When EV's age, they lose battery capacity. Seeing Polis from the other side. This has been a banner year for cactus flowers.
When EV's age, they lose battery capacity.
If you read the CPR article below about EV's you might be tempted to be wowed by how cheaply the woman profiled got her EV.
And you might be tempted to be wowed by how, in this man's America, EV's ain't just for the wealthy any more!
The thing is ...
--It's not that the prices have fallen. It's more that you and I (taxpayers and Xcel ratepayers) subsidize these things.
--In order to get an EV this cheaply, you will (repeat WILL) sacrifice remaining battery life and performance.
Because if you read all the way through all the jeepers and wowzers in the article, you'll come to what I highlight in the attached screenshot.
This $650 car has the range of a moped. She bought a moped with four wheels.
EV batteries degrade over time. They lose both power and capacity. If you are curious for more details, I put a couple articles on the topic second and third below (in order of increasing complexity and technical detail).
You don't get something for nothing. All the rebates and political talking points and CPR articles in the world cannot change that basic fact.
If you buy a cheap car expect it to not perform like a more expensive one, EV or no.
https://www.cpr.org/2024/05/30/boulder-resident-bought-affordable-used-electric-vehicle/
https://www.evengineeringonline.com/how-does-ev-battery-aging-affect-range-and-performance/
https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-1003a-battery-aging-in-an-electric-vehicle-ev#google_vignette
Should you have ever wondered how Polis is viewed by those who are ideologically similar to him (and you should, reading widely is important), wonder no more.
The op-ed by the Sun's own Mike Littwin gives a perspective from the other side of the fence on Polis' recent vetoes, vetoes in particular of bills that would have been VERY friendly to organized labor.
I take a few things away from this article. My list is below and I'd be curious to hear yours. Civil comment is always welcome.
--It's interesting to read about how Polis is viewed by those who share many of his ideological views. To wit, the following quote: "And Polis, despite his progressive credentials back in his days in Congress, definitely fits that moderate model, to the disappointment of many Colorado liberals." I disagree strongly here, but there you have it.
--It's been said before, but I'll say it again. God save us when Polis is out of office. I do not like him, I do not agree with his (I'll say it) liberal and radical policy choices, but give the devil his due. He has at least guarded against some of the excesses that the ultra-progressives have pushed lately. Once he's gone and we have a Democrat governor again, what will we get? Will we get someone who is a marginally-effective bulwark as Polis is?
--I'm not much on political intrigue or horse races, but I see Jena Griswold was at the rally against Polis' vetoes. I have heard she's on a list of possible gubernatorial candidates. God save us all. Heard the same about Phil Weiser (although he wasn't at the rally). Again, God save us all.
--It was funny to me here to read about how the unions were frustrated with Polis. I have heard lots of other union frustration about Democrat policy while waiting to testify against bills this session. That is, I've heard lots of union reps upset about bills the Democrat legislators were running. Guess those upsets didn't warrant a rally. I wonder why not.
What do think? Does this op ed or the union rally inspire any thoughts?
https://coloradosun.com/2024/05/26/littwin-jared-polis-labor-vetoes-legislators/
A good year for cactus flowers.
That time of the week again, last post til Sunday so it's time for something for fun and not related to politics.
Don't ask me why or how. I have no earthly idea as to why or how, but this year has been a big one for cactus flowers--a cause for celebration at the Gaines house. I have some that bloomed again, but there are some that are blooming for the first time since I brought them home.
I thought I'd share although I should warn you that pictures don't always do cactus flowers justice. If you have a mind to, consider collecting some yourself. The flowers (like those of the Mexican Sunflower) come alive in the sunlight in a way that seems to me to suggest fluorescence or some sort of interference effect, similar to how blue jays aren't really blue.
First, the cactus I've bought. Those are the ones in picture 1. A wonderful crop of red and pink hued flowers, and, as you can see, more blooms coming.
The remaining cacti are ones I've collected off of friends' land out here where I live. Pictures 2 - 5 are in the order in which I got and then planted them.
Those in 2, 3, and 4 have never bloomed before but they're blooming now! Those little barrel cacti in picture 3 were especially cute.
Lastly, I couldn't help but toss in some curiosities.
I grow vetch as a cover crop/nitrogen fixer and sometimes I let the vines go instead of turning them into the soil at the start of spring. I let the one in picture 6 go all the way to bloom and I'm glad I did. It has a beauty all its own (and you can clearly see its legume bona fides by the shape of the flowers--they look like peas or beans).
If you look for the part of the photo I highlighted in a red box, you'll see a big fat bumblebee face deep in one of the flowers too. Those guys are big and this one was loving some vetch that day.
Picture 7 is from my crawlspace. A runner came under the footing and found a crack to pop up in between the footing and the vapor barrier. My guess is that this is my big hackberry out back, but I'm not sure. What do you think the chances are it will live?
I'm going to let it go to see what happens. If it starts looking like that side of my house will heave up, I'll deal with it, but for now I want to see this play out.
That's all I have for now (see the related below), but back at it on Sunday!
Related:
Shortly after gathering the last of the cactus bloom pictures for the above post, we up took a beating in a pretty severe thunderstorm: lots and lots of hail for about 30 minutes combined with about 1 1/4" of rain in that time.
My garden now looks like green sticks. My cherry tree which was full of fruit (finally reached the age where it could produce and there were bees to pollinate) is now shredded. What fruit remains on the tree is largely bruised and therefore not likely to be edible.
I have heard farmers and ranchers referred to once as "tomorrow people" or "next year people" and I have a feeling for why now in a way that I didn't prior to growing things.
Next year indeed. Next year we'll get the cherries. We'll get the blackberries.
I do want to say that I'm fortunate in that my blueberries and oats (both in the rain shadow of the patio) were spared. That's a blessing.
Sorry to hear about your garden! Thanks for your hard work!