The conversation was not about when or if electric cars are coming. The conversation was about what is coming, and who the leaders will be (BMW, of course, is planning on a leadership role.)
The other part of the conversation was about charging stations and how the grid will provide power.
Overall, an amazing shift in the conversation from merely a year ago.
Many of the challenges are technological, legislative and behavioral. All of them are able to be solved but I had to mention that there are other great electric vehicles out there (electric bicycles) that can help get people off of their addiction to fossil fuels, reduce congestion, increase health and save a lot of cash!
I also met a former BMW executive who is now teaching at Stanford and expressed interest in my helping with an electric bicycle course that he will be teaching in the Spring.
Could be a lot of fun!!!
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It's wonderful that your cross-country trek has now led you to education and invention among students and entrepreneurs. Fantastic!
ReplyDeleteGreetings,
ReplyDeleteI've always enjoyed the topic of electric cars because I truly feel they are the way of the future. I just wish the technology was cheaper to attain. Fully-electric cars are not that easy to afford for the part of the US that isn't so fortunate. Gasoline using cars are so very cheap to own that I think they will be around for a very long time. Nonetheless, it's important for us to look forward, and I think moving to electric power is easily the best way to do this.
Great blog, and cheers for the holidays!
For "gasoline powered" vehicles we don't necessarily need to use fossil or food crop based carbon fuels. Butanol can be produced from all sorts of carbon rich waste, & is a 4 carbon compound so it'll work in today's gasoline engines totally unmodified. It's nothing new either. It was in widening use as internal combustion engine fuel before the onslaught of cheep petroleum following WWII. Butanol plants existed as late as the 1980s outside the U.S. The driving range limitations of battery technology will dictate need for continued use of internal combustion engines in this century.
ReplyDeleteHere's a couple of resources on butanol as the motor fuel of the future.The second one is about the waste to butanol process.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.napier.ac.uk/randkt/rktcentres/bfrc/Pages/Butanol.aspx
http://eponline.com/articles/2010/01/08/syntec-eerc-to-make-biobutanol-from-biomass-and-waste.aspx
http://eponline.com/articles/2010/01/08/syntec-eerc-to-make-biobutanol-from-biomass-and-waste.aspx
Some months ago I ran across this information about energy options for the 21st century. I wrote about it in this post on my blog. There are reference links on this and the subject of local co-generation omni-fuel fuel cell mini power plants.
ReplyDeletehttp://willyvon1-willyswill.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html
Also There are a couple of posts from September about otrher energy options including on-site home generation via vertical wind turbines. Also a couple about 2 of my other favorite subjects.
http://willyvon1-willyswill.blogspot.com/2010_09_01_archive.html
I think moving to electric power is easily the best way to do this.No Pollution no harm to environment. The driving range limitations is the only concern for electric cars.
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Very informative post and it's also effective . Keep continue sharing such post . Remove White Background
ReplyDeleteThis post is really fascinating. I am glad to see this. Thanks a lot for sharing.
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The electric bike is much better to me. I can take it anywhere.
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