Source: ReinetteSenumsFoghornExpress.substack.com

America’s Battery Blues: From exploding batteries and road closures to copper heists and skyrocketing bills—Welcome to the Future!

In a wild cascading turn of events yesterday that could only be scripted by the most cynical of screenwriters, a Tesla big rig recently crashed into a tree on Interstate 80 close to my hometown, Nevada City, sparking a fire that closed the highway for over 15 hours. Yes, you heard that right—an electric truck, the supposed hero of our eco-friendly future, turned into a flaming beacon of what could go wrong. Hazmat teams stood by, helpless, as the battery burned, emitting toxic smoke that could make even the most seasoned environmentalist reconsider their life choices. If this isn’t a wake-up call for the electric vehicle (EV) revolution, I don’t know what is.

Fortunately, this incident didn’t spark a cataclysmic forest fire like the one currently raging near Chico, known as the Park Fire—the fourth largest wildfire in California—which has already consumed nearly 500,000 acres and continues to burn. However, it did create an extraordinary mess throughout all the surrounding roadways. Unlike a typical situation where one direction of the freeway might be closed for a few hours or so, this incident had both directions shut down from 3 AM to 5 PM.

Interstate 80 is a massive transcontinental corridor crucial to the U.S. supply chain, with approximately 13,828 vehicles traveling daily, nearly half of which are semi-trucks. Now, imagine if all those big rigs (and cars) had lithium batteries and every accident involving combustion led to interstate closures lasting 15 hours or more. How is this sustainable?

Or is that the point? To make transport unsustainable.

If that wasn’t enough, the traffic redirection turned into a local nightmare that ensnared my partner, who sat in a “pop-up parking lot “on the scenic Hwy 20 that became one of the diversion routes.

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Thanks to apps like Waze (driving app), cars, motorcycles, and RVs were taking little-known backroads without any idea of what they were getting into. As Waze suggested, we live in the mountains, and many of these vehicles were not built for redirections into pot-holed dirt roads.

Here’s a smattering of Facebook communications alerting locals to the transit debacle:

Backroads were blocked and standstill as U-Hauls went off the roads, and cars couldn’t navigate the potholed dirt roads.

If this EV agenda continues, it was a glimpse into a dystopian clown world.

ELECTRIC ECONOMIC TURMOIL

Now, let’s discuss the economic viability of these shiny new toys. Ford, for instance, is losing a staggering $132,00 for every EV sold. At this rate, they might start handing out discount coupons for diesel generators with every EV purchase. Meanwhile, shipping companies from Korea to Norway are starting to ban EVs from their vessels, citing fire risks.

And here, the inability of a Norwegian ferry to extinguish the electric vehicle fire caused the ferry to sink:

… because nothing says “green future” like cargo ships and ferries filled with potential pyrotechnics. And rental car companies? They’re scrambling back to gas-powered vehicles faster than you can say “range anxiety.”

But wait, there’s more! The infrastructure to support this electric dream is crumbling faster than a cheap charger. California would need to add at least 80 gigawatts of new zero-carbon electricity generation capacity to keep up with the surge in EV demand.

And this is anything but clean energy. I’m all about being environmentally friendly, but the kind of “friendly” that has done the whole “cradle-to-grave” calculation—not a calculation that does not look at the entire production cycle as do EVs, solar, windmills, and green building science.

Good luck finding that many solar panels without bankrupting the state!

And let’s not forget the delightful theft of copper cables from charging stations—because who doesn’t want to add “charging station vandal” to their resume?

Wait until the economy takes a complete nose dive. I expect EV charging stations, surveillance cameras, and cell towers to be a thing of the past once all their valuable copper wires are stripped and sold onto the black market.

WHO’S GONNA PAY?

Throughout the summer, our friends and family visit our cabin in the woods. It’s not uncommon to have eight or more cars parked around. As of now, one of them is all-electric, and it takes a good part of four hours to charge. Not a big deal if you don’t live in California, but the cost of electricity is skyrocketing. Imagine if we were all forced into EVs.

Am I correct in expecting individual households full of visitors are to foot this bill? And speaking of bills, because there are “so many” EVs on the road now, Governor Gruesome has come up with the hair-brained idea of charging Californians .3 cents per mile to compensate for all those clever EVs that aren’t purchasing gas anymore. Legislators are saying “it’s only .3 cents, “ however, legislation that created the program doesn’t specify a rate cap.

If the movie “Dumb and Dumber” had another sequel (actually, it would be a tetralogy now), Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) would be driving in an EV.

I have to be brutally honest. When I see somebody driving an outright EV, my respect for them goes down a few notches. I keep asking myself, How do they not know????

Some of these folks are my friends and family, so forgive me.

SENSITIVE CREATURES

As if that weren’t enough, EVs are proving to be temperamental divas when the weather turns sour. Extreme cold? Forget it. You might as well be driving a potato. With all these hiccups, one must wonder if the Green New Deal, leaning heavily on the EV crutch, is destined for a spectacular faceplant.

So, while we all dream of a future filled with silent, sleek electric vehicles gliding effortlessly down the road, the reality is shaping to be a bit more chaotic. The recent Tesla big rig incident serves as a fiery reminder that the road to a sustainable future may be paved with good intentions, but it’s littered with potholes, smoke, and the unmistakable scent of burnt, toxic lithium batteries.

WHAT DRIVING IN A DRIVERLESS WORLD WOULD LOOK LIKE

But of course, despite all this, our “leaders” insist we go driverless.

I’m trying to imagine these driverless big rigs when I see videos such as this:

Now, imagine a parking lot of big rigs doing this.

Holy hell, no!

X PRIZE FOR FREE ENERGY?

The recent chaos on Interstate 80 reminds us that our current path is not sustainable, and it’s actually time to ban EVs. The risks, expenses, and environmental damage outweigh the benefits.

While any transition will be tricky, this challenge presents a golden opportunity to rethink our approach to energy. Instead of doubling down on electric vehicles and the required, unattainable infrastructure, why not explore the potential of truly sustainable and decentralized energy sources?

Enter the visionary ideas of Nikola Tesla, who dreamed of a world powered by inexhaustible, clean energy. Imagine an annual international competition dedicated to tapping into “free energy,” as Tesla envisioned. This isn’t just about innovation; it’s about breaking free from the monopolistic grip of traditional energy companies like PG&E- which I consider nothing more than a terrorist organization. By decentralizing energy production, we could end the reign of terror these companies hold over our wallets and our environment, and the constant threat of our communities burning down because of their continued greed and criminality. .

Such a shift would address the limitations of our current energy systems and pave the way for a future where energy is accessible to all without the environmental cost. It’s time to harness the ingenuity of the global community, tapping into the boundless potential of Tesla’s ideas,

The XPRIZE Foundation is renowned for organizing public competitions that inspire innovation by setting clear, measurable goals to tackle global challenges. These competitions have successfully engaged engineers, scientists, and innovators worldwide, leading to breakthroughs in various fields, from ocean exploration to literacy, deep tech/quantum, and health.

Drawing inspiration from the XPRIZE model, an international competition could be established to explore “free energy” solutions, such as the real Tesla energy. This competition would encourage global participation, tapping into the creativity and ingenuity of people from all walks of life to develop decentralized energy systems. Such an initiative could potentially revolutionize the energy sector, reducing reliance on traditional power companies and paving the way for a truly beautiful and abundant future.

I mean, I’m game. What do we have to lose at this point?