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The time has come for my annual short Thanksgiving/Christmas fund drive for Behind The Black. I must do this every year in order to make sure I have earned enough money to pay my bills.

 

For this two-week campaign, I am offering a special deal to encourage donations. Donations of $200 will get a free autographed copy of the new paperback edition of Genesis: The Story of Apollo 8, while donations of $250 will get a free autographed copy of the new hardback edition. If you desire a copy, make sure you provide me your address with your donation.

 

As I noted in July, the support of my readers through the years has given me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.

 

In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.

 

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Battery powered Chevy Volt produces more CO2 than an ordinary gasoline engine

The electric-powered Chevy Volt actually produces more CO2 than an ordinary gasoline engine!

I don’t know if the analysis in the above article is completely accurate, but it sure suggests that switching to electric cars over gasoline is not all that it’s cracked up to be, and is probably not a good idea.

Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 

The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.


The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
 

"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News

5 comments

  • Kelly Starks

    I’ve seen it consistently reported in various analysis of electric cars that their per mile air pollution levels are higher then gasoline cars. Given they also cost much more to buy, and to operate per mile; and of course they can’t get very far per day…

    ..Well lets say its kind of obvious why electric cars were driven out of the car market by steam and gasoline cars around the time the Wright brothers flew, and never have been able to get the market back since.

  • Cotour

    I LOVE THE “FRUNK”! BUT (sigma3ioc.com)

    Curb weight: Ford F-150 4700 lbs. average. (Gas.)
    Curb weight: Ford Lightning (EV) 6500 lbs.

    Curb weight: Chevy Silverado 4500 lbs. average. (Gas.)
    Curb weight: Chevy Silverado (EV) 8200 lbs. average.

    Curb weight: Ram 1500 4700 lbs. average. (Gas.)
    Curb weight: Ram REV (EV) 6500 to 7000 lbs. estimated.

  • Cotour

    I have been reviewing the new battery powered pickup trucks offered by Ford, Chevy and Ram. And one of the features that I like is the “Frunk” (the no motor front trunk :). I have a use for that feature.

    I am also a good candidate for an electric vehicle because I really do not drive much. But in reviewing these new machines I have noticed something very significant in how battery powered pickups differ from traditional gas motor driven pickups. They as a general rule appear to weigh at an average of about 30% more than their gas-powered counterparts!

    Curb weight: Ford F-150 4700 lbs. average. (Gas.)
    Curb weight: Ford Lightning (EV) 6500 lbs.

    Curb weight: Chevy Silverado 4500 lbs. average. (Gas.)
    Curb weight: Chevy Silverado (EV) 8200 lbs. average. (I thought this was a typo)

    Curb weight: Ram 1500 4700 lbs. average. (Gas.)
    Curb weight: Ram REV (EV) 6500 to 7000 lbs. estimated.

    Now as I understand in the electric vehicle movement the idea is that by not burning fossil fuels (CO2) in an internal combustion vehicle locally and replacing it with “clean” electric vehicles the pollution generated will be lowered and the electric vehicle is less expensive to operate. That as I understand it is the general concept anyway.

    BUT……….what about the now required additional rare earth and iron / aluminum / copper mining, industrial need for additional fossil fuel use, aluminum, copper and steel production in order to manufacture the real world very heavy batteries and beefed-up frames.

    Q: How would you like to be *T* boned or have a head on with an 8200 lb. electric pickup truck? OUCH!

    AND what about this “new” technology and its effects on the existing infrastructure I.E. paved roads, bridges, parking garages, increased tire wear, massive beef up of generation and distribution systems in order to deliver the now growing energy demand primarily fostered by today’s hyper paradigm shifting obsessed micromanaging your life government.

    The reality appears to be that we are proposing to move the same or an increased number of people in heavier autos and trucks more cleanly and efficiently? And to my understanding physics does not work exactly that way. In order to do work whether it is lifting an apple or moving a car or truck of a certain weight a certain amount of energy will be required. You cannot move more weight with less energy. You cannot fool mother nature. Not to mention the previously increased infrastructure costs.

    Displacing the production of energy and increased industry production to other locations in the name of lowering the CO2 footprint of a country while doing more work is still generally a net gain in CO2 and emissions. No? And I recognize that improvements in battery technology and performance are being very intensely worked on by many companies and I expect significant advances to be made. In time anyway.

    And do not get me wrong, I am not anti-electric, not at all. If you want to drive an electric auto or truck for the many reasons you might want to drive one, I think you should have the ability to choose one and do so. If that is what YOU choose.

    Government incentivizes and disincentivizes and it is not always an all-good thing when *IT* exercises its power. Everything has a cost.

    Disagree? Tell me all about it.

    Are you paying attention yet America? JGL 7/29/23

  • wayne

    Cotour-
    Thanks for those factoids.
    I had a vague idea they weighed more but that is a substantial amount.
    If you’re in New York state, the electricity comes from natural gas, nuclear, and hydro., in that order.

  • Yes, its very interesting, Wayne.

    I generally believe the same weight differential goes for the auto class as well as the truck class.

    It is hard to get around the physics IMO, and that is the net takeaway for me. And to displace where the production of the energy comes from to not locally is probably an improvement for local air quality, but the CO2 production appears to be about the same to do the same or more work.

    I am receiving more and more real world electric auto experiences. One guy I know a couple of weeks ago falls asleep in his Tesla while driving home, runs off the road and flips and totals it. He walked away from the accident, no fire. Will probably buy another Tesla. They are beautifully designed and sturdily made.

    Then I spoke with an electrician I know who I noticed bought a Ford Lightning. You know, because he is an electrician. His complaint? He is only getting about 230 miles on a charge and has range anxiety. He thought he was getting the 300 mile range battery. And what I just found out is that the Ford Lightning 300 mile range battery is only available for fleet sales and not individual sales.

    He says he should have waited.

    Then last night at dinner another friend was on a trip to Philidelphia, and they tried several times to charge their Telsa at a Tesla super charger and they did not feel like working. They eventually were able to find a charger that worked but there was a great deal of anxiety.

    The alarm continuously went off, the frunk would not open which is where the portable charging cable was stored. They were able to go to dinner and when they came out the rear doors were open. There is a recall for all of these issues.

    I would be more willing to purchase an electric if it had a gas back up generating system included. And if not, I would have to fashion my own.

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