Environmental Impacts

[TheOffice]

Beau,

I suspect the Hummer will be an electric Silverado. I see this as a way to make a big splash because it won't look like a Chevy. Then they will add an EV Silverado.

They've done the Bolt and Volt, so it is not new to them. Let's hope they execute better with the truck!

Ajax, I agree on the EV Mustthing. Guess the Blue Oval means less than the pony.

Funny to read statements from CEOs about EVs. The Japanese are not sold while the Europeans are all in.

Joel

[SemiSalt]

I suspect that once the car companies were focused on electric vehicles, they looked at things like number of parts, maintenance requirements, etc and decided electric could be good for them.

I was thinking about the pre-Model T electric cars. I think they had a range of about 15 miles - enough to get to the shops in town and home again, so the lady of the house could drive herself to the milliner without waiting for some man to do the driving.

[LarryHoward]

Also keep in mind that Trump relaxing standards, doesn't necessarily change things right away. Many manufacturers of equipment, cars, light bulbs and the like have already done the engineering and production changes necessary to manufacture stuff to the higher energy standards. Plus you have state and local jurisdictions that are driving energy efficiency standards that are more stringent than what the fed requires anyway.

Trump bashing LED light bulbs, low flow toilets, and faucet aerators, won't actually make them to go away or stop California, DC, Virginia, Maryland, etc from requiring them. What it will probably do, is allow manufacturers of incandescent light bulbs keep producing them for a bit longer.

I'll offer that some of the Obama administration expansion of the EPA roles and reach were done by EO (Dare I say in the dark of night?). The massive expansion of the definition of "Waters of the US" that was just overturned by the Supremes applied all of the 'Navigable Waters" coverage to seasonal streams, ponds and mud puddles that lie wholly on private land. A lot of folks consider that pretty substantial overreach.

I liked Obama as a President except for 2 things - "Elections have consequences" and " I've got a pen and I've got a phone - and I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive actions and administrative actions that move the ball forward." Many of the EPA rules that are being challenged today came from that pen and for better or worse any change brought about through an EO can be rolled back by an EO from the next President. Increasing political polarization didn't start in 2016 but it certainly has accelerated.

[JoeP]

If you are interested the latest Professional Boatbuilder has an article on current battery technology with an extensive sidebar on the ecological and sociological implications of lithium mining.