An Expat Life: Nicaragua Blues and Ruse

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Who Killed The Electric Car?


It's a shame. It really is. My worst fears were confirmed last night. The U.S. car industry and oil companies don't want to offer alternatives to gasoline driven automobiles. The evidence is there for everyone to see. If you don't believe me, watch Who Killed the Electric Car? and see for yourself.

This brilliant documentary frames the issue from the perspective of progressive California lawmakers enacting 'zero emission' legislation in the mid-1990s, at which time, Saturn and other automakers began unveiling electric cars; sleek, fast, and efficient, touted by Hollywood, engineers, and greens, as the answer to oil dependency. So, 10 years later, there are no electric cars on the road. What happened?

I could go on and on, but suffice it to say, I saw enough evidence to suggest that the fix was on. Keep in mind, I loathe Michael Moore and all that he represents. I think he's a fat hack, and serves little purpose other than an object of parody (although, in fairness, I haven't seen Sicko yet). So, I go into these 'conspiracy' documentaries with a healthy bit of skepticism. I understand the limitations, the ease of manipulation through this medium, etc... That said, the evidence is overwhelming. A couple of highlights.

-Big knock against electric car is that it only gets 80 miles per charge, more or less. So, a GM scientist comes up with a battery that can go 300 miles per charge. The result......the auto industry asks him not to do major magazine stories about it, effectively censuring him, and then promptly sells the patent to Chevron. I wonder what they've done to advance this technology lately?

-After the leases ran out(there was no option to buy), the companies colluded together, collecting all of the vehicles, without giving 'customers' the option to re-up the lease or buy the cars outright. In fact, GM, among others, promptly destroyed perfectly functional 'green' vehicles for no known reason. After promising that the parts would be recycled on other gasoline-driven vehicles, there is evidence that all of the cars were taken to a desert proving ground in Mesa, Arizona to be demolished. Why?

-Instead of further committing to technology that actually works, albeit with a some kinks (like any other new technology....we didn't quit cell phone advancement because the first 'flip phones' battery life was low), the auto industry cited 'lack of interest' and is now pursuing (with the help of your federally funded tax dollars) hydrogen fuel-cell technology that is only about 20-30 years away. Moreover, a prototype auto currently costs over $1 million to produce and an infrastructure of hydrogen 'filling stations' will be needed before the first cars can ever be sold. Lord knows how much those will end up costing Americans. Talk about a red herring!!! How many years' profit will Chevron and company be able to eek out before Uncle Sam puts on his proper green attire? I'm guessing quite awhile. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the hydrogen cars actually emit more greenhouse gases than current automobiles.

Indeed, electric cars have been around a long time, even outnumbering gas driven cars 100 years ago. So, why not return to this technology to wean the United States off of foreign oil that is costing us so dearly in nearly every strata of society? In case you have forgotten, the United States is responsible for 46% of global oil consumption annually.....Just a thought....

1 comment:

CarExpert said...

I like the concept of electric cars, an intelligent one. So, I keep on wondering why they don’t stick to it. Aside from having impressive Saturn ignition coil and everything, the cars have good designs.