The following is from an email sent to me by a friend. I think the original author makes some very valid points using examples we can all identify with.
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Following is a letter Bob Boesel from Hudson, Wi. sent in to Hemmings and was in the October 21 issue. I felt that Bob was quite educated in the matter; and a good writer bringing up good points.
I am reading an alarming number of articles regarding the electrification of America, and Terry Shea’s July opener in HMN is but the latest. His last two-sentence paragraph speaks to me: “Electric cars are coming, sooner rather than later it seems. We had best learn the language.”
Well, here is some language that car lovers had best learn, and darn quick. Gasoline consumption in the U.S. is about 145 Billion gallons per year, and if you do the math that’s an average of 16.5 Million gallons per hour. One gallon of gas (not that ethanol crap) has 114,100 BTU, and at 3,413 BTU/KWH, that gallon of gas has 33.43 KWH of energy. Now, I know this will make your head spin, but if you multiply the 33.43 KWH per gallon of gasoline by 16.5 million gallons per hour, you get 551.6 Gigawatts of generating capacity required to replace gasoline. Yes, electric motors are more efficient than internal combustion engines, but forget about efficiency for this discussion.
551.6 Gigawatts to replace gasoline. Total U.S. generating capacity is currently 1,117 gigawatts. To quote the illustrious Dr. Emmet Brown, “Tom, how am I gonna generate that kind of power? It can’t be done, can it?” It could have been done in 1955, but no, it cannot be done today because America is de – generating.
As an example, Montana and Wyoming have vast reserves of low sulfur coal, and four large coal fired generating plants were built right at mines in Coalestrip, Montana, to provide electricity to the Pacific Northwest. But, the commissars of the Pacific Northwest have banned importation of coal generated power. So, two of the plants are in demolition now, to be replaced with a 750 megawatt wind farm, and the demise of the other two will come soon. There goes 2.1 gigawatts of reliable, sustainable power, blowin’ in the wind. Coalestrip is but one example of the very many.
Texas was Toto in the winter of 2021, pulling back the Great Green Curtain on “renewable energy”. When the greenies emerged in the 1980’s, Canadian Albertsans summarily dismissed them: “Let the bastards freeze in the dark”. Unfortunately, four decades later, Texans of all stripes froze in the dark, and died.
What are America’s plans to generate 50 percent more electricity with which to replace gasoline? There are none. Then, how will all of that additional electricity be transmitted from where it is generated to where it is needed? It won’t be. I am in and out of a freeway gas station in about five minutes. How large will a freeway “charging station” have to be to accommodate charging cars that take an hour or more? What will people do while they wait for the charge? Go to the bar?
If gasoline is eliminated, how will we get diesel? Chalk up another 230 gigawatts needed to eliminate diesel and fuel oil. What about jet fuel? Anybody want to fly on an electric Boeing 737 Max? What about plastics? Lubricants? Tar, for asphalt to drive on? Face it, we won’t be driving.
Alexander Pope and Nikola Tesla each expressed wisdom that well describes the green movement. The former’s “a little learning is a dangerous thing” nicely mates with Tesla’s “the more we know, the more ignorant we become”. Both aptly describe the short circuited brains of the greenies, and their cars. As for Sweden, kindly keep your electric Volvo’s, and Greta Thunberg, at home.
I always was wondering, too, even if they were able to amp up the electricity in America to some 50 to 70% more than we have now, and get charging stations all over; just how long would we have to wait to charge the car? Now, if there are 5 cars in front of you at the gas pump; it can take up to 20 minutes to fill your car and leave. Imagine if each car took 4 hours - - - -
I can see possible potential for electric cars in a city or urban setting, where you could go home and charge your car every day or every other day – IF there’s enough power in your area. But around here – say the car will go 150 miles on a charge – people in Minot go to Bismarck (120 miles) quite frequently. Now we will have to find something to do in Bismarck for an hour to 6 while we wait for our cars to charge; so we can go back home. Or if we go to Fargo – that’s 300 miles – it’s a 4 hour drive on 4 lane highways; with a quick refuel stop in Grand Forks or Devils Lake. Imagine doubling that time; because you have to charge your car for 4 hours when you are halfway there!!!!
I can’t see it being viable in ND. And, if you run the AC (summertime in ND) or Heater (wintertime in ND) your travel distance can be cut almost in half.
