https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=64.203.66.182explain xkcd - User contributions [en]2026-04-30T02:02:43ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3233:_Make_It_Myself&diff=4104903233: Make It Myself2026-04-16T16:38:21Z<p>64.203.66.182: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3233<br />
| date = April 15, 2026<br />
| title = Make It Myself<br />
| image = make_it_myself_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 284x438px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = It's not as big a loss as it looks, because now I have leftover supplies, which will help me talk myself into doing this all over again with a new project!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created BY A BOT MADE WITH 20 MINUTES OF CODING, 30 MINUTES OF TROUBLESHOOTING, ANOTHER HOUR OF CODING, AND A SUBSCRIPTION TO CURSOR. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
There are many people who complain about the retail price of items (especially, but not only, after rising prices such as with the trend of high rates of inflation occurring at around the time of this comic). People sometimes claim that they could make something themselves, thinking it will be quick and easy. Instead, [[Cueball]] reflects real life by listing the actual effort he would expend on such a project. In total, he spends $60 creating his replacement, and requires 5-6 hours of "labor" which likely has a value greater than $80 by itself, and then ends up just buying the one in the store because his {{w|do it yourself|do-it-yourself}} replacement proves unreliable or fragile. This means that he actually lost $60 on this venture, as well as at least a few hours and several trips to the store.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, Cueball misses the point that most people aren't as technically capable as him (or as [[:Category:Cueball's computer problems|irrationally confident]] as he is about his technical capabilities), so may not even be able to ''start'' to consider the self-built item, and might therefore reasonably consider the $80 price tag good value.<br />
<br />
The title text has Cueball compensating for his losses by deluding himself into believing that the leftover supplies will help him with a future project. He shows unusual self-awareness in recognising that this will likely just cause him to repeat the whole process, but fails to notice that this is actually an argument against his proposal.<br />
<br />
Whether building a new product is at all realistic depends, in part, on the supplies. When deciding whether to do work personally, versus paying for a product or service, a common dilemma is that the DIY approach requires specialized tools and/or buying a larger amount of material than one will need. There may not be a future personal project requiring a specialized drill bit or leftover screws, in which case the leftovers will gather dust until they are thrown out or sold off at a steep discount. If Cueball was determined enough to put the leftovers to use, he might offer to create improved versions of his solution for other people, gradually amortizing the up-front costs and ultimately creating a competing product years later. Barring major cost-saving innovations, that new product might end up costing a similar amount to the original. If the original's price was inflated, the two products might drive down each other's prices through competition.<br />
<br />
Another aspect is the {{w|Sunk cost|Sunk cost}} fallacy; after starting a project (especially without enough subject knowledge), many people learn too late that it may have been better and easier to just buy the product in the first place, or learn that there was more going on than they originally realized. See [[349: Success]]<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
:[Cueball and White Hat stand together looking at two boxes on the right side of the frame. Each box has labels saying "Sale" and "$80" on one of the visible sides of the box, and illegible text on the other visible side of the box. Cueball is holding his arms out toward the boxes.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: They want $80 for this?<br />
:Cueball: I could make one myself for $10 in parts, an hour of work, a trip to the hardware store, another $30 in parts, another few hours of work, two more trips to the store for $20 more in parts, another hour to redo the first hour of work because I messed up, and $80 to buy this when the one I made breaks.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category: Comics edited after their publication]]<!--The title text had a typo that was later corrected--></div>64.203.66.182https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3233:_Make_It_Myself&diff=4104893233: Make It Myself2026-04-16T16:38:04Z<p>64.203.66.182: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3233<br />
| date = April 15, 2026<br />
| title = Make It Myself<br />
| image = make_it_myself_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 284x438px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = It's not as big a loss as it looks, because now I have leftover supplies, which will help me talk myself into doing this all over again with a new project!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created BY A BOT MADE WITH 20 MINUTES OF CODING, 30 MINUTES OF TROUBLESHOOTING, ANOTHER HOUR OF CODING, AND A SUBSCRIPTION TO CURSOR. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
There are many people who complain about the retail price of items (especially, but not only, after rising prices such as with the trend of high rates of inflation occurring at around the time of this comic). People sometimes claim that they could make something themselves, thinking it will be quick and easy. Instead, [[Cueball]] reflects real life by listing the actual effort he would expend on such a project. In total, he spends $60 creating his replacement, and requires 5-6 hours of "labor" which likely has a value greater than $80 by itself, and then ends up just buying the one in the store because his {{w|do it yourself|do-it-yourself}} replacement proves unreliable or fragile. This means that he actually lost $60 on this venture, as well as at least a few hours and several trips to the store.<br />
<br />
Furthermore, Cueball misses the point that most people aren't as technically capable as him (or as [[:Category:Cueball's computer problems|irrationally confident]] as he is about his technical capabilities), so may not even be able to ''start'' to consider the self-built item, and might therefore reasonably consider the $80 price tag good value.<br />
<br />
The title text has Cueball compensating for his losses by deluding himself into believing that the leftover supplies will help him with a future project. He shows unusual self-awareness in recognising that this will likely just cause him to repeat the whole process, but fails to notice that this is actually an argument against his proposal.<br />
<br />
Whether building a new product is at all realistic depends, in part, on the supplies. When deciding whether to do work personally, versus paying for a product or service, a common dilemma is that the DIY approach requires specialized tools and/or buying a larger amount of material than one will need. There may not be a future personal project requiring a specialized drill bit or leftover screws, in which case the leftovers will gather dust until they are thrown out or sold off at a steep discount. If Cueball was determined enough to put the leftovers to use, he might offer to create improved versions of his solution for other people, gradually amortizing the up-front costs and ultimately creating a competing product years later. Barring major cost-saving innovations, that new product might end up costing a similar amount to the original. If the original's price was inflated, the two products might drive down each other's prices through competition.<br />
<br />
Another aspect is the {{w|Sunk cost|Sunk_cost}} fallacy; after starting a project (especially without enough subject knowledge), many people learn too late that it may have been better and easier to just buy the product in the first place, or learn that there was more going on than they originally realized. See [[349: Success]]<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
:[Cueball and White Hat stand together looking at two boxes on the right side of the frame. Each box has labels saying "Sale" and "$80" on one of the visible sides of the box, and illegible text on the other visible side of the box. Cueball is holding his arms out toward the boxes.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: They want $80 for this?<br />
:Cueball: I could make one myself for $10 in parts, an hour of work, a trip to the hardware store, another $30 in parts, another few hours of work, two more trips to the store for $20 more in parts, another hour to redo the first hour of work because I messed up, and $80 to buy this when the one I made breaks.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category: Comics edited after their publication]]<!--The title text had a typo that was later corrected--></div>64.203.66.182https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:3233:_Make_It_Myself&diff=410488Talk:3233: Make It Myself2026-04-16T16:29:05Z<p>64.203.66.182: </p>
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<div><!-- Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom. --><br />
Almost did the same thing, but satisfied with results. Wanted to build a very shallow wide drawer for Ikea Ivar shelf that I use as computer station. Only one I saw that came close was $190. I probably spent $50-60, three hours planning and assembling, three trips to hardware stores and two reworked designs before I made what I wanted. Used a Cambro serving tray form Amazon, couple oak "project boards", couple DIY dowels and screws.<br />
[[User:Fungible|Fungible]] ([[User talk:Fungible|talk]]) 22:23, 15 April 2026 (UTC)<br />
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...and a small aubergine.<br />
[[User:Jgharston|Jgharston]] ([[User talk:Jgharston|talk]]) 23:03, 15 April 2026 (UTC)<br />
:Goodness gracious me! [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 00:24, 16 April 2026 (UTC)<br />
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Where did Dark Mode go??? I used to get it for free, and now I have to get an extension? [[User:King Pando|King Pando]] ([[User talk:King Pando|talk]]) 04:02, 16 April 2026 (UTC)<br />
:It's still available on https://xkcd.com/3227/ [[User:Maofgf|Maofgf]] ([[User talk:Maofgf|talk]]) 07:52, 16 April 2026 (UTC)<br />
Seems like today xkcd's website went back to normal, or as normal as can be when you don't have Dark Mode. [[User:SectorCorruptor|SectorCorruptor]] ([[User talk:SectorCorruptor|talk]]) 04:23, 16 April 2026 (UTC)<br />
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Bill Sutton's song "Do it Yourself" is the large-scale version of this. [[Special:Contributions/2603:8081:9700:1224:0:0:0:2|2603:8081:9700:1224:0:0:0:2]] 04:36, 16 April 2026 (UTC)<br />
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I suspect "weather building" is a typo. Homophone problem.--[[Special:Contributions/2A00:23CC:D248:8901:801E:C71:4D35:EEB4|2A00:23CC:D248:8901:801E:C71:4D35:EEB4]] 07:50, 16 April 2026 (UTC)<br />
: "They want $20k for this cloud seeding operation?!? I could do it myself with $5k worth of silver iodide, 45 hours of pilot training, plane hire, time to develop a dispersal system... [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:48, 16 April 2026 (UTC)<br />
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: There is a sort of typo in the alt-text too: “have have”. I hope it’s not intentional, ‘cause if it is I don’t get it. [[User:Jacobus-nl|Jacobus-nl]] ([[User talk:Jacobus-nl|talk]]) 11:27, 16 April 2026 (UTC)<br />
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Given gas prices at the moment, depending on the mileage and distance to the hardware store - that remaining $20 is probably only like 100 miles. Not to mention how much time you'd spend - if Cueball's hardware store is 4 miles away and his time is worth $25/h then he is $110 in the red before even buying the second unit. He could do 1 trip to the store, $50 in parts and an hour of labor for less than $80 (or if it was only $10 in parts, 2.5 hours). [[User:Sameldacamel34|Sameldacamel34]] ([[User talk:Sameldacamel34|talk]]) 09:20, 16 April 2026 (UTC)<br />
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Well, actually I dood it. I needed a new 6-fold outlet for my PC and the whole smeg that hangs on it. 6-fold WITH a main breaker+lamp indicator: double the price of a 6-fold without. So I bought the latter...plus a one-in, one-out breaker+lamp, in sum I saved 10€ or so, the effect is the same - I know it still works and can flip one switch to take everything off. {{unsigned ip|2a02:2455:1960:4000:8d1:cdfb:dad3:5cbc|10:09, 16 April 2026 (UTC)}}<br />
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I've been told that $500 for providing ponies for a birthday party is "way out of line". Well then, do it yourself, but remember the instructions for making a small fortune with horses: Start with a large fortune. PS: Folks, hire your local pony ride for all sorts of events. [[Special:Contributions/98.22.184.160|98.22.184.160]] 12:04, 16 April 2026 (UTC)<br />
: Well, yeah - a pony ought to be £25. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 12:57, 16 April 2026 (UTC)<br />
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Not factored in is the sense of pride and accomplishment that comes of doing something yourself, the way the homemade version has a special place in your heart where the storebought version is just seen as a generic and replaceable commodity, plus possibly the technical skills learned in the process of doing it yourself and newfound appreciation for the labor that goes into the things you find in the world around you. There are still plenty of good reasons to DIY, if you have the time and resources. [[User:MeZimm|MeZimm]] ([[User talk:MeZimm|talk]]) 15:36, 16 April 2026 (UTC)<br />
: "...if you have the time and resources." <-- that's a key statement. Cueball is spending at least 5-6 hours on this project to save $80 (minus the cost of supplies). The question is, how valuable is a person's time? Yes, you can say that self-improvement and learning is valuable, that the sense of accomplishment is valuable. But everyone is going to assign value to those things differently. Would you spend 6 hours learning to do something that will save you $80 tomorrow? What if it takes 6 years to learn? What if it saves you $80 on a weekly basis? What if it's a skill that you value or can build a career out of? What if paying for the product instead of doing it yourself allows you to spend more time with your friends or family? There's so much more to the equation than just dollar amounts. There are certain things I will happily spend money on rather than do myself because I would rather spend my time on things that matter to me. I don't grind my own flour, but I cook my own bread. I don't change my car's oil, but I change my own brake pads. The cut-off point where we value convenience over money will change person to person, task to task, and day to day.<br />
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This is too true to be funny. [[Special:Contributions/96.61.125.76|96.61.125.76]] 15:41, 16 April 2026 (UTC)<br />
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Do-it-yourself cost generally more than buying the off-the-shelf version in materials alone. It's only interesting for custom stuff you can't find off-the-shelf, kits requiring only simple assembly, or as a pass-time. Shirluban [[Special:Contributions/194.9.103.97|194.9.103.97]] 15:45, 16 April 2026 (UTC)</div>64.203.66.182https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:3214:_Electric_Vehicles&diff=407671Talk:3214: Electric Vehicles2026-03-04T20:57:16Z<p>64.203.66.182: </p>
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<div><!-- Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom. --><br />
How's the transcript, guys? --[[User:Utdtutyabthsc|Utdtutyabthsc]] ([[User talk:Utdtutyabthsc|talk]]) 03:41, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: Heck if i know [[Special:Contributions/216.25.182.141|216.25.182.141]] 03:46, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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idk man, most cars I've encountered sound pretty acoustic to me. EVs are quieter though since they lack combustion engines [[Special:Contributions/137.25.230.78|137.25.230.78]] 04:00, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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Just added a real life cars-as-instruments section, and to prove I'm human I must select photos with cars. It didn't tell me if I should pick the acoustic ones though, I'm confused. [[Special:Contributions/78.244.70.135|78.244.70.135]] 08:11, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: Didn't it give you the option to use an audio version of the captcha? [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:37, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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You know, it ''is'' possible to run out of charge while you're driving. Then you have to figure out how to move your car or recharge it when there aren't any sources of electricity handy or convenient. [[User:Dogman15|Dogman15]] ([[User talk:Dogman15|talk]]) 09:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: That's hardly a unique problem, though - the same is also true of gas-powered cars (or any other fuel you care to mention, for that matter). [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 10:08, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
::No it's not true. When you run out of fuel with an ICE, you can go and get some fuel and bring it back. Or you can carry a spare canister of fuel with you for long journeys to remote places. You can't go and get a bottle of electricity and take it back to your vehicle if you run out of charge. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:08, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:::Isn't a battery already a "bottle of electricity". Might need some jury-rigging with various unorthodox combinations of cables and connectors, but if you fill your pockets (or maybe a large wheelbarrow!) with enough {{w|Battery_pack#Power_bank|portable power-packs}} you ''should'' be able to get a bit of much needed 'juice' into your stranded vehicle. ;) [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 23:22, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
::::When my son was about 3 or 4, he said "Electric is with wires...batteries are little tubs of electricity." So yeah, already thinking that! So, to be specific, I guess the problem is not that it's ''impossible'' to carry charge to your stranded vehicle, it's that it's too difficult to be practical. Filling stations sell fuel cans that you can fill. The energy density of petrol or diesel is such that even a child could carry enough fuel for a normal car to do a 50+ mile journey. Let's see anyone do that with a bottle of electricity... [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:41, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:::::They already do - there are roadside charging companies that provide exactly this service. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:15, 4 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: As and when I might transition to EV, I've been thinking of getting a handy sized PV panel (or, better, a 'roll' of PV fabric, which can be pegged out; perhaps even used as a windbreak/sunshade) stowed in a corner of the boot(/trunk), that I can take out and use to trickle-charge the vehicle when needed. Although that's more for like just making a bit of use of the sunshine if I'm stopped anywhere for long enough, to reduce my reliance upon commercial power sources. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 14:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:: While it might be "fun", a portable PV panel is not gong to help much. A 120V plug can maybe provide 1500W typically add 2-5 miles of range per hour of charging, so the 100 to 200W you can get from a portable system (which is generous) won't help much. But I suppose it would be better than nothing. [[User:J-beda|J-beda]] ([[User talk:J-beda|talk]]) 13:33, 4 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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When i was in school one teacher was keen on distinguishing batteries from accumulators. a battery was something you use once, an accumulator could be recharged. this was in a non-english speaking country and i am not sure if this strict distinction exists in english. but it could cause such a misunderstanding.--[[Special:Contributions/2001:62A:4:408:2541:D6E7:7A86:B8DC|2001:62A:4:408:2541:D6E7:7A86:B8DC]] 10:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: Until I read the whole paragraph I was thinking accumulator would be the same as a capacitor. Maybe they thought rechargeables are actually giant capacitors, but they aren't. They store energy in a (mostly) reversible chemical reaction (tons of energy, slow to charge-discharge (unless spicy pillow releases magic smoke and fire)). Capacitors hold charge physically along the surfaces of the plates (fast charge-discharge, (relatively) tiny capacity). Totally different storage method. [[Special:Contributions/130.76.187.47|130.76.187.47]] 13:34, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:Of course, the usual (and, by now, entirely moot) confusion is between "battery" and a "cell". It should only really be a "battery" if there's more than one "cell" in series (or ''maybe'' in parallel, but I'm sure that can be argued about) within the full item that you're naming as such. And rechargable batteries/cells have been so long a thing (are "electrical accumulators", as opposed to non-electrical equivalent ones for other forms of energy storage and release, like pressure-/gravity-tanks, flywheels, etc), although lead-acid batteries (yes, they're internally cells in series!) was often identified as an "accumulator" to contrast with the (single-use) solid-state chemical cell/battery. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 14:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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I think acoustic propulsion is a thing, but it doesn't work for human-scale cars. One, the sound generator is external and two, it's usually small things. [[Special:Contributions/2603:8081:9700:E9D:0:0:0:2|2603:8081:9700:E9D:0:0:0:2]] 14:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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Isn't an explosion technically sound? As gas-fueled cars are powered by exploding the gas, they really are accoustic cars. {{unsigned ip|2a01:599:112:8815:2e49:a29c:6fd:905b}} 16:36, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: The sound is a side-effect - not the means of propulsion. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:54, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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I'm not convinced the penny farthing line is relevant - the preceding discussion, in reference to the title text, is about misapplying distinctions from one field to another inappropriate one where they aren't relevant. The 'safety' epithet was applied because the new bicycles were considered safer - whether or not that was ''correct'', it was entirely relevant to the distinction being made. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:54, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:I also was doubtful, but I only corrected it regarding the "penny farthing" name misconception (they weren't really called that, at the time...). Probably can be removed, unless someone wants to say more about them being the "ordinary" bicycles of their day (hence also "old ordinary" as an epithet ...once they were sufficiently no longer 'new', of course). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.30|82.132.239.30]] 18:31, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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I'm not sure, if it fit's in the explanation, but Oneway Vipes are a thing: You buy them with pretty good 18650 batteries and throw them away, if the battery is empty. {{unsigned ip|2001:9e8:9690:bf00:a8bb:ca4c:64a1:1e5c|18:13, 3 March 2026 (UTC)}}<br />
:What's that? Some form of Segway? (Couldn't find anything out there by that name, or even "Oneway Bikes". And do remember to sign...) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.30|82.132.239.30]] 18:31, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
::"Vapes", possibly..? [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 22:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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Isn't this a parody of those people who use "what will you do when it runs out of battery" as an argument against EVs, like that doesn't also apply to regular cars? --[[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 19:15, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:Well, if that ever happens to me, I fully intend to siphen some electricity from the nearest unattended EV... Electrons are very small, and should be easier to suck into a pipe than that nasty hydrocarbon fuel is... [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 19:22, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:I have run out of fuel more than once. I walked to a filling station, bought some fuel, and hitched back to my vehicle. So, there's my tested solution to that problem as applies to internal combustion engine vehicles. As you're suggesting the problem is the same whether it happens with EVs or regular cars, could you explain your EV version of the solution? [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:28, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
::If you're on a motorway, you can't "walk" to a filling station. You need to wait for the tow truck. Same as the EV. Now, if you are NOT on a motorway, you can plug in your car on a regular electricity socket when it's at 1%. You can't do that with ICE vehicles. And there's million of regular power sockets at ground level in any country in the world. --[[Special:Contributions/85.159.196.174|85.159.196.174]] 00:10, 4 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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I think the entire explanation is completely missing the intention of the comic and goes on way too long talking about other types of energy storage and delivery methods. Everyone is taking it seriously and overexplaining it as if it's a realistic depiction of slightly overblown range anxiety - rather than a JOKE based on the difference between rechargable and non-rechargable batteries. This is a COMIC after all that is meant to be funny. It's much more reasonable this is a parody of a higher degree (rechargable vs non-rechargable) than lesser degree (slight exaggeration of range anxiety). I'm also the same age as Randall and can remember the slow popularity growth and proliferation of NiCd/NiMH AA and AAA batteries in the 90s. It's much more likely this is a joke based on that and combining/comparing/contrasting it with modern range anxiety, but nobody seems to be getting that - exemplified by the slightly deragatory remark in the current explanation: "He should indeed feel incredibly silly about this, given that rechargeable batteries are very common in many other devices" - guess what? They WEREN"T ALWAYS COMMON - THAT'S THE JOKE (but not everyone is old enough to remember that). [[Special:Contributions/64.203.66.182|64.203.66.182]] 13:15, 4 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: That it was silly for him to think this is ''literally in the comic, admitted by the character himself''. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:59, 4 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: That's true. I guess it was just the continous tone-deafness to the ''origin of the joke'' in the explanation that made this phrase grate. I put the phrase back. [[Special:Contributions/64.203.66.182|64.203.66.182]] 20:57, 4 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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Seems like there's still a lot of derision towards electric vehicles alive today. The Petroleum Propaganda machine still works. [[Special:Contributions/64.203.66.182|64.203.66.182]] 13:56, 4 March 2026 (UTC)</div>64.203.66.182https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:3214:_Electric_Vehicles&diff=407670Talk:3214: Electric Vehicles2026-03-04T20:56:15Z<p>64.203.66.182: </p>
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<div><!-- Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom. --><br />
How's the transcript, guys? --[[User:Utdtutyabthsc|Utdtutyabthsc]] ([[User talk:Utdtutyabthsc|talk]]) 03:41, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: Heck if i know [[Special:Contributions/216.25.182.141|216.25.182.141]] 03:46, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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idk man, most cars I've encountered sound pretty acoustic to me. EVs are quieter though since they lack combustion engines [[Special:Contributions/137.25.230.78|137.25.230.78]] 04:00, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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Just added a real life cars-as-instruments section, and to prove I'm human I must select photos with cars. It didn't tell me if I should pick the acoustic ones though, I'm confused. [[Special:Contributions/78.244.70.135|78.244.70.135]] 08:11, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: Didn't it give you the option to use an audio version of the captcha? [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:37, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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You know, it ''is'' possible to run out of charge while you're driving. Then you have to figure out how to move your car or recharge it when there aren't any sources of electricity handy or convenient. [[User:Dogman15|Dogman15]] ([[User talk:Dogman15|talk]]) 09:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: That's hardly a unique problem, though - the same is also true of gas-powered cars (or any other fuel you care to mention, for that matter). [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 10:08, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
::No it's not true. When you run out of fuel with an ICE, you can go and get some fuel and bring it back. Or you can carry a spare canister of fuel with you for long journeys to remote places. You can't go and get a bottle of electricity and take it back to your vehicle if you run out of charge. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:08, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:::Isn't a battery already a "bottle of electricity". Might need some jury-rigging with various unorthodox combinations of cables and connectors, but if you fill your pockets (or maybe a large wheelbarrow!) with enough {{w|Battery_pack#Power_bank|portable power-packs}} you ''should'' be able to get a bit of much needed 'juice' into your stranded vehicle. ;) [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 23:22, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
::::When my son was about 3 or 4, he said "Electric is with wires...batteries are little tubs of electricity." So yeah, already thinking that! So, to be specific, I guess the problem is not that it's ''impossible'' to carry charge to your stranded vehicle, it's that it's too difficult to be practical. Filling stations sell fuel cans that you can fill. The energy density of petrol or diesel is such that even a child could carry enough fuel for a normal car to do a 50+ mile journey. Let's see anyone do that with a bottle of electricity... [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:41, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:::::They already do - there are roadside charging companies that provide exactly this service. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:15, 4 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: As and when I might transition to EV, I've been thinking of getting a handy sized PV panel (or, better, a 'roll' of PV fabric, which can be pegged out; perhaps even used as a windbreak/sunshade) stowed in a corner of the boot(/trunk), that I can take out and use to trickle-charge the vehicle when needed. Although that's more for like just making a bit of use of the sunshine if I'm stopped anywhere for long enough, to reduce my reliance upon commercial power sources. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 14:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:: While it might be "fun", a portable PV panel is not gong to help much. A 120V plug can maybe provide 1500W typically add 2-5 miles of range per hour of charging, so the 100 to 200W you can get from a portable system (which is generous) won't help much. But I suppose it would be better than nothing. [[User:J-beda|J-beda]] ([[User talk:J-beda|talk]]) 13:33, 4 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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When i was in school one teacher was keen on distinguishing batteries from accumulators. a battery was something you use once, an accumulator could be recharged. this was in a non-english speaking country and i am not sure if this strict distinction exists in english. but it could cause such a misunderstanding.--[[Special:Contributions/2001:62A:4:408:2541:D6E7:7A86:B8DC|2001:62A:4:408:2541:D6E7:7A86:B8DC]] 10:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: Until I read the whole paragraph I was thinking accumulator would be the same as a capacitor. Maybe they thought rechargeables are actually giant capacitors, but they aren't. They store energy in a (mostly) reversible chemical reaction (tons of energy, slow to charge-discharge (unless spicy pillow releases magic smoke and fire)). Capacitors hold charge physically along the surfaces of the plates (fast charge-discharge, (relatively) tiny capacity). Totally different storage method. [[Special:Contributions/130.76.187.47|130.76.187.47]] 13:34, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:Of course, the usual (and, by now, entirely moot) confusion is between "battery" and a "cell". It should only really be a "battery" if there's more than one "cell" in series (or ''maybe'' in parallel, but I'm sure that can be argued about) within the full item that you're naming as such. And rechargable batteries/cells have been so long a thing (are "electrical accumulators", as opposed to non-electrical equivalent ones for other forms of energy storage and release, like pressure-/gravity-tanks, flywheels, etc), although lead-acid batteries (yes, they're internally cells in series!) was often identified as an "accumulator" to contrast with the (single-use) solid-state chemical cell/battery. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 14:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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I think acoustic propulsion is a thing, but it doesn't work for human-scale cars. One, the sound generator is external and two, it's usually small things. [[Special:Contributions/2603:8081:9700:E9D:0:0:0:2|2603:8081:9700:E9D:0:0:0:2]] 14:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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Isn't an explosion technically sound? As gas-fueled cars are powered by exploding the gas, they really are accoustic cars. {{unsigned ip|2a01:599:112:8815:2e49:a29c:6fd:905b}} 16:36, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: The sound is a side-effect - not the means of propulsion. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:54, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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I'm not convinced the penny farthing line is relevant - the preceding discussion, in reference to the title text, is about misapplying distinctions from one field to another inappropriate one where they aren't relevant. The 'safety' epithet was applied because the new bicycles were considered safer - whether or not that was ''correct'', it was entirely relevant to the distinction being made. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:54, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:I also was doubtful, but I only corrected it regarding the "penny farthing" name misconception (they weren't really called that, at the time...). Probably can be removed, unless someone wants to say more about them being the "ordinary" bicycles of their day (hence also "old ordinary" as an epithet ...once they were sufficiently no longer 'new', of course). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.30|82.132.239.30]] 18:31, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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I'm not sure, if it fit's in the explanation, but Oneway Vipes are a thing: You buy them with pretty good 18650 batteries and throw them away, if the battery is empty. {{unsigned ip|2001:9e8:9690:bf00:a8bb:ca4c:64a1:1e5c|18:13, 3 March 2026 (UTC)}}<br />
:What's that? Some form of Segway? (Couldn't find anything out there by that name, or even "Oneway Bikes". And do remember to sign...) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.30|82.132.239.30]] 18:31, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
::"Vapes", possibly..? [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 22:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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Isn't this a parody of those people who use "what will you do when it runs out of battery" as an argument against EVs, like that doesn't also apply to regular cars? --[[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 19:15, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:Well, if that ever happens to me, I fully intend to siphen some electricity from the nearest unattended EV... Electrons are very small, and should be easier to suck into a pipe than that nasty hydrocarbon fuel is... [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 19:22, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:I have run out of fuel more than once. I walked to a filling station, bought some fuel, and hitched back to my vehicle. So, there's my tested solution to that problem as applies to internal combustion engine vehicles. As you're suggesting the problem is the same whether it happens with EVs or regular cars, could you explain your EV version of the solution? [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:28, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
::If you're on a motorway, you can't "walk" to a filling station. You need to wait for the tow truck. Same as the EV. Now, if you are NOT on a motorway, you can plug in your car on a regular electricity socket when it's at 1%. You can't do that with ICE vehicles. And there's million of regular power sockets at ground level in any country in the world. --[[Special:Contributions/85.159.196.174|85.159.196.174]] 00:10, 4 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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I think the entire explanation is completely missing the intention of the comic and goes on way too long talking about other types of energy storage and delivery methods. Everyone is taking it seriously and overexplaining it as if it's a realistic depiction of slightly overblown range anxiety - rather than a JOKE based on the difference between rechargable and non-rechargable batteries. This is a COMIC after all that is meant to be funny. It's much more reasonable this is a parody of a higher degree (rechargable vs non-rechargable) than lesser degree (slight exaggeration of range anxiety). I'm also the same age as Randall and can remember the slow popularity growth and proliferation of NiCd/NiMH AA and AAA batteries in the 90s. It's much more likely this is a joke based on that and combining/comparing/contrasting it with modern range anxiety, but nobody seems to be getting that - exemplified by the slightly deragatory remark in the current explanation: "He should indeed feel incredibly silly about this, given that rechargeable batteries are very common in many other devices" - guess what? They WEREN"T ALWAYS COMMON - THAT'S THE JOKE (but not everyone is old enough to remember that). [[Special:Contributions/64.203.66.182|64.203.66.182]] 13:15, 4 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: That it was silly for him to think this is ''literally in the comic, admitted by the character himself''. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:59, 4 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: That's true. I guess it was just the continous tone-deafness to the ''origin of the joke'' in the explanation that made this phrase grate. I put the phrase back.<br />
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Seems like there's still a lot of derision towards electric vehicles alive today. The Petroleum Propaganda machine still works. [[Special:Contributions/64.203.66.182|64.203.66.182]] 13:56, 4 March 2026 (UTC)</div>64.203.66.182https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3214:_Electric_Vehicles&diff=4076693214: Electric Vehicles2026-03-04T20:55:51Z<p>64.203.66.182: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3214<br />
| date = March 2, 2026<br />
| title = Electric Vehicles<br />
| image = electric_vehicles_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 209x389px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Now that I've finally gotten an electric vehicle, I'm never going back to an acoustic one.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created by an EV WITH A NON-RECHARGEABLE BOT-TERY. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Many potential customers of {{w|electric vehicle}}s have "{{w|range anxiety}}", and are concerned about the ability of the vehicle batteries to allow the same freedom of travel as with those using the {{w|internal combustion engine}}. No one wants to be stuck on the side of the road, having run out of power, and finding a {{w|filling station}} for fuel ({{w|gasoline|gasoline/petrol}} or {{w|diesel fuel}}) to refill a motor vehicle is more likely than finding an electric vehicle recharging station. Manufacturers have been trying to ease these fears by developing longer-lasting batteries, along with more recharging stations being set up.<br />
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This comic exaggerates this concern to an absurd degree: [[Cueball]], up until some undefined point in the past when he was corrected, had apparently believed that electric cars were powered by single-use, non-rechargeable batteries, and this comic shows the kind of conversation he will have had during that period of being under the wrong impression. Practical electric vehicles, since {{w|History of the electric vehicle#First full-scale electric cars|their very early days}}, have pretty much always had {{w|rechargeable battery}} technology of some kind or other. He should indeed feel incredibly silly about this, given that rechargeable batteries are very common in many other devices.<br />
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Commercially available rechargeable solid-state batteries have not always been common, however. The proliferation of Alkaline, NiMH, and Lithium-ion batteries happened during the late 1990s and early 2000s (during Randall's lifetime), although the {{w|lead–acid battery}} first appeared in the mid 19th-century and later became the staple (rechargable) electrical storage medium in both fully-electrical and IC-powered vehicles of all kinds. Rechargeable cells are still the minority of sales for household-use size batteries (AA, AAA), perhaps in part because they get [[https://www.rdbatteries.com/blog/post/how-many-times-can-you-recharge-rechargeable-batteries.html?srsltid=AfmBOopDQfsdCmfha-x95r8snSTCV8SIHi6S02PcMReOZyJlWa0ENY6w re-used many times]] rather than needing to be entirely replaced by a further purchase after they are first drained. Battery operated devices and toys for most of the 20th-century (e.g. tamagotchis) did not generally have recharging capabilities and required replacing the battery entirely, rather than (as with many modern devices, e.g. phones) having built-in batteries enabling the user to recharge them by plugging a suitable power-carrying cable into a port. For other devices that {{w|Batteries Not Included|<!-- mild joke link! -->may or may not}} have originally come with single-use cells prepackaged, households may have eventually decided to buy reliable rechargable equivalents to be charged as needed. It's not reasonable to completely throw away the batteries that power electric vehicles, every time they are discharged, or even throw away (or abandon) whole vehicles due to difficulties in replacing them. But, in assuming that an EV's battery is not rechargeable, [[Cueball]] is concerned that this is what he would be forced to do..<br />
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All types of vehicle can only be driven so far, or even idled for so long, without refilling their energy storage, be that liquid fuel or electrochemical potential. Because of this, any vehicle (other than perhaps a {{w|solar car}}, or similar) will require occasional top-ups at roadside facilities or even through a direct feed ({{w|overhead line}}s can provide electricity to {{w|Rubber-tyred tram|suitable road or rail vehicles}}, and a {{w|third rail}} is an additional option for the latter type, along some or all of their prepared routes). As of 2021, a modern electric car commonly had [https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/evolution-of-average-range-of-electric-vehicles-by-powertrain-2010-2021 a range above 300 km/200 miles,<!-- this is not a conversion error: 300km<>200mil, I know, but the true value (graph currently shows 349km) is nicely just "above" both of these simplified roundings down in a reasonably futureproofed way-->] and this is continuing to expand. Combustion engine cars usually reach [https://energynow.ca/2022/10/visualizing-the-range-of-electric-cars-vs-gas-powered-cars/ at least twice this range] on a full fuel tank.<br />
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Many countries now have vast networks of public charging infrastructure, to echo the almost ubiquitous presence of refuelling stations across the road network. The spacing of these in all but the most sparsely populated areas usually permits any electric vehicle (even one with an unusually low range of <100km) to recharge before it runs out of energy, and fast charging capabilities of 400kW and greater makes the current<!-- no pun intended! --> waiting time to recharge more and more like the quick topping-up process people are used to in liquid refuelling. As an alternative, {{w|battery swapping}} is also a possibility in some places, for suitably designed EVs, and has been [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNZy603as5w commercialized]. In these cases, replacing the battery does not substitute charging it, but it reduces the “refill” time from a possible thirty minutes stop-over to just a few minutes (the time needed to pull out the discharged battery pack from the vehicle and put in a fully charged one). The prior batteries are then charged by the facility, and later used to directly replace some other vehicle’s battery when it requires it. Most electric vehicles will provide a recharge warning (equivalent to a low fuel warning) well in advance of the battery being depleted, to prevent vehicle stranding.<br />
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The title text imagines that electric cars are distinct from others in a similar way as electric instruments are from other instruments. In particular, {{w|electric guitar}}s are contrasted with {{w|acoustic guitar|non-electric (aka acoustic) ones}}. In the case of instruments, though, the 'electric' and 'acoustic' don't refer to how they're powered (the latter isn't even 'powered' at all), but how they transmit and amplify the sound produced by the player. There's no such thing as an acoustic vehicle, though sound ''can'' be used to [https://hackaday.com/2025/02/21/acoustic-engine-harnesses-the-power-of-sound/ generate propulsion] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je7eLZS6GG0 on a small scale][https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCnxsoXtlmY in a variety of ways]. It has become a common practice to refer to ''bicycles'' without a motor by the misnomer 'acoustic bicycle', but this does not seem to be much the case with cars. (Bicycles are sometimes also referred to as 'analog bicycles' — this is even more of a misnomer, being borrowed from the distinction between mechanical and digital devices, where the latter are sometimes misnamed as 'electric'.) When particular bicycles were developed to supersede the "ordinary" type (later) known as {{w|penny-farthing}}s, the ''new'' bicycles with wheels of the same size were called "{{w|safety bicycle}}s", to promote the idea of their being less tricky to ride, a term that later fell out of use as the new design became more standard (and, in its own way, 'ordinary').<br />
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Electric vehicles are {{w|Electric vehicle warning sounds|commonly designed}} to emit sound, sometimes like an electronic instrument, to give an audible warning of their presence for the purpose of safety, particularly when traveling at lower speeds. Several jurisdictions around the world {{w|Electric vehicle warning sounds#Regulations|require}} them to emit a minimum sound level. In some cases, electric vehicle sounds are designed by [https://abcnews.com/Business/famed-composer-hans-zimmers-score-giving-sound-electric/story?id=69242502 renowned composers]. Though it is not their intended use,{{Citation needed}} motorised vehicles can be used as music instruments. Composer Ryoji Ikeda has composed a [https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/37885/1/building-a-synth-orchestra-out-of-one-hundred-cars symphony for 100 thermal ("acoustic") cars].<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is standing to the left side of the panel with his arms out, and [[Megan]] and [[White Hat]] are standing to his right, facing him.]<br />
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:Cueball: I would never get an electric vehicle.<br />
:Cueball: Sure, they sound great, but what do you do if the battery runs out of charge?<br />
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:[Caption below the image:]<br />
:I felt pretty silly when someone finally explained to me that EVs are rechargeable.<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]</div>64.203.66.182https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:3214:_Electric_Vehicles&diff=407627Talk:3214: Electric Vehicles2026-03-04T13:56:54Z<p>64.203.66.182: </p>
<hr />
<div><!-- Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom. --><br />
How's the transcript, guys? --[[User:Utdtutyabthsc|Utdtutyabthsc]] ([[User talk:Utdtutyabthsc|talk]]) 03:41, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: Heck if i know [[Special:Contributions/216.25.182.141|216.25.182.141]] 03:46, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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idk man, most cars I've encountered sound pretty acoustic to me. EVs are quieter though since they lack combustion engines [[Special:Contributions/137.25.230.78|137.25.230.78]] 04:00, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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Just added a real life cars-as-instruments section, and to prove I'm human I must select photos with cars. It didn't tell me if I should pick the acoustic ones though, I'm confused. [[Special:Contributions/78.244.70.135|78.244.70.135]] 08:11, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: Didn't it give you the option to use an audio version of the captcha? [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:37, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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You know, it ''is'' possible to run out of charge while you're driving. Then you have to figure out how to move your car or recharge it when there aren't any sources of electricity handy or convenient. [[User:Dogman15|Dogman15]] ([[User talk:Dogman15|talk]]) 09:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: That's hardly a unique problem, though - the same is also true of gas-powered cars (or any other fuel you care to mention, for that matter). [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 10:08, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
::No it's not true. When you run out of fuel with an ICE, you can go and get some fuel and bring it back. Or you can carry a spare canister of fuel with you for long journeys to remote places. You can't go and get a bottle of electricity and take it back to your vehicle if you run out of charge. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:08, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:::Isn't a battery already a "bottle of electricity". Might need some jury-rigging with various unorthodox combinations of cables and connectors, but if you fill your pockets (or maybe a large wheelbarrow!) with enough {{w|Battery_pack#Power_bank|portable power-packs}} you ''should'' be able to get a bit of much needed 'juice' into your stranded vehicle. ;) [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 23:22, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
::::When my son was about 3 or 4, he said "Electric is with wires...batteries are little tubs of electricity." So yeah, already thinking that! So, to be specific, I guess the problem is not that it's ''impossible'' to carry charge to your stranded vehicle, it's that it's too difficult to be practical. Filling stations sell fuel cans that you can fill. The energy density of petrol or diesel is such that even a child could carry enough fuel for a normal car to do a 50+ mile journey. Let's see anyone do that with a bottle of electricity... [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:41, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:::::They already do - there are roadside charging companies that provide exactly this service. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:15, 4 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: As and when I might transition to EV, I've been thinking of getting a handy sized PV panel (or, better, a 'roll' of PV fabric, which can be pegged out; perhaps even used as a windbreak/sunshade) stowed in a corner of the boot(/trunk), that I can take out and use to trickle-charge the vehicle when needed. Although that's more for like just making a bit of use of the sunshine if I'm stopped anywhere for long enough, to reduce my reliance upon commercial power sources. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 14:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:: While it might be "fun", a portable PV panel is not gong to help much. A 120V plug can maybe provide 1500W typically add 2-5 miles of range per hour of charging, so the 100 to 200W you can get from a portable system (which is generous) won't help much. But I suppose it would be better than nothing. [[User:J-beda|J-beda]] ([[User talk:J-beda|talk]]) 13:33, 4 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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When i was in school one teacher was keen on distinguishing batteries from accumulators. a battery was something you use once, an accumulator could be recharged. this was in a non-english speaking country and i am not sure if this strict distinction exists in english. but it could cause such a misunderstanding.--[[Special:Contributions/2001:62A:4:408:2541:D6E7:7A86:B8DC|2001:62A:4:408:2541:D6E7:7A86:B8DC]] 10:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: Until I read the whole paragraph I was thinking accumulator would be the same as a capacitor. Maybe they thought rechargeables are actually giant capacitors, but they aren't. They store energy in a (mostly) reversible chemical reaction (tons of energy, slow to charge-discharge (unless spicy pillow releases magic smoke and fire)). Capacitors hold charge physically along the surfaces of the plates (fast charge-discharge, (relatively) tiny capacity). Totally different storage method. [[Special:Contributions/130.76.187.47|130.76.187.47]] 13:34, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:Of course, the usual (and, by now, entirely moot) confusion is between "battery" and a "cell". It should only really be a "battery" if there's more than one "cell" in series (or ''maybe'' in parallel, but I'm sure that can be argued about) within the full item that you're naming as such. And rechargable batteries/cells have been so long a thing (are "electrical accumulators", as opposed to non-electrical equivalent ones for other forms of energy storage and release, like pressure-/gravity-tanks, flywheels, etc), although lead-acid batteries (yes, they're internally cells in series!) was often identified as an "accumulator" to contrast with the (single-use) solid-state chemical cell/battery. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 14:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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I think acoustic propulsion is a thing, but it doesn't work for human-scale cars. One, the sound generator is external and two, it's usually small things. [[Special:Contributions/2603:8081:9700:E9D:0:0:0:2|2603:8081:9700:E9D:0:0:0:2]] 14:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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Isn't an explosion technically sound? As gas-fueled cars are powered by exploding the gas, they really are accoustic cars.([[User sobrow|talk]]) 16:36, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: The sound is a side-effect - not the means of propulsion. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:54, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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I'm not convinced the penny farthing line is relevant - the preceding discussion, in reference to the title text, is about misapplying distinctions from one field to another inappropriate one where they aren't relevant. The 'safety' epithet was applied because the new bicycles were considered safer - whether or not that was ''correct'', it was entirely relevant to the distinction being made. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:54, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:I also was doubtful, but I only corrected it regarding the "penny farthing" name misconception (they weren't really called that, at the time...). Probably can be removed, unless someone wants to say more about them being the "ordinary" bicycles of their day (hence also "old ordinary" as an epithet ...once they were sufficiently no longer 'new', of course). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.30|82.132.239.30]] 18:31, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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I'm not sure, if it fit's in the explanation, but Oneway Vipes are a thing: You buy them with pretty good 18650 batteries and throw them away, if the battery is empty. {{unsigned ip|2001:9e8:9690:bf00:a8bb:ca4c:64a1:1e5c|18:13, 3 March 2026}}<br />
:What's that? Some form of Segway? (Couldn't find anything out there by that name, or even "Oneway Bikes". And do remember to sign...) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.30|82.132.239.30]] 18:31, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
::"Vapes", possibly..? [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 22:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Isn't this a parody of those people who use "what will you do when it runs out of battery" as an argument against EVs, like that doesn't also apply to regular cars? --[[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 19:15, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:Well, if that ever happens to me, I fully intend to siphen some electricity from the nearest unattended EV... Electrons are very small, and should be easier to suck into a pipe than that nasty hydrocarbon fuel is... [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 19:22, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:I have run out of fuel more than once. I walked to a filling station, bought some fuel, and hitched back to my vehicle. So, there's my tested solution to that problem as applies to internal combustion engine vehicles. As you're suggesting the problem is the same whether it happens with EVs or regular cars, could you explain your EV version of the solution? [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:28, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
::If you're on a motorway, you can't "walk" to a filling station. You need to wait for the tow truck. Same as the EV. Now, if you are NOT on a motorway, you can plug in your car on a regular electricity socket when it's at 1%. You can't do that with ICE vehicles. And there's million of regular power sockets at ground level in any country in the world. --[[Special:Contributions/85.159.196.174|85.159.196.174]] 00:10, 4 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think the entire explanation is completely missing the intention of the comic and goes on way too long talking about other types of energy storage and delivery methods. Everyone is taking it seriously and overexplaining it as if it's a realistic depiction of slightly overblown range anxiety - rather than a JOKE based on the difference between rechargable and non-rechargable batteries. This is a COMIC after all that is meant to be funny. It's much more reasonable this is a parody of a higher degree (rechargable vs non-rechargable) than lesser degree (slight exaggeration of range anxiety). I'm also the same age as Randall and can remember the slow popularity growth and proliferation of NiCd/NiMH AA and AAA batteries in the 90s. It's much more likely this is a joke based on that and combining/comparing/contrasting it with modern range anxiety, but nobody seems to be getting that - exemplified by the slightly deragatory remark in the current explanation: "He should indeed feel incredibly silly about this, given that rechargeable batteries are very common in many other devices" - guess what? They WEREN"T ALWAYS COMMON - THAT'S THE JOKE (but not everyone is old enough to remember that). [[Special:Contributions/64.203.66.182|64.203.66.182]] 13:15, 4 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Seems like there's still a lot of derision towards electric vehicles alive today. The Petroleum Propaganda machine still works. [[Special:Contributions/64.203.66.182|64.203.66.182]] 13:56, 4 March 2026 (UTC)</div>64.203.66.182https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3214:_Electric_Vehicles&diff=4076263214: Electric Vehicles2026-03-04T13:52:18Z<p>64.203.66.182: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3214<br />
| date = March 2, 2026<br />
| title = Electric Vehicles<br />
| image = electric_vehicles_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 209x389px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Now that I've finally gotten an electric vehicle, I'm never going back to an acoustic one.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created by an EV WITH A NON-RECHARGEABLE BOT-TERY. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Commercially available rechargeable batteries have not always been common. The proliferation of Alkaline, NiMH, and Lithium-ion batteries happened during the late 1990s and early 2000s (during Randall's lifetime). Rechargeables are still the minority of sales for household-use size batteries (AA, AAA). Battery operated devices and toys of that era (e.g. tamagotchis) did not generally have recharging capabilities and required replacing the battery entirely rather than most modern devices (e.g. phones, cars) with built-in batteries being able to plug a cable into a port. It's not reasonable to completely throw away the battery of an electric vehicle, so assuming it's not rechargeable, [[Cueball]] is concerned what he's supposed to do.<br />
<br />
Many potential customers of {{w|electric vehicle}}s have "{{w|range anxiety}}", and are concerned about the ability of the vehicle batteries to allow the same freedom of travel as with those using the {{w|internal combustion engine}}. No one wants to be stuck on the side of the road, having run out of power, and finding a {{w|filling station}} for fuel ({{w|gasoline|gasoline/petrol}} or {{w|diesel fuel}}) to refill a motor vehicle is more likely than finding an electric vehicle recharging station. Manufacturers have been trying to ease these fears by developing longer-lasting batteries, along with more recharging stations being set up.<br />
<br />
This comic exaggerates this concern to an absurd degree: [[Cueball]], up until he was corrected, had apparently believed that electric cars were powered by single-use, non-rechargeable batteries. Electric vehicles have always had, {{w|rechargeable battery}} technology.<br />
<br />
All types of vehicle can only be driven so far, or even idled for so long, without refilling their energy storage, be that liquid fuel or electrochemical potential. Because of this, any vehicle (other than perhaps a {{w|solar car}}, or similar) will require occasional top-ups at roadside facilities or even through a direct feed ({{w|overhead line}}s can provide electricity to {{w|Rubber-tyred tram|suitable road or rail vehicles}}, and a {{w|third rail}} is an additional option for the latter type, along some or all of their prepared routes). As of 2021, a modern electric car commonly had [https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/evolution-of-average-range-of-electric-vehicles-by-powertrain-2010-2021 a range above 300 km/200 miles,<!-- this is not a conversion error: 300km<>200mil, I know, but the true value (graph currently shows 349km) is nicely just "above" both of these simplified roundings down in a reasonably futureproofed way-->] and this is continuing to expand. Combustion engine cars usually reach [https://energynow.ca/2022/10/visualizing-the-range-of-electric-cars-vs-gas-powered-cars/ at least twice this range] on a full fuel tank.<br />
<br />
Many countries now have vast networks of public charging infrastructure, to echo the almost ubiquitous presence of refuelling stations across the road network. The spacing of these in all but the most sparsely populated areas usually permits any electric vehicle (even one with an unusually low range of <100km) to recharge before it runs out of energy, and fast charging capabilities of 400kW and greater makes the current<!-- no pun intended! --> waiting time to recharge more and more like the quick topping-up process people are used to in liquid refuelling. As an alternative, {{w|battery swapping}} is also a possibility in some places, for suitably designed EVs, and has been [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNZy603as5w commercialized]. In these cases, replacing the battery does not substitute charging it, but it reduces the “refill” time from a possible thirty minutes stop-over to just a few minutes (the time needed to pull out the discharged battery pack from the vehicle and put in a fully charged one). The prior batteries are then charged by the facility, and later used to directly replace some other vehicle’s battery when it requires it. Most electric vehicles will provide a recharge warning (equivalent to a low fuel warning) well in advance of the battery being depleted, to prevent vehicle stranding.<br />
<br />
The title text imagines that electric cars are distinct from others in a similar way as electric instruments are from other instruments. In particular, {{w|electric guitar}}s are contrasted with {{w|acoustic guitar|non-electric (aka acoustic) ones}}. In the case of instruments, though, the 'electric' and 'acoustic' don't refer to how they're powered (the latter isn't even 'powered' at all), but how they transmit and amplify the sound produced by the player. There's no such thing as an acoustic vehicle, though sound ''can'' be used to [https://hackaday.com/2025/02/21/acoustic-engine-harnesses-the-power-of-sound/ generate propulsion] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je7eLZS6GG0 on a small scale][https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCnxsoXtlmY in a variety of ways]. It has become a common practice to refer to ''bicycles'' without a motor by the misnomer 'acoustic bicycle', but this does not seem to be much the case with cars. (Bicycles are sometimes also referred to as 'analog bicycles' — this is even more of a misnomer, being borrowed from the distinction between mechanical and digital devices, where the latter are sometimes misnamed as 'electric'.) When particular bicycles were developed to supersede the "ordinary" type (later) known as {{w|penny-farthing}}s, the ''new'' bicycles with wheels of the same size were called "{{w|safety bicycle}}s", to promote the idea of their being less tricky to ride, a term that later fell out of use as the new design became more standard (and, in its own way, 'ordinary').<br />
<br />
Electric vehicles are {{w|Electric vehicle warning sounds|commonly designed}} to emit sound, sometimes like an electronic instrument, to give an audible warning of their presence for the purpose of safety, particularly when traveling at lower speeds. Several jurisdictions around the world {{w|Electric vehicle warning sounds#Regulations|require}} them to emit a minimum sound level. In some cases, electric vehicle sounds are designed by [https://abcnews.com/Business/famed-composer-hans-zimmers-score-giving-sound-electric/story?id=69242502 renowned composers]. Though it is not their intended use,{{Citation needed}} motorised vehicles can be used as music instruments. Composer Ryoji Ikeda has composed a [https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/37885/1/building-a-synth-orchestra-out-of-one-hundred-cars symphony for 100 thermal ("acoustic") cars].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is standing to the left side of the panel with his arms out, and [[Megan]] and [[White Hat]] are standing to his right, facing him.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: I would never get an electric vehicle.<br />
:Cueball: Sure, they sound great, but what do you do if the battery runs out of charge?<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the image:]<br />
:I felt pretty silly when someone finally explained to me that EVs are rechargeable.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]</div>64.203.66.182https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3214:_Electric_Vehicles&diff=4076253214: Electric Vehicles2026-03-04T13:43:26Z<p>64.203.66.182: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3214<br />
| date = March 2, 2026<br />
| title = Electric Vehicles<br />
| image = electric_vehicles_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 209x389px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Now that I've finally gotten an electric vehicle, I'm never going back to an acoustic one.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created by an EV WITH A NON-RECHARGEABLE BOT-TERY. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Commercially available rechargeable batteries have not always been common. The proliferation of Alkaline, NiMH, and Lithium-ion batteries happened during the late 1990s and early 2000s (during Randall's lifetime). Rechargeables are still the minority of sales for household-use size batteries (AA, AAA). Battery operated devices and toys of that era (e.g. tamagotchis) did not generally have recharging capabilities and required replacing the battery entirely rather than most modern devices (e.g. phones, cars) with built-in batteries being able to plug a cable into a port. It's not reasonable to completely throw away the battery of an electric vehicle, so assuming it's not rechargeable, [[Cueball]] is concerned what he's supposed to do.<br />
<br />
Many potential customers of {{w|electric vehicle}}s have "{{w|range anxiety}}", and are concerned about the ability of the vehicle batteries to allow the same freedom of travel as with those using the {{w|internal combustion engine}}. No one wants to be stuck on the side of the road, having run out of power, and finding a {{w|filling station}} for fuel ({{w|gasoline|gasoline/petrol}} or {{w|diesel fuel}}) to refill a previously more mainstream motor vehicle is still somewhat easier (at time of writing) than finding an electric vehicle recharging station in most areas, even though you can always recharge an EV on any plain electricity socket, albeit slowly. Manufacturers have been trying to ease these fears by developing longer-lasting batteries, along with more recharging stations being set up, but the concerns remain for many.<br />
<br />
This comic exaggerates this concern to an absurd degree: [[Cueball]], up until he was corrected, had apparently believed that electric cars were powered by single-use, non-rechargeable batteries. In reality, of course, such vehicles have, and always had, {{w|rechargeable battery}} technology (of varying usefulness). He should indeed feel incredibly silly about this, given that rechargeable batteries are very common in many other devices &mdash; including {{w|internal combustion engine}} vehicles themselves (to operate the {{w|Starter (engine)|starter motor}} and other vehicle electronics, at times when the engine isn't yet powering the dynamo in return) &mdash; and he has likely had plenty of opportunity to observe charging installations. His objection makes about as much sense as saying he'd never buy a fuel-powered car because eventually he'd empty the fuel tank.<br />
<br />
All types of vehicle can only be driven so far, or even idled for so long, without refilling their energy storage, be that liquid fuel or electrochemical potential. Because of this, any vehicle (other than perhaps a {{w|solar car}}, or similar) will require occasional top-ups at roadside facilities or even through a direct feed ({{w|overhead line}}s can provide electricity to {{w|Rubber-tyred tram|suitable road or rail vehicles}}, and a {{w|third rail}} is an additional option for the latter type, along some or all of their prepared routes). As of 2021, a modern electric car commonly had [https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/evolution-of-average-range-of-electric-vehicles-by-powertrain-2010-2021 a range above 300 km/200 miles,<!-- this is not a conversion error: 300km<>200mil, I know, but the true value (graph currently shows 349km) is nicely just "above" both of these simplified roundings down in a reasonably futureproofed way-->] and this is continuing to expand. Combustion engine cars usually reach [https://energynow.ca/2022/10/visualizing-the-range-of-electric-cars-vs-gas-powered-cars/ at least twice this range] on a full fuel tank. <br />
<br />
Many countries now have vast networks of public charging infrastructure, to echo the almost ubiquitous presence of refuelling stations across the road network. The spacing of these in all but the most sparsely populated areas usually permits any electric vehicle (even one with an unusually low range of <100km) to recharge before it runs out of energy, and fast charging capabilities of 400kW and greater makes the current<!-- no pun intended! --> waiting time to recharge more and more like the quick topping-up process people are used to in liquid refuelling. As an alternative, {{w|battery swapping}} is also a possibility in some places, for suitably designed EVs, and has been [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNZy603as5w commercialized]. In these cases, replacing the battery does not substitute charging it, but it reduces the “refill” time from a possible thirty minutes stop-over to just a few minutes (the time needed to pull out the discharged battery pack from the vehicle and put in a fully charged one). The prior batteries are then charged by the facility, and later used to directly replace some other vehicle’s battery when it requires it. Most electric vehicles will provide a recharge warning (equivalent to a low fuel warning) well in advance of the battery being depleted, to prevent vehicle stranding.<br />
<br />
The title text imagines that electric cars are distinct from others in a similar way as electric instruments are from other instruments. In particular, {{w|electric guitar}}s are contrasted with {{w|acoustic guitar|non-electric (aka acoustic) ones}}. In the case of instruments, though, the 'electric' and 'acoustic' don't refer to how they're powered (the latter isn't even 'powered' at all), but how they transmit and amplify the sound produced by the player. There's no such thing as an acoustic vehicle, though sound ''can'' be used to [https://hackaday.com/2025/02/21/acoustic-engine-harnesses-the-power-of-sound/ generate propulsion] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je7eLZS6GG0 on a small scale][https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCnxsoXtlmY in a variety of ways]. It has become a common practice to refer to ''bicycles'' without a motor by the misnomer 'acoustic bicycle', but this does not seem to be much the case with cars. (Bicycles are sometimes also referred to as 'analog bicycles' — this is even more of a misnomer, being borrowed from the distinction between mechanical and digital devices, where the latter are sometimes misnamed as 'electric'.) When particular bicycles were developed to supersede the "ordinary" type (later) known as {{w|penny-farthing}}s, the ''new'' bicycles with wheels of the same size were called "{{w|safety bicycle}}s", to promote the idea of their being less tricky to ride, a term that later fell out of use as the new design became more standard (and, in its own way, 'ordinary').<br />
<br />
Electric vehicles are {{w|Electric vehicle warning sounds|commonly designed}} to emit sound, sometimes like an electronic instrument, to give an audible warning of their presence for the purpose of safety, particularly when traveling at lower speeds. Several jurisdictions around the world {{w|Electric vehicle warning sounds#Regulations|require}} them to emit a minimum sound level. In some cases, electric vehicle sounds are designed by [https://abcnews.com/Business/famed-composer-hans-zimmers-score-giving-sound-electric/story?id=69242502 renowned composers]. Though it is not their intended use,{{Citation needed}} motorised vehicles can be used as music instruments. Composer Ryoji Ikeda has composed a [https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/37885/1/building-a-synth-orchestra-out-of-one-hundred-cars symphony for 100 thermal ("acoustic") cars].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is standing to the left side of the panel with his arms out, and [[Megan]] and [[White Hat]] are standing to his right, facing him.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: I would never get an electric vehicle.<br />
:Cueball: Sure, they sound great, but what do you do if the battery runs out of charge?<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the image:]<br />
:I felt pretty silly when someone finally explained to me that EVs are rechargeable.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]</div>64.203.66.182https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3214:_Electric_Vehicles&diff=4076243214: Electric Vehicles2026-03-04T13:41:50Z<p>64.203.66.182: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3214<br />
| date = March 2, 2026<br />
| title = Electric Vehicles<br />
| image = electric_vehicles_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 209x389px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Now that I've finally gotten an electric vehicle, I'm never going back to an acoustic one.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created by an EV WITH A NON-RECHARGEABLE BOT-TERY. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Commercially available rechargeable batteries have not always been common. The proliferation of Alkaline, NiMH, and Lithium-ion batteries happened during the late 1990s and early 2000s (during Randall's lifetime). Rechargeables are still the minority of sales for household-use size batteries (AA, AAA). Battery operated devices and toys of that era (e.g. tamagotchis) did not generally have recharging capabilities and required replacing the battery entirely rather than most modern devices (phones) with built-in batteries being able to plug a cable into a port. It's not reasonable to completely throw away the battery of an electric vehicle, so assuming it's not rechargeable, [[Cueball]] is concerned what he's supposed to do.<br />
<br />
Many potential customers of {{w|electric vehicle}}s have "{{w|range anxiety}}", and are concerned about the ability of the vehicle batteries to allow the same freedom of travel as with those using the {{w|internal combustion engine}}. No one wants to be stuck on the side of the road, having run out of power, and finding a {{w|filling station}} for fuel ({{w|gasoline|gasoline/petrol}} or {{w|diesel fuel}}) to refill a previously more mainstream motor vehicle is still somewhat easier (at time of writing) than finding an electric vehicle recharging station in most areas, even though you can always recharge an EV on any plain electricity socket, albeit slowly. Manufacturers have been trying to ease these fears by developing longer-lasting batteries, along with more recharging stations being set up, but the concerns remain for many.<br />
<br />
This comic exaggerates this concern to an absurd degree: [[Cueball]], up until he was corrected, had apparently believed that electric cars were powered by single-use, non-rechargeable batteries. In reality, of course, such vehicles have, and always had, {{w|rechargeable battery}} technology (of varying usefulness). He should indeed feel incredibly silly about this, given that rechargeable batteries are very common in many other devices &mdash; including {{w|internal combustion engine}} vehicles themselves (to operate the {{w|Starter (engine)|starter motor}} and other vehicle electronics, at times when the engine isn't yet powering the dynamo in return) &mdash; and he has likely had plenty of opportunity to observe charging installations. His objection makes about as much sense as saying he'd never buy a fuel-powered car because eventually he'd empty the fuel tank.<br />
<br />
All types of vehicle can only be driven so far, or even idled for so long, without refilling their energy storage, be that liquid fuel or electrochemical potential. Because of this, any vehicle (other than perhaps a {{w|solar car}}, or similar) will require occasional top-ups at roadside facilities or even through a direct feed ({{w|overhead line}}s can provide electricity to {{w|Rubber-tyred tram|suitable road or rail vehicles}}, and a {{w|third rail}} is an additional option for the latter type, along some or all of their prepared routes). As of 2021, a modern electric car commonly had [https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/evolution-of-average-range-of-electric-vehicles-by-powertrain-2010-2021 a range above 300 km/200 miles,<!-- this is not a conversion error: 300km<>200mil, I know, but the true value (graph currently shows 349km) is nicely just "above" both of these simplified roundings down in a reasonably futureproofed way-->] and this is continuing to expand. Combustion engine cars usually reach [https://energynow.ca/2022/10/visualizing-the-range-of-electric-cars-vs-gas-powered-cars/ at least twice this range] on a full fuel tank. <br />
<br />
Many countries now have vast networks of public charging infrastructure, to echo the almost ubiquitous presence of refuelling stations across the road network. The spacing of these in all but the most sparsely populated areas usually permits any electric vehicle (even one with an unusually low range of <100km) to recharge before it runs out of energy, and fast charging capabilities of 400kW and greater makes the current<!-- no pun intended! --> waiting time to recharge more and more like the quick topping-up process people are used to in liquid refuelling. As an alternative, {{w|battery swapping}} is also a possibility in some places, for suitably designed EVs, and has been [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNZy603as5w commercialized]. In these cases, replacing the battery does not substitute charging it, but it reduces the “refill” time from a possible thirty minutes stop-over to just a few minutes (the time needed to pull out the discharged battery pack from the vehicle and put in a fully charged one). The prior batteries are then charged by the facility, and later used to directly replace some other vehicle’s battery when it requires it. Most electric vehicles will provide a recharge warning (equivalent to a low fuel warning) well in advance of the battery being depleted, to prevent vehicle stranding.<br />
<br />
The title text imagines that electric cars are distinct from others in a similar way as electric instruments are from other instruments. In particular, {{w|electric guitar}}s are contrasted with {{w|acoustic guitar|non-electric (aka acoustic) ones}}. In the case of instruments, though, the 'electric' and 'acoustic' don't refer to how they're powered (the latter isn't even 'powered' at all), but how they transmit and amplify the sound produced by the player. There's no such thing as an acoustic vehicle, though sound ''can'' be used to [https://hackaday.com/2025/02/21/acoustic-engine-harnesses-the-power-of-sound/ generate propulsion] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je7eLZS6GG0 on a small scale][https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCnxsoXtlmY in a variety of ways]. It has become a common practice to refer to ''bicycles'' without a motor by the misnomer 'acoustic bicycle', but this does not seem to be much the case with cars. (Bicycles are sometimes also referred to as 'analog bicycles' — this is even more of a misnomer, being borrowed from the distinction between mechanical and digital devices, where the latter are sometimes misnamed as 'electric'.) When particular bicycles were developed to supersede the "ordinary" type (later) known as {{w|penny-farthing}}s, the ''new'' bicycles with wheels of the same size were called "{{w|safety bicycle}}s", to promote the idea of their being less tricky to ride, a term that later fell out of use as the new design became more standard (and, in its own way, 'ordinary').<br />
<br />
Electric vehicles are {{w|Electric vehicle warning sounds|commonly designed}} to emit sound, sometimes like an electronic instrument, to give an audible warning of their presence for the purpose of safety, particularly when traveling at lower speeds. Several jurisdictions around the world {{w|Electric vehicle warning sounds#Regulations|require}} them to emit a minimum sound level. In some cases, electric vehicle sounds are designed by [https://abcnews.com/Business/famed-composer-hans-zimmers-score-giving-sound-electric/story?id=69242502 renowned composers]. Though it is not their intended use,{{Citation needed}} motorised vehicles can be used as music instruments. Composer Ryoji Ikeda has composed a [https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/37885/1/building-a-synth-orchestra-out-of-one-hundred-cars symphony for 100 thermal ("acoustic") cars].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is standing to the left side of the panel with his arms out, and [[Megan]] and [[White Hat]] are standing to his right, facing him.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: I would never get an electric vehicle.<br />
:Cueball: Sure, they sound great, but what do you do if the battery runs out of charge?<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the image:]<br />
:I felt pretty silly when someone finally explained to me that EVs are rechargeable.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]</div>64.203.66.182https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3214:_Electric_Vehicles&diff=4076233214: Electric Vehicles2026-03-04T13:36:43Z<p>64.203.66.182: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3214<br />
| date = March 2, 2026<br />
| title = Electric Vehicles<br />
| image = electric_vehicles_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 209x389px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Now that I've finally gotten an electric vehicle, I'm never going back to an acoustic one.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created by an EV WITH A NON-RECHARGEABLE BOT-TERY. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Commercially available rechargeable batteries have not always been common. The proliferation of Alkaline, NiMH, and Lithium-ion batteries happened during the late 1990s and early 2000s (during Randall's lifetime). Rechargeables are still the minority of sales for household-use size batteries (AA, AAA).<br />
<br />
Many potential customers of {{w|electric vehicle}}s have "{{w|range anxiety}}", and are concerned about the ability of the vehicle batteries to allow the same freedom of travel as with those using the {{w|internal combustion engine}}. No one wants to be stuck on the side of the road, having run out of power, and finding a {{w|filling station}} for fuel ({{w|gasoline|gasoline/petrol}} or {{w|diesel fuel}}) to refill a previously more mainstream motor vehicle is still somewhat easier (at time of writing) than finding an electric vehicle recharging station in most areas, even though you can always recharge an EV on any plain electricity socket, albeit slowly. Manufacturers have been trying to ease these fears by developing longer-lasting batteries, along with more recharging stations being set up, but the concerns remain for many.<br />
<br />
This comic exaggerates this concern to an absurd degree: [[Cueball]], up until he was corrected, had apparently believed that electric cars were powered by single-use, non-rechargeable batteries. In reality, of course, such vehicles have, and always had, {{w|rechargeable battery}} technology (of varying usefulness). He should indeed feel incredibly silly about this, given that rechargeable batteries are very common in many other devices &mdash; including {{w|internal combustion engine}} vehicles themselves (to operate the {{w|Starter (engine)|starter motor}} and other vehicle electronics, at times when the engine isn't yet powering the dynamo in return) &mdash; and he has likely had plenty of opportunity to observe charging installations. His objection makes about as much sense as saying he'd never buy a fuel-powered car because eventually he'd empty the fuel tank.<br />
<br />
All types of vehicle can only be driven so far, or even idled for so long, without refilling their energy storage, be that liquid fuel or electrochemical potential. Because of this, any vehicle (other than perhaps a {{w|solar car}}, or similar) will require occasional top-ups at roadside facilities or even through a direct feed ({{w|overhead line}}s can provide electricity to {{w|Rubber-tyred tram|suitable road or rail vehicles}}, and a {{w|third rail}} is an additional option for the latter type, along some or all of their prepared routes). As of 2021, a modern electric car commonly had [https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/evolution-of-average-range-of-electric-vehicles-by-powertrain-2010-2021 a range above 300 km/200 miles,<!-- this is not a conversion error: 300km<>200mil, I know, but the true value (graph currently shows 349km) is nicely just "above" both of these simplified roundings down in a reasonably futureproofed way-->] and this is continuing to expand. Combustion engine cars usually reach [https://energynow.ca/2022/10/visualizing-the-range-of-electric-cars-vs-gas-powered-cars/ at least twice this range] on a full fuel tank. <br />
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Many countries now have vast networks of public charging infrastructure, to echo the almost ubiquitous presence of refuelling stations across the road network. The spacing of these in all but the most sparsely populated areas usually permits any electric vehicle (even one with an unusually low range of <100km) to recharge before it runs out of energy, and fast charging capabilities of 400kW and greater makes the current<!-- no pun intended! --> waiting time to recharge more and more like the quick topping-up process people are used to in liquid refuelling. As an alternative, {{w|battery swapping}} is also a possibility in some places, for suitably designed EVs, and has been [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNZy603as5w commercialized]. In these cases, replacing the battery does not substitute charging it, but it reduces the “refill” time from a possible thirty minutes stop-over to just a few minutes (the time needed to pull out the discharged battery pack from the vehicle and put in a fully charged one). The prior batteries are then charged by the facility, and later used to directly replace some other vehicle’s battery when it requires it. Most electric vehicles will provide a recharge warning (equivalent to a low fuel warning) well in advance of the battery being depleted, to prevent vehicle stranding.<br />
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The title text imagines that electric cars are distinct from others in a similar way as electric instruments are from other instruments. In particular, {{w|electric guitar}}s are contrasted with {{w|acoustic guitar|non-electric (aka acoustic) ones}}. In the case of instruments, though, the 'electric' and 'acoustic' don't refer to how they're powered (the latter isn't even 'powered' at all), but how they transmit and amplify the sound produced by the player. There's no such thing as an acoustic vehicle, though sound ''can'' be used to [https://hackaday.com/2025/02/21/acoustic-engine-harnesses-the-power-of-sound/ generate propulsion] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je7eLZS6GG0 on a small scale][https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCnxsoXtlmY in a variety of ways]. It has become a common practice to refer to ''bicycles'' without a motor by the misnomer 'acoustic bicycle', but this does not seem to be much the case with cars. (Bicycles are sometimes also referred to as 'analog bicycles' — this is even more of a misnomer, being borrowed from the distinction between mechanical and digital devices, where the latter are sometimes misnamed as 'electric'.) When particular bicycles were developed to supersede the "ordinary" type (later) known as {{w|penny-farthing}}s, the ''new'' bicycles with wheels of the same size were called "{{w|safety bicycle}}s", to promote the idea of their being less tricky to ride, a term that later fell out of use as the new design became more standard (and, in its own way, 'ordinary').<br />
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Electric vehicles are {{w|Electric vehicle warning sounds|commonly designed}} to emit sound, sometimes like an electronic instrument, to give an audible warning of their presence for the purpose of safety, particularly when traveling at lower speeds. Several jurisdictions around the world {{w|Electric vehicle warning sounds#Regulations|require}} them to emit a minimum sound level. In some cases, electric vehicle sounds are designed by [https://abcnews.com/Business/famed-composer-hans-zimmers-score-giving-sound-electric/story?id=69242502 renowned composers]. Though it is not their intended use,{{Citation needed}} motorised vehicles can be used as music instruments. Composer Ryoji Ikeda has composed a [https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/37885/1/building-a-synth-orchestra-out-of-one-hundred-cars symphony for 100 thermal ("acoustic") cars].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is standing to the left side of the panel with his arms out, and [[Megan]] and [[White Hat]] are standing to his right, facing him.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: I would never get an electric vehicle.<br />
:Cueball: Sure, they sound great, but what do you do if the battery runs out of charge?<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the image:]<br />
:I felt pretty silly when someone finally explained to me that EVs are rechargeable.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]</div>64.203.66.182https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:3214:_Electric_Vehicles&diff=407620Talk:3214: Electric Vehicles2026-03-04T13:15:23Z<p>64.203.66.182: </p>
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<div><!-- Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom. --><br />
How's the transcript, guys? --[[User:Utdtutyabthsc|Utdtutyabthsc]] ([[User talk:Utdtutyabthsc|talk]]) 03:41, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: Heck if i know [[Special:Contributions/216.25.182.141|216.25.182.141]] 03:46, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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idk man, most cars I've encountered sound pretty acoustic to me. EVs are quieter though since they lack combustion engines [[Special:Contributions/137.25.230.78|137.25.230.78]] 04:00, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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Just added a real life cars-as-instruments section, and to prove I'm human I must select photos with cars. It didn't tell me if I should pick the acoustic ones though, I'm confused. [[Special:Contributions/78.244.70.135|78.244.70.135]] 08:11, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: Didn't it give you the option to use an audio version of the captcha? [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:37, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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You know, it ''is'' possible to run out of charge while you're driving. Then you have to figure out how to move your car or recharge it when there aren't any sources of electricity handy or convenient. [[User:Dogman15|Dogman15]] ([[User talk:Dogman15|talk]]) 09:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: That's hardly a unique problem, though - the same is also true of gas-powered cars (or any other fuel you care to mention, for that matter). [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 10:08, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
::No it's not true. When you run out of fuel with an ICE, you can go and get some fuel and bring it back. Or you can carry a spare canister of fuel with you for long journeys to remote places. You can't go and get a bottle of electricity and take it back to your vehicle if you run out of charge. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:08, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:::Isn't a battery already a "bottle of electricity". Might need some jury-rigging with various unorthodox combinations of cables and connectors, but if you fill your pockets (or maybe a large wheelbarrow!) with enough {{w|Battery_pack#Power_bank|portable power-packs}} you ''should'' be able to get a bit of much needed 'juice' into your stranded vehicle. ;) [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 23:22, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
::::When my son was about 3 or 4, he said "Electric is with wires...batteries are little tubs of electricity." So yeah, already thinking that! So, to be specific, I guess the problem is not that it's ''impossible'' to carry charge to your stranded vehicle, it's that it's too difficult to be practical. Filling stations sell fuel cans that you can fill. The energy density of petrol or diesel is such that even a child could carry enough fuel for a normal car to do a 50+ mile journey. Let's see anyone do that with a bottle of electricity... [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:41, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:::::They already do - there are roadside charging companies that provide exactly this service. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:15, 4 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: As and when I might transition to EV, I've been thinking of getting a handy sized PV panel (or, better, a 'roll' of PV fabric, which can be pegged out; perhaps even used as a windbreak/sunshade) stowed in a corner of the boot(/trunk), that I can take out and use to trickle-charge the vehicle when needed. Although that's more for like just making a bit of use of the sunshine if I'm stopped anywhere for long enough, to reduce my reliance upon commercial power sources. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 14:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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When i was in school one teacher was keen on distinguishing batteries from accumulators. a battery was something you use once, an accumulator could be recharged. this was in a non-english speaking country and i am not sure if this strict distinction exists in english. but it could cause such a misunderstanding.--[[Special:Contributions/2001:62A:4:408:2541:D6E7:7A86:B8DC|2001:62A:4:408:2541:D6E7:7A86:B8DC]] 10:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: Until I read the whole paragraph I was thinking accumulator would be the same as a capacitor. Maybe they thought rechargeables are actually giant capacitors, but they aren't. They store energy in a (mostly) reversible chemical reaction (tons of energy, slow to charge-discharge (unless spicy pillow releases magic smoke and fire)). Capacitors hold charge physically along the surfaces of the plates (fast charge-discharge, (relatively) tiny capacity). Totally different storage method. [[Special:Contributions/130.76.187.47|130.76.187.47]] 13:34, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:Of course, the usual (and, by now, entirely moot) confusion is between "battery" and a "cell". It should only really be a "battery" if there's more than one "cell" in series (or ''maybe'' in parallel, but I'm sure that can be argued about) within the full item that you're naming as such. And rechargable batteries/cells have been so long a thing (are "electrical accumulators", as opposed to non-electrical equivalent ones for other forms of energy storage and release, like pressure-/gravity-tanks, flywheels, etc), although lead-acid batteries (yes, they're internally cells in series!) was often identified as an "accumulator" to contrast with the (single-use) solid-state chemical cell/battery. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 14:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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I think acoustic propulsion is a thing, but it doesn't work for human-scale cars. One, the sound generator is external and two, it's usually small things. [[Special:Contributions/2603:8081:9700:E9D:0:0:0:2|2603:8081:9700:E9D:0:0:0:2]] 14:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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Isn't an explosion technically sound? As gas-fueled cars are powered by exploding the gas, they really are accoustic cars.([[User sobrow|talk]]) 16:36, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
: The sound is a side-effect - not the means of propulsion. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:54, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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I'm not convinced the penny farthing line is relevant - the preceding discussion, in reference to the title text, is about misapplying distinctions from one field to another inappropriate one where they aren't relevant. The 'safety' epithet was applied because the new bicycles were considered safer - whether or not that was ''correct'', it was entirely relevant to the distinction being made. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:54, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:I also was doubtful, but I only corrected it regarding the "penny farthing" name misconception (they weren't really called that, at the time...). Probably can be removed, unless someone wants to say more about them being the "ordinary" bicycles of their day (hence also "old ordinary" as an epithet ...once they were sufficiently no longer 'new', of course). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.30|82.132.239.30]] 18:31, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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I'm not sure, if it fit's in the explanation, but Oneway Vipes are a thing: You buy them with pretty good 18650 batteries and throw them away, if the battery is empty. {{unsigned ip|2001:9e8:9690:bf00:a8bb:ca4c:64a1:1e5c|18:13, 3 March 2026}}<br />
:What's that? Some form of Segway? (Couldn't find anything out there by that name, or even "Oneway Bikes". And do remember to sign...) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.30|82.132.239.30]] 18:31, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
::"Vapes", possibly..? [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 22:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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Isn't this a parody of those people who use "what will you do when it runs out of battery" as an argument against EVs, like that doesn't also apply to regular cars? --[[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 19:15, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:Well, if that ever happens to me, I fully intend to siphen some electricity from the nearest unattended EV... Electrons are very small, and should be easier to suck into a pipe than that nasty hydrocarbon fuel is... [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 19:22, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
:I have run out of fuel more than once. I walked to a filling station, bought some fuel, and hitched back to my vehicle. So, there's my tested solution to that problem as applies to internal combustion engine vehicles. As you're suggesting the problem is the same whether it happens with EVs or regular cars, could you explain your EV version of the solution? [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:28, 3 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
::If you're on a motorway, you can't "walk" to a filling station. You need to wait for the tow truck. Same as the EV. Now, if you are NOT on a motorway, you can plug in your car on a regular electricity socket when it's at 1%. You can't do that with ICE vehicles. And there's million of regular power sockets at ground level in any country in the world. --[[Special:Contributions/85.159.196.174|85.159.196.174]] 00:10, 4 March 2026 (UTC)<br />
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I think the entire explanation is completely missing the intention of the comic and goes on way too long talking about other types of energy storage and delivery methods. Everyone is taking it seriously and overexplaining it as if it's a realistic depiction of slightly overblown range anxiety - rather than a JOKE based on the difference between rechargable and non-rechargable batteries. This is a COMIC after all that is meant to be funny. It's much more reasonable this is a parody of a higher degree (rechargable vs non-rechargable) than lesser degree (slight exaggeration of range anxiety). I'm also the same age as Randall and can remember the slow popularity growth and proliferation of NiCd/NiMH AA and AAA batteries in the 90s. It's much more likely this is a joke based on that and combining/comparing/contrasting it with modern range anxiety, but nobody seems to be getting that - exemplified by the slightly deragatory remark in the current explanation: "He should indeed feel incredibly silly about this, given that rechargeable batteries are very common in many other devices" - guess what? They WEREN"T ALWAYS COMMON - THAT'S THE JOKE (but not everyone is old enough to remember that). [[Special:Contributions/64.203.66.182|64.203.66.182]] 13:15, 4 March 2026 (UTC)</div>64.203.66.182https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3214:_Electric_Vehicles&diff=4075523214: Electric Vehicles2026-03-03T15:48:21Z<p>64.203.66.182: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3214<br />
| date = March 2, 2026<br />
| title = Electric Vehicles<br />
| image = electric_vehicles_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 209x389px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Now that I've finally gotten an electric vehicle, I'm never going back to an acoustic one.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created by an EV WITH A NON-RECHARGEABLE BOT-TERY. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] has mistaken the way {{w|electric vehicle}}s work to be that they have one single charge. This is like confusing single-use (primary) batteries with rechargable batteries. He should indeed feel incredibly silly about this, given the ubiquity of rechargeable batteries in other devices (including {{w|internal combustion engine}} vehicles), and the large amounts of recharging infrastructure springing up to support the running of such vehicles. His objection makes about as much sense as saying he'd never buy a gas-powered car because eventually he'd use up all the gas.<br />
<br />
A modern electric car commonly has [https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/evolution-of-average-range-of-electric-vehicles-by-powertrain-2010-2021 a range above 300 km/200 miles <!-- this is not a conversion error: 300km<>200mil, I know, but the true value (graph currently shows 349km) is nicely just "above" both of these simplified roundings down in a reasonably futureproofed way-->]. Combustion engine cars usually reach at least twice this range on a full fuel tank.{{Actual citation needed}} All types of vehicles can only be driven very far or for very long without refilling its energy storage, be it liquid fuel or electrochemical potential (exception: electric trolley bus). Many countries now have vast networks of public charging infrastructure, often for fast charging of 400kW and more, and their spacing in the all but the most sparsely populated areas usually permits any electric vehicle (even one with an unusually low range of <100km) to recharge before it runs out of energy.<br />
<br />
Approaches for {{w | Battery_swapping | swapping batteries}} in EVs [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNZy603as5w have been commercialized]. In these cases, replacing the battery does not substitute charging it, but it can potentially reduce the “refill” time from over 30 minutes to a few minutes (the time needed to pull out the discharged battery pack from the vehicle and put in a fully charged one). The batteries are charged while uninstalled and used to replace some other vehicle’s depleted battery later on.<br />
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The title text is another comparison, but instead of single-use vs rechargable, it's electric vs acoustic - like with a ({{w|Electric_guitar|guitars}}), which are contrasted with {{w|acoustic guitar|non-electric (aka acoustic) ones}}. In the case of instruments, this doesn't refer to how they're powered, but how their sound is transmitted from the strings and amplified. There's no such thing as an acoustic vehicle, though sound ''can'' be used to [https://hackaday.com/2025/02/21/acoustic-engine-harnesses-the-power-of-sound/ generate propulsion] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je7eLZS6GG0 on a small scale][https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCnxsoXtlmY in a variety of ways]. It has become a common practice to refer to ''bicycles'' without a motor by the misnomer 'acoustic bicycle', but this does not seem to be much the case with cars. (Bicycles are sometimes also referred to as 'analog bicycles' — this is even more of a misnomer, being borrowed from the distinction between mechanical and digital devices, where the latter are sometimes misnamed as 'electric'.) When the penny-farthing bicycle was the primary bicycle in use, the "new" bicycles with wheels of the same size were called "safety bicycles".<br />
<br />
Electric vehicles are {{w|Electric_vehicle_warning_sounds|commonly designed}} to emit sound, sometimes like an electronic instrument, to give an audible warning of their presence for the purpose of safety, particularly when traveling at lower speeds. Several jurisdictions around the world {{w|Electric_vehicle_warning_sounds#Regulations|require}} them to emit a minimum sound level. In some cases, electric vehicle sounds are designed by [https://abcnews.com/Business/famed-composer-hans-zimmers-score-giving-sound-electric/story?id=69242502 renowned composers]. Though it is not their intended use,{{Citation needed}} motorised vehicles can be used as music instruments. Composer Ryoji Ikeda has composed a [https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/37885/1/building-a-synth-orchestra-out-of-one-hundred-cars symphony for 100 thermal ("acoustic") cars].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is standing to the left side of the panel with his arms out, and [[Megan]] and [[White Hat]] are standing to his right, facing him.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: I would never get an electric vehicle.<br />
:Cueball: Sure, they sound great, but what do you do if the battery runs out of charge?<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the image:]<br />
:I felt pretty silly when someone finally explained to me that EVs are rechargeable.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]</div>64.203.66.182https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:3182:_Telescope_Types&diff=402120Talk:3182: Telescope Types2025-12-19T17:14:16Z<p>64.203.66.182: </p>
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<div><!-- Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom. --><br />
no vampire jokes 🥀 ([[1791]]) [[User:TheTrainsKid|TheTrainsKid]] ([[User talk:TheTrainsKid|talk]]) 00:08, 18 December 2025 (UTC)<br />
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Got down some preliminary descriptions of each telescope type used [[Special:Contributions/185.132.133.218|185.132.133.218]] 01:44, 18 December 2025 (UTC)<br />
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insert that one mickey mouse meme with the caption "what a fucking narcissist"<br />
[[User:Yaokuan ITB|Yaokuan ITB]] ([[User talk:Yaokuan ITB|talk]]) 02:33, 18 December 2025 (UTC)<br />
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abnormally low joke-to-real ratio for this format of comic! [[Special:Contributions/2601:241:8002:3E0:C0A2:9DA:ED39:D13F|2601:241:8002:3E0:C0A2:9DA:ED39:D13F]] 03:21, 18 December 2025 (UTC)<br />
:I noticed that... I think this might've originally been 'look at all these cool telescope types', but then he realized he had to put some sort of joke somewhere. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 16px;">--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|<span style="color:#FF0000">DollarStoreBa'al</span>]]<sup>[[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|<span style="color:#00873E">Converse</span>]]</sup></span> 03:27, 18 December 2025 (UTC)<br />
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Can someone make a category for The Core (2003)? It's been mentioned often enough. [[Special:Contributions/83.245.251.49|83.245.251.49]] 09:22, 18 December 2025 (UTC)<br />
:Can you list 4 more comics then I will make the category. I think that is about the limit for when to make a new category. I know there are a few more but is it only 2-3more? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:00, 18 December 2025 (UTC)<br />
::All I can think of is [[673: The Sun]]. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 16px;">--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|<span style="color:#FF0000">DollarStoreBa'al</span>]]<sup>[[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|<span style="color:#00873E">Converse</span>]]</sup></span> 15:09, 18 December 2025 (UTC)<br />
:::Also mentioned in the title text of [[2858: Thanksgiving Arguments]]. --[[Special:Contributions/208.59.176.206|208.59.176.206]] 15:24, 18 December 2025 (UTC)<br />
:: The [[:Category: The Core|The Core]] category was already created, nearly two years ago. This comic is the 7th reference --[[User:Deebster|Deebster]] ([[User talk:Deebster|talk]]) 23:54, 18 December 2025 (UTC)<br />
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> This would not […] end well for the drinker.<br />
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Would it though? ''Drinking'' elemental mercury, while not great on nutritional value, should be mostly safe (and I'm using that word quite loosely). The most danger would be while drinking and expelling it, when there's a danger of inhaling mercury vapors, right? --[[User:Coconut Galaxy|Coconut Galaxy]] ([[User talk:Coconut Galaxy|talk]]) 10:29, 18 December 2025 (UTC)<br />
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... Agreed. Elemental mercury is dangerous when inhaled, not when drinked. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_poisoning [[Special:Contributions/109.81.171.81|109.81.171.81]] 21:12, 18 December 2025 (UTC)<br />
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It wouldn't take much work to make the "Real?" column all contain only "yes" [[Special:Contributions/136.32.133.124|136.32.133.124]] 12:05, 18 December 2025 (UTC)<br />
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As all others are refractors or reflectors, can cardboard tube be considered a diffractor? As it is the only thing that it does.--[[User:Trimutius|Trimutius]] ([[User talk:Trimutius|talk]]) 15:43, 18 December 2025 (UTC)<br />
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> Children may sometimes use tubes [...]<br />
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It's not just children. I've seen "viewing tubes" in at least a couple of places, hard-mounted metal tubes that point at particular points of interest. I'm not finding any good references, but here's a photo showing some at the top of a nearby mountain: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wwnYJ1zEQEXzjyJS8 [[User:Jordan Brown|Jordan Brown]] ([[User talk:Jordan Brown|talk]]) 18:07, 18 December 2025 (UTC)<br />
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Is the joke with "Geological" that it's looking at something 'far away' from actual Geology?</div>64.203.66.182https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3126:_Disclaimer&diff=3837643126: Disclaimer2025-08-08T21:20:03Z<p>64.203.66.182: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3126<br />
| date = August 8, 2025<br />
| title = Disclaimer<br />
| image = disclaimer_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 346x396px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = You say no human would reply to a forum thread about Tom Bombadil by writing and editing hundreds of words of text, complete with formatting, fancy punctuation, and two separate uses of the word 'delve'. Unfortunately for both of us, you are wrong.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was not created by ChatGPT. Don’t remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
{{w|ChatGPT}} is a large language model, a type of bot commonly marketed as {{w|generative artificial intelligence}}. In 2025, at the time of this comic’s release, it was common for people to use ChatGPT to generate emails and forum posts. Since ChatGPT-generated texts are often very wordy, a side effect of this phenomenon is that people who actually write long messages are sometimes incorrectly accused of using ChatGPT to generate them. Accusers may also be suspicious of messages that use formally-correct punctuation such as {{w|Dash#Em_dash|em dashes}}, which most online posters don’t know how to type and which ChatGPT uses sometimes.<br />
<br />
In the comic, [[Cueball]] (possibly representing [[Randall]]) has written an email or post. At the end, he includes a notice saying that the message was not generated by ChatGPT.<br />
<br />
The title text expands on this joke. Randall claims people say that no human would write a thorough essay with bullet points and the word “delve” (a word not commonly used by human English speakers and overrused by ChatGPT) on {{w|Tom Bombadil}}, a minor {{w|Lord of the Rings}} character, and Randall says they are wrong because he would and did. The reason Randall used the word “delve” may be that he was discussing a line from ''The Fellowship of the Ring'' where the character Gandalf describes the Dwarves as having once “delved too greedily and too deep”.<br />
<br />
This may be related to GPT-5, which was released a day before this comic was created.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
:[A Cueball profile picture is shown next to five paragraphs of illegible text, which contains varied punctuation marks and two square-bracketed citations.]<br />
:[The last paragraph in the essay is separated from the other paragraphs by a line with three dashes. Its single sentence is highlighted, and lines connect that illegible sentence to a box with an enlarged, legible version of the sentence.]<br />
<br />
:Enlarged text: Not ChatGPT output—I’m just like this.<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:I’ve had to start adding this disclaimer to my messages.<br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]<br />
[[Category:LOTR]] <!-- title text --></div>64.203.66.182https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:3126:_Disclaimer&diff=383763Talk:3126: Disclaimer2025-08-08T21:19:10Z<p>64.203.66.182: </p>
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<div><!-- Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom. --><br />
Is this related to the ChatGPT 5 release<br />
: Probably. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 19:30, 8 August 2025 (UTC)<br />
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Was anyone tempted to ask ChatGPT to write an explanation of this comic? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 19:30, 8 August 2025 (UTC)<br />
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Considering who Tom Bombadil is, anything less than a dissertation-length discussion is incomplete. PS: The captcha wanted me to select pictures that contained parking meters, but it showed what looked like a mailbox. Maybe parking meters look like mailboxes in the parts of Middle Earth that I haven't visited yet. [[Special:Contributions/64.201.132.210|64.201.132.210]] 20:23, 8 August 2025 (UTC)<br />
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Am I the only one wondering if Randall actually made such a post? It would be fun to find but without knowing what LOTR boards he frequents and his screen name, it would be pretty difficult. [[Special:Contributions/47.248.235.170|47.248.235.170]] 20:44, 8 August 2025 (UTC)Pat<br />
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Who ''doesn't'' use the word 'delve'? I've used it {{w|One, Two, Buckle My Shoe|since I was a child}}! [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 20:59, 8 August 2025 (UTC)<br />
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Once or twice, I've heard a Reddit reader on YouTube claim that a story was probably written by ChatGPT because of things like "used em dashes" and "flows so smoothly that I didn't make any mistakes while recording, while most stories by humans make me glitch once or twice". Um. Is it ''bad'' to use punctuation correctly? To polish writing so that it flows smoothly, as story-telling often should? [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 21:07, 8 August 2025 (UTC)<br />
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"Delve" is/was specifically a word considered a marker of ChatGPT. See https://news.fsu.edu/news/science-technology/2025/02/17/why-does-chatgpt-delve-so-much-fsu-researchers-begin-to-uncover-why-chatgpt-overuses-certain-words/ [[Special:Contributions/64.203.66.182|64.203.66.182]] 21:19, 8 August 2025 (UTC)</div>64.203.66.182https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:3121:_Kite_Incident&diff=382714Talk:3121: Kite Incident2025-07-29T14:30:23Z<p>64.203.66.182: added a story about a big kite and airport interaction</p>
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<div><!-- Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom. --><br />
First post! [[Special:Contributions/162.195.34.112|162.195.34.112]] 21:47, 28 July 2025 (UTC)<br />
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hey :) i wrote the current transcription and it definitely doesn't look perfect so if anyone has any feedback on how to improve i'd rly appreciate it (also like to add that i think this is probably my fav title text in all of xkcd) stevethenoob 22:16, 28 July 2025 (UTC)<br />
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The last frame says it shut down ''global'' air travel. I think it's implied that the line of kites circled the world. [[Special:Contributions/2001:8003:6490:9700:94EE:E801:7399:7FD9|2001:8003:6490:9700:94EE:E801:7399:7FD9]] 22:45, 28 July 2025 (UTC)<br />
:I think, at worst, it'd be hemispherical travel that's disrupted (wouldn't cross over between northern and southern {{w|Hadley Cells}} at all), though of course that would still affect air travel in which at least one end originated in the northern hemisphere (Sydney to Buenos Aires, etc, should probably be safe to fly) and there'd be an abundance of caution ''anyway'', at least until the rather one-dimensional threat is properly identified (and the nature/origin of its deployment).<br />
:Also, I think a plane could probably strike an actual kite or two without too much problems (much less substantial than a bird-strike, and they're designed to shrug off at least the smaller birds), and I can't see the kite-line being an issue, as even a high-strength fishing line is probably vulnerable to the mechanical concentration of stresses.<br />
:Though I'm surprised it has the tensile strength to lead around the world, prior to any contact with a plane, as all it takes is for a slight wind-differential and the force of numerous down-wind kites could end up creating a tension against the more steady release from the ground and the relative back-pull from all kites that are upwind of that point), either snapping the line or parting a knot between two adjacent spool-ends of line. You can use a fishing line well beyond its design limit by ''smooth'' tugging action/responding properly to the pull of the hooked fish at the other end, but localised jerks and jinks will be hard to avoid across thousands of miles of polymer chord flexing and reacting to the way each of its periodically-attached kits want to move at their respective locations along the 'master string(s)'. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 00:18, 29 July 2025 (UTC)<br />
::Interrupting those 'inter-hemisphere' flights would likely have knock-on effects on other flights in the otherwise non-affected hemisphere, due to planes and crews being in the wrong place, disruption to flight slots, etc. - see for example how the Iceland volcano caused disruption right across Europe and beyond, even for flights in areas nowhere near the dust cloud. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:50, 29 July 2025 (UTC)<br />
:::It would not actively shut down southern-hemisphere traffic, though, just disrupt it. Ironically, could even mean those flights that fly have fewer take-off and mid-air delays, not needing to queue/enter holding patterns quite so much at the now much less busy airports - though that'd be trivial and just not eating into acceptable time-buffers that every flight should have.<br />
:::And I can't envisage a London to Sydney (now rested, first-shift) flight crew and plans being the only ones that are able to now go from Sydney to Wellington as a new flight onwards, if that was somehow factored in. They could be as easily replaced by the Sydney to Tokyo ones who now can't set off, etc. (Or some shuffling between where pilots and plans actually are, as there'll be plenty of spares in Johannasburg, Rio, etc, otherwise sitting idle and unable to get 'north', even as others are actively held back from reaching 'south'.<br />
:::It was the more localised effect of the Icelandic volcano (or occasions like when Russia shot down the airliner over Ukraine) which meant that the 'fringe' of effected area to be avoided impinged into routes further away, and required flights that would merely skirt the area to consider their options, but the fringe of a whole hemisphere (which doesn't affect south-only specialist airlines) is arguably less significant, by proportion. Iceland was particularly disproportionate because the significant transatlantic travel tends to take paths up through the downstream ash-cloud, even between the extreme southern Europe and its equivalent US latitudes. Great circle (short) segments don't, however, cross the equator, but aftually bend away from it, so two south-of-equator endpoints have a flight path that's safer.<br />
:::If an individual airline is running a (say) (North->)South1->South2->North(->South1) triangular service, normally, then it might have a problem if it doesn't run a S1->N->S2 counter-circuit with another plane (that also isn't 'trapped' North at the wrong moment), but can at least S1<->S2 until things clear up. And arrangements with other airlines (with opposingly 'south-trapped' resources) can probably paper over mutual gaps in coverage, if there's enough common goodwill for the duration. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.237.17|82.132.237.17]] 09:31, 29 July 2025 (UTC)<br />
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This is not the first time that [[268: Choices: Part 5|Megan has expressed an interest in flying kites]], nor [[1614:_Kites|the second]]. It's also not the first time that [[235:_Kite|Cueball has taken kite flying way too far]]. [[Special:Contributions/2600:4040:5432:F700:80B6:B228:2EDB:6FC4|2600:4040:5432:F700:80B6:B228:2EDB:6FC4]] 00:46, 29 July 2025 (UTC)<br />
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I love this one, for me it is very much early xkcd spirit in there, with just people out and exploring, having fun, trying things... I don't think I can really describe, anyone feels the same? --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 04:40, 29 July 2025 (UTC)<br />
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Years ago someone told me that he had met Randall through their mutual interest in kites.{{unsigned ip|47.34.153.128|07:50, 29 July 2025}}<br />
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@Lupo I agree, this very much feels like it could've been somewhere between .com/800 to .com/1200 and one of the better ones at that stevethenoob 10:59, 29 July 2025 (UTC)<br />
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Me and my Dad had something similar happen when I was 15. He built me a big (8 foot tall) box kite and we went to fly it in a field beside our house. Problem was that on the other side of the field was the city's airport. All of a sudden a truck with flashing lights came charging through the field to where we were. A guy got out, looked up at the kite, looked at us, looked up at the kite again and said "Ummm.. you're going to have to fly that somewhere else - we're picking you up on radar." This was in the 90's before drones were a thing. I can imagine the panic when an unedentified blip shows up on radar with no transponder. That kite was lots of fun (though a little dangerous in high winds) it had a harness to hold it and it dragged me across a field once before my Dad grabbed me. Maybe I should make a quick release for it.</div>64.203.66.182https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3112:_Geology_Murder&diff=3810173112: Geology Murder2025-07-08T17:54:33Z<p>64.203.66.182: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3112<br />
| date = July 7, 2025<br />
| title = Geology Murder<br />
| image = geology_murder_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 327x359px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = After determining that his body was full of pipes carrying iron-rich fluid, our current theory is that the dagger-shaped object precipitated within the wound.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created by an IRON-RICH BOT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
Someone has been stabbed to death and two {{w|geology|geologists}} are examining the corpse. However, rather than using {{w|Forensic_science|forensic techniques}} that might be typical for investigating a murder, they inappropriately apply geological analyses, leading to some unlikely suggestions about what occurred.<br />
<br />
Firstly, they note that the victim is lying "uncoNforMably" (not "uncoMforTably") on the bench. An {{w|unconformity}} in geology is a gap of missing strata between an upper and lower layer, in this case implying that there is missing information about how the man came to be lying on the bench, or referring to the discontinuity between the material of the bench and that of the body with its clothing.<br />
<br />
The "iron-rich intrusion in his back" refers to the dagger that presumably killed him. An {{w|intrusion}} is rock formed when {{w|magma}} slowly cools below ground, and the geologists are speculating that the dagger formed after steel flowed into place in and on the body (and somehow became dagger-shaped). The dagger is "iron-rich" because it's made of steel, which is composed largely of iron.<br />
<br />
"{{w|Clastic rock|Clastic}}" refers to rock made up of broken pieces of older rocks. In this case it would suggest that a {{w|rift}} - a gap or fissure - opened up in the person's back and the dagger fell in. Having long linear gaps appear is something that happens to the Earth's crust, and can lead to clastic rock when other rock is swept into the gap. While {{w|Skin fissure}}s are a real condition, and some genetic conditions such as {{w|Ichthyosis}} can cause them, they don't normally cause rocks to collect in people's backs.{{cn}} <br />
<br />
The "pipes carrying iron-rich fluid" are the person's {{w|blood vessel}}s, as blood has a large amount of the molecule {{w|hemoglobin}}, which has an iron atom in it to help it transport oxygen. The geologists speculate that the iron {{w|Precipitation (chemistry)|precipitated}} - sedimented out - out of the blood to form the dagger, which is highly unlikely. This is the kind of geophysical process which tends to produce {{w|Vein (geology)|veins}} of minerals in actual geology, but is not generally associated with {{w|vein}}s in the human body. Notably, the "{{w|Great Oxygenation Event}}", when oxygen-producing organisms first created an oxidizing environment on Earth, resulted in dense precipitation of iron-rich compounds in the oceans. However, metallic iron was not created; even the environment before the Great Oxygenation Event wasn't reducing enough to create metallic iron.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[There's a lab bench with a dead Cueball-like person lying on it, with a dagger sticking out of his back. Cueball is standing to the left of the table, Ponytail is standing to the right looking at the dead body. All three are wearing lab coats.]<br />
:Cueball: We found him lying unconformably on the lab bench. I wonder if the iron-rich intrusion in his back is related.<br />
:Ponytail: It could be clastic. Maybe a rift opened in his body, and the intrusive material later fell into the hole.<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the comic:]<br />
:The Geology Department investigates their first murder<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
<br />
[[Category:Geology]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]</div>64.203.66.182https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3112:_Geology_Murder&diff=3810163112: Geology Murder2025-07-08T17:54:09Z<p>64.203.66.182: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3112<br />
| date = July 7, 2025<br />
| title = Geology Murder<br />
| image = geology_murder_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 327x359px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = After determining that his body was full of pipes carrying iron-rich fluid, our current theory is that the dagger-shaped object precipitated within the wound.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created by an IRON-RICH BOT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
Someone has been stabbed to death and two {{w|geology|geologists}} are examining the corpse. However, rather than using {{w|Forensic_science|forensic techniques}} that might be typical for investigating a murder, they inappropriately apply geological analyses, leading to some unlikely suggestions about what occurred.<br />
<br />
Firstly, they note that the victim is lying "uncoNforMably" (not "uncoMforTably") on the bench. An {{w|unconformity}} in geology is a gap of missing strata between an upper and lower layer, in this case implying that there is missing information about how the man came to be lying on the bench, or referring to the discontinuity between the material of the bench and that of the body with its clothing.<br />
<br />
The "iron-rich intrusion in his back" refers to the dagger that presumably killed him. An {{w|intrusion}} is rock formed when {{w|magma}} slowly cools below ground, and the geologists are speculating that the dagger formed after steel flowed into place in and on the body (and somehow became dagger-shaped). The dagger is "iron-rich" because it's made of steel, which is composed largely of iron.<br />
<br />
"{{w|Clastic rock|Clastic}}" refers to rock made up of broken pieces of older rocks. In this case it would suggest that a {{w|rift}} - a gap - opened up in the person's back and the dagger fell in. Having long linear gaps appear is something that happens to the Earth's crust, and can lead to clastic rock when other rock is swept into the gap. While {{w|Skin fissure}}s are a real condition, and some genetic conditions such as {{w|Ichthyosis}} can cause them, they don't normally cause rocks to collect in people's backs.{{cn}} <br />
<br />
The "pipes carrying iron-rich fluid" are the person's {{w|blood vessel}}s, as blood has a large amount of the molecule {{w|hemoglobin}}, which has an iron atom in it to help it transport oxygen. The geologists speculate that the iron {{w|Precipitation (chemistry)|precipitated}} - sedimented out - out of the blood to form the dagger, which is highly unlikely. This is the kind of geophysical process which tends to produce {{w|Vein (geology)|veins}} of minerals in actual geology, but is not generally associated with {{w|vein}}s in the human body. Notably, the "{{w|Great Oxygenation Event}}", when oxygen-producing organisms first created an oxidizing environment on Earth, resulted in dense precipitation of iron-rich compounds in the oceans. However, metallic iron was not created; even the environment before the Great Oxygenation Event wasn't reducing enough to create metallic iron.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[There's a lab bench with a dead Cueball-like person lying on it, with a dagger sticking out of his back. Cueball is standing to the left of the table, Ponytail is standing to the right looking at the dead body. All three are wearing lab coats.]<br />
:Cueball: We found him lying unconformably on the lab bench. I wonder if the iron-rich intrusion in his back is related.<br />
:Ponytail: It could be clastic. Maybe a rift opened in his body, and the intrusive material later fell into the hole.<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the comic:]<br />
:The Geology Department investigates their first murder<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
<br />
[[Category:Geology]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]</div>64.203.66.182https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=3112:_Geology_Murder&diff=3810153112: Geology Murder2025-07-08T17:53:09Z<p>64.203.66.182: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 3112<br />
| date = July 7, 2025<br />
| title = Geology Murder<br />
| image = geology_murder_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 327x359px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = After determining that his body was full of pipes carrying iron-rich fluid, our current theory is that the dagger-shaped object precipitated within the wound.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This page was created by an IRON-RICH BOT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}<br />
Someone has been stabbed to death and two {{w|geology|geologists}} are examining the corpse. However, rather than using {{w|Forensic_science|forensic techniques}} that might be typical for investigating a murder, they inappropriately apply geological analyses, leading to some unlikely suggestions about what occurred.<br />
<br />
Firstly, they note that the victim is lying "uncoNforMably" (not "uncoMforTably") on the bench. An {{w|unconformity}} in geology is a gap of missing strata between an upper and lower layer, in this case implying that there is missing information about how the man came to be lying on the bench, or referring to the discontinuity between the material of the bench and that of the body with its clothing.<br />
<br />
The "iron-rich intrusion in his back" refers to the dagger that presumably killed him. An {{w|intrusion}} is rock formed when {{w|magma}} slowly cools below ground, and the geologists are speculating that the dagger formed after steel flowed into place in and on the body (and somehow became dagger-shaped). The dagger is "iron-rich" because it's made of steel, which is composed largely of iron.<br />
<br />
"{{w|Clastic rock|Clastic}}" refers to rock made up of broken pieces of older rocks. In this case it would suggest that a {{w|rift}} - a gap - opened up in the person's back and the dagger fell in. Having long linear gaps appear is something that happens to the Earth's crust, and can lead to clastic rock when other rock is swept into the gap. While {{w|Skin Fissure}}s are a real condition, and some genetic conditions such as {{w|Ichthyosis}} can cause them, they don't normally cause rocks to collect in people's backs.{{cn}} <br />
<br />
The "pipes carrying iron-rich fluid" are the person's {{w|blood vessel}}s, as blood has a large amount of the molecule {{w|hemoglobin}}, which has an iron atom in it to help it transport oxygen. The geologists speculate that the iron {{w|Precipitation (chemistry)|precipitated}} - sedimented out - out of the blood to form the dagger, which is highly unlikely. This is the kind of geophysical process which tends to produce {{w|Vein (geology)|veins}} of minerals in actual geology, but is not generally associated with {{w|vein}}s in the human body. Notably, the "{{w|Great Oxygenation Event}}", when oxygen-producing organisms first created an oxidizing environment on Earth, resulted in dense precipitation of iron-rich compounds in the oceans. However, metallic iron was not created; even the environment before the Great Oxygenation Event wasn't reducing enough to create metallic iron.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[There's a lab bench with a dead Cueball-like person lying on it, with a dagger sticking out of his back. Cueball is standing to the left of the table, Ponytail is standing to the right looking at the dead body. All three are wearing lab coats.]<br />
:Cueball: We found him lying unconformably on the lab bench. I wonder if the iron-rich intrusion in his back is related.<br />
:Ponytail: It could be clastic. Maybe a rift opened in his body, and the intrusive material later fell into the hole.<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the comic:]<br />
:The Geology Department investigates their first murder<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude><br />
<br />
[[Category:Geology]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]</div>64.203.66.182