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  1. Spaceman Spiff

    Your experience with all-electric vans

    I don't personally own one but of the people I know (6) that have an EV or PHEV: All are second vehicles. All are charged overnight at home. All are used for commuting and shopping trips. Longer trips (100+ miles) are taken in an ICE vehicle. All are early technology adopters. Friend tried...
  2. Spaceman Spiff

    Your experience with all-electric vans

    It annoys me that we listen to climate "scientists" who claim that we are in crisis, fly private jets to exotic locations to party and discuss how they can panic us into doing what they say (but not what they do). EVs are the same. EVans are available. If one believes that ICE are destroying...
  3. Spaceman Spiff

    Your experience with all-electric vans

    We have had over 100 years and 100's of millions of vehicles to study to understand the pro's and con's of ICE. Currently, EVs account for about 1% of vehicle traffic. When that gets to ~20% we will have a better idea of the environmental damage done by EVs. Current mining practices doesn't...
  4. Spaceman Spiff

    Your experience with all-electric vans

    Simplified answer: Carbon (C, atomic weight 6, from gasoline) Oxygen (O, atomic weight 8, from air) C+2O = CO2 (atomic weight 22). Approximately 72% of the weight of CO2 from the combustion of gasoline comes from air. Discrepancy comes from other things happening when gas is combusted under...
  5. Spaceman Spiff

    Solar generators

    How small an alternator does your van have? 1200W is 85A at 14V. My truck has a 180A alternator; I can get a 14V alternator up to 360A. My 1000W inverter/generator runs a 45A battery charger easily. Even at 50A, that's just 2 hours to charge 1200W.
  6. Spaceman Spiff

    Sleeping with the door open

    I prefer door closed and locked. If someone is intent on breaking in it gives a few seconds to wake up and make a response. With an dog, an open door means he will be responding to more activity outside.
  7. Spaceman Spiff

    New Cars are Data Privacy Nightmares

    Almost all consumer products have Terms and Conditions attached: For software you check a box. For hardware it is usually 'use of product implies consent'. It is up to the user to know what they are consenting too.
  8. Spaceman Spiff

    Electric van

    If you are dead set on getting an EV I'd get it now. Prices are going to go up a lot. Cost of the average EV went up 13% from 2021 to 2023. The UAW is demanding a 46% pay raise. I could see used EVs going for the same price a new for a while like truck prices did during the COVID lockdown...
  9. Spaceman Spiff

    Electric van

    I was abbreviating Right Hand Steering (steering wheel on the right side). I thought the previous posts would be enough explanation. (sorry about that) EV manufacturing, along with all other consumers of computer chips are going to have supply chain issues for the next few years. Due to...
  10. Spaceman Spiff

    Wages and Unions - moved from: Things to do to keep feeling "normal" while living out of your van?

    Unfortunately, most of the important jobs in a society are repetitive drudgery: cleaning up sick and elderly who soil themselves, working at a very hot forge all day (most of Mike Rowe's Dirty Jobs would qualify here). Without these society doesn't function very well. Any competent adult in a...
  11. Spaceman Spiff

    Electric van

    ^^ this And each state have different laws regarding RHS vehicles. You might not be able to drive in some states, mail carriers (being federal) are exempted.
  12. Spaceman Spiff

    Wages and Unions - moved from: Things to do to keep feeling "normal" while living out of your van?

    Eternal conflict: Employers want the most labor for the least money. Employees want the most money for the least labor. Consumers want the most return for their money. Your value in the labor market is determined by how much it costs to replace you. Depending on industry, you must produce 1.7X...
  13. Spaceman Spiff

    Rocket stove and thermos cooking

    I use a pressure cooker in a similar way: heat up to pressure (~280ºF), put into insulated bag, let 'cook' all day. Pressure cooker has a couple of advantages: - bigger, I can cook 4 separate dishes in mine. - hotter and larger volume = stays warm longer. - hotter and sealed, all the tiny...
  14. Spaceman Spiff

    a safe place to take along when I have to go

    Chemical outgassing is a function of temperature and time and decays exponentially. So the older the vehicle and the longer it has stayed in hot temperatures = much less outgassing. I would doubt a 20+ y.o. vehicle outgassing would be detectable.
  15. Spaceman Spiff

    New drain issue.

    My 2¢: You need a minimum of 14.6V at the battery terminals to fully charge 12V Li batteries. Any less and the battery isn't getting fully charged. Your charge controller should be adjustable. If you don't have a coulomb counter get one. If you have one use it to learn your usage. I spent a...
  16. Spaceman Spiff

    a safe place to take along when I have to go

    Unfortunately, horse trailers won't work for signal blocking: not total coverage (all surfaces needs to be metal) and gaps are too big. For cell signal blocking one needs full 6 sided coverage with gaps: < 1/4 inch gaps for ~70% attenuation (1/10 wavelength of 5G). < 1/8 inch gap for 95+%...
  17. Spaceman Spiff

    Thousands travel out of Burning Man as desert turns to mud

    Please explain how burner's are practicing and teaching self-reliance. The only difference between Burning Man and an ocean cruise or all included resort is bringing your own shelter.
  18. Spaceman Spiff

    Thousands travel out of Burning Man as desert turns to mud

    It's a party. Not much testing except for dust, drug, alcohol tolerance. Same motivation as our adolescent, underage kegger parties: go somewhere where cultural rules aren't enforced. Play dress-up, show off, experience outlandish art, concerts, ..... They got caught this year enduring...
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