Re: General Motors quietly closed the door this week on a goal to make only electric vehicles by 2035.

AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:

On 7/17/2025 5:50 PM, Roger Merriman wrote:

Catrike Ryder <Soloman@old.bikers.org> wrote:

On Thu, 17 Jul 2025 20:04:43 -0000 (UTC), Beej Jorgensen
<beej@beej.us> wrote:
 

In article <1vki7k10egcrhostdbs6sp6ml5pdri0r93@4ax.com>,
Catrike Ryder  <Soloman@old.bikers.org> wrote:

Gas and oil subsidies are for fuel sources. EV subsidies are to
manipulate consumer purchases.

 
I agree insofar as I agree that consumers don't purchase gas and oil.

 
Gas and oil are important for many more things that automobiles.
Batteries for trucks, trains, ships, and airplanes are only dreams.

 
Um there absolutely are battery powered trains, as uk still has number of
non electrified railway lines, at least one local ish that they are
currently trying out. It plugs in and fast charges at either end of the
line.
 
They are a bit of niche product ie useful for lines that for whatever
reason haven’t been electrified and aren’t really worth the investment to
do so, but want a better train, as ever electric motors have the grunt aka
torque.
 
Not seen any properly large trucks/lorries, considering the drivers can
only drive for X hours the range of rather slower recharge is less of
problem than one might expect.
 
Ships and particularly commercial vessels are fairly dirty to put it
mildly, though the problems are probably more political than technical,
might even be something that Hydrogen could do!
 
Planes power to weight is going to be a technical challenge, though I’ve
not heard of anything bar small helicopter type of things and very much
prototypes and seeing what the technology can do.
 

 
--
C'est bon
Soloman
 

 
Roger Merriman
 

 
 
UK train with battery power is a one-off:
https://www.judicialwatch.org/names-cleaned-from-voter-rolls/

It’s a prototype that they are testing with the idea to use in non
electrified lines, it’s a slightly odd case for trains as electric is
generally favoured, but electrification of line may not be worth the
investment.

 

I believe there are few others in the world and more on way as not just Uk
with non electrification lines.

Electric trains began with subways and were technologically
advanced before the Great War.  Milwaukee Road built their
own electric system, Milwaukee to Seattle, around 1910. That
included building dams with dynamos and generating stations
on a 2500 mile route and it was profitable until after WWII.
 
Postwar, the wonderfully efficient diesel-electric format
killed off everything else beyond electric urban loop
systems. The few remaining steam trains are curiosities, not
actual commercially viable transport.
 
https://railway-news.com/innotrans-2024-stadler-presents-class-99-locomotive-for-uk-market/
 

Roger Merriman