The Beast...

Me, "It just goes to show, electric cars can do some things just as good as gasoline cars, if not better."

From article, "An Electric Car Conquered The Dakar Rally For The First Time"




(Let there be no doubt about the capabilities of electric cars anymore.

If you were in any doubt about the capabilities of electric cars, there’s plenty of proof that they shouldn’t be underestimated. The reveal of the Faraday FF 91 has been hailed as the fastest-accelerating EV on the planet, while the Rimac Concept_One recently blitzed the Bugatti Veyron. This latest milestone isn’t about flatout speed, however, but endurance. Because, for the first time ever, an all-electric car successfully completed the grueling Dakar Rally, according to Electrek.

That accolade belongs to Acciona, a Spanish company which concentrates on renewable energy. It took five years to develop its own custom-built, battery-powered car to compete in the Dakar Rally. After two failed attempts, this year it conquered what is regarded as one of the most grueling and downright dangerous endurance rallies in the world when other experienced drivers couldn’t, successfully completing the 5,600 mile trek through Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. 18,000 vehicles have participated in the Dakar Rally since it began, but Acciona’s entry is the first to compete without emitting any carbon dioxide.

Driver Ariel Jaton commented on the victory: “The odyssey is over. This year’s Dakar was very tough, with some very intense stages complicated by the weather, and the altitude in Bolivia. It was the most grueling race in South America, so we are thrilled to have reached the finish line, particularly in an electric car.” This year’s Dakar Rally was especially grueling because the Río Grande burst its bank, forcing officials to reroute the race. Despite this, the electric car managed to tackle the tough terrain. It’s equipped with a 340 horsepower synchronous electric motor powered by a 150 kWh modular battery pack.

The six lithium battery modules inside can be individually charged to get to full power in just 60 minutes, while a 100-watt solar panel on the back of the roof captures additional energy. The body was constructed out of lightweight carbon fiber. The win is undoubtedly a tremendous achievement that shows how electric cars can be just as capable as their fuel-powered counterparts.)

Oil Energy Independence, in recent years, is possible. It just depends on...

Me, "Oil Energy Independence, in recent years, is possible. It just depends on the price of Oil. If it is more expensive per barrel, more oil companies will develop Oil Shale fields with new fracking technology. Just recently a huge Oil Shale field was found in Texas, a state thought to be on the way out of oil production. New fracking technology makes this field developable. But... 

It's all about the price of oil. U.S. consumers like it when the price of oil is down. It means less prices for gasoline at the pump. But it also makes it uneconomical to drill new oil wells. 

Not too long ago, North Dakota had so much oil on its hands that it pleaded, and got, from the Obama administration, the right to export oil again.
If new refineries were built, more oil shale was sent to them, thru new transporting pipeline, energy independence would be possible."   

From article, "Trump’s vow to break from OPEC oil imports echoes old refrain"

(President Donald Trump’s pledge to make America independent from OPEC isn’t a new refrain in Washington.

His “America First Energy Plan” posted on the White House website Friday doesn’t echo just his own campaign pledges but also President George W. Bush’s vow to cut imports from the Middle East when he famously said the nation was “addicted to oil.” Shipments from OPEC rose 10 percent during Bush’s time in office.

It’s not an easy task. It would mean replacing about 3 million barrels a day of imports. That’s about three times as much as East Coast refineries consume.

President Trump’s goal may not be completely unobtainable as U.S. oil production has been on the rise and signs point toward possible energy independence. To achieve that, though, the country may need to reconsider a push for exports that was supported by Republicans. Since scrapping restriction on sales to countries other than Canada at the end of 2015, U.S. crude exports have risen to more than 700,000 barrels a day.)