Is/n't Tesla literally/figuratively crashing?

[kuronosan]

It phases out in the year after 200k is hit, so it's not like it disappears overnight.

Will the Model 3 fit in your garage? I hear it's the same profile as an A4.

[archibaldcrane]

It'll fit (I mean, hell the Model S physically fit) it's just a question of comfort/avoiding door dings. They haven't announced dimensions though.

While I obviously want one, I bought a Leaf in 2014 when my Sentra died, so I'll probably be driving that for a long time unless I get into a situation where my commute is too long for it, which is unlikely. My wife drives a 2011 VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI, which is caught up in the VW emissions cheating scandal, so we may have to replace that sooner than we thought, but it'll probably be too soon to get a Model 3 to replace it.

It's all frustrating.

[Andalusian girls]

the Buddha said all life is suffering

[archibaldcrane]

Interesting article about a demonstration natural gas power plant being built operating on the "Allam cycle", designed to eliminate emissions from natural gas power.

http://www.vox.com/2016/4/5/11347962/net-power

No idea if it will work or be cost competitive, but it's potentially exciting if so.

[Churchill]

There are a lot of things in that article that should tell you the person writing it doesn't know shit about science.

[archibaldcrane]

I'm less concerned about the quality of the journalism vs. the quality of the technology.

[Churchill]

If I google "Allam Cycle" I can only find stuff published by the people funding this.

The guy whose name dons the scientific process published like 6 years ago, I'd expect to see a detailed wikipedia page that summarizes everything like I would if I looked up "Rankine Cycle" or "Wankel Cycle" or "Carnot Cycle".

[archibaldcrane]

I had the same problem.

Although, whoever he is, he's convinced a company to build a 50 MW test plant for $140,000,000 - so either people are throwing away a fucking ridiculous amount of money or there's something to it.

[Salodin]

I mean, that's a lot of money.

But its not. Not if the science is kind of there, and he is the only one doing this. The roi on truly green natural gas is immeasurable I'd imagine.

[Psion]

the science seems solid enough from what i can read, though i'm wondering how much energy it will take to separate oxygen from the air. and of course, what they're going to do with all the CO2 leftover. the use of CO2 and oxygen instead of plain old air is pretty smart though to prevent nitro pollutants. it's kind of hard to get nitrogen biproducts from combustion if there's no nitrogen to react with.

[Churchill]

I would guess 100W per 10L (of air)

Air is 20% oxygen.

[Coren]

Isn't the bigger issue with natural gas getting it out of the ground, not so much with burning it cleanly?

[dasva]

Really that's an issue with any energy source. Always gotta be mining something up if you want efficiency. Just a matter of if you want the middle east or china doing it lol. Do you want fracking messes or tailing ponds

[archibaldcrane]

Isn't the bigger issue with natural gas getting it out of the ground, not so much with burning it cleanly?

It's both, but for the latter:

Natural gas has half the carbon emissions of coal for the same amount of electricity, and since they provide equal amounts of electricity in the US now, the sector's carbon emissions are basically 2/3rds from coal, 1/3rd from gas. If you could make that 1/3rd into 0, it would be a big deal, especially since natural gas continues to be a bigger share as coal is phasing out.

[Andalusian girls]

total of 325,000 pre-orders for the Model 3 in its first week

by comparison the most popular car in America last year was the Toyota Camry which sold 430,000 units

[archibaldcrane]

I wonder if they will be able to fill those orders by the end of 2019.

(and of course, those were worldwide preorders, not just US)

[Dantrag]

Did you get to preconfigure the car before reserving? Or is it just for the reserve?

[archibaldcrane]

No configuration until a few months before your particular car will be made.

[Dantrag]

Wasn't there already like 60k made?

[archibaldcrane]

Of the Model S and X, yes, they've only made prototypes of the Model 3, and won't sell any until the end of next year.