This article is contributed by Roberto DePaschoal
dpaschoal@ev-motion.com

He has a very interesting project on his hands. It uses the overwhelming wind power of the central states to generate lots of electricity using over 600 giant wind turbines.

He also emphasizes the need for our economy to become independent from foreign oil imports by manufacturing next generations of vehicles that run on natural gas, which is fairly abundant in this country.

On his demonstrations he had also eliminated the possibility of a transportation system using electricity as a source of power. It has been proven for over 100 years that an automobile, truck, bus, street-car, trolley bus, locomotive, ship, barge, etc. can very well be propelled by electric motors alone. It is just a matter of creating the vehicle; infrastructure and technology are already here.

GM's EV-1 and Ford Th!nk were running around not long ago, and nowadays we have some startup companies making a big fuss with their fast electric roadsters like Tesla and some other ones joining the competition pretty soon.

I am of the opinion that would be much wiser to make our transportation system to depend only on the power outlet. The infrastructure already exists from coast to coast in any civilized square mile of this vast country. We could use the gas stations to recharge and swap battery containers in their car-wash type automated equipment and serve gas/diesel while supplies last, on the side, for outdated drivers.

This article is contributed by Roberto DePaschoal
dpaschoal@ev-motion.com

A few days ago I had a pleasant surprise of finding an article published by the Detroit Free Press about something of interest to anybody who is feeling an ever- increasing pain at the gas pump.

It was about the famous, or infamous EV-1, the sexy electric roadster created and later killed by GM right after the U.S. Supreme Court formally denied the states (California, specially) to regulate emissions of motor vehicles within their boundaries. (Ford followed by killing Th!nk city at the same time).

It is quite obvious that they were not at all interested in EV-1 longevity, as none of the thousand units produced were ever sold to the public. Just leased, to make sure they would be properly and permanently exterminated at the right moment.

Well, history repeats itself and under public opinion and other pressures, GM, along with its sisters decided to make up another story to extend the breath of the ailing 120 years old internal combustion engine. They all agreed upon making a case on top of the fuel cell technology and the miracles of the "future" Hydrogen Economy.

As people got tired of endless deadlines and empty promises, they found no other choice than go back to the EV theory. This time with another technique to fool consumers: Develop a plug-in vehicle, body, power train, electronics, etc., brand it and just wait for a miracle breakthrough from the battery manufacturers to produce Lithium batteries to pump up a ton of KWh. without bursting into flames. It is proven that they are very good for low voltage applications, however we had witnessed a few laptop fires not long ago. Besides their prices are prohibitive and not forecasted to go down anytime soon, due to the involvement of expensive metals and sophisticated engineering.

Tesla motors had to put a price tag of $100K (battery replacement costs not included) mostly to cover the price of its roadster's 950lbs. pack of 6,831 laptop lithium cells. Chevy Volt most likely will retail for over $40K also to cover the pack that will move it (at what speed?) for a lean 40 miles on electricity alone.

EV-1 bombshell proved in 1990 that two people plus luggage could go at highway speeds for around 80 miles in the comfort of air conditioning, heating, cruise-control, CD sound system, etc. etc. using plain old lead-acid batteries. Just imagine how far they could go with today's technology.

Even without any improvement, EV-1s would sell like hotcakes fulfilling the needs of most commuters. It probably would retail for under $20,000 (Batteries included) less government incentives (-$7,000) = $13,000. Who wouldn't buy it?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121528816112730285.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

By *GABRIELE PARUSSINI* and *NICOLAS PARASIE*
July 5, 2008 4:19 p.m.

AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France -- Renault SA Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn said Saturday the company is getting ready to mass produce electric cars to offset rising energy prices.

"We're getting ready for mass production of electric cars," Mr. Ghosn said at an economic conference in the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence. "Energy will remain expensive."

continue reading

On the NBC Web Site:

Slideshow: History Of Gas Prices From 1950 To 2008

2-Hour Charge Gets 150 Miles In Electric Car

University Of Delaware Graduate Students Create Electric Car

POSTED: 5:45 pm EDT July 1, 2008
UPDATED: 6:13 pm EDT July 1, 2008
NEWARK, Del. -- Imagine driving 150 miles without ever using a drop of gas and your power company might even give you cash back, as well.

A graduate student at the University of Delaware created an electric car of the hopefully not-so-distant future. Slideshow: History Of Gas Prices From 1950 To 2008 You get in it like a normal car, you turn the key like a normal car, you put it into gear like a normal car and drive it like a normal car.

But what makes the $70,000 Scion so special is that there is no smoke-spewing tailpipe, no noise, and no need to ever stop at a gas station.

continue reading

This last Saturday I was at the Greenwood Car Show to do a coverage on the Electric Vehicles that were there. Photos will be posted on this blog soon.

I got to see dozens of big cars with big engines and all that massive horsepower and whatnot. It's amazing to me how in this day and age people still choose to worship a product that has no future. The car industry is dying, at least the industry that makes gasoline cars. GM, the behemoth that has profited the most, is now quickly losing power.

GM closed 4 plants in North America recently, and they started with closing the factories that were making SUVS and trucks, of course. This is no surprise to many of us that have been studying and learning Peak Oil for years now.

Another piece of news about GM is that Toyota could overtake GM in US sales. So Toyota could soon be selling more vehicles in the US than GM, and this is probably due to the high number of their hybrid model, the Toyota Prius, being sold. Meanwhile, GM - the company that invested in the Hummer while they killed the electric car - has been working on hybrid versions of their SUVs. I don't know who cares less about humanity: GM or the oil companies. The world will be a better place when GM declares bankruptcy. I hope that Americans continue to buy Toyota Priuses, which can always be converted to a plug-in hybrid. People, please don't buy all the PR: GM already developed a great and sexy electric car with decent range and speed that they could sell if they wanted to. I'm referring to the EV1, though GM also produced other great electric vehicles. GM do not need to develop an electric car - they have already done so.

Genuine GM sticker under the hood of an Electric Vehicle

continue reading

India launches its first electric car

NEW DELHI, June 25 (KUNA) -- India launched its first electric car "Reva" on Wednesday, as part of its commitment to maintain a cleaner environment. The car was launched here today by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

Talking to reporters on the occasion, Dikshit said her government was determined to improve Delhi's environment. The government has already announced a 15 percent subsidy on Reva's base price, 12.5 percent exemption of value-added tax, and a refund of road tax and registration charges. Following this, Reva's base model would approximately cost USD 7,119, president of the company's India operations Girish M Rakhe told reporters. He said the company's target was to sell 3,000 cars in Delhi in the first year.

Ghosn: Nissan Can Lead in Mass-Marketing EVs

25 June 2008
Nissan will focus on battery electric vehicles (EVs) as a core product and will offer a range of high-quality products that are reliable, well-engineered, attractive and fun to drive, said Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn in a speech at the company's annual general shareholders meeting in Japan.

Ghosn said that zero-emissions vehicles were the best solution to address the on-going growth in global demand for vehicles coupled with "the demand for a cleaner planet." Nissan, along with Renault, said Ghosn, "has an opportunity to be a world leader in mass-marketing them."

When I say "zero-emission" vehicles, I am referring to electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles, cars that do not burn oil and release zero emissions into the air. Fuel cell vehicles are promising for the future--and Nissan continues to invest in their development--but the production and distribution of hydrogen is yet much more problematic than electricity or batteries. Because the battery technology is more advanced, we will introduce electric vehicles first.

Without the battery, the cost of the electric car should be comparable to that of a similar-sized car today. The lease of the battery plus the electricity cost should be lower than the cost of gasoline. If oil prices continue to stay at a high level, as expected, the electric car will become that much more attractive.

--Carlos Ghosn
Nissan plans to introduce an all-electric car in 2010 in the US and Japan, and mass-market it globally in 2012. The Nissan-Renault Alliance has also signed agreements with Project Better Place to mass-market electric vehicles in Israel and Denmark in 2011, and is currently negotiating with other countries in Europe and Asia, Ghosn said.

We will continue to develop a portfolio of green technologies to reduce CO2 emissions, including improvements to gasoline engines, clean diesel, hybrids, flex fuels and fuel cell vehicles. In September, we will introduce the X-TRAIL with clean diesel in Japan. In 2010 we will launch the clean-diesel Maxima in the United States and our own original hybrid technology.

--Carlos Ghosn
In remarks at a press conference after the meeting, Ghosn said that he believes electric cars will succeed because:

they are "zero-emissions. The others are not," referring to hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars. "We believe zero-emission is part of what the global market is looking for and (is) ready to pay for," he said.

Ghosn said that he hopes to sell 1 million of electric cars a year globally, although without specifying a date.

Nissan Motor, NEC Corporation, and NEC TOKIN Corporation formed a joint venture-- Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC)-- in 2007 to develop and market lithium-ion batteries for hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles.

For the next-generation of EV cells, AESC is working on a new cathode material of a nickel-mixed Mn spinel and a graphite carbon anode. The cell will feature an enlarged footprint, but will be thinner to increase heat discharge, and have a capacity of 30 Ah.

The Seattle Electric Vehicle Association, in cooperation with the Greenwood Car Show have amassed the largest display of Electric Vehicles ever to show in the Pacific Northwest. With gas prices approaching $5 a gallon in our area (and nationwide), there is no better time or place to show the public that alternatives to gasoline ARE available.

The Greenwood Car Show is on Saturday, June 28th, on Greenwood Avenue, between 82nd street and 83rd street. It goes from 10 am till 4 pm.
Come early and enjoy the music, food, and all the Electric Cars.

The number of cars and vehicles to be shown will be vast. From factory built electric cars from the mid-90's to World Champion Electric Race Cars, and Dragsters, to Plug-In Hybrid vehicles soon to be available from the Major Manufacturers, to immediately available Neighborhood EV's, to home built freeway capable EV Conversions, to Electric Scooters and much more.

http://www.greenwoodcarshow.com/

For more information, contact:

Steven S. Lough, Pres.
Seattle EV Association
6021 32nd Ave. N.E.
Seattle, WA 98115-7230
Day: 206 850-8535
Eve: 206 524-1351
e-mail: stevenslough@comcast.net
web: http://www.seattleeva.org

I recently started doing a contract job for a software company, and the owner of the company started showing me some charts that show the history of their sales and revenues.

I was shocked to see how the US market for him went from being over 50% of his revenue to now being less than 30% while other countries have been providing much more revenue for his company.

continue reading