It should be significantly cheaper to recycle than dig it up.

> fabs are silly expensive.

This is NO exaggeration. You can build a lot of things in a garage, or a million dollar factory. Chips can't be built in a BILLION dollar factory.

> Hasn't the USA had some large profile power failures in the not to distant past? You'd be screaming at the moon as a fab if you suffered a shutdown caused by inadequate infrastructure outside your plant.

No country has 100% uptime. Like hospitals, you have batteries and generators onsite capable of picking up the load without interruption.

> China is also trying to get at the high end of chips, and they earmarked over $140 billion USD,

If they've done this, this will almost surely be enough to get them to the forefront.

> hydrogen technologies as though it somehow involves a conspiracy by the oil industry to continue burning fossil fuel

It's not a conspiracy. It's their actual business plan conducted out in the open.

So is propane, but not when it's used in a BBQ.

It's a monumental distinction. Petroleum is energy that was created 66-250 million years ago. 100% of commercial hydrogen was created in your lifetime, but about as likely within the last year.

If you generate electricity and transmit it for use in a car battery, you end up with at least 70-80% of it going to the wheel. With hydrogen, that same electricity results in only 25-30% making it to the wheel.

The only thing that makes that 25-30% improve is by scrapping electrolysis (the only green hydrogen available) in favor of reformed natural gas, which is just fossil fuel with extra steps and less efficiency.

So the alternative to battery electric powertrains is building 3x as many power plants to use hydrogen, or using more fossil fuel. Neither of those are the solution we're looking for.

Regulation definitely adds to the bottom line, both in real dollars and the cost of added time. Sounds like a streamlined approval process is what's desperately needed. Same is true for mining permits.

> the US can't manufacture these chips as cheaply as Asia

Chip fabrication isn't heavily dependent on labor costs. Can they really not be made about as cheaply, or have we just chosen not to do it because the odd penny here and there has been considered a sufficient savings?

> hydrogen isn't a viable fuel source

It's not a source of fuel. It's a method of storing energy. Hydrogen isn't so much mined as it is produced from natural gas (reformation) or water (electrolysis).

I can't imagine wanting to step foot on that, even if the tickets were free.

It's less of a "source" of fuel and more of a storage method. If you're using electrolysis to make it, you're taking electrical energy and using it to convert water into a store of energy. That has inefficiencies at each step (generation, transportation, storage, and finally in its use.)

Also street lamps in many places. The charging network is a lot more developed in Europe than in other parts of the world, with a variety of companies involved, and every car using the same charging standard.

Most places in western Europe have efficient, effective, and affordable public transportation. Car ownership in the EU is around 0.53 per resident.

There are HVDC lines already that are over 1,000 miles. There's even one connecting Washington state with Los Angeles. Transmission losses are under 3%.

Gotta get them clicks though.

Don't contractors make all military gear?

If the price was comparable, I'd be willing to more than double the time to avoid the whole experience of air travel.

Unlikely based on skill-based matchmaking.

> In 2019 he promised

No he didn't.

Except it didn't. Morales was still elected.

You deserve better information.

That was a joke in response to the a whiner throwing out the lamest conspiracy theory ever. There was no coup and Elon certainly didn't have the wealth or influence to orchestrate one back then.

Recycled plastic is also not as good as first use plastic. Not so with battery elements.

EV battery recycling already exists. It won't get big until car batteries are being retired on a large scale.

Look at his post history. It's 90% pro-hydrogen, 9% anti-battery, 1% filler.

Bro. It's a no.

How much storage do you reckon we need?