zacster

Who needs gas? I bought a Tesla a few months back, so between the bike and the car I never need to ever stop at a gas station again. In any event, there were no lines in NYC, gas was readily available everywhere,

Iride01 

That Tesla won't be easy to convert to wood gas if everything in the world goes to heck. So keep a gasoline burner around just in case those doomsday preppers ever happen to be right. <grin>

Though I don't have an issue with all electric. I'm actually surprised how long it's taking for us to make the change. But when gasoline dropped from it's high of 5 or 6 dollars ages ago, that sort of killed all the new technologies from even having a reason for being.

homeless in ca.

If you want to prep solar is the way to go.

An electric vehicle is basically a huge battery that you can drive. You can power your entire house for several days and then drive the battery to the charging station.

big john

If everything "goes to heck", like the electrical grid is gone, you probably won't be needing a car to drive around. Gas pumps wouldn't work anyway. Where would you be going? Mad Max in real life?
Electric cars are being more or less mandated by governments in some places and we may see more of that.

Iride01 

My comment was entirely facetious. But it is easy to generate wood gas or coal gas and power a combustion engine. Though the engine won't last long without a lot of maintenance. And with the current population if all were going to use wood gas, then the forests will be gone before we blink, and we probably won't be able to breathe much less see the sun through all the filth in the sky.

I'm all for electric vehicles. Bring them on. Please let them be autonomous so I can sit and enjoy the view and not have to worry about others on their phones while driving.

gthomson

Also no gas shortage up here in southern Ontario, Canada. Seem strange to hear about a gas shortage with so many people not commuting to work anymore during this pandemic. My car just sits in my drive way and gets filled up once every few months. The prices are definitely a lot higher than they were a year ago.

Bald Paul

As a 40+ year automotive professional (I was a regional technical specialist for an auto manufacturer) the one thing that I worry about more than people on their phones while driving, is people relying on their "autonomous" cars to drive for them.

And I've been hit by someone distracted on their phone.

Let me ask you this - would you board a commercial airliner if you knew it was a new, autonomous aircraft design with no pilot at the controls?

stevel610 

Youtube "new gas can" and you will find a variety of problem solving tips.

Iride01 

Just to be sure.... Autonomous to me is a vehicle intended to be driverless, not one of the cars today that use some of the tech, but are still intended to have a driver... behind the wheel, not in the backseat.

If it gets to the point that they feel it's ready for prime time, I'll be all for them. Certainly they'll know how to use an acceleration lane and speed up to the flow of traffic instead of trying to get in 70 mph traffic at 30 mph. Nor will they simply race to get in front of me in a show of testosterone and then slow down after getting back into my lane.

As for flying, well... I flew for over 20 years in corporate and charter work and was an airline captain for seven years. I don't have much desire to get in a plane today at all. I go out of my way to drive when possible. But if that time comes for them to be autonomous, then I'd be okay with that too.

I look at it that even if 1 in every so many deaths are directly due to a glitch in the autonomous vehicle system, it's still better than the many more glitches we have in the human controlled vehicles causing fatalities.

gthomson

I enjoy the experience of driving per se, like shifting gears in my 5 speed car, cornering, accelerating or slowing down, etc... but it's when you mix in the other drivers on the road is when I stop enjoying it as much.

I guess most of this comes from being old and having learned to drive old school and actually following the rules of the road and being conscientious of what's around me when I drive but seeing the way people drive these days on my commute to work on the highways makes me wish for some other mode of transportation. If it's autonomous, then so be it.

I think we can start an entire new post on the things we would not like to see self driven cars do when this actually is a thing. Such as, flipping me the bird as they speed by me because I was not doing 60 over the posted speed limit like they are! Ah, the list is endless.

So as an ex pilot you avoid flying after retiring...is there something we should know?

Deal4Fuji

He made the mistake of going to Foo last week ? https://www.bikeforums.net/22064666-post1998.html

...& we're flying to Seattle & back the week of the 4th I'm not the brightest bulb in the toolshed

Iride01 

No, not really. The view out the side windows doesn't leave you as awestruck with the planet Earth as does the view out the big picture window in front.

freeranger

I suspect that since the ransom was paid and the distributing pipeline began functioning once again, that gas is now available everywhere? Now price, that's another discussion. Was never a shortage here in KY, though prices did go up, but that may be due to more people driving for vacations, and Memorial Day coming up-always goes up then. We filled up 2 vehicles, and all the gas cans in the shed just the other day--not because we are hoarding, but had to use up our "fuel points" (had 60 cents/gal. off), and wanted to use them before the prices increase as we edge towards the long weekend. Only saw lines once, and that was because a particular station was at least 30 cents less than others in the area.

big john

60 cents? How do you get that deal? The grocery store points here amount to 20 cents, last time I looked.

freeranger

My wife and I look for options that offer 2x or 4x fuel points, such as phone cards, prepaid VISA/MC, anything that doubles or quadruples the usual. With gas prices being what they are, we try to save where we can. Neither of us used a phone much, so we use phones that refill from phone cards. Ends up less than a plan in the long run, and for people who use it as little as us, is fine.

big john

Cool. I think I also get 5% on fuel with Visa in the form of points. I can redeem the points for merchandise but I just wait until it builds up and apply it to my card payment.
Mrs John uses the grocery store points for gas but she rarely drives anymore, maybe I should take it.

takenreasy

The best way to not need gas is to walk and/or ride everywhere. For us, when that's not possible we have a Chevy Bolt.