Hopefully we'll soon have some more choices

Promises, promises...

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/business/energy-environment/27green.html?_r=1&ref=business

hard to have more choices when we have crap like this

 

What's the part bothering you? (This is a respectful question, not any insinuation that the government is working perfectly). When a company asks for 1.8 billion of taxpayer money, like A123 did, how much review and examination should be applied by the Department of Energy? I can see where the administrators are caught between congress and others wanting to let the money fly into the pockets of everyone asking.... but handing out 1.8 billion without a LOT of questions and examination is asking for a disaster.

As far as I can tell, the government (DOE) is replacing a bank, not actually providing any true government service. If it was a 1.8 billion loan from a bank, it would certainly be examined in great and long detail and not be rushed.

 

i guess maybe the part that is bothering me is the way this has gone about.

we have " about a dozen full and part time workers going over applications, some steep in technical details as much as 1000 pages"

sooo, ya... cant imagine why they have not been able to make a decision yet.... but what the hey!!, probably only had half dozen who gave out the bank bailout money...

they say they need a business model that will be profitable. well, there are several NEV manufacturers that are simply hampered by money, distribution and volume issues. hard to make a national impact when you only have 2 dozen retailers because you can only build 500-1000 units a year.

doesn't take much to determine what their needs are. according to the article, the money should start flowing here around April...i guess we will see where it goes

 

OK, I see your point now. The mistake I see is Congress trying to kickstart energy/vehicle efforts by turning the DOE into a bank and the DOE civil servants into defacto bankers (or even venture capitalists). One of the most consistent history lessons of US government technology advancement initiatives is that the government selecting technologies always fails but well targeted tax incentives or pollution restrictions work very well. It's not the lag in getting money out that is irritating to me, it is that the government nearly always picks the losers instead of the winners

 

well, we have a small group of paper pushers who essentially will determine the course of our renewable technology future. im sorry, but that does not make my comfortable.

we have access to the best minds in the scientific community so why aren't they doing this?