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Congress wants to force AM into every new car for emergency alerts.
The fight over the future of AM radio got a little more heated this week as organizations representing the auto and technology industries told Congress that its plan to mandate this mode of radio wave reception is poorly conceived and will hinder progress.
AM radio has seen almost every other in-car entertainment option come and go—vinyl, 8-tracks, cassettes, CDs—and it might predate just about everything other than playing "I Spy," but time is catching up with this old broadcast technology. It is starting to get left behind as new models—many of which are electric vehicles—drive off into the sunset, streaming their audio instead of modulating its amplitude.
[...] "As more and more Americans adopt electric vehicles, we must ensure that they are equipped with AM radio. AM radio is—and will remain—an essential communications channel for emergency alerts and for disseminating news and other important information to residents of our district and communities across our country. I am proud to co-lead this bipartisan legislation which would ensure that EVs continue to be equipped with this basic but critical capability," said Rep. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), another co-sponsor.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Wednesday May 24 2023, @03:03PM (7 children)
I comprehend your point. I don't see a clear answer. One could argue that in the Beyond Thunderdome scenario, I'd rather have a PV system and an electric car, or at least electric bicycle, because even biodiesel might be unobtanium.
I just worked on my friends Chevy Bolt yesterday. Just brakes and a few other simple things. Wow, those cars are deceptively heavy! Large strong floor jack crying "uncle". I'd advocate for more modular batteries. Some people may not need 350 mile range, but you're always carting around all that battery weight. I saw a video from somewhere in Europe (Norway maybe?) where they had battery modules and you swapped them out at a charging station. But my real vote is for "plugin hybrid" where you run on batteries but there's an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) for obvious backup reasons. I'm also a fan of dual fuel engines. Theoretically you could have an ICE run on almost anything combustible and liquid or gaseous. I'm talking about common fuels from biodiesel to hydrogen (including gasoline, propane, alcohol, ...)
(Score: 4, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday May 24 2023, @03:24PM (4 children)
>I'd rather have a PV system and an electric car, or at least electric bicycle, because even biodiesel might be unobtanium.
Well, as long as they are working, sure, PV is less effort than making bio-diesel. In the first couple of years post SHTF the electric systems users are going to be pretty smug about all that. Where it gets interesting is more in the 10+ years down the road timeframe.
While some electric bikes are simple enough for DIY maintenance and repair, modern cars (electric or IC) have gone beyond the pale in terms of long term maintainability - as in: they have none. They are horrendously complex interdependent systems of systems which are not designed to work (well, if at all) when parts fail.
I'm liking more of a late 1980s Land Rover 110 diesel for post-apocalypse motoring. It might take a bit of infrastructure to make biodiesel, but unless the earth is scorched ala Mad Max scenery, there will be plenty of feedstock weeds growing when there aren't enough people around to mow them down anymore. The infrastructure to make new PV, and even Lithium-ion, cells is quite a bit more complex. And you're not likely to be putting a ton of miles on anything post-apocalypse, so engine and drive train rebuilds shouldn't be necessary too often. But, what matters is the ability to bug-out when the hoarde does show up on the horizon...
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Wednesday May 24 2023, @03:42PM (1 child)
Very interesting and good points. Well, now we know of your Land Rover 110, so you'll see the hordes coming over that hilltop.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday May 24 2023, @04:27PM
Yeah, that's the thing about playing Apocalypse... the only way to really win is not to play.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday May 24 2023, @06:52PM (1 child)
In the event that you're thinking about SHTF for 10+ years, you're already screwed. Sure, you can plan for some crazy stuff, but that's not really going to help you in the long run. Best thing to do is be in reasonable shape health wise, invest in your own knowledge, go off-grid power (if you can afford it), and get yourself a well. In the event that you have a nice solar setup that's easy to spot from miles around. You're going to be a nice fat target. In the event that you can't get water. You've got a fairly short time span that you're going to survive.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday May 24 2023, @08:26PM
Already on the well, and it flows without electricity most of the time, likely will flow a lot better when all the pumps pulling from the aquifer stop pulling.
Location.... not a bad compromise, in a suburbish area of a major metro, livable until the SHTF, and tucked back just far enough off the beaten path that we'll likely hear the gunfire when the horde starts advancing down our driveway (6 other homes before they get to ours).
All in all, I'd much rather vaporize in the flash of a 20MT detonation, but we're a good 80 miles from the submarine base, so in all likelihood we'll instead be witness to the mushroom cloud low on the horizon.
Growing food around here will be a challenge... we've got a little land, but I'm guessing our current halfhearted efforts at gardening have only produced about 20,000 calories on the best year.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Informative) by TheGratefulNet on Thursday May 25 2023, @12:57PM (1 child)
the battery swap stuff is from NIO (I used to work for them a few years ago).
battery swap is killer app stuff. it works, its great, and china loves it. it works over there. it could work here, too, but tesla decided 'no' and that was that. no one else considered it in the US. if nio does come to the US, we can see if they bring swap stations here, too. the whole idea is really good and its a shame others didn't embrace the concept.
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Thursday May 25 2023, @04:29PM
Thanks for that. That's not the one I had seen, but it's what I've envisioned for a long time- easily swappable battery packs. Charge if you want to, or swap it out if you're in a hurry (and/or wealthy enough because it will cost more than just a recharge).
In the US and many countries some kind of standard would be needed for it to work economically.
It would be an enormous investment, and the only way, I think, it could happen is a complete cooperation between competing companies and governments. China can do it because they act as a cooperative entity (whether they want to or not) under the government. That and frankly they understand the benefit to everyone.
It sure makes sense on every other level, and is the kind of thing where, in the long run, society benefits from standards and collaboration.
This is what I had seen (India):
https://www.deccanherald.com/business/hurdles-seen-in-mass-adoption-of-ev-battery-swapping-technology-1078152.html [deccanherald.com]
https://www.news18.com/news/auto/chargeup-is-offering-a-2-minute-ev-battery-swap-within-a-radius-of-2-km-for-increased-roi-interview-3729374.html [news18.com]
I also see some Japanese companies collaborating (as they do) to come up with something similar.
A worldwide standard (like USB-C?) would be best for everyone.