With the Israel’s 60th birthday giving the little country a big stage for world attention Shimon Peres took the opportunity to showcase what he considers their secret weapon for fighting Arab terrorism: the electric car.  I previously noted this project, called “A Better Place” and have used it as a model of one part of my recommended energy policy.  Denmark became the second country, after Israel, to adopt this model as a national policy.  Now Peres says it is also part of Israel’s defense policy because it will …

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The March/April edition of Harvard Magazine contains an article by Michael B. McElroy, Professor of Environmental Studies titled, “Saving Money, Oil, and the Climate: Using non-fossil energy sources to power our vehicles.”  It’s a survey course on the future of cars and trucks packed with good data and argumentation on why future considerations of cost and environmental safety will required a move away from petroleum.

Prof. McElroy comes out in pretty much the same place I have.  To whit: eventually cars and trucks will be all-electric and electricity will be supplied …

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Here is a report, courtesy of a reader, on global lithium supply. It points to the high concentration in SQM’s reserves, among other things.  There seems to be a lot of lithium around. 

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What we need is an electric City Car that can do the running around jobs using electricity, not gasoline.  It should look like a Honda Element - utilitarian and light weight - and it should cost $20,000 max.  The Volt looks like a souped up sports car, it costs almost $50K, and it is mainly useful for going quite long distances on very little gas.  That is a noble objective, but not our first priority.  Somehow, this does not seem like the answer for either G.M. or Peak Oil. …

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As The Wall Street Journal (3/27/08) reported, a Danish utility has joined forces with a Palo Alto company to design a personal transport system based on renewable energy.  The utility’s partner is also part of an Israeli consortium that  is  implementing a system for running cars on solar power.  In Denmark, the renewable source is wind, but the principle is the same. 

The elements of both systems are non-fossil-fuel based electricity generation, electric powered vehicles, and a national network for recharging and battery exchange.  Although renewable solar and wind …

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Below is reproduced a post from The Energy Blog, an excellent source of news about green technology.  It concerns a new electric “town car” made in Norway.  What I find most interesting about the announcement is that General Electric is investing more money in both this car company and a related battery company. 

Most interesting of all, I think, G.E. has used the phrase, “the electrification of transportation” to define the mission of which this investment is a part.  I believe that electrifying transportation is exactly what needs to …

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In a further step down the road to the electric hybrid lithium-ion battery solution to automobile fuel efficiency, GM and Toyota have abandoned efforts to develop a hydrogen fuel cell technology.

I recently stated my own opinion than fuel cells are an impractical fantasy.  This news confirms my view of the future and is a further reason to own lithium producer SQM.  It is also a good reason to be short GM (which I am) on the theory that the most poorly managed company in the history of business will …

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Technology Review, an MIT publication, ran a piece on plug-in hybrids in its recent March/April issue that focused on the green implications of substituting grid-based power for gasoline.   In other words, would it be a cleaner alternative?

The piece caused me to think further about our current hybrid products and the more efficient next generation of lithium-ion based hybrids. Clearly, they are a means to greater fuel efficiency.   They do nothing to eliminate our dependency on petroleum; they only make our fuels go further.   

Fuel efficiency is good, …

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Ford claims this prototype car will get 120 mpg city and 70 -80 hyway.  It could be available in five years.   One of the main reasons for investors to understand this possible development is to put future oil prices in perspective.   I have said that the price of oil could be $300 in 2012, which is a surprise to some people.  Well, that’s only three times the current price.   If we can get cars in …

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There was a debate regarding the best way to have clean aut0motive transport.  Is it better to substitute biofuels for petroleum or to build plug in hybrids.  Actually, I am not sure the two are mutually exclusive.  Anyway,  Tom Konrad, an astute analyst whose web site, Alt Energy Stocks,  is now listed among “Jim’s Recommended Sites”,  has weighed in with an alternative position.   You can read it here.

It is an interesting discussion for those who come at the subject from a global warming perspective. I’m sure some farmers …

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Here is a link to the NYT coverage of the revolutionary Israeli plan to transform their automotive fleet to electric vehicle over a decade.  We know this is the ultimate future for all vehicles because electricity will be the ultimate energy source as petroleum and then natural gas become scarce.  

It makes perfect sense for Israel to lead the way because

1. the country is physically small enough to use electric cars for most purposes despite the limitations of current battery technology.

2. with high intensity sunlight, Israel is well positioned to …

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UPS Goes Green
UPS rolled out an electric car and truck fleet this week to help with small parcel deliveries in in Northern California using 42 electric cars and trucks from ZAP (OTCBB: ZAAP). The move was made to reduce fuel consumption, reduce CO2 emissions and to provide a more maneuverable vehicle in congested urban areas.

The UPS branch in Petaluma, California (just north of San Francisco) has leased an initial fleet of 42 ZAP Xebra® electric …

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Amory Lovins is not worried because energy efficiency will improve so rapidly we will run out of our need for oil long before we run out of oil.

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High speed, long distance, low cost vehicle for U.S. market.   But it seems mostly useful for local travel.  Otherwise you’ll be filling it up at someone else’s house, which may not work too well.

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The small electric vehicle being developed in Europe could have major impacts on both petroleum-based fuel usage and the capacity of the electric grid to support increased demand.  The idea is that millions of electric cars would be re-charged at low-demand times (overnight) and sell electricity back to the grid during peak times.  If it takes hold it will not have much impact in the next five years, so is not really actionable in terms of immediate investments, but it could be extremely helpful when the Rapid Transition occurs. …

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