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Changing times |
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David and Danette ![]() podders Helping podders - pHp ![]() ![]() Joined: 24 Nov 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1222 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posted: 11 Jan 2022 at 12:13am |
While camping I met a older couple who have been coming to Florida for many years from the New England area to camp for the Winter. And we talked about the restrictions and changes that have been made for camping in the Federal parks like reservations only and limited days you can camp and this past week a $7.00 rate increase per night for camping. They don't own a computer and now they have to call and make reservations and take what ever site is given to them. And I thought about all this and the direction camping at campgrounds is going with greater restrictions. With higher prices for campers and fees to camp I thought camping is becoming less accessible for some campers especially older retired people with limited income and younger families. Then I thought about with more government restrictions with vehicle emissions in the amount of pollution they produce campers will become smaller liter weight with smaller vehicles with less power to tow them. The big fifth wheeled campers will become like dinosaurs fading away in the past and small campers will become more popular and maybe more people choosing to camp in a tent rather owning a trailer to camp in. I am curious as to the direction camping may go in the future I myself have been giving thought to a smaller liter weight camper than we have now. The older couple that I met from New England have been camping in a old 13 foot Scamp camper towing it with a Hyundai 2.0 engine and they are very happy with their camper and do not want to change.
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2018 Vista Cruiser 19BFD (2018-
2012 Vibe 6503 (2014-2019) 2009 r-pod 171 (2009-2014) Middle Tn 2014 Ram 1500 Quad cab |
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offgrid ![]() Senior Member ![]() Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
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The more people there are the more congested the parks are going to be. When I was a kid my family could just drive up to Yosemite Valley from the CA coast and get a campsite, no reservations required. You can't get within miles of the place now. The population of CA has more than doubled over that time.
I agree those behemoths will likely go the way of the dinosaurs. I for one won't miss them at all. The little Tab and Tag trailers from Nucamp are very nice if you want to go smaller. Depending on what your expectations are they have everything a couple would need. Most of the energy use towing is due to aerodynamic drag not weight. The teardrops, Airstream, Casita and rPod shapes are not really very aerodynamically efficient, so there is going to be a new generation of highly aerodynamic trailers as we transition to electric vehicles. Check out the Alto line from Safari Condo as an early example of what is possible. I particularly like the A2124 model. Designs like the smaller Hi-Lo's might make a comeback, and the old standby tent trailer isn't a bad way to go for family camping. |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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jato ![]() Senior Member ![]() ![]() Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3324 |
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At this point I have great doubts about the sensibility of owning an electric vehicle. Using a lot of rare earth materials to produce, they have a much higher carbon footprint on our ecology than the old gas powered vehicles. Where and how does one recycle all these batteries when they expire? Seven years ago a neighbor of ours had to get new batteries on his 8 year old Prius. Pricetag back then (2015) was just south of $ 6000. Those batteries don't just evaporate or go away. Also if you're an American citizen who owns an electric car 80% + of that electricity
comes from non-renewable resources (or fossil fuels) such as coal, oil,
and gas, you're most likely going to be charging your electric car
using resources that damage the planet. Not an easy fix regardless of which path you take. I appreciate the concerns about camping. Until retirement 3 years ago we only camped April-May or September-November and until the last couple years never had problems going to national parks or having to reserve to get a spot. Not any more unless you boondock or go to national forest campgrounds or similar which is what we normally do now.
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God's pod
'11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
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GlueGuy ![]() Senior Member ![]() ![]() Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2702 |
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A couple of things to add to what jato is saying.
First, an EV makes a whole ton of sense if is mainly a commuter or get around town kind of vehicle. Save your ICE vehicle for longer trips, but if your round trip is < 180 miles or so, the EV is a great way to go. You will never have to stop at a gas station again. How much of the energy you use depends a lot on where you live and/or if you have solar panels on your home. Several of the people we know with an EV recharge their EV for free (sort of) with the solar they get from their roof. If you don't have solar of your own, a large percentage of it is from renewable sources if you live in California (wind, solar, and hydro). The technology to recycle lithium batteries is evolving. Clearly if they are not recyclable, that is a loser in the long term. I believe recycling will become viable in the next few years. Finally, the cost of lithium batteries has come down by more than 50% in the last 5 or so years. It's following a similar curve as solar (which is now < 50 cents a watt in usable quantities).
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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
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lostagain ![]() Senior Member ![]() ![]() Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2595 |
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"Thirty Foot Trailer"
The old ways are changing you cannot deny The day of the traveler's over There's nowhere to gang and there's nowhere to bide So farewell to the life of the rover Goodbye to the tent and the old caravan To the tinker, the rover, the traveling man And goodbye tae the thirty foot trailer Farewell tae the cant and the traveling tongue Farewell tae the Romany talking The buying, the selling, the old fortune telling The knock on the door and the hawking You got to move fast to keep up with the times For these days a man cannot dander There's a bylaw to say you maun be on your way And another to say ye can't wander Farewell to the blossom and besoms of broom Farewell tae the creels and the baskets The folk of today would far rather pay For a thing that is made oot o plastic The old ways are passing and soon will be gone And progress is aye a big factor Its sent to afflict us and when they evict us They tow us away wi a tractor Farewell tae the pony, the cob, and the mare The reins and the harness are idle You don't need a strap when you're breaking up scrap So farewell tae the bit and the bridle Farewell tae the fields where we've sweated and toiled At pulling and hauling and lifting They'll soon have machines and the traveling queens And their menfolk had better be shifting |
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
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offgrid ![]() Senior Member ![]() Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
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The reality is that EVs produce less GHGs (greenhouse gasses) over the life of the vehicle than ICE vehicles. That includes both manufacturing and plant emissions, even in countries like China which are heavy coal users. That's because power plants are more efficient than ICEs are. Using renewables and nuclear in manufacturing and charging of course greatly improves this. That's one problem with a lot of the fossil fuel industry funded studies, they assume business as usual on the energy production side. That is not what's happening, renewables are the cheapest source of electricity now and are displacing fossil plants rapidly. Then there is the opportunity to aggregate and utilize the EVs' storage capacity as a resource for grid storage. That is coming soon and will create a virtuous circle, a grid with dispersed storage to absorb more renewables which in turn reduces GHG emissions in the manufacture and operation of the EVs. In any event, the EV ship has sailed . All the major auto manufacturers have committed to EV production, and there is lots of investment in technology development in battery chemistry and charging infrastructure. 20 years, probably sooner, ICEs will be a rarity. |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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furpod ![]() Moderator Group - pHp ![]() ![]() Joined: 25 Jul 2011 Location: Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 6128 |
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jato ![]() Senior Member ![]() ![]() Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3324 |
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Love that Excursion. It makes a Suburban look small by comparison. That thing is so long it won't fit in my garage. Looks like you will have your hands full with the 'older' vehicle on the trailer.
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God's pod
'11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
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offgrid ![]() Senior Member ![]() Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
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There will always be afficionados of outdated technologies, that's fine. Heck, my wife has a horse, but she sure doesn't use it for commuting.
A Tesla S Plaid can run the quarters in 9 sec. There is only one "production" car faster, the Rimac Nevera, maybe. So EVs can most definitely be fun. I for one will not miss pistons, valves, camshafts, crankshafts, oil pumps, carburetors, ignition systems, etc. It's amazing that all those mechanical parts work together at all. I'm overhauling a Continental O200 aircraft engine right now, what a mess. I look forward to never having to worry about all that stuff ever again. Unfortunately I doubt I'll live long enough to see adequate batteries for aviation use, so I'm stuck with babysitting a 1950's era ICE out on the nose. |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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StephenH ![]() podders Helping podders - pHp ![]() ![]() Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6417 |
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Until I can recharge in the same time it takes to refill, an EV will not be practical for when we are towing and traveling out to see our daughters. It takes 5 days to get there already since my wife does not drive and I do all the driving. Adding charging time onto that would mean another day or two to get there. Also one thing not mentioned is that most charging stations are set up for nose-in charging. Unhitching to charge and then re-hitching to continue the trip is not a viable option.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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