devassocx

White House Report: GM Volt Is Not Ready for Prime Time

If a solution won't work unless the older alternative solution's
price is raised via taxation then I say that the new solution is
a very poor one.

That is what I would expect from an agenda driven government,
not from a practical, thinking government.

New ways to do things should offer benefits unavailable
with the old way in such quantity as to command a higher price,
not because of a government distortion of the pricing system.


On Apr 24 08:57 AM Steven Chu wrote:

> The US only has the production capacity for hamsters - but Asia has
> horses. And they are Li-ion horses being sold in massive quantities.
>
>
> The dumbest thing we could do is not stimulate these firms. Of course
> they are losing. And that is partially due to poor historical policy
> to create incentives for better technology, manufacturing, and cost
> reduction. Subsidized gas instead of subsidized EVs and batteries.
>
>
> It will be expensive. But stimulating these companies is necessary.
>
>
> Battery technology and vehicle design must be parallel processes
> and must be continuous. We may end up driving GM/Segway PUMAs instead
> of sedans, but it won't happen with US batteries if we sit on the
> sidelines.
>
> And remember, half of the battle is getting consumers used to the
> idea of using a different type of vehicle - this needs time, momentum,
> and marketing. It won't happen unless there are incentives from the
> consumer and producer sides, and unless alternatives (combustion
> horses) ado not have their carbon mitigation costs priced in.
>
> $27 billion manufacturer incentives, $7500 consumer subsidy, government
> purchase of EV fleets, and gas tax for $3.50 gas. This is the formula
> for change.
>

Response to Jack Lifton's 'Lithium Batteries: Nothing But Illusion'

But isn't lead toxic and a danger to the environment?
And isn't the acid the same?


On Apr 22 12:58 PM altaman wrote:

> Actually lithium is the wrong approach to motor vehicles because
> it is too expensive and highly toxic. Just how is anyone going to
> sell the used cars when they require a $5000-10000 battery replacement?
> A better approach is the so called advanced lead-acid battery mated
> to a large capacitor to buffer and protect the acid cells (developed
> in Australia). Its is about 1/3 the cost while being only 1/3 heaver.
> That is an extremely worthwhile tradeoff particularly in larger vehicles.