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The-Real-Deal82

macrumors P6
Jan 17, 2013
17,314
25,463
Wales, United Kingdom
I think that every environmentalist should at least entertain the idea of using the atom to power the renewable energy transition.

You guys in the US have it good. In the EU, considering the developments with our neighbors with the east. It would be strategically unwise to build more nuclear infrastructure in Hypersonic missile range lest we build a credible iron dome.

The only country with a clear roadmap regarding nuclear is France. Germany shutting their plant off on the permise of cheap russian gas is what is biting them in the butt rn.

Britain has Hinckley Point which is hugely important for us, and there’s a further 60 odd mini reactors planned across the rest of the UK. We’ve been getting free electricity from France since the 80’s to top up our grid and need to stand on our own. Renewables would never satisfy the total demand sadly and seeing as we are on the cusp of the EV revolution, nuclear is our best hope.
 

4sallypat

macrumors 601
Sep 16, 2016
4,034
3,782
So Calif
I miss nuclear.... when I first started paying electric bills in 2011 we were paying $.11-$.13/kwhr (100% nuclear) until CA shut down our local nuclear power plant. Now, it's:

View attachment 2253361

Despite most of our power from 8am-4pm coming from renewables and/or CNG.

View attachment 2253362 View attachment 2253363

I'm very pro nuclear. This renewables stuff is nice and all but wow it sure makes running the AC in the summer hit the wallet really hard.
Hey, that's the same rate I am at with SCE!
 
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Flowstates

macrumors 6502
Aug 5, 2023
333
397
Britain has Hinckley Point which is hugely important for us, and there’s a further 60 odd mini reactors planned across the rest of the UK. We’ve been getting free electricity from France since the 80’s to top up our grid and need to stand on our own. Renewables would never satisfy the total demand sadly and seeing as we are on the cusp of the EV revolution, nuclear is our best hope.

Didn't you guys float away in 2020 ? ;)

/uj IIRC Sunak did get some flac opening new fossil-fuel concessions recently right ?
 

jz0309

Contributor
Sep 25, 2018
11,383
30,027
SoCal
I've read that the cost increases in CA have to do with costs due to wildfires. Wind and Solar are generally cheaper than other power sources to setup and run. Nuclear, while it has benefits, is usually the most expensive.
yup, cause PG&E got sued big time in the fire that destroyed Paradise (name of a city in NorCal) ...
 
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jz0309

Contributor
Sep 25, 2018
11,383
30,027
SoCal
I miss nuclear.... when I first started paying electric bills in 2011 we were paying $.11-$.13/kwhr (100% nuclear) until CA shut down our local nuclear power plant. Now, it's:

View attachment 2253361

Despite most of our power from 8am-4pm coming from renewables and/or CNG.
Diablo Canyon is still running, and it looks like they're adding another 10 years ...
 
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Surfsalot

Suspended
Mar 18, 2023
2,049
2,028
I've read the same. My current bill has a $4.34 wildfire charge on it. But I bet fire lawsuits are big reason for the overall cost increase -

View attachment 2253379

Probably the distribution charge.

Anyway, I love watching CA ISO - that's a LOT of solar we're generating, often selling it to nearby states, then using it to power the 4,000 MW/hr batteries that can run for 3+ hours. :p

I could talk power all day lol.

Hope to get my own place with solar and charge my EV/powerwall batteries with it someday. (Won't be affording a house in CA in my lifetime tho).
seems You have things backwards
 

JT2002TJ

macrumors 68020
Nov 7, 2013
2,068
1,397
New TM3 is live overseas

Highlights:
423 mile range through more a aerodynamic body
upgraded suspension
30% reduction in noise
front lower camera
new headlights
new front bumper
vented front seats
ambient lights
rear 8” screen
indicator/wiper stalks gone
redesigned steering wheel (like S/X)
new interior dash design
dual pain windows front & rear (was front only before)
65W wireless charging

Car Wow review:

 

4sallypat

macrumors 601
Sep 16, 2016
4,034
3,782
So Calif
I hopped on the TOU-D-Prime the moment they offered it. Course, it wasn't as high as it is now for the peak time (4-9pm) but - I did get $1000 from SCE for getting my used EV last year so that was nice, lol. We pay a little less during the off hours than the non-PRIME folk :D.
Same, in 2019 I got a $1000 rebate check from SCE for the PHEV my wife now drives.

Yes, TOU-D Prime is what we have.

I am charging my BEV at Shell ReCharge for less than SCE off peak rates whenever I can.

IMG_67B0B31C64D3-1.jpeg
 
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cyb3rdud3

macrumors 601
Jun 22, 2014
4,081
2,753
UK
Very interested in the Lotus Eletre for one reason: the supposed incredible sound system from KEF (KEF make some of the best speakers on the market). I'm willing to pay a huge premium for a good sound system, it's one of the huge reasons we placed a deposit for Polestar 3. I literally go driving sometimes just to listen to music in the car. But I think Eletre will start at 100k+, too much money to put into a car. We'll see.

Polestar need to start the press drives for Polestar 3 soon, it's been over a year since the announcement and we've seen nothing beyond the show car.
I like the Polestar 3 as well, it is now being marketed and on display in the Polestar places in the UK. However I think it is priced too ambitious for what the brand is. I would also prefer the Lotus Eletre and unless you go crazy with the options it is not materially more expensive.

I’m in the western US and 10 hours is not unusual here either. I wouldn’t hesitate to do it in an EV, now. I’d do a little preplanning in choosing my route but it’s not hard now and with the continued buildout and renewed commitment to the charging networks by the auto manufacturers, it’s going to get even easier.
Same here; I'm only allowed to be 185 days a year in the UK so I make a lot of trips to continental Europe. Regularly do trips of 10 hours or longer across many countries. It really isn't an issue and doesn't take any longer. By the time I've done a pitstop to empty my bladder and grab a drink, the car is charged again and I can get on my way. If anything I'm saving time as I don't have to be with the car whilst filling it up and only then go to the WC and shop.

what happens to the battery when needs replacing?
It is an extremely rare occassion when that needs to happen, many have done 100's of thousands of miles (let alone kilometers) without needing to replace the batteries. Also, individual cells can be replaced on some cars like the Polestars in the unfortunately and unlikely event that is required. But when come end of live eventually, the batteries are still good for home storage and can be repurposed for that. It is great to have with a home solar setup and store the excess if the feed in tariff is less than the consumption tariff.

Smart hacks, if they don't mind the ugliness of a Nissan Leaf, buy the early ones as they are very cheap, and you can use them in vehicle to home mode ;)

It’s hard to be too specific as so few EV batteries have failed. Other than the first generation Leaf batteries, most other EV batteries are lasting for the life of the vehicle when driven multiple hundreds of thousands of miles. Some companies are using batteries from wrecked cars as local power stores to buffer those solar panels on your house and provide power during the evening.

There are several companies with early stage project to recycle the materials of the batteries. They can only operate in a small scale so far as so few batteries have completely failed that there is not enough material for large scale operations.
Exactly :)
 

BigMcGuire

Cancelled
Jan 10, 2012
9,832
14,032
Same, in 2019 I got a $1000 rebate check from SCE for the PHEV my wife now drives.

Yes, TOU-D Prime is what we have.

I am charging my BEV at Shell ReCharge for less than SCE off peak rates whenever I can.

View attachment 2253664
Very cool! I have a friend who lives in Pasadena.

I never did get the adapter/kit for my 2018 Tesla to be able to charge CHAdeMO or CCS - if I remember right, Tesla wanted something like $600+ for me to get the kit to be able to charge at EV GO stations.

Nice having a close neighbor! Sadly, I move to Northern CA for my wife's work for 3 years later this month (we're hoping to come back to Riverside if everything works out). Going to miss looking for your White EV when I hit the Ontario Supercharger. :D
 

4sallypat

macrumors 601
Sep 16, 2016
4,034
3,782
So Calif
Very cool! I have a friend who lives in Pasadena.

I never did get the adapter/kit for my 2018 Tesla to be able to charge CHAdeMO or CCS - if I remember right, Tesla wanted something like $600+ for me to get the kit to be able to charge at EV GO stations.

Nice having a close neighbor! Sadly, I move to Northern CA for my wife's work for 3 years later this month (we're hoping to come back to Riverside if everything works out). Going to miss looking for your White EV when I hit the Ontario Supercharger. :D
Well then we hope to continue hearing from you up in Nor Cal.

Sounds like a nice change of pace, weather, etc...

Hoping the upcoming El Nino weather will be nice to us this fall & winter.
 
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BigMcGuire

Cancelled
Jan 10, 2012
9,832
14,032
Well then we hope to continue hearing from you up in Nor Cal.

Sounds like a nice change of pace, weather, etc...

Hoping the upcoming El Nino weather will be nice to us this fall & winter.
Weather will be nice, but rent is going to be $500/mo more for half the space. lol.

Definitely! My wife will have the option of taking the train to work or drive for 30 mins. Significantly beats her 1.5-2.5+ hour one way commute to UCLA from Ontario now. :D

Agreed, this summer has been insane.
 

jz0309

Contributor
Sep 25, 2018
11,383
30,027
SoCal
New TM3 is live overseas

Highlights:
423 mile range through more a aerodynamic body
upgraded suspension
30% reduction in noise
front lower camera
new headlights
new front bumper
vented front seats
ambient lights
rear 8” screen
indicator/wiper stalks gone
redesigned steering wheel (like S/X)
new interior dash design
dual pain windows front & rear (was front only before)
65W wireless charging

Car Wow review:

launching in China - haven't seen when it might come to US.
Also, from what I've read elsewhere it's a new long range version to compete in China, so extended range seems from larger battery primarily, but no details as of yet.
oddity for me: indicator/wiper stalks gone
 

JT2002TJ

macrumors 68020
Nov 7, 2013
2,068
1,397
launching in China - haven't seen when it might come to US.
Also, from what I've read elsewhere it's a new long range version to compete in China, so extended range seems from larger battery primarily, but no details as of yet.
oddity for me: indicator/wiper stalks gone

That long range is from areo changes to the design, same battery in the LR (from how I understand it).

From a cost perspective, it makes sense for Tesla to make 1 steering wheel for all vehicles, S/X/3/Y. Just not a huge fan of losing the right stalk. The wiper/high beam I don't use much. I only drove an X loner for 1 day, I managed with the shifting on the screen, but prefer it on the stalk.
 
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cyb3rdud3

macrumors 601
Jun 22, 2014
4,081
2,753
UK
The design is getting better to look at in my opinion, but getting rid of core driving tools like the stalks seems madness. Even in the best cars with automatic wipers (isn't Tesla one of the worst as they use a camera opposed to rain sensors) a manual override is required at times. Having to go on a touch screen whilst driving in those conditions seems madness to me.
 
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jz0309

Contributor
Sep 25, 2018
11,383
30,027
SoCal
That long range is from areo changes to the design, same battery in the LR (from how I understand it).

From a cost perspective, it makes sense for Tesla to make 1 steering wheel for all vehicles, S/X/3/Y. Just not a huge fan of losing the right stalk. The wiper/high beam I don't use much. I only drove an X loner for 1 day, I managed with the shifting on the screen, but prefer it on the stalk.
Ok, let’s see when/if it gets introduced here in the US.
Losing the wiper stalk - don’t know if that would ever work for me …
 

jz0309

Contributor
Sep 25, 2018
11,383
30,027
SoCal
The design is getting better to look at in my opinion, but getting rid of core driving tools like the stalks seems madness. Even in the best cars with automatic wipers (isn't Tesla one of the worst as they use a camera opposed to rain sensors) a manual override is required at times. Having to go on a touch screen whilst driving in those conditions seems madness to me.
I agree, and not having manual switches for AC and such was and is the main reason for me not getting a Tesla…
I have auto wipers and most of the time I turn them off, on the stalk ;)
 

oneMadRssn

macrumors 603
Sep 8, 2011
6,087
14,194
New TM3 is live overseas

Highlights:
423 mile range through more a aerodynamic body
upgraded suspension
30% reduction in noise
front lower camera
new headlights
new front bumper
vented front seats
ambient lights
rear 8” screen
indicator/wiper stalks gone
redesigned steering wheel (like S/X)
new interior dash design
dual pain windows front & rear (was front only before)
65W wireless charging

Car Wow review:

I think the bigger Tesla news today is that it cut the price of the X and S by 15-20%. For the X LR in particular, this is huge going from nearly $100k to $80k. That puts it within range of the tax credit, and makes the price competitive with other large EV SUVs from Rivian, Kia/Hyundai, and Volvo.
 
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