Ric wrote:ShinySideUp wrote:Ladies and Gentlemen -
.........Most likely my next ride will be an electric one. Just gotta try something without all those parts!
Bill in San Francisco
Uhhh...yeah well....good luck with that.
But please don't dam up more of our rivers to charge it and polute our landfills with your worn out batteries.
Thanks for all the well wishes guys. I guess I meant I'm hangin up the R1200R and therefore my bonafides for being a member here.
Currently I'm on a TMax 500 cc scooter and luvin the ever luvin snot out of it! Does everything in the city and the twisties better than the Beemer, but is obviously bested by the R12R in riding 2-up, long distance highway speeds, and sheer character. But I tell ya, it's really nice not having a sore clutch hand at the end of the day riding on my job all around SF with a stop sign/light at every block!
As for electrics, I'm on the waiting list for a Brammo Empulse (100 mph and 100 mile range) Ducati looks,and looking at BRD and the new Zero S coming out in February. Rode a 2011 Zero S yesterday and it was like being on a magic carpet. Sweet! Just needs more range and more power of the 2012 models and I'm totally in.
And lithium batteries, when properly disposed of, are the least polluting of all the current battery technologies. And using my solar cells to charge it won't dam any rivers. Or necessitate constant war.
I'll probably keep the TMax for longer haul duty, since I have no car.
Wishing all Merry Everything and Happy Always.
Rubber side down.
Bill
PS More on lithium batteries, just in case anybody cares:
"Primary lithium batteries contain metallic lithium that reacts violently when in contact with moisture and the batteries must be disposed of appropriately. If thrown in the landfill in a charged state, heavy equipment operating on top could crush the cases and the exposed lithium would cause a fire. Landfill fires are difficult to extinguish and can burn for years underground. Before recycling, apply a full discharge to consume the lithium content. Non-rechargeable lithium batteries are used in military combat, as well as watches, hearing aids and memory backup. Li-ion for cell phones and laptops do not contain metallic lithium.
In North America,Toxco and Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) collect spent batteries and recycle them. While Toxco has its own recycling facilities, RBRC is in charge of collecting batteries and sending them to recycling organizations. Toxco in Trail, British Columbia, claims to be the only company in the world that recycles large lithium batteries. They receive spent batteries from oil drilling in Nigeria, Indonesia and other places. Toxco also recycles retired lithium batteries from the Minuteman missile silos and tons of Li-ion from the war in Iraq. Other divisions at Toxco recycle nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal-hydride, lead, mercury, alkaline and more.
Europe and Asia are also active in recycling spent batteries. Sony and Sumitomo Metal in Japan, among other recycling companies, have developed technology to retrieve cobalt and other precious metals from spent lithium‑ion batteries. Lithium can be re-used repeatedly, reducing the concern of potential shortages in the future."
Source:
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/arti ... _batteries
According to the U.S. government, lithium ion batteries aren't an environmental hazard. "Lithium Ion batteries are classified by the federal government as non-hazardous waste and are safe for disposal in the normal municipal waste stream," says Kate Krebs at the National Recycling Coalition. While other types of batteries include toxic metals such as cadmium, the metals in lithium ion batteries - cobalt, copper, nickel and iron - are considered safe for landfills or incinerators (Interestingly enough, lithium ion batteries contain an ionic form of lithium but no lithium metal).
Source:
http://blogs.computerworld.com/node/3285
