Well this is the first post. It’s taken a while, it’s not my fault (well it is), the first time that I installed WordPress there were some technical problems and this is the first chance I’ve had to find a fix for the problem.

Anyway on to some actual content…

Earlier (whilst fixing the problem with wordpress) I was listening to some old episodes of one of my podcast (Anarchy X – 120) and I finally got my act together and had a look at some of the things that they regularly talk about I had a look at Who Killed The Electric Car ? (Wikipedia) (Official site).

This happens to be one of their favorite subjects, supression of new specifically electric car related technology by the oil industry, and something that when you think about it seems quite plausible, but not only that it seems likely. I still need to get a copy of the film and watch it (hopefully providing more verifiable facts) and so I’ll be able to talk more (and get angry) this with the addition of more facts and figures.

The site however lead me on to something more interesting (and something that Anarchy X have talked about before) which is plug-in hybrids. Now here I have to educate (for those of you who don’t know), a plug-in is different from a normal hybrid, the difference being that a plug-in hybrid can be charged from a normal power outlet (plug), where as a normal hybrid can only be charged by the engine and brakes of the car whilst it is running. This means that a plug-in hybrid has the capacity to drive many more miles of your journey than a normal hybrid especially if you for example are travelling to work where you could plug in your car.

Now for those of you that want to know more I have various places for you to go and look:

As always wikipedia

Now there are those out there I hear crying “but anyone could have written it”. Normally I would agree with you and suggest caution when looking at any straight facts that it presents without proof. However this particular article seems very well referenced giving you a third party to verify the data.

My favorite part of the article is right at the end and presents an interesting look into the under hand ways in which the oil industry (and the closely allied car industry in the US) work.

“Patent encumbrance of NiMH batteries

 

In 1994, General Motors acquired a controlling interest in Ovonics’s battery development and manufacturing, including patents and trade secrets controlling the manufacturing of large nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. In 2001, TexacoCobasys, a 50/50 joint venture between Chevron and Energy Conversion Devices (ECD) Ovonics.^[64] purchased GM’s share in GM Ovonics. A few months later, Chevron acquired Texaco. In 2003, Texaco Ovonics Battery Systems was changed to According to author and San Francisco Electric Vehicle Association president Sherry Boschert, large-format NiMH batteries had been commercially viable but Cobasys refused to sell or license them to small companies and individuals. For years, Cobasys had only accommodated very large orders, and at that time the major auto makers capable of placing such orders showed little interest in NiMH batteries.”

Source: Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug-in_hybrid#Patent_encumbrance_of_NiMH_batteries

 

Next Plug-In America

This site contains a wealth of information, even if your not in the US it is well worth a look.There are two things that I’d like to pull out from the site:

Firstly, that Toyota (who have been producing normal hybrids for a while) are now testing a plug-in Prius in California and Japan. Seeing this main stream is good news and a step in the right direction.
Toyota Press Release L.A. Times Article (PDF)
(This article is also at the top of the Plug-in America homepage at the time of writing)

Secondly, a graph

Source: Plug-In America

http://www.pluginamerica.com/images/driving_habits_graph.jpg

This graph clearly shows that most people don’t drive far in a day meaning that many of these people would be able to completely run their cars on battery almost every day. This means that it would make a significant difference to greenhouse gas emissions.

 

Lastly, Google.org / RechargeIT.org

 

This is part of a charitable organization setup by Google (I wont go into what for, find that out for yourself). This contains the answers to some interesting questions.

The site states:

 

 

“Did you know…

Electric miles emit about half as much CO2 as gasoline miles on the national power grid.”

Source: RechargeIT

http://www.google.org/recharge/index.html

 

 

This is an interesting statement and is then followed up by this in the FAQ section (which is worth a read if you have any questions):

“4. Will plug-in hybrids require the construction of new power plants?
Actually, studies have shown that our current electricity grid could power three quarters of the nation’s 217 million passenger vehicles. ”

Source: RechargeIT

http://www.google.org/recharge/faq.html

 

The other great page is this one not only does it give a comparison between the two types of car they are testing you can also select each car individually and see the raw data by date. Not only does this offer proof of the worthiness of plug-in hybrids but also offers verifiable data and also the raw data so that it may be interpreted by the reader.

 

There is much more on all of these sites and many more sites out there these are just the few that I have had the opportunity to look at and write about so if you think there is more that is worthy of inclusion or you disagree with me and have bothered to write an opposing argument then email me: thesender@thesender .co.uk.

 

By the way if you disagree and you can be bothered to write a coherent argument of any kind (i.e. you want to hurl abuse) don’t email me, I don’t care.

 

 

 

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