Who Killed the Electric Car? DVD Released

"Who Killed the Electric Car?" was played on Freedom TV which I saw on my computer today through WinAmp (Shoutcast TV). If you don't want to buy the DVD, maybe you can catch it there if you have a fast internet connection.

The advantages of Electric over Hydrogen seems obvious, but I'm concerned that if many or most cars end up electric, then the greatly increased demand (nationwide) will drive up our electric bill, the same way natural gas utility plants are driving up it's costs. My natural gas heating bill has more than doubled in the last 3 years, even while I've reduced my usage by 25%. I'd hate to see my electric bill do the same.

Keith

 

Actually, costs are expected to go down, since the electricity can be generated in a linear fashion, instead of "on demand" like it is now.

(Searching for a reference...)

Nate

 

electric plants have the advantage of volumes. the bigger the plant, the more efficiently it can produce a unit of electricity. increasing electrical usage 25% would probably only increase your cost that much as well. (your electric car would not increase your bill anywhere near that unless you live in a very cheap tiered electrical rate area like i do)

 

I have to rent the movie soon!. Hey it just occurred to me. Coal plants and natural gas powered plants have to burn fuel to produce electricity to send to our homes. Thus more CO2.

Over 50% of current generated is used to push the electicity to our home plugs. It is a great idea to have these electric cars to utilize power in the night when the peak hours are over, but we are still burning fuels and heating our planet.

The ultimate is that we have to convert wind and solar energy directly to electricity and use it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Keith @ Feb 28 2007, 04:16 PM) [snapback]398141[/snapback]</div>

Well, let's see. We have ZERO control over the price of gasoline. And much of the money we spend for it leaves our country's economy. And some of that money funds the people who try to harm us.

So even if EVs DO make electricity go up... that money stays here. But EVs won't make electricity rates go up. More off-peak usage will make generation more efficient, and (everything else being equal) the price to make each kwh would go down. Please understand that the price of electricity - just like the price of all energy - is going to go up. It will go up without electric cars. EVs will not hasten that trend.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius @ Mar 1 2007, 10:05 AM) [snapback]398566[/snapback]</div>

See. Like Nate says.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(cubbyg @ Mar 1 2007, 09:26 PM) [snapback]398911[/snapback]</div>

Yes. Many people worry about the effect of powering our cars with electricity - and fail to notice tha their AC's, heaters, pool pumps, fans, lights... all that stuff is causing pollution. We could power many millions of EVs just on the electricity that homes and business WASTE every day. Don't dismiss EVs because they use dirty electricity. Figure out a way to clean up the grid. Way the hell easier than cleaning up gasoline production... which is impossible and almost completely out of our control.

Where does the 50% come from? Line losses are about 8% nation wide. The electric grid is the most efficient way of moving energy that we have in this country. Yes, power plants still burn fuel, and still pollute. But when compared to burning gasoline for those same miles... where there really is no comparison. And then when you realize that you can power your EV with PV panels on your roof - game over. I don't have line losses of any consequence. My EV's fuel is made about six feet from where the car is charged.

This isn't something we need to wait for. It is what hundreds of us CA EV drivers have been doing for many years. My wife and I drive our EV about 12,000 miles/year without burning anything, or adding CO2. We product more energy on the roof our of our house than our car needs - so se go ahead and power the house as well.

 

I watched "Who Killed the Electric Car?" 3 times in the last week. One thing not highlighted very much in the movie was that gasoline prices were very low during this period. In fact, one study said that adjusted for inflation, gasoline was the lowest price ever in the late 1990's! No wonder the bone-heads at GM, Ford, Toyota and all that were working on the EV made the switch to SUV's for profit. Now the tables have turned, and Toyota has pulled ahead in the race to the future with the Prius, a combination of gas/electric. Now all they need to do to drive the other auto makers into the poor house is come up with a workable PLUG IN Prius that would give consumers all that they want; EV around town and gasoline for the longer trips.

Will the oil co's and government bribe takers put road blocks in the way of the future like we saw in the documentary? Hydrogen M/A, it is not a workable solution for many years; has any one seen the Hindenburg news clip lately?

You go, Toyota, and do what is right for the future of all of us. Bring us a plug in to cover just 30 miles a day in electric mode!
B) Lee