From Talk of the Nation (NPR):
This week at the annual cavalcade of cars that is the North American Auto show in the motor city, there were also some green options, including a new electric concept car from GM called the Volt. Bill Moore, editor and publisher of EVWOrld.com, a publication focusing on electric vehicle technology, talks about the viability of the newest electric autos.
It is a 17 minute clip, but it is very much worth it.
5 comments:
I really hope that this catches on. I’m kind of sick of going to Hess twice a week and empting my pocket but I don't know I sill love my dad's f-150. Maybe they should make electric F-150s then they'll really catch on
Yes, I think that soon people will have to resort to more efficent automobiles. To think that we are destroying are earth through the means of transportation is a bummer. There are deffinetly better alternatives to gasoline like those shown here so why not give them a shot. I just hope that the transition occurs sooner than later since, after watching Gores global warming presentations, it doesnt look like we are going to be able to live on in this world much longer.
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It would be wonderful to say that this car is the future and the solution to America’s energy problems. However it would also be extraordinarily naïve. This car runs on electricity for most short trips. The electricity comes from your house. While there is a common misconception that electricity is just there every time the switch is turned on, or more commonly that it comes form non pollutant sources. This is not the case. More that half of America’s electricity is produced by burning coal. While coal has the potential to be burned rather cleanly, as of now it is not. So while the VOLT may cut gasoline consumption it is far from doing much about energy costs or the environmental problems. And what about those longer trips over twenty or so miles. Then the VOLT burns good old gasoline meaning even if everyone had a VOLT America would still be dependant on the godless gasoline. Not so fast, GM has thought of that, see the VOLT also could burn E85, or 85 percent ethanol. Ethanol is all natural and a renewal resource. That make ethanol a pretty good proposition, that is of course if you exclude the fact that it not only costs more to produce, and is less efficient but also creates more carbon dioxide when burned. CO2 is one of the leading causes if global warming. And that’s not to mention the VOC gasses released in the production of Ethanol. The fact is that electric cars have been around for longer than gasoline powered cars. The reason they never caught on is they are logistically flawed. For one, electric cars are less powerful. Also imagine if every time you wanted gasoline it took six hours to fill up. And God forbid you live in the city and can’t exactly run an extension cord down to the street. And even if everyone used strictly electric or ethanol, there would still be the 33% of petroleum that goes to other things, such as creating electricity for our cars or home heating. And as prices dropped for oil, more and more people would use it for other things. Eventually America would just buy slightly cheaper oil, turn it in to electricity and use that to power vehicles. Congratulations, we have accomplished nothing. In my opinion the solutions are fuel cells for transportation and nuclear power to supply them.
i would have a fuel efficient car. but i have to wait till im actually ready to buy a new car. its not something people do everyday. and until these cars get really into the market and people are exposed to them. there going to have to wait till people are at the right point in their lives to buy a car. all those people who bought cars in the past couple years are not likely going to drop lots more money to buy a brand new car, efficient or not. Its still a product in a market, regardless of global warming. Even ipods took a while to make it big.
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