Disqus - Latest Comments for Nate

Re: Google.org gives electric cars a push, with investments in Aptera and ActaCell

Nate — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:23:50 -0000

The Aptera is either a pure electric vehicle or one with an on-board generator. So they've got that part covered ;)

It's supposed to be quite safe – popular mechanics did a story about it a while ago, and the video explains a lot of their safety features.

It also gets 130 mpg with a discharged battery – 230 mpg was their DIESEL, NON-HYBRID prototype. Completely different vehicle, people.

Re: Potty Tech: Which Is Greener, Toilet Paper Or A Bidet?

Nate — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 10:53:58 -0000

>…for self-mutilating individuals.

Er, I don't think "self-mutilating" means what you think it means.

Re: Bailout To Make Chevy Volt $7500 Cheaper

Nate — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:28:05 -0000

Where are you getting the idea that the tax break applies only to "automobiles?"

http://apteraforum.com/showthread.php?t=1581&pa...

Re: The Laziest Man on Earth's Guide to Green Living

Nate — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:27:44 -0000

>The important thing is to get your bodies disposed bacteria out of your living area.

Why, so we can have weak immune systems?

Also, flushing the toilet introduces *more* fecal particles into the air, not less.

Re: January Eco-Tidbits from Turkey

Nate — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 17:11:51 -0000

Of course, remember that 2/3rds of Turkey's population resides in a temperate Mediterranean climate. I'm sure the insulation rates for those in the Anatolia regions are much higher.

Re: Honda Insight Hybrid Goes on Sale in Japan Tomorrow

Nate — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 05:03:29 -0000

>The Honda Civic hatchback VX got up to 60 mpg (hwy) 15 years ago.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/FEG/noframes/9776.shtml

You mean this one? Comparing apples to apples, the modern EPA numbers clock it at 39/49 (43 mpg combined).

The myth of the great-mileage-old-cars is largely because the EPA changed its test procedure. The cars now are 'driven' faster and more aggressively than in the old test, and as a result the numbers are much closer to what people actually experience.

Re: Un-TreeHugger: Burying Yourself With A Plasma TV

Nate — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:51:59 -0000

Oh, come on. The post is ''disrespectful." So? Respect has to be earned. Going EOL isn't a viable way to do it.

This is TreeHugger.com, not RespectEveryone.com. Apparently some people have forgotten the radical origins of the word "tree hugging"

Re: New Honda Insight Hybrid Outsells Toyota Prius in Japan in February

Nate — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 23:47:40 -0000

@dan rossini: You'll notice that the author said that *Honda* must be doing something right.

>though we still that your feet or a bicycle are the best way to get around

"Best" maybe, but at least for feet you're almost more efficient driving. Conventional food is abysmally inefficient, as is our walking gait. Bicycles are leaps and bounds better in that regard, and have the added advantage of higher speed and lower joint impact.

Note that "best" and "most efficient" are not synonymous. Walking has many benefits, but lifecycle energy cost isn't one of them.

Re: Skip the Dealer. Order Your Wheego Online

Nate — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 00:08:06 -0000

@Anonymous: No, it works out to 0.0003 USD^2/mile, of course. ;)

@Karl, scott: the car goes 70 mph, but is electronically limited to 25 mph until it's approved.

@Joey: Article says $19,000. Also, even if the electricity was 100% produced from coal, you're better off than having a gas-powered car. But you knew that.

Re: Wheel of Fortune Went Green(ish)

Nate — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:49:54 -0000

>Hate to quibble, but not sure how buckling seat belts help the environment and recycling plastic bags? How about reusable bags? Actually, she's way ahead of Sajak.

Come now, it's clear what she's saying – buckle your seatbelt before you start the car instead of afterwards, avoiding unnecessary idling. And she does specify *reusing* plastic bags, not recycling them, which could actually be more eco-friendly than buying heavier-and-higher-embodied-energy cloth bags.

It's certainly more eco friendly to carry small-and-convenient plastic bags that you actually use than it is to buy a cloth bag and always forget it at home! If you're that kind of person, I can see it being the best option.

Re: Survey Indicates Americans Deluded On Energy Conservation. Are They Really?

Nate — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 05:27:32 -0000

>Can we really trust motorists to plug in only at night?

Yes.

>higher gas prices don't seem to have put a dent in driving in the numbers you would hope to see, so why would slightly higher daytime electrical charges be a deterrent?

Because there's no alternative to "pay the high gas prices." Sure, people didn't drive less, but look how many people checked GasBuddy to save cents on the gallon on their next fill up.

My take is, institute ToU metering and use fast-chargeable batteries. Frugal/lazy people will plug in at night rather than drive out of their way to pay a premium and sit around for 10 minutes charging their car. If you're driving long distances, fast charging will be well worth it. The station owner will have huge incentive to install battery buffers and use that cheap [sustainable] night-time electricity.

Ahh, capitalism… it really works!

Re: Honda FCX Wins Green Award

Nate — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 04:10:59 -0000

>But do you really think they'll have a gas-powered range extender forever?

No, we think that fast-charging BEVs will replace them.

What's the advantage of a fuel cell EV over a battery-powered one? The fuel cell is less efficient, costs more, and consumes more space. The *only* advantage is that you can push energy into it faster, and that's made moot by the latest and greatest battery chemistries, like LiFePO4.

Fossil-fuel derived hydrogen is only barely more efficient than the Civic GX, and at outrageous cost and complexity. Hydrogen from electrolysis throws away 70% of that wonderful green energy. Either way, hydrogen is more distraction than solution.

Re: Could Hype Sell An Inferior Hybrid? - Ford Fusion versus Toyota Camry

Nate — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 02:38:22 -0000

I'm surprised no-one's noted this.

According to the EPA, the Toyota Prius *is* a mid-size car.

Carry on.

Re: 17 Electric Cars You Must Know About

Nate — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 03:49:57 -0000

Yeah, Eliica is on the list but Aptera Typ-1e isn't? wtf?

I for one would like to see the era of refrigerator-shaped cars come to a close.

Re: Lithium Iron Phosphate Breakthrough: Better Batteries for Hybrids and Electric Cars

Nate — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:26:42 -0000

Yet another win for safe, long-lasting EV batteries. People who say they're chock full of toxic metals need to get with the times.

Re: Electrolux Finalist: Kitchen Works In A Drawer

Nate — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:27:16 -0000

Why do the burner controls have 16 possible states, when the device only has 4? Is a dial (or slider) so hard?

Re: The Carbon Footprint of Farmers' Markets

Nate — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 01:08:16 -0000

Yeah, a station-wagon would indubitably get better fuel economy. Volkswagon Jetta TDI hatchbacks are quite nice for that. Hard to tell how much volume she uses of that van, but with stackable, reusable crates you could fit quite a few into a 40+ mpg Jetta. What's that, half the carbon right there? Ecodrive and you could get it even lower. ;)

Re: As Gas Prices Rise, So Do Cookbooks Sales

Nate — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 02:12:06 -0000

We're becoming low fat/vegetarian, but I think it's just that phase in our life. Me and my GF have biked everywhere since before fuel was expensive. I want to be kinder to my heart, since it's saved me so much in gas! Biking really makes you appreciate how important it is.

I think my next purchase will be one of those oil sprayers. I'll save money, propellant, and packaging by buying oil in bulk, and I'll use less when cooking for healthier meals. I'll also go through oil slower. It's win^4!

Re: Bike To Work Pants: Now You See Me, Now You Don't

Nate — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:30:02 -0000

$95? So, retro-reflective tape on the inside of my existing pants it is. ;)

Re: Dem Candidate Called "Wacky" For Suggesting People Walk or Ride Bikes

Nate — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:31:49 -0000

>Hmmm, is this effective?

Apparently not. Kathy Dahlkemper won PA's 3rd Congressional District by 3.1%.

Re: Why Do Speedometers Go To 160MPH?

Nate — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:39:49 -0000

“understand how, before you complain about why.”

Ok, so now that we know how, I can ask this.

*Why* are the standards set that way?

Re: Greenpeace Says PCs May Have to Follow Apple's Footsteps

Nate — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 03:59:25 -0000

Nick, that's an excellent observation. However, I think in practice this just means that people pass their "obsolete" Macs on to other people who are content being off the cutting edge. Just look at the economics: Macs retain value better than PCs do. Check out even 4 year-old models on eBay – they still command a hefty price. That means they'll see more serviceable time before being recycled/landfilled. There's usually local Mac repair places (at least in the USA) that will accept old or broken Macs. They use the parts to fix customers' computers.

I'm still rocking with my first-gen MacBook. Upgraded the RAM and the hard disk, and I'm perfectly content with it. Sure the new one mine look like it's from the Stone Age, but this one suits me just fine.

Re: Ranking The 3 Rs

Nate — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 03:36:44 -0000

Umm, yeah. You didn't know that? They're in that order for a reason. ;)

I guess I shouldn't be surprised; I just explained this to one of my eco-conscious friends on the phone. The whole "Three Rs" thing was just a public relations campaign about the waste hierarchy. They left out "energy recovery" (e.g. incineration) and combined "prevention" and "minimisation." Of course disposal is the least favorable option.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste_hierarchy

I sometimes say it as "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rubbish."

Re: First Nuclear Fusion by 2011? Still No Silver Bullet for Environmental Problems

Nate — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:36:48 -0000

There's three important milestones for Fusion:

* Ignition – actually fusing atoms into larger atoms, releasing energy

* Net Energy – using fusion to generate more energy than you put into initiating it, counting losses

* Economic viability – being able to generate energy at a competitive cost in the marketplace

The first milestone we passed decades ago. The second has recently been achieved (barely) in experimental reactors. The third I don't think we'll ever achieve, barring some revolutionary reactor designs. Tokamaks are just too bloody expensive.

Maybe limited energy is what's saved us thus far. Maybe the bottleneck of 'work' has prevented us from growing rampantly and exhausting the other parameters the ecosystem needs to live (e.g. habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation, soil depletion, water pollution, air pollution, resource extraction, population growth, etc)

"Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell."

Re: Michelin Unveils Active Wheel in Affordable Electric Car

Nate — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:38:17 -0000

>Random thought that came into my head when I was reading this: What happens when you get a flat? It would be quite the family affair to change one of those.

Despite the motor being "in the wheel," there will still be a connection between the rotating and non-rotating components. It may not be 5 lugnuts, but it would most likely be something similar.

A more likely outcome is that car companies could no longer get away with not offering a full-size spare. ;)

Re: Are Greens the New Gays?

Nate — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:42:54 -0000

>I've never heard of green bashings…

Exactly. If you had, we wouldn't need to appropriate your flag.

Re: Top 10 TreeHugger Stories of 2008

Nate — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 14:57:58 -0000

Everyone's massively over-reacting to the whole refrigerated beach thing. Yes, it's wasteful, but no more so than conventional buildings we see every day. Yes, it's a novel way to waste energy, rather than an old-hat way. Yes, it conveniently shifts the blame from the huge population of normal first-world citizens to the small minority of effete, disconnected tourists.

No, it's not actually significant in the grand scheme of things.