Date:         Sun, 4 May 2008 21:00:56 -0700
Reply-To:     Kim Springer <kimspringer@RCN.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Kim Springer <kimspringer@RCN.COM>
Subject:      Re: Vanagons as electric vehicles and other stuff....
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

OK, here I go, adding my 2 cents and I hope it's worth more than that since
I'm neck deep in all these issues, every day, for a living.

The Vanagon is a poor choice for an electric conversion! Too fat and too
heavy. You do not need a 1 ton vehicle to hold the weight of batteries. Ever
pushed a Vanagon? Ever pushed a bicycle? You push the vanagon and I'll push
the bike, and race you across the parking lot. Weight is the enemy of
electric vehicles. Remember that. Wind resistance is the other enemy, so the
Vanagon is far from desireable, especially since most people are driving
with 1 person on board, daily. Now if you are going to haul 9 people
everywhere the electric vanagon goes, we can discuss this again.

Oil companies and the electric vehicles and solar: I too do not believe in
conspiracy theories, but I do believe that money drives the market. Oil
companies did indeed buy up solar research 20 years ago, I believe they
slowed the process down considerably becasue there was (and still is) more
money to be made by selling oil and only now are oil barrons, all over the
world, investing in alternative technologies. Every heard of BP Solar? By
the way, they are not investing because profits on oil have dropped, they
are investing to get their foot in the door on the next wave (like the dot
com boom) and for positive PR.

As for installing solar at a home site: start by doing all the enegy
efficiency work on your house first; it's a lot cheaper and more beneficial
than installing solar. And don't forget Water Conservation. All the heated
water we use costs a lot as well. If you are still paying a high enough rate
during peak periods of the day to warrant installing solar, then go for it,
but solar is still very expensive. Even in California with the rebates we
get, you have be a pretty big user before the up front cost makes sense. The
average 1200-1400 sq ft home doesn't pencil out. By the way, you might want
to do it before the end of the year as the federal rebates are due to sunset
at the end of this year. I'm hoping the program will be renewed.

There are also a lot of theories that electric vehicles do not solve GHG
issues, as the energy has to be generated somewhere, right? Somewhere,
upstream, there is a power station thats coughing out GHG emissions. In
California, the generation mix, (hydroelectric, natural gas, solar,
geothermal, etc.), generates only 25% of the GHG emissions that the average
vehicle emits per mile. If you go electric vehicle in California, you've
made a real difference. The next myth: the grid can not handle the switch to
electric vehicles! If every house in the US was 20% more efficient on energy
use, you could use that money to power all the vehicles in the US as
electrics. Remember, electric vehicles are cheap to run.

Battery Technologies: The technology is there. Tesla is using the
technology, Phoenix Automotive is using the technology, etc., but the cost
is very high, I believe higher than it should be. Again, I think the
companies that can make these batteries are holding the cost artificially
high to earn profits. Soon there will be more competition and the cost will
come down, hopefully sooner than later, for our children's sake.

I recently went to an "eco transportation fair". my favorite vehicle was a
two seater, 2 wheels in front, one in the rear, all electric, 100 mile range
and capable of 70 MPH. The current favorite in my vehicle closet is my
bicycle (zero emissions). I just filled up my Tristar today. The last time I
filled it up was more than a month ago. Efficiency and conservation first!

Kim Springer
2WD Tristar


----- Original Message -----
From: "BJ Feddish" <bfeddish@NETREACH.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, May 04, 2008 7:38 PM
Subject: Re: Vanagons as electric vehicles and other stuff....


> >> There was a movie made called, "Who killed the electric car?" that was
> VERY revealing.  It is available on Netflix and probably on Blockbuster.
<<
>
> That car was ridiculously expensive and only had a 40 mile range. Sure,
> there were some takers but probably some rich Californians.  Don't bash GM
> as they are currently making the Volt which seats 4, has a 200 mile range
> and can charge quickly.  They are still up in the air as to how to charge
> for the expensive batteries, should they charge a monthly payment or have
a
> large initial charge. It should be out it 2010. Nobody killed the Electric
> Car.
>
> Sorry, I don't buy the conspiracy theories for squashing alternative
> technologies. As soon as the first person opens a gas station with $1.25
> algae/switch grass/etc. derived fuel or someone creates a capacitor type
> battery for eclectic cars people with beat a path to their doorstep. There
> is so much money to be made if somebody can come up with a technology to
> beat the price of gas. Exxon is not out there squashing each one of these
> people. As soon as there is a breakthrough we'll hear about it.
>
> Bryan
>