[Tfug] OT: Battery Powered Transportation: Converting Thermal to Electrical Energy

[Bexley Hall]

Hi Jesse,

> On the energy debate and mindset shifting: allow me to put
> in my 2 cents.
> 
> I think that care should be taken that we don't allow electric
> vehicles to become a crutch which keeps people from changing mindset.

Agreed.  But, the inherent limitations of electric vehicles, IMO,
will force people into changing their driving habits.  E.g., you don't
have "unlimited" driving range, etc.  And,m you can't just
fill 'er up in a few minutes and be ready to go for another
5 or 6 hours of continuous highway driving (unless you adopt the
"swap battery pack" approach -- something unlikely IMO)

> Perhaps there ought to be a sort of energy crisis -- at least as far
> as our pocketbooks are concerned -- in order to see real
> infrastructure, attitude, and behavioral change. My personal
> preference is to have
> http://www.chromebagsstore.com/metropolis-black-black-black-buckle.html
> as my "trunk" and http://www.beef.org/ as my fuel when possible.

Agreed.  I routinely walk (for exercise) -- anywhere from 20 - 30
miles weekly -- and try to leverage any short trips against my
"walking budget".  E.g., driving to the library takes a bit more than
10-12 minutes.  OTOH, I can walk that distance in a little more than
30 minutes (2.5 mi) so each round trip only "costs me" about 40
minutes.  I.e., I've just learned to look at walking in a different
way.

> Just my $0.02.