Comments on: Electrical Resistance http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2012/09/13/electrical-resistance/ Sat, 20 Apr 2013 10:44:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Dan http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2012/09/13/electrical-resistance/#comment-78018 Dan Tue, 25 Sep 2012 10:03:35 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=8815#comment-78018 "I don’t think the cost of gas is dependent on the strength of the dollar or U.S. fiscal policy." Are you kidding? “I don’t think the cost of gas is dependent on the strength of the dollar or U.S. fiscal policy.”
Are you kidding?

]]> By: Kaleberg http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2012/09/13/electrical-resistance/#comment-78017 Kaleberg Tue, 18 Sep 2012 04:04:42 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=8815#comment-78017 If you want some similar bogosity, consider that the US spends about $960B per year on roads and highways and 12M new cars and trucks are sold each year. That's an $80,000 government subsidy for each new car or truck sold. The numbers are real, but the argument is bogus. If you want some similar bogosity, consider that the US spends about $960B per year on roads and highways and 12M new cars and trucks are sold each year. That’s an $80,000 government subsidy for each new car or truck sold. The numbers are real, but the argument is bogus.

]]> By: Curious George http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2012/09/13/electrical-resistance/#comment-78016 Curious George Mon, 17 Sep 2012 21:45:09 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=8815#comment-78016 I wonder why Detroit avoids the best application for an electric car: an all-terrain vehicle. With motors in wheels you can get an extremely simplified drive train, a free all-wheel all-time drive, and a clearance as high as you dare. True, the battery is not here yet, but that applies to all other designs. Supply a motor-generator. I wonder why Detroit avoids the best application for an electric car: an all-terrain vehicle. With motors in wheels you can get an extremely simplified drive train, a free all-wheel all-time drive, and a clearance as high as you dare. True, the battery is not here yet, but that applies to all other designs. Supply a motor-generator.

]]> By: Jim http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2012/09/13/electrical-resistance/#comment-78015 Jim Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:51:31 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=8815#comment-78015 I'd love for someone to do a study on confirmation bias at work in pundits' alacrity for crying "confirmation bias!" upon reading or hearing something that they disagree with disagreed with. If you think TR-TC / Q is a "bizarre" calculation to do, I strongly suggest you leave the economics blogging to your betters. The headline is certainly misleading—the Volt is in the red but in theory it'll break even eventually (as the article implies)—but that's how headlines are written. Misleadingly. Why would you see this one as being somehow different? I suspect it was.... CONFIRMATION BIAS! I’d love for someone to do a study on confirmation bias at work in pundits’ alacrity for crying “confirmation bias!” upon reading or hearing something that they disagree with disagreed with.

If you think TR-TC / Q is a “bizarre” calculation to do, I strongly suggest you leave the economics blogging to your betters.

The headline is certainly misleading—the Volt is in the red but in theory it’ll break even eventually (as the article implies)—but that’s how headlines are written. Misleadingly. Why would you see this one as being somehow different? I suspect it was….

CONFIRMATION BIAS!

]]> By: chris http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2012/09/13/electrical-resistance/#comment-78014 chris Mon, 17 Sep 2012 07:17:56 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=8815#comment-78014 'Don’t forget that cold fusion was “discovered” at the University of Utah, and the Mormons are thick on the ground in Utah. So I have no doubt that he knows many people that would do very well if cold fusion could be realized.' Pons and Fleischman, the new candidates for the head of DoE? ‘Don’t forget that cold fusion was “discovered” at the University of Utah, and the Mormons are thick on the ground in Utah. So I have no doubt that he knows many people that would do very well if cold fusion could be realized.’

Pons and Fleischman, the new candidates for the head of DoE?

]]> By: Brett http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2012/09/13/electrical-resistance/#comment-78013 Brett Mon, 17 Sep 2012 01:37:25 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=8815#comment-78013 @ #29, I don't think the cost of gas is dependent on the strength of the dollar or U.S. fiscal policy. I think the demand for crude has gone up around the world, China is making major moves, and we are making our main suppliers of crude extremely nervous by engaging in long term military occupations of their neighbors. I would say it primarily depends on the amount of crude produced because the amount of crude produced can't keep up with the increase in demand as a result of China and India making vehicles far more accessible to their combined populations of 2.5 billion out of the world's 7.8 billion. I would say EV's are going to be a big part of the future because they are a big part of the present. @ #29,
I don’t think the cost of gas is dependent on the strength of the dollar or U.S. fiscal policy. I think the demand for crude has gone up around the world, China is making major moves, and we are making our main suppliers of crude extremely nervous by engaging in long term military occupations of their neighbors. I would say it primarily depends on the amount of crude produced because the amount of crude produced can’t keep up with the increase in demand as a result of China and India making vehicles far more accessible to their combined populations of 2.5 billion out of the world’s 7.8 billion. I would say EV’s are going to be a big part of the future because they are a big part of the present.

]]> By: Georg http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2012/09/13/electrical-resistance/#comment-78012 Georg Sun, 16 Sep 2012 17:43:49 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=8815#comment-78012 Resistance is futile. Resistance is futile.

]]> By: Anonymous Snowboarder http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2012/09/13/electrical-resistance/#comment-78011 Anonymous Snowboarder Sun, 16 Sep 2012 14:48:11 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=8815#comment-78011 @Robert Woodhead: you have indirectly made the case against EVs. You say you pay $0.75 for your 3o miles a day. You don't say highway or local so I'll assume a mix and that a gas equivalent car will get 25 mpg. Even at $5/gallon and driving that 30 miles every day of the year, the most you'll "save" each year is $1916. How many years will it take to break even on the higher initial cost (good thing rates are at 0 or we would need to do present values too)? 5 years? 10? And as fuel efficiency keeps going up (with many models now a combined 30 mpg) that break even gets even more distant. With demand for crude oil at levels last seen in the 1990s the price of gas is now more dependent upon US fiscal policy (ie, strength of the dollar) than on the amount of crude produced. So like it or not, I don't think EV's are going to be a big part of the future any time soon. @Robert Woodhead: you have indirectly made the case against EVs. You say you pay $0.75 for your 3o miles a day. You don’t say highway or local so I’ll assume a mix and that a gas equivalent car will get 25 mpg. Even at $5/gallon and driving that 30 miles every day of the year, the most you’ll “save” each year is $1916. How many years will it take to break even on the higher initial cost (good thing rates are at 0 or we would need to do present values too)? 5 years? 10? And as fuel efficiency keeps going up (with many models now a combined 30 mpg) that break even gets even more distant. With demand for crude oil at levels last seen in the 1990s the price of gas is now more dependent upon US fiscal policy (ie, strength of the dollar) than on the amount of crude produced.

So like it or not, I don’t think EV’s are going to be a big part of the future any time soon.

]]> By: Kaleberg http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2012/09/13/electrical-resistance/#comment-78010 Kaleberg Sun, 16 Sep 2012 05:16:33 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=8815#comment-78010 These are the same people who fought against other government boondoggles such as the telegraph, the jet engine, the computer, the railroads, steam ships and so on. Almost all new technologies require a lot of government support. Does anyone really think the automobile industry would have been developed without the fortune spent on paving roads? They just hate moving forward into the future. These are the same people who fought against other government boondoggles such as the telegraph, the jet engine, the computer, the railroads, steam ships and so on. Almost all new technologies require a lot of government support. Does anyone really think the automobile industry would have been developed without the fortune spent on paving roads? They just hate moving forward into the future.

]]> By: Tony Mach http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2012/09/13/electrical-resistance/#comment-78009 Tony Mach Sun, 16 Sep 2012 00:07:31 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/?p=8815#comment-78009 The nice TV quote "the first pill costs them $400 million" is only inflated by a factor of about 10. http://scienceblogs.com/denialism/2012/03/07/accountability-in-science-jour/ The nice TV quote “the first pill costs them $400 million” is only inflated by a factor of about 10.
http://scienceblogs.com/denialism/2012/03/07/accountability-in-science-jour/

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