• SendMePhotos@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Easy. Just mount the generator on/in the trunk and get unlimited* power.

    *depending on fuel capacity/charge rate.

  • Hildegarde@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    California has a power grid that doesn’t immediately fail when it gets too cold or too hot. No, californian power utilities just kills 12 people each year and regularly starts forest fires.

      • hope@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Actually, I think CA regularly has more power outages than Texas. https://poweroutage.us/ Though I’m not sure how many people your utilities are found to manslaughter in a given year.

      • Gerudo@lemm.ee
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        2 months ago

        I’ll be honest, this summer hasn’t had any rolling blackouts in North Texas. Oh, I bet it has nothing to do with the expanded wind/solar/battery farms. Can’t be the renewables!

          • Gerudo@lemm.ee
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            2 months ago

            I’m looking at it from ercot not having enough energy for demand like the last few years. Obviously, a hurricane will take down service.

  • Diplomjodler@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    That’s a Model Y that costs about $50,000. And yeah, let’s see if the gas pumps still work during a power outage.

    • Ptsf@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Lol people forget this. Had a major storm roll through the area a few years back (Iowa) and everyone was lined up at the gas stations bitching while I was doin Dandy with a full battery (along with the others who keep their tanks full or recently filled up). A lack of preparation will not be mitigated magically by technology.

  • Takumidesh@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    A generator is one option, solar panels or just regular battery backups are another option.

    If the grid is up but overloaded you can also just charge slower, which for 99% of people will work.

    At least you can charge your car at all, if there is an actual power outage, the gas pumps won’t be working at all, and even if they are, it requires so much infrastructure to deliver gas to the pumps that they won’t be working for long.

    Edit: since when did an expensive car equal easy to operate? Historically, the more expensive the car gets the more caveats to the operation there are.

      • linkhidalgogato@lemmy.ml
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        2 months ago

        no it isnt… what the fuck are u talking about that generator has an extra shitty ice engine in it plus the losses on the generator, batteries, and motors. its way less efficient, theres no need to lie, EV are marginally better than ICE cars even if u dont lie about extreme edge cases like this.

        • Jimmyeatsausage@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          So I’ve heard this lots of places but never done the math, so I sat down this afternoon to try and work it out and…it’s super complicated. The generator in the picture might not charge the car at all…if it is, it’s probably a trickle charge like plugging into a 120v outlet…which means running the generator for a very long time for a very small charge which means it’s super inefficient…depending on your starting assumptions you get anywhere from 11 - 20 miles of charge out of a gallon of fuel for the generator, which is less efficient than tha average of 31 mpg for a 2022 sedan…so in that case, it’s less efficient. The more normal use case would be a whole-home generator powering a level 2 or 3 charger in your garage… which can be more efficient than an ICE engine assuming a high-efficiency generator and EV. Additionally, generators don’t typically have emissions controls, so from a carbon standpoint, it’s WAY worse than an ICE with a catalytic converter.

        • sfbing@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Yes, I have read that it is. The generator runs at most efficient RPM and doesn’t have idle time, etc.

    • vrek@programming.dev
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      2 months ago

      Edit: since when did an expensive car equal easy to operate? Historically, the more expensive the car gets the more caveats to the operation there are.

      My favorite example of this is the BMW i8. Here is a video which shows how to open the hood. Even the dealership recommends to the sales team taking the car into the shop and having trained technicians…open the hood. I guess its “Fuck You” if you ever break down on the side of the road. https://youtu.be/fxe_b2GRwok?si=MGy3lwov8bd36-4m

  • ramenshaman@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    I live in CA and have had one power outage in the last 3 years.

    Also, that’s a model Y, which starts at $45k and maxes out at $55k before the $7.5k EV tax rebate. Add 8K if you think full self driving is a good idea for some reason.

    • KingJalopy @lemm.ee
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      2 months ago

      I live here as well. Power works just fine. Only been here for about 7 months but still. Occasionally when it’s 110° they’ll pre-cool my house with my thermostat then raise the temp during peak hours but that’s just smart. For all its problems, California isn’t as bad as the rep it gets.

      Had a friend from back home (Midwest) giving me shit for living in a dystopian hell hole and paying more taxes for the privilege. I pointed out he pays more taxes than I do plus I was hiking in the mountains last week because I got tired of going to the beaches.

  • Dasus@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Generator efficiencies are much higher than when a combustion engine is used to propel a vehicle.

    • Cort@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      If you’re running the generator at it’s efficient output. If you’re running at max load it gets murky on efficiency. You’d probably need an evse that can manually set a current limit to get the best efficiency

  • Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee
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    2 months ago

    Not irony, don’t have to love it, and having a giant battery as backup if the grid keeps failing seems prudent.

    • Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works
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      2 months ago

      This is just banning the sale of low efficiency generators. You want an inverter in your generator these days, it saves you gas/propane over time. They’re also quieter and produce more stable and “clean” power for potentially sensitive electronics.

  • shalafi@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Californians: California’s grid rocks!

    Also Californians: Texas’ grid is a fucking joke!

    ALSO Californians: PG&E raped my dog and keeps failing!

    Never lived there, which is it?

    (I know there’s much more to all this, but surely you see the irony?)

  • PowerCrazy@lemmy.ml
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    2 months ago

    California doesn’t produce water either. Or more accurately if you are trying to live in the late-stage capitalist hell-hole that is california, it doesn’t produce power or water for you.