No more generators in California?

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ThundahBeagle said:
Sorry if this has been disc, I havent seen it...

California is looking to ban the sale of small engines. Maybe it started as a way to curb use of gas leaf blowers and weed whackers but could affect your RV / Overland gas generators as well...

California's Small Engine Sales Ban Goes After RV Generators

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I suppose Tesla had better come out with a solar generator that surpasses the output potential of a gas generator… *sighs at California’s decisions*
 
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It's not just solar or not. Some people just use them in bad weather when the power goes out. If you aren't fully charged by then, you've a hard time charging during the blizzard.
 
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ThundahBeagle said:
It's not just solar or not. Some people just use them in bad weather when the power goes out. If you aren't fully charged by then, you've a hard time charging during the blizzard.
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Power for the common folk? Surely you jest.
 
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CA has been after this for a while, its frankly disappointingly shortsighted, especially on the generator and chainsaw clauses and will hurt small business and rural landowners the most.
I suspect this will gut most small landscaping firms throughout the state, as only the larger, corporate firms will be able to afford the additional cost sinks required to support large scale electrification of landscaping tools and charging infrastructure.

Personally, I'm waiting for the inevitable outcome of landscaper trucks being left on, idling, to charge tool batteries for the next job. While I detest the gas powered leaf blower from a noise pollution perspective, there is a reason they're still around and in heavy use for landscapers... Same with small to mid sized mowers or anyone who gets paid to deal with grounds work on anything more the yard of a suburban home.

From a politico standpoint, something interesting about this whole debacle... there is some Dem pushback on this because of how rural most of the state *is*. From a state-power-grid infrastructure standpoint it won't be sustainable in 3 years to have new battery packs sold to replace what a gas generator could do, and people know it.

I hope something happens with this that makes it less stupid in the coming years, but I don't think it'll *actually* happen. As we have some rural property that doesn't have power, its a big issue for development and land maintenance.
 
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It appears to only cover gas engines. Diesel and propane are safe. My motor home generator was propane, most of my friends are that or diesel. If you wanted a gas one, you could just go get one out of state. Fortunately, its not banning the ownership yet. Watch how fast the cost of portable diesel generators climb here.

Every time they put in some restriction, people find a way.
 
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rho said:
From a state-power-grid infrastructure standpoint it won't be sustainable in 3 years to have new battery packs sold to replace what a gas generator could do, and people know it.
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Take this thought up a level.
Our power grid is no way capable of supplying enough power in the summer during high use. Rolling blackouts are now the new normal here. From what ive seen, there are no plans to significantly up grade it. Remember, soon were suppose to be driving mostly electric cars. If we cant supply enough power in the summer, that's nothing compared to everyone plugging in their cars every night.
 
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Coming to a place to near you. Seems whatever nonsense happens in California spreads across the planet. I would also think that used gas powered equipment will drastically go up in value.
 
RGILL said:
Coming to a place to near you. Seems whatever nonsense happens in California spreads across the planet. I would also think that used gas powered equipment will drastically go up in value.
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Not here in Missouri. At least not in my lifetime. The term "except in california" has been meaningless for decades in the parts business. Those folks can play stupid all they want but there's zero impact on anyone .1" from the state line.
Zim
 
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If folks just idle their engines for electricity I wonder how that stacks up in emissions compared to portable generators over time?
 
These decisions are made by people who live in the city and are not affected by their edits on the common people. My cousin lives in Southern California and depends on a generator for power dues to the State's inability to provide enough power to the population. He is not alone.
 
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RGILL said:
Coming to a place to near you. Seems whatever nonsense happens in California spreads across the planet. I would also think that used gas powered equipment will drastically go up in value.
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And the nonsense spreads across the country as unrepentant Californians move to another state to escape themselves.
 
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Maybe time to market a portable windmill/generator that pulls behind your electric RV? In fact it spins while towing and magical dust spews from its arse. Just a thought lol
 
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SWLands said:
If folks just idle their engines for electricity I wonder how that stacks up in emissions compared to portable generators over time?
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Good thought.

What would have to be calculated here is efficiency. If the engine was only powering a generator, that would be more efficient than powering the rest of the vehicle also. Then come in the next part. It takes X horsepower to produce Y power in watts. So fuel consumption to produce the power on paper will be the same. This is where efficiency comes in. If a car is efficient enough to produce the power with less loss then, yes that would work. Same power, less fuel, less emissions.

The easier way to do this would be to make the gas generator emit less emissions by increasing its efficiency. Most small gas generators are not very efficient. You could actually get more power for the amount of fuel burned by just tuning the build.

Its more than possible to make them more efficient.
 
smritte said:
Take this thought up a level.
Our power grid is no way capable of supplying enough power in the summer during high use. Rolling blackouts are now the new normal here. From what ive seen, there is no plans to significantly up grade it. Remember, soon were suppose to be driving mostly electric cars. If we cant supply enough power in the summer, that's nothing compared to everyone plugging in their cars every night.
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I was trying to avoid going *there* with this topic, but that is another facet of the larger infrastructure issues we've been having here, yes.

My partner and I were joking that the real impacts of this won't be felt until the people in cities who push this legislation start having to face HOA fines over landscaping because their favorite small business landscaper stopped doing doing residential work because it stopped being profitable. Maybe if that happens something will change.
 
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rho said:
I was trying to avoid going *there* with this topic, but that is another facet of the larger infrastructure issues we've been having here, yes.

My partner and I were joking that the real impacts of this won't be felt until the people in cities who push this legislation start having to face HOA fines over landscaping because their favorite small business landscaper stopped doing doing residential work because it stopped being profitable. Maybe if that happens something will change.
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Nothing will happen until the "elites" are affected.
 
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rho said:
I was trying to avoid going *there* with this topic, but that is another facet of the larger infrastructure issues we've been having here, yes
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OOPS, sorry.
I've been following the solar/windpower infrastructure issue for a couple of decades. One of my too many pet peeves.
 
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