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  • Electric Cars for 2010: Shift from Foreign Oil to Riding on Local Renewable Energy
    myth of the electric car:
    GM's noisemaking about electric cars is the latest in a series of efforts to divert attention from its failure to make any real headway in improving mileage for its underengineered fleet of mastadons. Electric cars will no more be able to solve the dual crises of environment and oil supply than magic carpets:

    1. they are no replacement for the conventional refuelable-at-a-millio... auto for flexibility, useablility and conformity with an existing infrastructure
    2. the electricity to charge their batteries had to be generated and transported by a system that is taxed to the limit without the strain of the nation's transportation.

    While electricity may be useful for some limited purposes -- location-specific quiet or cleanliness where the vehicle will be used solely under controlled conditions - it makes no sense for a general purpose vehicle. Bear in mind that millions of urban drivers park on the street - far from a "friendly" source of controlled electricity; where do they recharge their batteries? An even larger group occasionally use their cars for other than strict point-to-point commuting or local errands: load up the car, the kids, and the presents, and drive all night to see the folks in florida or nebraska, or wherever. They want to refuel every 300 miles (a normal range) in the time it takes for a pit stop and a McDonalds hit - and then be on their way. Would the GM dreamers have them line their cars up at a "recharging station" on the Jersey Turnpike or I-80 outside of Salt Lake City while their batteries are charged?

    What GM needs to do is to develop technology which is real - lower eission engines - and useable - modern chasis designs which are powered with lighter weight, more efficient engines - and to stop using the smokescreen of gee-wiz phony tech to mask its failures in useable, practical engineering.

    Savings in oil and reduction in emissions will be incremental - 2mpg from lighter autos, 3 mpg from better designs, 1 mpg from tires, etc. - rather than with a "big bang" that ignores driving habits and needs and is completely inconsistent with the transportation infrastructure.
    Jun 05 06:45 am |Rating: 0 0 |Link to Comment |View article

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