydroplane iscapable of speeds in excess of 200 mph with a 3000 hp (2.2 megawatt) engine.

Quote: Evenbob

Some women are attracted to power. They love riding on the back of a loud Harley.

But prefer to ride on the front of one.

Quote: Pacomartin

If you ever go to those race boat shows, which burn like 2-4 gallons per minute, there are a lot of cute girls. Of course any man with a hobby like that has money to burn.

any man with a hydroplane does not waste his time in team sports or working for others. He probably owns a business related to engines, boats, planes...whatever. Its the high disposable income and free time that attracts the ladies who are too smart to waste time on men who tolerate teams or committees.

Quote: Pacomartin

I have read several analysts that say that we should stop messing with EVs and work on hydrogen cars as the real world changing technology.

It's understandable that every new technology has some bumps and glitches at the beginning. Early adapters have to have a strong stomach for risk-taking.

Nevertheless, there are several furious Southern Californians who lease Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell SUVs that are encountering every driver's worst nightmare: the hydrogen fueling stations that they thought they could rely on keep closing for weeks at a time. For example, a man in Corona Del Mar, California lives within 20 minutes of three hydrogen stations, and yet all three stations have been closed for over a month. In other words, he's spending $500/month to lease a vehicle that won't drive.

This kind of negative P.R. can spread like wildfire. Toyota and Hyundai really ought to step in and fix this immediately if they are serious about the widespread adoption of hydrogen. Personally, I just don't think they're serious about this technology. Tesla is on track to sell 55,000 EVs in 2015. Toyota might perhaps maybe sell 700 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Sure, I'd love to own a Tesla. But a Toyota Mirai? No way.

Quote: reno

Nevertheless, there are several furious Southern Californians who lease Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell SUVs that are encountering every driver's worst nightmare: the hydrogen fueling stations that they thought they could rely on keep closing for weeks at a time.

moving hydrogen around isn't precisely easy, either.

I wonder how much it would cost to set up a home H2 refueling station. The setup is rather simple, but it requires a great deal of electricity, In the Southwest, perhaps this could be done with solar panels. But then, how long would it take to refill a regular car?

As I have said before, fuel cells are in effect just another type of battery. Hydrogen is created using electricity. Fuel cell cars do solve the range problem of EV's though.

Not sure I am comfortable though with the idea of driving down the freeway with thousands of other mini Hindenbergs beside me.

The idea of the house beside me producing, storing and pressurizing hydrogen with a home generator is even scarier.

Quote: reno

Sure, I'd love to own a Tesla. But a Toyota Mirai? No way.

I thought you got the make wrong and made a misspelling, and had no idea what a Mazda Murai had to do with fuel savings. Guess my head's just in a certain place...

Quote: kenarman

Not sure I am comfortable though with the idea of driving down the freeway with thousands of other mini Hindenbergs beside me.

Someone needs to explain this to me. I mean, sure, H is extremely unstable, more so than petrol or propane. But petrol and propane aren't exactly "safe", and there's millions of gallons of the stuff on the roads everyday. Propane tanks are being toted in trucks to camp, they're on RV's and pop-ups, they're used in big rigs, they're in converted autos... I don't ever remember hearing of the multiple propane disasters in the news. How is H so much worse?

Then compare it to petrol. H has a huge expansion ratio, something over 800 (propane is around 250). So a cubic foot of liquid H will turn into 800+ cubic feet of gaseous H when released. That is a big fireball. But I wonder if it's more dangerous? It seems to me that, while impressive, any fireball would be very limited. You get a big whoomp, and then it's over. Compare that to petrol. When released, petrol will likewise evaporate and atomize into a flammable cloud. When it whoomps, the fireball will be much smaller, but there will still likely be a large pool of the liquid stuff left. That means it'll burn and burn and burn for much longer than its gaseous counterpart. I dunno their energy output or the result of such on flesh, but I have a hard time envisioning an H fire burning even long enough to ignite the car, whereas other liquid petroleum products (brake fluid, oils, petrol) burn cars to the ground daily.

Is the fear of H overblown?

Quote: Face

Someone needs to explain this to me. I mean, sure, H is extremely unstable, more so than petrol or propane.

I've read conflicting accounts. Some claim it's as safe as gasoline, others say it's even safer, others say it's less safe. take a half pound of salt and call me in the morning :)

The Hindenburg is more complicated than "it was filled with hydrogen." There's a very good chance the fire started in the paint used to coat it. Even if the fire began with a hydrogen leak, what really burned hot was the paint. Hydrogen produces a very light, bluish flame. It's nearly invisible in daylight.

Anyway, we've advanced a bit since the 1930s, I think.