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Drew Dowdell

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Everything posted by Drew Dowdell

  1. Drew Dowdell
    I finally retired my gasoline powered lawn mower just yesterday. It wasn't out of any desire to be green, I just got tired of it constantly breaking down. My father-in-law gave me a very basic electric mower years ago when they moved out of a house into an apartment and that has been doing my lawn just fine. If that goes (it's really old, I can't find blades for it), I'll probably replace it with another electric just so I don't have to deal with all of the maintenance involved in a gas mower. The problem with electric rail power is that in the more remote areas, maintenance of the wires becomes very costly and sometimes problematic. GE and EMD have been working on Hybrid locomotives for years. Norfolk Southern built an entirely EV locomotive, but they powered it with old style lead acid batteries that weren't up to the job. It just got auctioned off and will probably finish its life doing basic switching work at some industrial plant somewhere. The GG1 still has yet to be matched by any electric locomotive for combined power and reliability. Unfortunately none of the ones remaining will ever run again because the electrical systems are incompatible with the modern setup.
  2. Drew Dowdell
    Na, nothing is being un-done effectively, there won't be new coal plants brought online. New coal isn't profitable to build primarily because natural gas is so much cheaper even without the emissions requirements.
  3. Drew Dowdell
    You are correct, and since you are so concerned about cow farts, here is a link, however off topic, to an article addressing the issue. Since you're new here, we usually stick to automotive discussion. Here is information about rail emissions reduction programs. Here is information about tractor trailer emissions reduction programs. Here is information about efforts to get shipping industry emissions under control, though not successful yet. Since you are now informed in those areas, you can stop making straw-man and "Whattabout" arguments against improving emissions from cars, cars being the primary subject of this site.
  4. Drew Dowdell
    Rocket powered Super 88s sold in a fraction of the numbers that Blueflame powered Chevy Fleetlines sold at also. I'm not comparing market acceptance here, but the "high" technology I'm showing at each stage eventually became common or even outdated. In 1984 all engines were "high compression" by 1951 standards....why? Because it was superior design. The turbo hydra-matic that was a fabulous new option in the 1950s was basically ubiquitous and copied by all brands 33 years later. That generation of Thunderbird is credited with changing the the course of automotive styling. Hybrids, in spite of Toyota's best efforts to make them the ugliest cars on the road, are continuing to grow in sales. As battery costs continue to shrink, that growth will accelerate, as will the adaptation to PHEV. In the Prime's case, the range is still not there to justify the extra cost.... But Toyota will get there...long before 33 years are up.
  5. Drew Dowdell
    That Escalade is way overloaded. It can tow, but that is too much tongue weight.
  6. Drew Dowdell
    The only thing that I think Toyota has wrong here is the timeline. First off, existing cars will not be gone. But new production cars will likely be down to EV only. 2050 is only 33 years away. Today, the most technologically advanced cars on the road are PHEVs and EVs like the S-Class PHEV, CT6 PHEV, Chevy Bolt EV, and Tesla Model-S. This is the powertrain diagram for the CT6 PHEV. Aside from the CT6's transmission which is the most advanced hybrid transmission available, the concepts and technologies of this car are the same as the Fusion Energi or Pruis Prime.... I only picked this picture to show the technology, I realize it is not an average person's car. 33 years ago the average midsize car was powered by a carbed V6 or V8. The 1984 Thunderbird was one of the most advanced average person car. It had Central Fuel Injection... which was basically a glorified carb with a single fuel injector instead of vacuum operated jets. Numerous manufacturers were still running carbed engines for an additional 8 years. In another thread here on C&G we are talking about the new Corvette V8 that has two different kinds of fuel delivery systems, and in that regard it is about 3 or 4 years late to the party. Think about the level of technological difference between a 1984 Thunderbird and a 2017 CT6 PHEV or Pruis Prime. 33 years prior to that Thunderbird was 1951 and this was one of the most advanced average person's car on the road. Think about the technology difference between a 1951 Olds with its "High Compression V8" and the 1984 Thunderbird. 33 years before that and you were in a Model-T. 33 years before the Model-T, you could get a Studebaker with between one and four horsepower. The point of this thought exercise is to help you keep in mind what is possible in the span of 33 years.
  7. Drew Dowdell
    Some/Many of the other man-made sources are targeted for regulation as well.
  8. Drew Dowdell
    The Pentastar would be screaming trying to pull that up a hill
  9. Drew Dowdell
    7,700
  10. Drew Dowdell
    It's more than any V6 gasoline crossover today and only 400lbs less than a V8 Durango or Grand Cherokee.
  11. Drew Dowdell
    The '96 Fleetwood could be factory equipped to tow 7,000lbs. That's right... Grandpa's Caddy can tow more than most modern crossovers.
  12. Drew Dowdell
    yes, but clearing time may take longer being internationally.... you also may get an oddball amount due to exchange rates.
  13. Drew Dowdell
    I took that pic... it's not a google image search. Interestingly, the vehicles could be reversed and still within the towing limits of the car. Try doing that with an S-Class.
  14. Drew Dowdell
    GM isn't the first to do this. I don't know who was, but I do know that Toyota is using such a system on the latest version of its V6es. Part of it has to do with efficiency. Direct Injection is great at certain operating conditions, in others, it's not so hot and port injection is better.
  15. Drew Dowdell
    What questions?
  16. Drew Dowdell
    OOOooo I like that Coupe Deville... but I'm not allowed anymore.
  17. Drew Dowdell
    A truck I can see.... but a sedan? Now? Why?
  18. Drew Dowdell
    Time to update your sig!
  19. Drew Dowdell
    I was looking up Eighty-Eights and LeSabres.
  20. Drew Dowdell
    Luxury and expensive are not the same thing. An S Maybach is luxury a Urus isn't... it's just expensive. It's a toy for the rich... and it is a luxury to be able to own one, but that does not make it a luxury product. It's the same reason a $50k C-class with plastic seats and a turbo-4 is questionable as a luxury product even though, yes, it is expensive.
  21. Drew Dowdell
    Wow! Very nice upgrade! The 2.0T is such a nicely balanced car And a coupe too!
  22. Drew Dowdell
    FML.... Went and got a new battery, the one that was in there was 7 years old, it had a good life, not mad about that. I got home, put the new battery in, went to start it and... almost nothing. After some investigating, the ground wire to the engine block corroded and snapped off at the engine block in an extremely inconvenient place. So $50 later, a new one is on the way but won't be here till Friday. Apparently they are made out of a rare tree that only grows on a certain mountainside in Japan because there are none at the Honda dealerships near me.
  23. Drew Dowdell
    Same. I would imagine my garage was pretty much useless from 1950 till 1980 for anything considered mid-size in those eras. The Roadmaster Wagon just barely fit in there, but I had to kiss the front rubber right up to the brick
  24. Drew Dowdell
    No, like any capitalist, I'll fix it up and find the first sucker I can to write me a check for $5,500. Yes I've had my troubles with it over the years, but it's always been repaired and maintained properly. Same year and higher mileage are going for $7k at local dealerships. I'm including 2 sets of tires, brand new battery, oil change, coolant change, and detailed maintenance history notebook. I think $5,500 is more than fair. I've already been shopping for it's replacement and hope to pull that trigger soon after the Honda sells.
  25. Drew Dowdell
    I didn't argue that bigger is better, just that the Escalade feels roomier. The Escalade may feel too big to some buyers, and that's okay. I prefer the size and roominess of the Escalade myself, and that's also okay. The Escalade drives fantastic and so does the GLS, they're a wash to me. I'm this class, I'd pick the Escalade, but that's only because I haven't driven the Navigator yet.
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