And as I've stated before, I'm glad I'm the age I am because I will be checking out before the you-know-what hits the fan...

 

Pretty sure we all will be by the time 2176 comes rolling around to check on this.

As I indicated in my post, its unlikely we'll see that unless we get global warming under control though, so who knows what the world will look like at the end of our grandchildren's grandchildren's time. Assuming we persist as a people that long.

 

Your probably right. But until then I'm going to keep the AC at 65 degrees and proudly drive my gas guzzlers to leave as large carbon footprint as I can.

 

Agreed.

Though in some ways, this is the root of why we have these problems. Many of the decision makers are older and of the opinion that they can ignore these issues. The repercussions of inaction are not going to affect their generation, or probably even the next generation, but it will likely impact our grandchildren and their descendants.

Out of sight, out of mind I suppose.

 

Maybe you need to give future generations credit for being more intelligent than you think they will be.

 

Even though I drive a gas guzzler, my carbon footprint is probably top 1%. I don't drive to work (walk). I don't have a huge house (live in city, which is more energy efficient than country/suburbs). I am not contributing to population growth (no children). Etc. I wished there was an overall "green index" the government issues. For someone like me, I can use my green index points toward gas guzzling V12s. But if you are commuting 100 miles/day, then you use up all your green points and are forced to either drive a Prius, move closer to work, etc. That seems to be more fair. But heck, that's not how society works...

 

I didn't make any assumptions about the intelligence of future generations. Only the lack of foresight of the current generations. Unless you're suggesting that future generations will be able to undo the damage our negligence is causing to the planet. In which case, I hope you're right but they will inherit a problem either way, which isn't entirely fair to them.

 

Obviously, we are given the way we're behaving today. They'll need to rise to levels of intelligence and creativity unimaginable today in order to get out of the mess we made for them. That's why they'll be cursing us.

With regard to the earlier discussion of those clean electric cars, what the hell is supposed to happen to all those old batteries full of nasty, toxic substances?

 

Tesla's batteries are not full of nasty, toxic substances. A quick Google search will show that the batteries are very clean, can be recycled/re-used.

"So the battery pack saves thousands of gallons of gasoline/diesel over the life of the vehicle, it is less toxic than the lead-acid batteries that are in regular cars, and at the end of its life it is recycled (which is more than can be said about most things in our society).

The Tesla, and electric vehicles in general, are certainly not perfect and there's lots of room for improvement. But it's nowhere near as bad as those who think battery packs are toxic waste believe."

 

I'm glad to hear that, and it's impressive if there truly is less eco-impact as you imply. However, I suspect the jury may still be out on that.

I do have to agree that Tesla's achievements have been very impressive, but a lot of electric cars are being recharged by coal-fired power plants.

 

I did a quick Google search.

Tesla Motors' Dirty Little Secret Is a Major Problem (TSLA)

 

You'll never be able to reason with a SF liberal.

 

Tesla's batteries also burn HOT and explode in accidents.

 

While I agree that electric cars have made amazing strides, and are perfect for those who work in a city, I also agree that it is going to be quite some time before electric motors are ready to replace internal combustion cars completely. The Infrastructure will still take a long time to penetrate all markets and locales and the charge times are just too long for your average consumer who is doing any kind of long-distance traveling. Not to mention the fact that batteries run hot and can catch fire if not cooled properly (or in accidents as was mentioned above.)

Hydrogen fuel cells are still cutting edge, but I think they will be a better mid-term solution until broadcast power is available, or some other enabling technology appears that makes electric cars more supportable. HFC's can share the same infrastructure that is already in place for gasoline, and generating hydrogen is less energy intensive, so the process creates much less of a drain on coal-based energy sources.

Nothing will beat IC motors for enthusiasts though. I try to keep my carbon footprint small in other areas so I can afford to waste a bit with my V8. At least until I can move to a hybrid supercar like the 918.

 

I'm like you there T, no work commute, no kids, etc but buying 50 gallon drums of nitromethane probably doesn't make me too green,lol!

 

Amen to that !
Lawrence

 

Hehe. I suppose it is a good thing that I am neither a long-time SF resident nor a liberal in that case.

I only recently moved here from Washington, D.C. and consider myself a fiscal conservative.

 

I don't really view it as conservative vs liberal. Heck, I'm voting for Trump! Look at it this way...I play golf..I've ridden both electric and gas powered golf cars. For driving around the golf course, electric is the way to go! It's the same with commuting, grocery getting, etc. If I needed a commuter car I would definitely get the Tesla. Why wouldn't you? It's green, it's quiet, it's modern. Don't need to deal with refueling it every week. I have yet to meet one person, liberal or conservative, who, after having driven the Tesla, hasn't praised it.

 

These forums never cease to provide quality debates (and entertainment)



... now back to our regularly scheduled debate...

 

If the Tesla would have had a longer range (and slightly more dealer support) I just might have bought the P85D instead of the F-Type.

But I don't regret my decision one bit!