rotarymike

iTrader: (4)

Wish there was some residential-scale way to store power other than batteries - including using like a Ford E-150 to power the house etc. But I don't have room for a giant flywheel LOL.

I know CO2 is one of the easy targets to blame - but really, there's a bunch of issues here, oil availability and where, emitted nitrogen oxides, soot, oil extraction side effects, etc etc etc. Just like we all eventually switched away from horses/oxen, we'll all eventually switch away from ICE with its inherent efficiency limits. (otherwise, why don't we all have small turbine engines?)

Better question is how to get european-style mass transit in the US. We essentially have no real system here, just individual cities' attempts. Even amtrak/greyhound are a pale shadow of Eurorail. And don't get me started on Japanese mass transit.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

Walking the dog yesterday, I saw this elderly woman mowing her lawn with an electric riding lawnmower.

My leaf blower, and my lawn mower, and my snow blower all all electric, and share the same batteries. I've got three of these puppies, and they're freaking heavy.

ILM-NC G37S

iTrader: (3)

It already takes me ≈3-4 hours to do my lawn, with a tractor mower... I shudder to think how long that would take on a battery-operated unit...

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

Assuming the same blade width, it would take the same amount of time. However, you'd go through a LOT of charge to push a tractor mower for 4 hours. In other words, it's not practical (yet) for you and your yard. Just isn't.

My yard is far smaller, and it only takes 45 minutes to mow the whole thing, with a 21" width electric mower. I go through one battery to do the whole yard. This coming winter I'll be using all 3 batteries at once in the snow blower, which is just enough to clear my entire driveway with 12" snow or thereabouts. As for the leaf blower... curiously, the blower feels like it drains batteries faster than the mower. Sure is powerful, too.

Some things are a good fit for today's lithium ion powered yard gear, and some things aren't, like your yard. Just like EVs... depends on how you use them.

Absinthe

It's over a bunch of things. I'm not a member of the green party but do feel we do more damage to the environment than good. Do I believe solar and EV's trump the ICE for a damage quotient? Not sure, but it is a small step in the right direction and is quickly becoming mandatory and fiscally necessary in California. Unless the CA legislature makes some hard choices, the grid in most of the state is going to become more and more volatile and the less I have to rely on it the better I'll feel. As for the EV, with the advances in technology and the number of players stepping up, some of the newer EV's offer a level of luxury, comfort and range that the Tesla's just can't match.

Absinthe

+1
In my European travels for business, I rarely needed a car once I arrived at my hotel. Walking within the city was much more practical and the trams and rail systems would get you just about everywhere else. Only the smaller villages posed much of an issue. I remember back in the early 70's when BART was proposed, I was excited thinking Ca was onto something. Sadly, like most other Ca executions, it was a good thought, but the reality was less than. Still over 50 years later you cannot circumnavigate the Bay Area without a car.

Absinthe

I recall mowing the 4 acres of my dad's property, it would take about that long after trimming around all the trees and such. When we moved into this current house, we only have a front yard as the back is all landscaped with pathways, hardscape and trees/shrubs. The front yard takes about 15 minutes and after the new landscaping goes in, should take about 5. I'm tired of $100 plus water bills and I don't see water restrictions in Ca easing anytime soon. All this for a green lawn that I don't really appreciate that much anymore

STownSaint

Build a well and power your home with pumped hydro

JSolo

iTrader: (14)

We're a corner lot.

https://i.imgur.com/EABmLn4.png

It takes me a good 1h45m or so to edge, mow, and blow. Edging takes a while as there are many sections. Mowing the areas immediately to the right takes a while as there are a number of trees. Folks used to hire 3-4 man crews that knocked it out in 15-20 min. They had those big @ss mowers that cover 36" in a single pass.

I still enjoy the 2cycle equipment and would never give it up for battery. I'd like to see a battery blower cut through 20" of snow. The 2 stage did quite well in this task few years ago.

rotarymike

iTrader: (4)

Our water table is about 20" but it's all brackish. Municipal potable water is taken from the rivers and treated. Even farms with wells have to go down 300+ feet to get clean water (livestock doesn't like salt water either). Joys of living in a swamp.

Having said that - pumped hydro is the same idea as a flywheel - convert something natural and/or clean electric into mechanical potential for storage. I'm not sure how big a water tower I'd need to build, but getting the permitting for that sounds... federal.

2GoRNot2G

iTrader: (5)

Wow! Sounds like a lot of work to me. We have over 20,000 sq-ft of lawn to mow/maintain, so I just pay a guy $120 a month to do all of the yard maintenance. He comes every Friday and mows, trims, weeds, blows, etc... They usually have 2 guys, sometimes 3, but it still takes them a solid hour just to do our yard, so I figure it's well worth the cost.

rotarymike

iTrader: (4)

We pay about $40 per time (every 2 weeks) to have a local guy do our yard. We've got about 12,000 ft2 of yard, but the back is too shaded/sandy to grow grass so mowing the few weeds takes only 2 passes LOL. WELL worth it to not risk heatstroke in the summer pushing a mower.

iCrap

iTrader: (8)

Thought this was pretty funny

rotarymike

iTrader: (4)

oooh… race car candidate?

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

Listed 4 days ago in Rochester, New York.

Rochester?