the end of oil dependence
This is very cool. It is an —
Electronic vehicle [EV] conceptualized by Better Place and built by Renault. The effort that went into setting this up is huge, the cars require a city-wide recharge infrastructure as well as a computer component on board the vehicle. [Also they did the first smart thing I have seen anyone do in an electronic vehicle, hello, change out batteries so no sitting by the side of the road waiting on the battery to tank up, cell phone companies figured out you could do this why didn’t electronic car manufacturers?] But, Better Place has pulled this off, working with the Renault-Nissan Alliance as well as it appears Microsoft and unveiled the cars at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show and is set to launch wide spread use of the vehicles [estimated 100,000 vehicles initially] in Israel and Denmark by 2016.
:::press release:::
:::wired on renault ev:::
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-x6Rqn8jf4 #p2]
*btw, i am not a complete idealist, there are still probs, like, um, convincing american automobile manufacturers and city infrastructures to work putting this together, like overruling the oil companies, long kings of finance, they are dinosaurs and must step aside and brand into new energy ventures, like the fact this isn’t going to power any planes trains or trucks yet — i get all that but it is still a damn good start so don’t rain on my parade
0 Responses to the end of oil dependence
I drive this electric motorcycle
http://www.hoflink.com/~dbaer/viento.jpg
I paid a mere $2,800 for it in 2003.
Is it difficult to keep that charged? What part of the country do you live in?
I charge the bike easily as I keep it plugged in when not riding it. The company TECC went out of business a few years after they sold it but I can get batteries for it when the 3 in the bike need replacement. As for tires I can get those too as well as the tubes. As for other items I can go to a regular bicycle or motorcycle shop and get repairs. The Electric Cycle Company made the bike called the Viento.
I am curious about where you are located because different places require longer distances. For example, I am in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is huge and sprawling so a vehicle that might work in Manhattan for short distances would quite possibly not work here. It is a question of distances and how far you can go on one charge.
Very cool although I will miss having an excuse to ask a cute boy to check out my battery (wink).
They have new batteries you can ask cute guys to check them out.
Uh, what’s supplying the energy to make the electricity to charge the battery, huh? Oh, I see, you’ve invented magic electrics from thin air. No need for oil, or coal, or nuclear, or hydro now. Great.
Electricity is not oil dependent and there are a lot of ways to generate it some of which do actually come from air or, more specifically, wind and solar power.