The Very-Many-Questions-Not-Worth-Their-Own-Thread Thread ΛΕ

[tjs282]

That range isn't good enough for driving in England.

Almost certainly utter nonsense. Who do you (or your 'friends') know in England who drives a car >300 km (~187 miles) without a pause, on a daily basis? Anyone who's commuting that far, on a single journey (that's >2.5 hours, at an average of 70 mph) should probably be seriously re-thinking their life-choices anyway...

That was one of their complaints. Driving an electric car to save the environment is pointless if the electricity is still generated by fossil fuels.

If burning fossil fuels is 'essential', then it's much more efficient (and cleaner for urban environments) if those fuels are burned in a highly regulated/monitored fashion, at a single central (non-urban) electricity-generation plant and the energy then transmitted by wire, than it is to burn those fuels directly to drive multiple, inefficient ICEs (into the towns).

On the environment though, they see its destruction as a good thing as it represents "mankind's ultimate conquest over nature". Another thing they mentioned, they don't believe in global warming, but if it does exist then it's already too late so switching to electric cars is pointless.

Then they truly are idiots. But you should know that already (you've been told often enough).

What they said car companies should do is instead of electric cars, they should research into a source of power and energy that hasn't been discovered yet and use that for cars.

Oh right, the pie-in-the-sky solution....

Honestly Chukchi, I really don't understand why you haven't dumped these poisonous losers already? They are not your friends. They don't sound like anyone's friends.

 

[cardgame]

However, it's very hard to see how we combat global warming if everybody and their grandma still insists on driving around a car. No energy is free. And shifting around a ~1000 kg of mass everyday requires a lot of energy no matter how you look at it. Personal transportation is a huge problem we don't have a green solution for. Individual electric cars are better, but not good enough.

Personal transportation is mandatory in rural america if you want to have any degree of freedom whatsoever. This won't change on a technology basis.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Personal transportation is mandatory in rural america if you want to have any degree of freedom whatsoever. This won't change on a technology basis.

And not just the US either. I'd dare say that the majority of the world more closely resembles the American rather than European model when it comes to public transportation. I'd be thrilled if I were wrong though. Sadly, even in cities in the US you are still most likely going to have only one viable transportation option - a personal car.

 

[cardgame]

At least in cities taxis and buses exist.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

And those should be electric too.

 

[Snerk]

People are unable or unwilling (or somewhere in between) to give up cars as the preferred form of personal transportation all over the world. That's why it's a huge problem. The is no real green solution to that.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

People are unable or unwilling (or somewhere in between) to give up cars as the preferred form of personal transportation all over the world. That's why it's a huge problem. The is no real green solution to that.

Right but renewable and distributed energy distribution for electric cars will take a massive bite out of the problem.

 

[Snerk]

Right but renewable and distributed energy distribution for electric cars will take a massive bite out of the problem.

For sure. But not enough and not fast enough to avoid the global pressure cooker scenario.

 

[Samson]

And not just the US either. I'd dare say that the majority of the world more closely resembles the American rather than European model when it comes to public transportation. I'd be thrilled if I were wrong though. Sadly, even in cities in the US you are still most likely going to have only one viable transportation option - a personal car.

I have been to quite a few places all over the world and used public transport. By far the worst is the US. The countries are either poor, so not many people have cars so public transport is essential, or Europe / Japan / Korea that all have very good public transport. After the US it is probably the UK that has the worst.
[EDIT] I think laws should be introduced to make motor bikes a much safer alternative to cars. They are much more fuel efficient, and it solves the congestion problem at the same time. I am not sure what those laws would be however.

 

[Chukchi Husky]

300km should be plenty for England, England is smol.

For the last year my wife and I took turns commuting 50 miles (one way) into LA in an electric car - a bargain basement electric car with the lowest mileage capability of any EV on the market. Somehow I don't think the average English bloke makes that kind of daily commute.

I think the idea is that an electric car with more range has a larger battery capacity, so it can go longer without a charge, because it takes so long to charge the batteries.

And in any case, the amount of pollution generated by a central grid (or solar panels) to power a car is a lot less than the pollution produced by a gasoline car. Even our dirtiest coal-fired plants are much more efficient than an internal combustion engine. Efficiency is largely a function of size of the power plant (really, it's temperature but size is a decent stand-in here) and the tiny engines in cars can't touch a modern power plant when it comes to efficiency.

I've told them several times that electric cars are more efficient than normal cars, but they just ignore it.

Almost certainly utter nonsense. Who do you (or your 'friends') know in England who drives a car >300 km (~187 miles) without a pause, on a daily basis? Anyone who's commuting that far, on a single journey (that's >2.5 hours, at an average of 70 mph) should probably be seriously re-thinking their life-choices anyway...

Jeremy Clarkson?

Then they truly are idiots. But you should know that already (you've been told often enough).

They're smarter than I am.

Honestly Chukchi, I really don't understand why you haven't dumped these poisonous losers already? They are not your friends. They don't sound like anyone's friends.

I'm the loser. I don't deserve to have friends.

 

[Takhisis]

They're smarter than I am.

I'm the loser. I don't deserve to have friends.

No and no.

 

[Hrothbern]

With no threat "ask a Brit, Canadian, etc"

I am looking at a TV documentary on the life of Queen Elisabeth.
A long life as person and as Queen, but everything comes to an end.

Q
How will countries in the Commonwealth, that have her as Queen, as head of state, react when she resigns or dies ?
For almost everybody living in the Commonwealth the Crown and the person Elisabeth are one.
Will her successor still be the King of all these Commonwealth countries ?

 

[sophie]

Jeremy Clarkson?

A celebrity who runs are car talk show? Are you a celebrity who runs a car talk show? Are any of your friends celebrities who run car talk shows?

 

[Arakhor]

How will countries in the Commonwealth, that have her as Queen, as head of state,
Will her successor still be the King of all these Commonwealth countries ?

Unless the 16 various countries with the Queen as head of state each take the opportunity to institute a republic instead, then yes, either Charles or William will be the next monarch of those 16 countries. They will not automatically be the next Head of the Commonwealth, though that is expected.

 

[cardgame]

They're smarter than I am.

I'm the loser. I don't deserve to have friends.

That sounds like something you've let them convince you of. And you're smart enough to question their viewpoints.

 

[Cutlass]

People are unable or unwilling (or somewhere in between) to give up cars as the preferred form of personal transportation all over the world. That's why it's a huge problem. The is no real green solution to that.

Carbon taxes can change people's choices.

Personal transportation is mandatory in rural america if you want to have any degree of freedom whatsoever. This won't change on a technology basis.

Maybe not. But it is also a small, and declining, share of the number of people in the world.

Again, we don't need a one size fits all solution. If fossil fuels can't be replaced for all applications, they can be replaced on the order of 80 or 90%.

I'm told that hybrids are just as pointless.



That range isn't good enough for driving in England.



That was one of their complaints. Driving an electric car to save the environment is pointless if the electricity is still generated by fossil fuels.

On the environment though, they see its destruction as a good thing as it represents "mankind's ultimate conquest over nature". Another thing they mentioned, they don't believe in global warming, but if it does exist then it's already too late so switching to electric cars is pointless.

What they said car companies should do is instead of electric cars, they should research into a source of power and energy that hasn't been discovered yet and use that for cars.

I think the idea is that an electric car with more range has a larger battery capacity, so it can go longer without a charge, because it takes so long to charge the batteries.



I've told them several times that electric cars are more efficient than normal cars, but they just ignore it.



Jeremy Clarkson?



They're smarter than I am.



I'm the loser. I don't deserve to have friends.

What you need to do with these people, is that whenever they say something to you, look them in the eye and say to them: "You are the stupidest person I have ever met in my life." And then you need to take to heart the fact that they are sincerely stupider than they claim that you are. And how do I know that? Because you are smart enough to question what you are being told. And they are so stupid that they are incapable of questioning what they are told to believe. And everything that they have been told to believe is wrong.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Unless the 16 various countries with the Queen as head of state each take the opportunity to institute a republic instead, then yes, either Charles or William will be the next monarch of those 16 countries. They will not automatically be the next Head of the Commonwealth, though that is expected.

Ooooooookay. I was following along fine on this monarchy stuff, but what is a "head of the commonwealth" if it isn't whoever is king/queen in all the countries IN the commonwealth?

 

[Takhisis]

Not all the countries in the Commonwealth are monarchies anymore, Tim.

What you need to do with these people, is that whenever they say something to you, look them in the eye and say to them: "You are the stupidest person I have ever met in my life." And then you need to take to heart the fact that they are sincerely stupider than they claim that you are. And how do I know that? Because you are smart enough to question what you are being told. And they are so stupid that they are incapable of questioning what they are told to believe. And everything that they have been told to believe is wrong.

Stupid or dishonest.

 

[Arakhor]

There are 53 nations in the Commonwealth, of which 31 are republics and 'only' 16 with the Queen as head of state. The Head of the Commonwealth is thus an appointed position, in order to provide a figurehead for all nations in the Commonwealth, not just those who retain the Queen as head of state.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

Not all the countries in the Commonwealth are monarchies anymore, Tim.

Okay, got that. Still doesn't answer the 'head of the commonwealth' question. A quick skim of weak sources tells me that the queen is also the head of the commonwealth and it is considered among her royal titles, and does verify that said title does not automatically pass on along with the throne...but I can't seem to find anything about how to determine who the next one will be.

EDIT: Ah...so Charles, who is the next king, "just happens" to be the designated successor as head of the commonwealth also. So, it isn't hereditary or anything, it just worked out. Got it.