Battery based electric vehicles of today and tomorrow.

[Torvy]

I'm not sure this is a problem...

It is a huge problem. The social safety net programs that most of the industrialized world use are predicated on an ever growing population. There will literally not be enough people working to support the system, even at 100% taxation. This will be a life changer long before any environmental externalities become catastrophic. We cannot really debate the pros and cons of those programs here and, frankly, those points would be moot anyway.

Even without the social program issues, there will simply not be enough working aged people to do the jobs necessary to enjoy life as we know it. I'm talking about basics here, not just luxury. The economic ramifications could easily lead to violence and war as cultures struggle to cope with the population inversion.

 

[PuffyC]

It is a huge problem. The social safety net programs that most of the industrialized world use are predicated on an ever growing population. There will literally not be enough people working to support the system, even at 100% taxation. This will be a life changer long before any environmental externalities become catastrophic. We cannot really debate the pros and cons of those programs here and, frankly, those points would be moot anyway.

Even without the social program issues, there will simply not be enough working aged people to do the jobs necessary to enjoy life as we know it. I'm talking about basics here, not just luxury. The economic ramifications could easily lead to violence and war as cultures struggle to cope with the population inversion.

It’s bad for the economy, great for the environment. But it’s inevitable either way. You see it across all societies once they advance enough. In the beginning people have a ton of kids for a variety of reasons, then as those societies mature they have less and less until populations actually begin to decrease. That’s a big reason a lot of people get behind immigration here in the US. From an economic standpoint you really need to have a population that is increasing or you stop growing and that creates some problems that are very difficult to solve. Japan has been struggling with it for decades, even going so far as negative interest rates, but nothing seems to help.

 

[Torvy]

It’s bad for the economy, great for the environment. But it’s inevitable either way. You see it across all societies once they advance enough. In the beginning people have a ton of kids for a variety of reasons, then as those societies mature they have less and less until populations actually begin to decrease. That’s a big reason a lot of people get behind immigration here in the US. From an economic standpoint you really need to have a population that is increasing or you stop growing and that creates some problems that are very difficult to solve. Japan has been struggling with it for decades, even going so far as negative interest rates, but nothing seems to help.

I agree, to a point. The tipping point has almost arrived at a global level. Population numbers, even in developing countries will not be enough. Immigration squabbles that we once almost the exclusive domain of the US, have become a problem all over. Countries who had too few children to maintain... Like France, for example... They need immigration, but that creates social discord as those immigrants do not share a cultural background. That issue will become background noise as we will, in the not too distant future, have too few births worldwide to maintain society as we know it. Most likely result will be akin to lawlessness as people scramble to maintain a hold on civilization.

Fewer people overall is probably a good thing, but it would be better if that transition was much slower.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Many people seem to be unaware of this problem.

Fertility rate: 'Jaw-dropping' global crash in children being born

Nearly every country will see their populations fall as the world has fewer babies.

www.bbc.com

The world should have had that "problem" a century ago. Thanks to mechanization, automation, and robotics, the human race doesn't need an endless supply of labor. Fewer people will mean less demand on resources and increased personal wealth. It happened in Europe when the black death killed 1/3 of the population. The result was The Enlightenment, the rise of a middle class, and the Age of Exploration. This "problem" is wonderful news, if the planet just hangs together long enough for humans to weed themselves out.

 

[cqaigy2]

I've been interested in EVs for a second vehicle since Mother Earth News ran an article on how to convert a conventional auto way back in the last century. Now companies like Ford are making that easier... Ford’s Already Out of $3,900 Electric Crate Motors

Man, that's much cheaper than the Tesla crate motor!. My BIL is thinking of putting one in a 66 Ford Bronco, that currently has a stinky 6 cyl. 170CCinch engine in it.

 

[Jstpssng]

Man, that's much cheaper than the Tesla crate motor!. My BIL is thinking of putting one in a 66 Ford Bronco, that currently has a stinky 6 cyl. 170CCinch engine in it.

It's the motor only though, you still need to pick up batteries and a lot of other items.

This
Ford Turned a Vintage F-100 Into Its Newest Electric Truck for SEMA looks different. I enjoy reading about this type of conversion just as I do reading about somebody building a hotrod or rock crawler... not necessarily my cup of tea but it's fun to see what people are capable of doing.

 

[Torvy]

The world should have had that "problem" a century ago. Thanks to mechanization, automation, and robotics, the human race doesn't need an endless supply of labor. Fewer people will mean less demand on resources and increased personal wealth. It happened in Europe when the black death killed 1/3 of the population. The result was The Enlightenment, the rise of a middle class, and the Age of Exploration. This "problem" is wonderful news, if the planet just hangs together long enough for humans to weed themselves out.

Smh

 

[Fuddy1952]

Man, that's much cheaper than the Tesla crate motor!. My BIL is thinking of putting one in a 66 Ford Bronco, that currently has a stinky 6 cyl. 170CCinch engine in it.

All '66 in line American sixes I'm aware of were great, whether Rambler (AMC), Chrysler, Ford, G.M.
Indestructible. Fifty five year old Bronco still going!

 

[cqaigy2]

All '66 in line American sixes I'm aware of were great, whether Rambler (AMC), Chrysler, Ford, G.M.
Indestructible. Fifty five year old Bronco still going!

With 3 on the tree. This early fall, I was driving chauffer for two of my sisters, oldest and youngest. They were in the back bench seat yakking away at each other, while i was driving around town. Making sweet memories as my youngest sis is very sick. It is my youngest sister's Bronco. My dad bought one in 65, the first one had a problem and Ford sent a truck up from Detroit to pick it up and sent a second one to him that he used for years. He was a practicing veterinarian, and that Bronco got him to places nobody else could get to.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

All '66 in line American sixes I'm aware of were great, whether Rambler (AMC), Chrysler, Ford, G.M.
Indestructible. Fifty five year old Bronco still going!

Some of the 8s were great too. I drove a '97 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 5.2L (Chrysler 318) for 350,000 miles. It was still running fine when I sold it. The first 318 came off the line in '64. Great engine.