June 13, 2006

WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?

22 comments:

Indigobusiness said...

Great documentary, no joke. I caught that. Amazing industrial subversion of the public good...and public will.

BigDog said...

Look, if electric cars were or became a viable alternative, then any number of countries would jump on them. If America doesn't build them "because of a conspiracy" (snort), then Brazil would, or India, or Russia, or China, or... Italy, UK, France, Germany, Japan.... Hell, if electric cars were THAT viable, several industrialized nations would get into the automotive business.

Is it possible that electric cars are not all that cool and people didn't like them?

Indigobusiness said...

Typical bigdog response.

Watch the film, and realize that a majority of people who tested those electric cars were extremely satisfied and impressed with the performance. So satisfied and impressed the majority wanted to buy them. But, they were not allowed to because the cars were "leased" under dubious constraints, and all the cars were immediately destroyed.

Try getting all the facts before forming an opinion, and blowing your bullshit smoke.

Watch the goddamn film.

DAVE BONES said...

Yeah watch the fucking film. Stop burning fossil fuels you Republican bastard. I did. I ride my bike naked everywhere.

Indigobusiness said...

The reason the industry killed the electric car was there was almost no money to be made from maintenance and repairs, which drives the car industry, not to mention the oil industry's concerns.

Corporatism in action.

Indigobusiness said...

Cover your ass, Bones. Some things even reasonable people can't tolerate.

DAVE BONES said...

everyone loves my naked butt.

I didn't really. United Diversity Jo did, with a naked spanish girl in his bike trailer with her arm in a sling. How dedicated is that?

Apparently she took a photo of his butt in front of her so i'm going to try and grab it before he does.

BigDog said...

I watched the goddamn film before my first post, Indigo. Not impressed with it or you.

BigDog said...

Dave: hope you use sunscreen. Could become painful

Indigobusiness said...

Not the clip, bigdog, the goddamn film.

Fuck you AND your impressions.

BigDog said...

You're very emotional, Indigo. You are always the first to throw insults, don't argue effectively and can't take it. Sensitive. Bruise easily.

Indigobusiness said...
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Indigobusiness said...

Yet another silly and bogus bigdog proclamation. You really are a joke, with all your smug self-satisfaction. You truly are delusional if you think you've done any bruising here.

While you're analyzing, notice how you've (snort) been the first to insult, while ignoring the facts and rationalizing instead with a dogmatic declaration of sheer bullshit. Your argument is so ridiculous it doesn't warrant in-depth refutation.

Check the facts on several of those countries you've listed and eat your words. And while you're at it, WATCH THE GODDAMN FILM. I won't be patronized by a self-righteous right-wing sociopath. The facts are clear.

Defense of the facts is all that concerns me here. I couldn't care less about what you think of me...or any other of your silly, superficial opinions, for that matter. Save your petty insults for someone who gives a shit.

BigDog said...

Four paragraphs, not a single actual arguement, no facts, merely defensive Argumentum ad Hominem.

For your information, my first post above in which I snorted was a response to the film and the conspiracy, it was not addressed to you nor was it an insult. Telling that you would take it personally. Also, all the countries I listed have automotive industries, perfectly capable of producing cars. Brazil, for example, broke free of petroleum dependance by using ethanol and locally produced ethanol burning cars.

When you wish to engage in rational discourse... well, we'll just see.

Indigobusiness said...

Your entire attitude has been patronizing and insulting, and now its gone priggish.

I have no interest in convincing you of anything, the facts are there to see for anyone who wishes to open their eyes. That's my point.

BigDog said...

Of course, I understand completely, Indigo.

Simply put, GM came out with an electric car, California passed laws requiring their sale, only a few people bought them and they sat collecting dust.

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=27&article_id=7606&page_number=1

"EV1 drivers are fanatics," said Andy Frank, an engineering professor and clean-car innovator at UC Davis. "The trouble is there aren't more than 10,000 of them out there" in a state that soaks up 1.5 million new vehicles a year.

The EV1's main appeal, he noted, is to well-off, environmentally conscious folks who happen to have a taste for high performance and sports-car styling, and can afford a second car if they need to go more than 60 or 70 miles a day.

"You ask the common person if they would buy such a car, and the fact is they don't want it," Frank said. "There is a market, but the market is very limited."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/10/10/BA163801.DTL&type=science

Indigobusiness said...

No, you don't understand. That's abundantly obvious.

Like I said before, try gathering all the (pertinent) facts before you spew.

DAVE BONES said...

So who killed the electric car then? It must have been one of you...

BigDog said...

Dave: It died due to lack of interest. In order for any product to succeed and for manufacturers to keep making them, people have to buy the product. A few people LOVED their electric cars. Big Deal. Some people love their 8-tracks. As noted above, the folks who LOVED their electric cars were the ones wealthy enough to afford them as a secondary short range vehicle.

Hybrids are doing okay, with massive subsidies and quotas and Toyota selling at cost. How long this will go on is anybody's guess.

There is nothing hypothetically wrong with alternative fuel or electric motor driven cars. Electric motor 4 wheel drives would be mechanically simpler, which is good for several reasons: Simpler maintenance, fewer moving parts to wear, greater archetectual flexibility, more interior space, etc. However, power supply is an issue, and many options are being explored. Fuel cells, hybrids, alternative fuel engines, list goes on. The problem with batteries is that the batteries are heavy, expensive and do not hold enough power to go long distances. Fuel cells sound good, but haven't lived up to promises. Hybrid gasoline engine/electric motor cars are the 'best' so far, but are expensive and require huge subsidies and quotas to attract buyers.

Indigobusiness said...

Utter twaddle.

The film laid that lie to rest.

Dogmatic nonsense.

DAVE BONES said...

I have no idea why islamists who are clued up to what is happening don't switch to using vegtable oil instead of diesel. I've never included it in any of my edits but that was one of the first things I asked Abdullah about. he just laughed and said

"There is nowhere in the scriptures which says that the earth will end like this..."

really frustrates me.

I don't understand why humans fall for all of it

Indigobusiness said...

Fall, they do.