Tesla Chooses Nevada For Its First Gigafactory

[exfileme]

Tesla has finally decided on a place to construct its Gigafactory.

Tesla Chooses Nevada For Its First Gigafactory : Read more

 

[Ben Van Deventer]

Can't wait. I love my WRX but I'd love a Tesla.

 

[COLGeek]

Tesla + Area 51. A coincidence? I think not...

 

[DarkSable]

This is exciting stuff; I love Tesla. I'm going to see if they have any interest in a student intern studying english and computer science; working for Tesla would be an incredible thing to have on my resume...

 

[Phillip]

Can't wait. I love my WRX but I'd love a Tesla.

Buy a WRX with a blown motor and build an electric version. If John Wayland can make a Datsun 1200 go from 0-60 mph in 1.8 seconds, just think how quick an AWD might be off the line.

 

[ahnirv]

This is exciting stuff; I love Tesla. I'm going to see if they have any interest in a student intern studying english and computer science; working for Tesla would be an incredible thing to have on my resume...

Working at Tesla would be the goal, not means to an end

 

[vern72]

If the range of the Model 3 is anywhere close to the range of the Model S (and is sold near the $35,000 price tag), I'm sold!

 

[christinebcw]

Battery technology development - short of nuclear testing and massive dairy operations - there are probably few more dangerous industries for groundwater pollution. Of course, if they can do battery-development that captures nuclear-blast energy FOR those 100-sq-mile dairies, THEN Erin Brockovich would have a whole new future.

 

[dstarr3]

Battery technology development - short of nuclear testing and massive dairy operations - there are probably few more dangerous industries for groundwater pollution. Of course, if they can do battery-development that captures nuclear-blast energy FOR those 100-sq-mile dairies, THEN Erin Brockovich would have a whole new future.

Probably why they chose Nevada. The land's already been nuked to shit. Can't make it much worse.

 

[Unolocogringo]

I still don't get the electric car mentality.
You are buying a car that runs on 70% COAL. The highest polluting fossil fuel available.
Since about 70% of the electricity produced in the US made by burning Coal. Which a lot of the power plants are old enough that they do not have to meet EPA emission requirements.
Once you figure in the power needed to produce the batteries and their pollution. Then the pollution created to charge the vehicle, they produce more pollution than efficient gas or diesel engines.
But the power companies love them.
And the government is giving them billions of taxpayers dollars to produce and promote them.

 

[ahnirv]

electric generation benefits from economy of scale better than just about anything, modern power generation plants have a thermal efficiency exceeding 50% (sometimes over 60%, and approaching 100% in co-generation applications), minus 5-15% of generated power in transmission losses, so say 45% efficient. Gas engines top out at 30% efficient, and just for fun, no transmission losses. Diesels top out at 40%, again under ideal circumstances. Even in favorable scenarios, EV cars beat gas engines by 50% relatively on thermal input per power to the wheels. Clearly, Unolocogringo, you know nothing about this subject. Way to go internet experts, Highfive!

I could add a laundry list of additional benefits to EV cars, but yeah, its not needed.

 

[christinebcw]

UNO,

Ya mean, they don't capture lightning bugs in a jar?!!

AHN,

As for efficiencies, there's nothing efficient about running electricity thru cables. "Entropy" is one word for it.

 

[hst101rox]

Unolosaljdflas,

If you watch the conference with the governor of Nevada and Elon Musk, the plant will be powered by solar panels and he hints that the plant will not harm the environment.

70% coal, that will be reduced in the future, so electric cars will automatically become better while aging gas cars are getting worse with worn catalytic converter(s).

I wasn't aware some coal powered plants were exempt from Obama's clean coal plan.

Up In Washington state, most of the energy comes from renewables so it's absolutely a 'no duh' decision about which is greener.
I have heard even if powered by dirty coal, and electric car is still as good as a Prius.

 

[Unolocogringo]

electric generation benefits from economy of scale better than just about anything, modern power generation plants have a thermal efficiency exceeding 50% (sometimes over 60%, and approaching 100% in co-generation applications), minus 5-15% of generated power in transmission losses, so say 45% efficient. Gas engines top out at 30% efficient, and just for fun, no transmission losses. Diesels top out at 40%, again under ideal circumstances. Even in favorable scenarios, EV cars beat gas engines by 50% relatively on thermal input per power to the wheels. Clearly, Unolocogringo, you know nothing about this subject. Way to go internet experts, Highfive!

I could add a laundry list of additional benefits to EV cars, but yeah, its not needed.

I never stated anything about efficiency. Your reading comprehension skills need improving.
My rant was about the amount of pollution created.
Just like Ethanol ,it creates more pollution and CO2 emissions than burning gasoline.
At this time both create more pollution when figured as a whole. Their whole premise is to create less CO2 emissions and pollution ,which they both fail at.
So maybe you should do a little research on your own and quit watching Fox news and commercials.

 

[christinebcw]

The Clean Energy laws were enacted by big oil's best pals, and have been long-standing, but one only needs to see who's in charge of the two biggest coal-producing states to see where the bribes total the biggest.

Along with the lack of efficiencies in cabling, ever consider how much energy is used to MAKE steel, aluminum and all that cable rigging? Of course, we've all seen those cables being laid beside highways using horse & buggy, too, right? Yep... lotsa efficiences, lotsa energy savings going on everywhere.

If only those Tesla Towers had caught on... maybe we could have evolved into a Blade Runner city-scape by now! Wheee! Wouldn't that be great? Everyone's dream vision!

But the powering of the Tesla plants can be solar or wind. The by-products, the waste - they conveniently ignored all mention of that.

As was noted above, Nevada's long-standing nuked-glass "fields of sand" might be a great location for it. And since their above-ground water sources head for LA, yes indeed, I suspect that great "Los Angeles River" will hafta worry about something other than a few giant ants occasionally.

 

[Unolocogringo]

Unolosaljdflas,

If you watch the conference with the governor of Nevada and Elon Musk, the plant will be powered by solar panels and he hints that the plant will not harm the environment.

70% coal, that will be reduced in the future, so electric cars will automatically become better while aging gas cars are getting worse with worn catalytic converter(s).

I wasn't aware some coal powered plants were exempt from Obama's clean coal plan.

Up In Washington state, most of the energy comes from renewables so it's absolutely a 'no duh' decision about which is greener.
I have heard even if powered by dirty coal, and electric car is still as good as a Prius.

As of right now they are exempt. The new plan deadline not take effect for another year and a half. As of right now it appears none have started the retrofit process, and none will be completed by the deadline. And the power company lobbyist are hard at work bribing congress for more exemptions and delays on implementing it.
Their stance is that it will be too costly to retrofit the older plants and they will shut them down causing a major energy crisis, while having to double or triple the cost of electricity for the consumer.
Bottom line is that it will cut into their profits and that is all that matters.

 

[ahnirv]

UNO,

Ya mean, they don't capture lightning bugs in a jar?!!

AHN,

As for efficiencies, there's nothing efficient about running electricity thru cables. "Entropy" is one word for it.

thats why i de-rated the power station efficiency by a loss of 10% or so, which is actually higher than the average, but im rounding everything towards making gas engines more competitive. My whole argument is based on "entropy". (more specifically thermodynamic, electrical and mechanical principles)

bottom line is, large scale electrical generation, even with current transmission technology can be reasonably expected to be almost double the power delivered to the wheels per unit thermal input

apply that, (lets conservatively say 1.8 times, not double) to the 130 billion bbl the US used in gasoline alone last year.... do i really have to go on here? (57 billion bbl of gasoline magically stays in our tanks, which also can be used for plastics and chemical processing)

 

[chicofehr]

It will be some time before these cars are useful in more rural areas and remote places. Of course most people buying these live in big cities anyway so its no big concern for them. I wonder if they will release full sized 4x4 pickups too in the near future. No fun if I can't go off roading with my vehicle. I don't drink so I have to find alternatives ways to have fun

 

[mavikt]

Wella, in Q1 2014, Tesla was the no 1 selling electrical car in Norway with over 2000 sold cars, and there they produce electricity out of fairy dust, which is 100% CO2 free! Unfortunately the Norwegian electrical market is connected to the German, and they've decided to switch from nuclear power to even more coal and solar.