Hybrids are pointless
October 9, 2006I just saw an interesting short documentary about an electric car General Motors produced for a very brief period of time about ten years ago– the EV1. This was a futuristic electric car, which performed like a normal petrol car and handled like one. It was destined to be a massive hit. However, under mysterious circumstances, GM killed the project to make way for the… Hummer program. It was explained that in that time, owning a Hummer could give a lot more tax deductions than owning any electric car did.
At the end, one woman summed the fate of that electric car up pretty well.
If they’d be making these, that’d put a whole lot of millionaires out of business.
And that is all there is to it. The car industry and the oil industry are sustaining one another; it is my strong belief that if we want to, we could be driving cars running on nothing but water or electricity. Hydrogen engines are developing at a massive pace, and in fact, are already in production in Japan. Had our governments put their asses into it, we’d all be driving clean cars now. But we are not. All because the oil industry is the backbone of our economy, and they are extremely powerful, and nobody has the guts to do something about it.
And no, the Prius does not count. The Prius is in fact environment unfriendly, since its production process is much more polluting than that of a normal car (you know, two engines need to be produced) and its kilometres per litres is not any better than that of a modern diesel. The Toyota Prius is nothing but an ugly car that sooths the conscience of the rich and famous.
In order to really stop the destroying of our environment, we need to do a full 180 and switch our entire infrastructure over to hydrogen and/or electricity-based engines. Petrol and diesel are polluting as hell, and hybrids are pointless.
However, as long as no one dares to take on the big oil conglomerates, our planet is doomed. And yes, people, I’ll be the first to drown. I live below sealevel.
How do you feel about the Escape Hybrid which is the first SUV hybrid ever produced and meets California’s strict Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT–PZEV) requirements?
Comment by Justin S — October 9, 2006 @ 5:58 pm
I just read up on it, and even the Prius already meets these requirements, so it can never be all that much.
It is irrelevant. What needs to be done is a complete switch to non-fossilised fuels such as hydrogen and electricity (hydrogen cars fall into two types: ones that use an internal combustion engine with the hydrogen as fuel, or ones that use hydrogen to charge a battery which powers the cars electrically).
THAT is the only way to stop global warming and all the other negative impacts of fossilised fuels.
Comment by Administrator — October 9, 2006 @ 7:18 pm
Elctric cars.
Where does the electricity come from ?
Most likely it will come from power plants.
In the USA, about 70 per cent of power comes from fossil fuels.
So instead of of polluting cars, we have polluting power plants. Not a very good trade.
We could try for safer nulcear power.
Mention nulcear power and it brings to mind images of three mile island and Chernobyl.
So this isn’t likely to happen.
Hydroelectric power is one of the better ways to go, but you need water and elevation.
Plus, we would need to roll out a whole new infrastructure.
It’s not impossible, but I don’t think people have the will, or even care at all about the environment.
Comment by mikesum32 — October 9, 2006 @ 8:07 pm
Tesla :
http://www.teslamotors.com/index.php?js_enabled=1
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=c860df3ccf66c83fb61bb2ffd934330b.889183
Venturi fetish :
http://www.venturi.fr/index.php?rubrique12
Tzero :
http://www.acpropulsion.com/tzero_pages/tzero_home.htm
Obvio 012E :
http://www.obvio.ind.br/obviona/012.htm
Subaru R1E :
http://www.electrifyingtimes.com/subaru_concepts.html
People always amaze me , they dont learn from history :
Good and better products can be killed by cheaper products.
Technology does not grow on three , it take time and millions to improve.
Invention are sometime a million mistake and trial and error before finding the right solution.
The current problem as to do with *batteries* , there are solutions ,
but there is a risk in introducing a new power source.
http://www.answers.com/topic/battle-droid
http://www.answers.com/topic/humanoid-robot
http://www.aist.go.jp/aist_e/latest_research/2006/20060713/20060713.html
And the economics ramble it would create :
- Lots of Job loss.
- Lots of income loss.
- Lots of taxes revenue lost.
Forget about nuclear , its not advanced enough and leak and collision would not be controlled at this stage in time.
Forget about hydrogen for aproximately the same reason.
Solar is not advanced enough
Wind is not advanced enough
Electric as battery and charging problem
Electric wheel is too powefull and mismanaged
Fuel cell is too costly at the moment.
———-
We live in a strange world where cars are not rated on there MPG but by there aesthetic Form , the power of the engine , when the limits of most country dont allow its use , the sound systems and its brand name on the side.
Comment by Moulinneuf — October 10, 2006 @ 7:43 am
Global Warming is not due to human contribution of Carbon Dioxide
Global Warming: The Cold, Hard Facts?
By Timothy Ball
Monday, February 5, 2007
Global Warming, as we think we know it, doesn’t exist. And I am not the only one trying to make people open up their eyes and see the truth. But few listen, despite the fact that I was the first Canadian Ph.D. in Climatology and I have an extensive background in climatology, especially the reconstruction of past climates and the impact of climate change on human history and the human condition.“Few listen, even though I have a Ph.D, (Doctor of Science) from the University of London, England and was a climatology professor at the University of Winnipeg.” . For some reason (actually for many), the World is not listening. Here is why.
What would happen if tomorrow we were told that, after all, the Earth is flat? It would probably be the most important piece of news in the media and would generate a lot of debate. So why is it that when scientists who have studied the Global Warming phenomenon for years say that humans are not the cause nobody listens? Why does no one acknowledge that the Emperor has no clothes on?
Believe it or not, Global Warming is not due to human contribution of Carbon Dioxide (CO2). This in fact is the greatest deception in the history of science. We are wasting time, energy and trillions of dollars while creating unnecessary fear and consternation over an issue with no scientific justification. For example, Environment Canada brags about spending $3.7 billion in the last five years dealing with climate change almost all on propaganda trying to defend an indefensible scientific position while at the same time closing weather stations and failing to meet legislated pollution targets.
No sensible person seeks conflict, especially with governments, but if we don’t pursue the truth, we are lost as individuals and as a society. That is why I insist on saying that there is no evidence that we are, or could ever cause global climate change. And, recently, Yuri A. Izrael, Vice President of the United Nations sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirmed this statement. So how has the world come to believe that something is wrong?
Maybe for the same reason we believed, 30 years ago, that global cooling was the biggest threat: a matter of faith. “It is a cold fact: the Global Cooling presents humankind with the most important social, political, and adaptive challenge we have had to deal with for ten thousand years. Your stake in the decisions we make concerning it is of ultimate importance; the survival of ourselves, our children, our species,” wrote Lowell Ponte in 1976.
I was as opposed to the threats of impending doom global cooling engendered as I am to the threats made about Global Warming. Let me stress I am not denying the phenomenon has occurred. The world has warmed since 1680, the nadir of a cool period called the Little Ice Age (LIA) that has generally continued to the present. These climate changes are well within natural variability and explained quite easily by changes in the sun. But there is nothing unusual going on.
Since I obtained my doctorate in climatology from the University of London, Queen Mary College, England my career has spanned two climate cycles. Temperatures declined from 1940 to 1980 and in the early 1970’s global cooling became the consensus. This proves that consensus is not a scientific fact. By the 1990’s temperatures appeared to have reversed and Global Warming became the consensus. It appears I’ll witness another cycle before retiring, as the major mechanisms and the global temperature trends now indicate a cooling.
No doubt passive acceptance yields less stress, fewer personal attacks and makes career progress easier. What I have experienced in my personal life during the last years makes me understand why most people choose not to speak out; job security and fear of reprisals. Even in University, where free speech and challenge to prevailing wisdoms are supposedly encouraged, academics remain silent.
I once received a three page letter that my lawyer defined as libellous, from an academic colleague, saying I had no right to say what I was saying, especially in public lectures. Sadly, my experience is that universities are the most dogmatic and oppressive places in our society. This becomes progressively worse as they receive more and more funding from governments that demand a particular viewpoint.
In another instance, I was accused by Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki of being paid by oil companies. That is a lie. Apparently he thinks if the fossil fuel companies pay you have an agenda. So if Greenpeace, Sierra Club or governments pay there is no agenda and only truth and enlightenment?
Personal attacks are difficult and shouldn’t occur in a debate in a civilized society. I can only consider them from what they imply. They usually indicate a person or group is losing the debate. In this case, they also indicate how political the entire Global Warming debate has become. Both underline the lack of or even contradictory nature of the evidence.
I am not alone in this journey against the prevalent myth. Several well-known names have also raised their voices. Michael Crichton, the scientist, writer and filmmaker is one of them. In his latest book, “State of Fear” he takes time to explain, often in surprising detail, the flawed science behind Global Warming and other imagined environmental crises.
Another cry in the wildenerness is Richard Lindzen’s. He is an atmospheric physicist and a professor of meteorology at MIT, renowned for his research in dynamic meteorology - especially atmospheric waves. He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences and has held positions at the University of Chicago, Harvard University and MIT. Linzen frequently speaks out against the notion that significant Global Warming is caused by humans. Yet nobody seems to listen.
I think it may be because most people don’t understand the scientific method which Thomas Kuhn so skilfully and briefly set out in his book “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.” A scientist makes certain assumptions and then produces a theory which is only as valid as the assumptions. The theory of Global Warming assumes that CO2 is an atmospheric greenhouse gas and as it increases temperatures rise. It was then theorized that since humans were producing more CO2 than before, the temperature would inevitably rise. The theory was accepted before testing had started, and effectively became a law.
As Lindzen said many years ago: “the consensus was reached before the research had even begun.” Now, any scientist who dares to question the prevailing wisdom is marginalized and called a sceptic, when in fact they are simply being good scientists. This has reached frightening levels with these scientists now being called climate change denier with all the holocaust connotations of that word. The normal scientific method is effectively being thwarted.
Meanwhile, politicians are being listened to, even though most of them have no knowledge or understanding of science, especially the science of climate and climate change. Hence, they are in no position to question a policy on climate change when it threatens the entire planet. Moreover, using fear and creating hysteria makes it very difficult to make calm rational decisions about issues needing attention.
Until you have challenged the prevailing wisdom you have no idea how nasty people can be. Until you have re-examined any issue in an attempt to find out all the information, you cannot know how much misinformation exists in the supposed age of information.
I was greatly influenced several years ago by Aaron Wildavsky’s book “Yes, but is it true?” The author taught political science at a New York University and realized how science was being influenced by and apparently misused by politics. He gave his graduate students an assignment to pursue the science behind a policy generated by a highly publicised environmental concern. To his and their surprise they found there was little scientific evidence, consensus and justification for the policy. You only realize the extent to which Wildavsky’s findings occur when you ask the question he posed. Wildavsky’s students did it in the safety of academia and with the excuse that it was an assignment. I have learned it is a difficult question to ask in the real world, however I firmly believe it is the most important question to ask if we are to advance in the right direction.
Dr. Tim Ball, Chairman of the Natural Resources Stewardship Project (www.nrsp.com), is a Victoria-based environmental consultant and former climatology professor at the University of Winnipeg. He can be reached at letters@canadafreepress.com
Comment by JP — February 6, 2007 @ 2:11 am