plug-in hybrid vehicles

Washington Should Be Leader In Push For All-Electric Cars

Original op-ed Oil has a virtual monopoly in transportation. Today, 97 percent of all U.S. transportation is fueled by petroleum. Try to go somewhere without using oil; there is virtually no choice. What’s worse, most of our oil is imported. We have gone from 34 percent imported oil in the 1970s to 60 percent today. Hundreds of billions of the Read More ›

Go Green, Go Fast

It was a classic “American Graffiti” moment. A Corvette had stopped at the light next to Martin Eberhard’s new Tesla Roadster. The Corvette driver wanted a race. Jim Woolsey, former CIA director in the Clinton administration, was at the wheel of the Tesla, taking a test drive. He asked Eberhard, Tesla Motors’ CEO, what to do, and got the answer Read More ›

The Future Of PHEVs

In the U.S., we depend on oil for 97 percent of all transportation, importing 60 percent of our oil, much of it coming from some of the least stable nations in the world. Burning oil for transportation creates 40 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Our Supreme Court, Congress, the White House and most Western governors have Read More ›

Green Wheels Spinning For Venture Backers…

If author Michael Lewis were to write a sequel to his 1999 book on cutting edge investors, “The New New Thing,” he might well focus on green transportation. High-profile venture capitalists such as John Doerr of Kleiner Perkins and Eric Straser of Mohr Davidow are promoting with zeal — and a sharp eye toward returns — green tech, clean tech Read More ›

…But Global Security Is As Much At Stake As Clean Air

This article, published by The Puget Sound Business Journal, mentions a conference held by the Cascadia Center of Discovery Institute: Gee-whiz automotive technology stole the show at the Cascadia Center conference. The rest of the article can be found here.

Plug-in Cars Are Close; Let’s Address The Obstacles

This article, published by HeraldNet, mentions the Cascadia Center of Discovery Institute:  A conference in Redmond last week, sponsored by the Seattle-based Discovery Institute’s Cascade (sic) Center, attracted more than 300 enthusiasts.  The rest of the article can be found here.

Fueling Inertia

Today's battery technology would allow drivers to travel 20 to 30 miles before burning any fuel, if they could plug in their cars overnight. That would cover many people's daily commutes. But because it is uncertain how long the batteries would last under those conditions, the government has insisted on long-term warranties. In turn, auto companies point to that obstacle in explaining why PHEVs are taking so long to produce....Car companies and politicians like to hide behind public opinion when it comes to justifying inaction. They note that the public wants a car that can zoom up to 120 miles per hour (even though that's illegal) and deliver power on demand...Would a maximum of 90 mph be acceptable if it were coupled with 80 to 100 mpg? If so, tell your automaker. Tell Congress. Read More ›

Fans Of Plug-in Cars Build Their Power Base

Sometime in the future, your car may make your round-trip commute with electricity generated from rooftop solar cells. When you want to venture east of the Cascades for a weekend winery tour, an internal-combustion engine — powered by biofuels — would kick into action. This vision has helped propel plug-in hybrid cars from a footnote in automotive technology into a serious alternative that car manufacturers are working to bring to market within the next five to 10 years. Meanwhile, a grass-roots network of plug-in converts — professors, students, garage mechanics and others — is already fashioning the first generation of these vehicles in hopes of prodding the industry into faster action. They say these cars can get more than 100 miles per gallon for some travel. Read More ›

Visions Of A Northwest Hybrid Car Future Abound

Imagine at first hundreds of Northwesterners -- but later thousands, and ultimately tens of thousands or even millions -- plugging in their electric hybrid cars every night. Then they all commute the next day without dipping into their fuel tanks. Imagine that the other cars on the road, still using fuel systems more like today's, get around on the byproducts of cow poop or wheat stubble. Imagine further that this new fleet of cars carries devices to signal the traffic-light system, reducing congestion by half at rush hour. And imagine these same devices prevent cars from running into one another no matter what their idiot drivers do. The same devices could offer drivers a choice between the fastest route, the cheapest route (because many roads will have tolls) and the "greenest" route. These were some of the visions that emerged Monday at a broad-ranging conference of Seattle-area businesspeople, utility executives, public officials, environmentalists and others titled "Jump Start to a Secure, Clean Energy Future" at Microsoft Corp.'s Redmond campus. Read More ›