Vintage work crew photos

[Frank S]

Yes, but before electric vehicles, there were steam powered vehicles, and we still use steam technology (in a much more refined way) to generate electricity today. Batteries are the same--we went from one-use cells to rechargeable to today's high power density (but not yet the same as gas), and they, along with electric motor technology, continue to improve. Gas and diesel engines have to some extent, but not on the scale of electric (or steam, for that matter). There are also more important and less dangerous uses for our finite oil reserves.

And regarding your how to keep your house and car running in the event of a grid disaster, the ideal solution would be to have your own generation and storage capability (solar panels or turbines and batteries). Your house would operate primarily off your own generating capacity, but you can pull from the grid when you turn on your three-phase milling machine or dump your excess power back onto the grid after your batteries charge. In fact, Tesla has already delivered several larger generating stations/batteries to areas struck by natural disasters to localize power. You'd just have the same gear--it's available today--in your home, but on a smaller scale. We aren't there, yet, and there will be major growing pains, but I really think that's the way we are headed.

I have a 105year old 5 ton electric truck sitting in my shop that belongs to my partner. 6 of the 9 Edison batteries will still take and hold a charge.
As far as 3 phase power goes for years there have 3ph DC to AC converters at the commercial scale. While I was in Kuwait the company I was with was contracted to provide a pir of 750 KW diesel backup generators, the switch gear, the battery bank and the UPS to insure a 100% clean uninterrupted 50hz 415VAC power to a research lab in the American University of Kuwait. Our factory was powered by diesel generators as at our location no electric service of sufficient size was available to us my office ran 24/7 on battery power charged during the day by our 500KW generator 14 computers and associated equipment stayed on day and night even during the hours the generator was shut down. it would not have been too much of a stretch to add solar, had we had enough surface area for such an array

[mwmkravchenko]

I have a 105year old 5 ton electric truck sitting in my shop that belongs to my partner. 6 of the 9 Edison batteries will still take and hold a charge.
As far as 3 phase power goes for years there have 3ph DC to AC converters at the commercial scale. While I was in Kuwait the company I was with was contracted to provide a pir of 750 KW diesel backup generators, the switch gear, the battery bank and the UPS to insure a 100% clean uninterrupted 50hz 415VAC power to a research lab in the American University of Kuwait. Our factory was powered by diesel generators as at our location no electric service of sufficient size was available to us my office ran 24/7 on battery power charged during the day by our 500KW generator 14 computers and associated equipment stayed on day and night even during the hours the generator was shut down. it would not have been too much of a stretch to add solar, had we had enough surface area for such an array

My guess is that those batteries are repairable to. I have derailed so much one more is not a stretch. If as much time and R&D was put into batteries as oil and derivatives we would be in a far different state of transportation now. J.P. Morgan summed it up by saying he had nothing to sell a battery electric vehicle owner other than the initial purchase. Internal combustion, well you pay from day one to the end. Tycoons like Morgan and Morgan himself literally bought and closed many electric car manufacturers. Of course electricity is not free either. But a lot less expensive.

[Jon]

Engineers installing a 100 kW transmitter at KWID radio. San Francisco, CA. 1942.

[IntheGroove]

There's a few large vacuum tubes in there somewhere...

[Jon]

Waynesboro, Tennessee mobile firefighting crew. 1942.

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[IntheGroove]

Looks like the whippersnappers with the fancy boots will be lighting the back fires...

[hemmjo]

Sure would like to have that truck!!!

[Toolmaker51]

Looks like the whippersnappers with the fancy boots will be lighting the back fires...

Long as they can don them in time?

[Hoosiersmoker]

When they're not tending to their moonshine!

[Jon]

Alcoa apprentices. Massena, NY. 1931.

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