Steve Wozniak: There's 'way too much hype' around Elon Musk's Tesla | Hacker News Reader

Steve Wozniak: There's 'way too much hype' around Elon Musk's Tesla

cnbc.com

19 pointsgbugniot13 comments

The article suggests the hype around Tesla is about the autonomous driving features; I'd argue that only a small part of the hype. The hype is around a company disrupting an antiquated industry that has big oil and lawmakers in their back pocket.

I couldn't have said it better.

Electric cars are cleaner than oil-based only if you ignore the creation and disposal of the batteries... and the fact that battery technology still sucks. Oil is an incredibly compact form of energy, can be poured and easily transported without dissipation of energy. As much as I want to get away from oil, it's hard to beat.

Except that electric engines can be more than 90% efficient while combustion engines are 30 to 45% efficient.

> if you ignore the creation and disposal of the batteries

The engine may be 90% efficient, but the charger is only 95% efficient, and the electric grid is only 90% efficient. And then the coal power plant that generates all that electricity is only 40% efficient.

All of a sudden, combustion engines are better in overall efficiency. Transporting liquid fuel and distributing it has major efficiency benefits.

You made a big presumption though with the word "coal", which supports your calculation but isn't realistic.

https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&t=3

> Natural gas = 33.8%

> Coal = 30.4%

> Nuclear = 19.7%

> Renewables (total) = 14.9%

Granted, Natural Gas is highly efficient, but Coal is still a major contributor to people's electricity generation in the USA.

Can you cite a source on battery disposal being a problem. I've heard this claim repeated many time, but never with even a single shred of evidence.

On top of that, lithium ion is recyclable.

there's way to much hype around apple! >.<

Agreed.

-Sent from my overpriced, NSA tracking Iphone 8

Apple has figured out a way to allow us to track the NSA now?

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