this post was submitted on 03 Mar 2026
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xkcd #3214: Electric Vehicles

Title text:

Now that I've finally gotten an electric vehicle, I'm never going back to an acoustic one.

Transcript:

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Source: https://xkcd.com/3214/

explainxkcd for #3214

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[–] pnelego@lemmy.world 12 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I invested in some rechargeable NiMH AAs, and AAAs. Now sometimes I think i prefer some things with old school batteries just because of how convenient it is. Granted, that system wouldn't work well for my headphones, or my phone. But seems just fine for the odd remote control, kitchen gadget or portable lamp.

[–] BanMe@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Rechargeable AAs and AAAs have finally been perfected, I am kind of annoyed by things that have only internal batteries now, I don't want them going to the landfill just because the cheap device died. Let me keep running the batteries for a decade in other shit.

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 4 points 3 days ago

For decades we had battery packs that could be replaced. we have lifepo4 that's super safe to handle, i don't know why we don't have replacable battery packs anymore :/

[–] kalpol@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 days ago

The internal batteries often aren't that hard to replace. If you can get the device open the batteries are standard sizes you can order and often just plug in. Except phones, phone manufacturing relies on pure evil

[–] kalpol@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I have two sets of headphones, one older set that takes a AA and a new one that charges. I use the older ones constantly since when they die I just grab a NiMH AA out of the charger and pop it in, back in 10 seconds. New one....not so much

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

The headsets I've seen which take AA batteries were heavy af.

[–] kalpol@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

What, no. Audio-technica from about 2016, they are normal weight.

[–] Dasus@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago

Well guess I just haven't seen 'em then.

I'm not saying light ones don't exist. I just haven't seen any.

[–] Test_Tickles@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I bought a set for work that comes with 2 rechargeable lithium packs and an external charger so you can just swap as needed.

[–] kalpol@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Sure but.....we had that already

[–] Test_Tickles@lemmy.world 1 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

You clearly didn't grow up before lithium batteries. Before lithium, batteries sucked and they sucked hard. You would spend a small fortune to buy 5 lb of batteries to put in your tape player, CD player, remote control toy, anything portable and then you would get between 5 minutes to an hour of total use time. Or, if it was you rarely used the gadget, or it was something like a remote control that were only on for incredibly short bursts as you push the button, you would leave the batteries in it until they went dead. But then you got the treat of opening it up to replace the batteries and finding that they leaked all over the inside and destroyed the device.
I have lost so many portable devices to leaking batteries that I can't even begin calculate how much it's cost me. Before smartphones, I had probably spent upwards of $1,000 ( in today's money) in calculators alone. I don't even work in some kind of math-type job or have a mathematics type degree.

[–] kalpol@lemmy.ca 2 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

It never occurred to you to keep the nicad or NiMH battery bank full of charged batteries and swap them out?

You can't even leave the lithium ion batteries plugged in when you aren't using them for long periods, they swell. Which is bad.

[–] Test_Tickles@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

I am not sure if you are making a joke or trying to troll me, but either way I laughed. So thanks for that.