View Full Version : What are you doing about energy prices?


Netjams
04-27-2006, 06:44 PM
I see a lot of complaining but I don't see many solutions offered.

How about taking 4 of the 8 cylenders out of that huge SUV.. :rolleyes:

Find a neighbor that works near your job and share rides. I see cars and trucks all over the streets day in and day out with just 1 driver and a lot of room for others.

I know.. Stay home and play with that CNC machine :)

posix
04-27-2006, 07:33 PM
and that's exactly what I do! :D

btw if you want you can buy a merc s600 and then you can switch off one whole bank of cylinders (in a v12) for the ultra-cool approach to fuel economy and energy savings ;)

Netjams
04-27-2006, 08:21 PM
and that's exactly what I do! :D

btw if you want you can buy a merc s600 and then you can switch off one whole bank of cylinders (in a v12) for the ultra-cool approach to fuel economy and energy savings ;)


Ha that is cool! I haven't seen that one yet :D

posix
04-28-2006, 05:42 AM
and the coolest thing is you don't have to do anything - the ZAS (zylinder abschaltung system) does it for you automatically on light loads (cruising down the motorway)

Zumba
04-28-2006, 06:34 AM
I see a lot of complaining but I don't see many solutions offered.

The best solution is to turn your daily drive into a fun and exciting pasttime.

Nobody rants about rising costs of golf clubs and country club memberships. Theater ticket prices haved soared through the roof in recent years, yet people still flock to the Brokeback Mountain.

So go ahead, buy yourself a new Ferrari F430, or a Vette Z06 with 20psi of boost. Find some backroads to avoid traffic. Add some life to your mundane daily commute, so that after guzzling 10 gallons of gas over 50 miles, you'll say, "it was worth it."

WhiteTiger
04-28-2006, 08:36 AM
"what are you doing about energy prices?"....

sort of leaves the question of just what I'm supposed to do about them, given that I have no input into the pricing of petroleum.

fuel prices are a "heads they win, tails you lose" proposition, imo. Demand goes down and the reserve tanks fill, prices are raised "to make up the difference". Demand goes up, reserves fall, prices go up due to "scarcity". Notice, prices go up no matter what.


Tiger

sdantonio
04-28-2006, 12:03 PM
I took 2 out of 4 sparkplugs out of my truck. It kind of ke-thunks now and has the same rocking-vibrating motion as a harley.

The chicks dig it

Netjams
04-28-2006, 08:04 PM
The best solution is to turn your daily drive into a fun and exciting pasttime.

Nobody rants about rising costs of golf clubs and country club memberships. Theater ticket prices haved soared through the roof in recent years, yet people still flock to the Brokeback Mountain.

So go ahead, buy yourself a new Ferrari F430, or a Vette Z06 with 20psi of boost. Find some backroads to avoid traffic. Add some life to your mundane daily commute, so that after guzzling 10 gallons of gas over 50 miles, you'll say, "it was worth it."

Na.. I don't play golf so that is out of the equasion and I have no need for a Ferrari F430, or a Vette Z06 at this time, so I guess i'm stuck having fun in other ways while saving energey.

I had this cool idea today.

A electric powered platform... About 2' x 4' that has several batteries and the electronics in a platform to keep the center of gravity low. These things can be hooked together like a train (each having it's own power and stability from the batteries in the platform). The thing won't travel very fast (10 mph) but would be very cool to ride and talk to friends as it travels. I picture each platform having rails and handles so one has to stand during travle (we can't let the passenger get too lazy).
This is intended for use in inter city neighborhoods.

Just like many ideas I have, i'm sure this is one already in use.

posix
04-28-2006, 08:12 PM
yup, and it's called a "sedgway"

ZipSnipe
04-28-2006, 10:05 PM
suffering

N4NV
04-28-2006, 10:12 PM
What are you doing about energy prices?

I have not paid for electricity for the past 3 years.
http://www.flyingcritters.com/solar/our_solar.html
And I use a lot of electricity, with a mill, lathe, bandsaw, tig welder etc.

It's a start.

Vince

Kevin Taylor
04-28-2006, 10:41 PM
Im going to apologise first to avoide hurting any body's feelings but since we have an overabundance of atorney's and politician's maybe we should find a way to render them into BFS Diesel "Bottom feeding scum" or at the least use them for guard rail at race track's since there is't anything that we buy or sell , manufacture or consume that hasen't had it's price directly affected by the legal profesion dont forget the politician's and the insurance industry The new's media has a unique way of glorifying the gas cost increase while they ingnore the tax's on gas that has gone up or the med cost atribuited to the illegal population they only want to show the protest's . Just thought of another use for the lawyer's build a fence out of them.

WhiteTiger
04-28-2006, 10:58 PM
Nice setup Vince, and a nice concise writeup on the website. Been a while since I was "into" PV systems... that 25 yr projected panel life caught me by surprise, as cell life was running something less than half that back when I was actively studying.

Guess I need to stick a toe back in the PV waters if things have improved that much... it was still at barely better than system cost breakeven for the entire useful lifespan last time I had a peek.

Thx for that link :)


Tiger

miljnor
04-29-2006, 12:59 AM
Very nice setup!

How much did it set you back? (didn't see that anywhere on the webpage either)

Netjams
04-29-2006, 08:54 AM
Bummer the server is down now, I will try later.
http://www.flyingcritters.com/solar/our_solar.html

At one time I looked into solor too, but electric here is so cheep and stable that the cost didn't pencel out.

dertsap
04-29-2006, 01:31 PM
im in canada , they rip me off on my smokes , my liquer , now my gas , im getting used to it
but i refuse to stop smoking , drinking ,driving ,not necessarily in the same order ,so ill pay it

at least until i lite a smoke drink a bottle of liquer and drive my truck thru the parliment doors ,and yes all in the same order

Netjams
05-02-2006, 08:54 PM
im in canada , they rip me off on my smokes , my liquer , now my gas , im getting used to it
but i refuse to stop smoking , drinking ,driving ,not necessarily in the same order ,so ill pay it

at least until i lite a smoke drink a bottle of liquer and drive my truck thru the parliment doors ,and yes all in the same order



You better hurry while you have gas to do it :D

sanddrag
05-03-2006, 01:50 AM
I'm hoping for the day when there is more than ONE publicly accessible E85 station in all of California. (pretty pathetic eh?). I have a Flex Fuel Vehicle but no E85 to run it on. The day a local station starts carrying it, I'll be there. It is stupid we haven't really started switching over already. Look at Brazil, like over half their cars run on E85 on a regular basis.