Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2011 08:59:33 -0600
Reply-To: mcneely4@COX.NET
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@COX.NET>
Subject: Re: [WetWesties] NVC the last moments of my friday involve a non
vanagon related post about jappan
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---- Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM> wrote:
(A lot about tidal power generation)
Tidal power is being experimentally used in Portugal. there is also wave power, a power plant that captures the energy in the oscillation of sea waves.
You mentioned 20 foot tides in the NW. The Bay of Fundy on the Maine/Canada border has 50 foot tides. I visited a bay in Katmai National Park on the Alaska Peninsula with 30+ foot tides. The entire bay drained dry and one could (we did) walk on the bottom during two periods each day.
> the age of oil will have to end someday ..
absolutely. sooner would be better than later. solve a lot of problems.
> and the age of the electron take over.
> Already a Nissan Leaf car ( pure EV ) has some noise generator type thing on
> it so people can hear it coming ..we are so used to oil-powered sound.
>
> I have a Prius ..possibly one modified to be plug-in too visiting my shop to
> have a battery change ..
> that'll be interesting.
> the cool thing about about a plug-in hybid is there are two ways to put
> energy into it ..
> well, three really ..
> you can add fuel, or charge it ..and when braking it's creating it's own
> energy ...good ole gravity charnging the battery.
> a Prius should be made so if you can caost it down a long enough
> hill....it'll charge it's battery ..so it can go for a while.
> Most of the cars in the japan footage IU saw looked like looked like white
> cubes.
The Prius does recharge during coasting, not just during braking. Any time the wheels are turning due to any motivation other than electricity, the electric motors turn as generators. Braking just turns them more rapidly, thus more electricity generated, than when rolling normally.
I get higher mileage in my Prius when on a moderately hilly road than on a flat road. For example, I get around 55 mpg when I drive from home to Tulsa. But when I drive from home to Wichata Falls, TX or vicinity, I get around 48 mpg. I've learned to take advantage of the downhills, sort of a modified pulse driving, though I don't run downhill like a bat out of Hell. I managed some pretty good mileage in Colorada and surrounding areas, too. Worst is on a flat interstate. Never use cruise, it kills all ability to manipulate the speed and therefore the mileage according to terrain.
> lucky to be safe.
Agreed. Hope everyone who is still safe after the quake and tsunami can stay so.
mcneely