I think modern apocalypse movies should show someone grabbing solar panels off apartment balconies to recharge an abandoned electric car.
this post was submitted on 29 Apr 2025
466 points (97.2% liked)
Showerthoughts
34066 readers
565 users here now
A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.
Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:
- Both “200” and “160” are 2 minutes in microwave math
- When you’re a kid, you don’t realize you’re also watching your mom and dad grow up.
- More dreams have been destroyed by alarm clocks than anything else
Rules
- All posts must be showerthoughts
- The entire showerthought must be in the title
- No politics
- If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
- A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
- Posts must be original/unique
- Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct and the TOS
If you made it this far, showerthoughts is accepting new mods. This community is generally tame so its not a lot of work, but having a few more mods would help reports get addressed a little sooner.
Whats it like to be a mod? Reports just show up as messages in your Lemmy inbox, and if a different mod has already addressed the report, the message goes away and you never worry about it.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
Not even close to enough energy to be practical in the real world, but close enough for movie logic.
Electric vehicles can charge from a standard outlet. I would imagine if you gather enough of those panels that actually plug into a standard outlet, you could charge a car (though slowly). Your average EV can put on about 10 miles to its “tank” every hour of charging at 120 volts. I don’t know what the amps of those panels are though.
The alternative would be if the protagonist found a home with solar panels and backup batteries. These exist today, and are becoming more common. I don’t know if sodium ion backup batteries have a longer life than LFP or lithium ion.
load more comments
(11 replies)
load more comments
(7 replies)
Aside from the battery in the keyfob, what about the car's battery? If left connected most cars would drain theirs within a month or two. Also, if left discharging/ed like that for too long, the cells can start to sulphate, leading to a bad/non-working cell.
load more comments
(3 replies)
This was a thrill ride to read high wow
well-written, too. this would make a great short film.
edit - i just remembered my favourite quote from Spaceballs: "Fuck! Even in the future nothing works!"
Bigger problem is going to be old fuel. Gasoline degrades over time and becomes less combustible. It also gets gummy in small passages like fuel injectors, especially with ethanol. Wiring insulation gets hard and breaks, wires corrode. Animals intrude and eat wires. Brake and fuel lines rust through, brake hoses swell shut from the inside.
You want a carbureted small block Chevy or Ford. It might still be effort to make it run, but it’ll be far more likely to scrounge up the very generic spare parts and supplies needed.
You want a carbureted small block Chevy or Ford.
Nope.
Pre 1990 mechanically fuel injected, naturally aspirated diesels. 7.3 or 6.9 IDI, 6.2 Detroit, most Cummins industrial engines.
Diesel lasts significantly longer in storage (2+ years) than volatile gasoline (6mo max). I've even seen some non-mixed diesel last 10+ years when stored right.
But the biggest deal is that compression ignition engines can basically run on literally any vaguely flammable liquid substance. You can make biodiesel from a ton of stuff ranging from oil bearing crops to animal fat. They run way longer on oil changes because they don't dump as much thin gas into their oil. And there are no real consumables like spark plugs, distributor caps/rotors/points.
In a post-society situation real fossil fuels or petroleum lubricants or parts will not be available.
Yeah diesels are always going to be first choice, but in the US at least, there's just not very many of them that aren't semi trucks.
You'd be surprised. They're less common in urban areas, but you can find multiple in any parking lot in more rural areas.
Plenty of 250/2500 and 350/3500 series trucks in the US
load more comments
(12 replies)
Gas goes bad.
That's ... what I said?
Sorry. It's a reference to last man on earth and I couldn't help myself.
Man I miss that show, sorry I didn't get the reference. It got killed off right in the middle of "shit's about to go down," and I will never forgive whoever made that decision.
Diesel. Still same problems, but diesel will burn a lot more fuel sources, some that can be made far easier than gasoline.
Oh yes, and an old diesel with mechanical injection will be best.
load more comments
(1 replies)
load more comments
(1 replies)
Keyless start using too much an issue. You can start card with dead key transponders. This new phenomenon of subscription will be an issue though.
Imagine dragging a Stellantis vehicle and using the satnav. You stop at an intersection to get your bearings and the screen same you to extend your warranty.
It still amazes me the number of people who think if the battery in their key dies they cannot get into or start their car. It will probably get to be that way some day because people don't demand more from automakers. But right now these fobs include physical keys for the door. Read the manual how to get to the key and lock before you're locked out of the vehicle.
You can also put the dead key by the start button or some other designated place in the car to start it with RFID.
These are the kinds of things you want to have figured out in the first few days of car ownership. See also how to open your Tesla from the inside when the battery is dead. That's a life or death situation in some circumstances.
You can also put the dead key by the start button or some other designated place in the car to start it with RFID.
Yeah I've had mixed success with that on my Honda. I keep spare keyfob batteries around now.
Check in your manual to make sure where you're supposed to put the key
load more comments
(6 replies)