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As a man thinks, so he is. Some people are never. Recent Posts
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CarSpace Alternate RouteTurn off the nav system, crumple up that MapQuest printout, and let's find out where the next random turn may take us! Nov 19, 2009 - The More Things Change...
Electric vehicles are not new to our industry. Manufacturers were offering battery-powered cars 100 years ago. But due to constraints on range, affordability and the supporting infrastructure, battery-powered cars were never mass-marketed and the internal combustion engine became the standard. Electric vehicles were relegated to low-volume specialist applications. And so the story continued for decades. Let's see... constraints on range, affordability, and lack of infrastructure. Yep, that about covers it. The concept of an electric vehicle is a great idea. But that practicality issue will continue to get in the way until there's a leap forward in battery technology.
Nov 13, 2009 - Watts Up With That?
I suppose the manufacurers are hoping to amp up interest in the auto show with a battery of EV's ( they haven't named the vehicles that will be displayed yet). I imagine it's going to be a high voltage display that will overload your senses, although I'm not expecting to be transformed into an EV enthusiast by the sparks. I just hope the cars aren't ohmly looking. That might short circuit the whole thing!
Nov 9, 2009 - Out Of Juice
The move by Fiat SpA marks a major reversal for Chrysler, which had used its electric car program as part of the case for a $12.5 billion federal aid package. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Electric vehicles may very well be the future, but given the state of battery technology at the moment, they're nothing more than experiments, or attempts to appear "green" since you don't want to be accused of not being green right now. Got to keep up with the Joneses!
Oct 9, 2009 - Tokyo Stars
This 122 inch long, 43 inch wide two-seater is the Nissan Land Glider concept. You ride tandem-style in this electric vehicle and the body and tires lean up to 17 degrees into turns like a motorcycle. I love it when the engineers get to have a little fun. Be sure to check out the Land Glider and the rest of Inside Line's coverage of the 2009 Tokyo Auto Show
Sep 28, 2009 - Tell Ya What I'm Gonna Do
Nissan is talking about $30k for the Leaf, but now they're toying with the idea of leasing battery packs. Just what you need, two monthly payments when you purchase a new vehicle! Read more about battery leasing at Reuters.com
Sep 23, 2009 - Silent Running
After years of trying to make cars sound as if they were riding on air, engineers are considering how they might bring back some noise. They're trying to make some of them -- those silent hybrids -- more audible. Perhaps some baseball cards in the spokes?
Sep 14, 2009 - Limiting Factor
The tests appear to be among the most thorough done by companies planning to introduce the batteries, said Menahem Anderman, president of consulting firm Advanced Automotive Batteries in Oregon House, California. How about a show of hands for those who think EV's are going to be all over the roads tomorrow? Or even in 10 years? EV's may indeed be the future, but until the breakthrough in battery technology happens, I wouldn't give up that gasoline credit card just yet.
Jul 6, 2009 - 2012: The Year We Make Contact?
Toyota plans to build 20,000-30,000 plug-in Priuses a year and intends to price them at about $48,000 - twice the price of a conventional Prius hybrid and about $8,000 more than the Chevrolet Volt, which will hit the market at the tail end of 2010. Just like the Volt, I don't think a $48K vehicle is likely to be a widespread commercial success. And I still am asking the question that nobody seems to want to answer. Where is all the extra capacity to charge up these vehicles going to come from? Energy is not free, although some EV proponents seem to act as if all we need to do is make electric cars and plug them in and all will be right with the world. Read the entire story at Green Car Advisor.
Feb 18, 2009 - Electric Bandwagon
The thing that bothers me the most about electric vehicles is that proponents of EV's never seem to talk about about where the electricity to charge the cars is going to come from or how much it's going to cost. How much is adding the load of charging vehicles to the grid going to affect pricing of electricity? It has to go up. Same supply, more demand. Off-peak hours won't make a difference as we won't be shifting demand, we'll be adding demand. Zero-emissions is not going to come at zero cost. Read more at freep.com and breitbart.com
Jan 19, 2009 - Stop Forcing Markets
So when I read the following in an article, I had one reaction... For electric and hybrid vehicles to achieve their environmental potential, the world's governments will need to step in with high levels of financial support for consumers and industry, according to a report by the Boston Consulting Group, a management consulting firm. And the cost savings in fuel won't be nearly enough to provide the incentive without that government cash. It's time to stop trying to force markets and let them just happen. The sustainable electric vehicle market exists. It's called the golf cart industry. This is not to say we shouldn't continue to develop electric vehicles or that they won't eventually be successful in the marketplace. But there's a difference between dreaming and fantisizing. Read the entire article at Yahoo Finance
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