[LINK] Standards, please! The third coming of electric vehicles

Karl Auer kauer at biplane.com.au
Fri Apr 20 15:22:31 AEST 2012


On Fri, 2012-04-20 at 13:25 +1000, Marghanita da Cruz wrote:
> Before pinning all your hopes on electric cars

Argh! I don't "pin all my hopes on electric cars"! That's a total
misrepresentation.

What I am saying (for a host of reasons which I clearly elucidated) is
that they are an immediately available path forward. This is in stark
contrast to alternative liquid fuels, given the *enormous* barriers
those face. Widespread deployability of alternative liquid fuels, let
alone actual deployment, is decades away in the very best case. If they
can be made viable I am all for them.

Over time, alternative liquid fuels may prove viable. However they are
not viable now. Electric cars *are* viable now - not for long-range
purposes, not for heavy-hauling, but certainly in urban environments as
personal transport with moderate amounts of freight. In those areas,
they could make a huge impact and  their limitations would essentially
be irrelevant.

> you might like to 
> contemplate how the electricity which built them and runs them is 
> generated. Not to mention the roads they run on.

Um - I did "contemplate how the electricity which built them and runs
them is generated". Extensively. In several emails. Did you read them?

As to bitumen and asphalt - well, all cars, regardless of their
propulsion technology, run on roads. I don't see how this informs the
little debate we are having.

Regards, K.

-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au)
http://www.biplane.com.au/kauer

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