Going Electric?

[94Eddie]

I generate my own power now, homestead and shop completely off grid
I can tell you the upfront cost is huge ( batteries, solar, wiring, plumbing, mounting, charge controls inverters and generator) but the monthly bills are 1/3 of what we used to pay for power, water and gas
If this system lasts for 10 years ( it should last 20) then we come our way ahead!!
The prices for power, water, and gas never seem to go down…..
even with off road diesel at $5.20 a gallon still coming out cheaper then our old monthly bills from Colorado

Buildings account for 40% of emissions so if we each took our homes off the grid maybe having a gas vehicle wouldn’t be such a target for the globalist elite

Most tools are battery powered now and many devices can be powered with usb. If 75% of Americans would add some solar a few batteries and take some of their electronics off the grid it would make a huge impact! Why wait?

Were you able to get substantial tax breaks for installing the equipment for going off grid?

 

[Josh P]

Riding in the back of pickups is still legal in AZ

Passengers in Truck Beds

Arizona's seatbelt law requires all front-seat passengers and children under 16 years old to be properly restrained. However—apart from a few special rules for child care facilities and foster homes—the law doesn't prohibit persons 16 years and older from riding in the bed of a pickup truck.

Having a truck-bed passenger won't lead to a traffic violation fine but could result in civil liability or insurance costs if anyone is injured in an accident.
Pets in Truck Beds

Just as there are no restrictions on people in truck beds, Arizona doesn't prohibit the transportation of animals in truck beds. However, the American Veterinary Medical Association recommends that pets be secured either by a kennel in the truck bed or by a harness inside the cab.

Backseat passengers over 16 in a car are not required by law to wear a seatbelt in AZ. Out in the farm areas, you always see trucks going down the road with people sitting in the bed. Kinda crazy the seatbelt law is only for the front seat people and kids.

 

[Rick]

Out in the farm areas, you always see trucks going down the road with people sitting in the bed.

I see it out here all the time.

We see a lot of things here. Like kids in grade school driving their parent to the country store so the parent can buy more alcohol. My wife has caught several of her students doing just that. If the parent gets caught driving drunk, or without a license they get locked up. A young minor does it who still isn't close to driving age, and it's just a slap on the wrist.

 

[Josh P]

Functional alcoholics. The difference between a drunk and an alcoholic is an alcoholic needs a drink a drunk has one.

 

[Lee's Automotive]

I see it out here all the time.

We see a lot of things here. Like kids in grade school driving their parent to the country store so the parent can buy more alcohol. My wife has caught several of her students doing just that. If the parent gets caught driving drunk, or without a license they get locked up. A young minor does it who still isn't close to driving age, and it's just a slap on the wrist.

I've seen kids as young as 10 driving here also see a lot of 14- and 15-year old's getting busted for racing especially recently and most of them are not documented citizens

 

[Lee's Automotive]

Functional alcoholics. The difference between a drunk and an alcoholic is an alcoholic needs a drink a drunk has one.

Yep so true

 

[Fix4Dirt]

I've seen kids as young as 10 driving here also see a lot of 14- and 15-year old's getting busted for racing especially recently and most of them are not documented citizens

whoo really? interesting, not sure that could happen in cali lol itd make headlines

 

[Lee's Automotive]

whoo really? interesting, not sure that could happen in cali lol itd make headlines

That's the norm here

 

[BrooklynBay]

This is better than air bags: Securefoam

 

[joney]

I see. I'm in the greater Tennessee Valley area where electricity is abundant and cheap. Texas wishes that they could connect their grid to ours.
You paranoid 40 percenters need to get your tighty whiteys out of a wad and help the problem. Start by taking your foot out of the throttle and start using the brakes way sooner. There is no need to drive a 5000 pound vehicle, With just your lone self in it, on a 50 mile round trip to work and back with the AC on to go to your job and sit in the AC, just to do it all again tomorrow. Go purchase a hybrid. You will get 40 to 50 MPG average.
In due time, society, did you notice which word that I chose, will evolve towards cleaner, cheaper energy sources.
As far as EVs go, I still think that we have not seen the big jump in battery technology. When something is created that is light weight is when this whole EV thing will make its major jump forward. That is along with the fact that some parts of the U.S. will have to address their power, and pollution issues, like California is facing now. Not to mention the lack of water issue out west. And moving to the southeast is not the answer, LOL.
With current technology, I can convert a 2800 pound 5 seater to electric for about $20,000. I'm personally not ready to do that, but at that price I know that I eventually will.
And for those currently complaining about "they", and "they" want to control us, represent "your" people and run for local office. Vote in change that is good for "all" people. Then go on forward and run for a state office. Etc, etc.
Give a "hoot", don't pollute.

Some of us have a valid use for a 4x4, if I could get a hold of a working AMC 4x4 wouldn't need a 5000lb vehicle! But then there would be the necessary clearance issue/height of vehicle from the road surface. Electricity isn't cheap here either. With all the water up here, could use more hydro! Amazing how OLD most hydro plants are. Many of them working for 100 years!

 

[94Eddie]

Some of us have a valid use for a 4x4, if I could get a hold of a working AMC 4x4 wouldn't need a 5000lb vehicle! But then there would be the necessary clearance issue/height of vehicle from the road surface. Electricity isn't cheap here either. With all the water up here, could use more hydro! Amazing how OLD most hydro plants are. Many of them working for 100 years!

Micro hydro power generation is the best option by far, IMO. The video linked below shows a great application of micro hydro. The system produces 1,300-1,400 watts 24/7/365 and has been running non stop for fifteen years! Look at how small the input pipe is that feeds the turbine. It is tiny. The head it uses is just 30 meters. The only problem they have with this system is how to dissipate the excess power it makes. They use a full size electric hot water heater so they have plentiful hot water. At times the water heater has to dump excessively hot water and has it replaced with cold water to keep dissipating the excess power. They also get pressurized water from this setup that reaches 125 psi so it has to be regulated. For an off grid setup micro hydro is fantastic if there is a sufficient, dependable water source.

Off Grid Micro Hydro - The Dream System!?

This Off Grid Micro Hydro Power System may be the Dream System. It literally produces too much power. Although, if you like hot running water that's not a ...

www.youtube.com

For some reason I have not been able to embed videos for the past few weeks.

 

[joney]

Yes airbags are dangerous for children and adults in many cases. I'm old enough to remember when no cars had seat belts, and the new law pushed safety and not driver control. Just like today's laws that are not well presented to the people, to explain them etc. We are left with news organizations to interpret laws and give us their opinions. The masses need protection from all of those "elites," plus their own ignorance etc.

And I recall, as GM tried out their new airbag invention, the data showed having an airbag was equivalent to having a car that was 700 lbs. heavier! At the time, my solution was simply to get a car 700 lbs heavier.

 

[allmyEXes]

@joney I Have a 1-ton F350 car hauler that weighs 8000 pounds empty. It gets 6 miles to the gallon with the big Lincoln 460 with a C-6 transmission. I don't use it every day and only for a specific purpose. I sure could use a little economy car that I could drive when it is just me needing to run an errand. 28 MPG would be great! My 4 door Explorer gets 14 MPG with the 4.0 SOHC. I wonder what kind of mileage that I would get with a 4.0 SOHC and Automatic trans if I installed it in a 1974 Pinto. There is a Pinto Wagon a mile down the street from me...

 

[410Fortune]

Micro hydro is the way to go!

Buy you must have water, and for a setup like that you must have water coming down a hill
I have water coming down a hill, but it is only seasonal (snow run off) and when that water is running (spring) we have plenty of sun so there is no real need to make more power.
However I am working on another way to create the head pressure needed for micro hydro, a small pond with a damn, the volume of water in the pond can also make the pressure needed to turn the turbine..........
I have river frontage but the river moves slow half the year and they frown upon us using it to generate electricity because it is protected water for the bulltrout. So I will use a spring and build a pond on my land

 

[Josh P]

I wonder what kind of mileage that I would get with a 4.0 SOHC and Automatic trans if I installed it in a 1974 Pinto. There is a Pinto Wagon a mile down the street from me...

25-30 mpg. The pinto is very light weight. A 302 would fit and with an overdrive transmission 30 mpg or slightly better. If you don't care about a hood, put a 460 in it.

 

[robbieas]

I believe the plan is to ban gasoline and oil all together that's another reason I believe it's time for America to stand up and fight these idiots that believe we should do what they say when they say and the sad part is they don't want us happy they talk all this BS about going green while they fly around in jets and drive ice vehicles their plan will fail and if they keep pushing the envelope and doing extreme things I believe we are going to have either a civil war or an all-out war in our country and that is something I do not want to see I love my country and I will defend it if I have to now with that said there is hope that they can start fixing this crap and we can all go back to being united and happy again

This is a really well written and coherent argument you've put together. I really like the lack of punctuation too, adds some mystery and intrigue to the whole thing.

 

[Josh P]

Call Guinness for the world's longest sentence

 

[joney]

@joney I Have a 1-ton F350 car hauler that weighs 8000 pounds empty. It gets 6 miles to the gallon with the big Lincoln 460 with a C-6 transmission. I don't use it every day and only for a specific purpose. I sure could use a little economy car that I could drive when it is just me needing to run an errand. 28 MPG would be great! My 4 door Explorer gets 14 MPG with the 4.0 SOHC. I wonder what kind of mileage that I would get with a 4.0 SOHC and Automatic trans if I installed it in a 1974 Pinto. There is a Pinto Wagon a mile down the street from me...

Well, if you put protection around the gas filler neck first...IMO a Pontiac Vibe is pretty good...Has the drivetrain of a Toyota Matrix but at Pontiac prices, and will last a long time.

 

[410Fortune]

Were you able to get substantial tax breaks for installing the equipment for going off grid?

pfffft no! Huge tax incentives for "going off grid" but apparently homesteads or cabins or whatever that are completely off grid do not get to enter this program in Idaho.
I can write off much of the equipment though
Its total BS too, you get rebates and discounts and tax refunds if you take your home off grid, but none if you buy a home that is already there and upgrade it or add power to a off grid property???

 

[Len Thornton]

It has been discussed in many states (by the Democratic politicians starting in CA) to discontinue any and all gas & diesel fueled vehicles. It will be a done deal in CA very soon and they are convincing other Democratic states to follow their lead.
.
With this in mind and with all that most of us have put into our vehicles have you thought of the installation of an electric motor?
I just watched a video where they swapped out a VW Bug gas to electric motor in one day. However it took everyone in the shop and special electricians to do it but they did it (in England). The guy driving it said it has much more power and handles much better because of the weight distribution BUT it was a BUG and not a SUV PIU.
Not that I can afford to do this; I would be interested to find out what the conversion cost would be for us. This would include: labor, disposal cost of the gas engine, the electric motor, the batteries and accessories that go with it.
I have put in many hours (and $$$) to design this vehicle just the way I wanted it. I would hate to see all this work go to a junk yard just because of a few idiot politicians. Then again at my age I might be lucky enough to crap out before it becomes [their] law!
What is your thought?

View attachment 434386

The CA legislation and pending in other states mandates NEW cars and light trucks must be EV by a certain date. Nobody is going to make people convert their existing vehicles. Hobbyists are converting to electric for the cost savings and increased performance.