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March 2009 Posts
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I like everything but the title. :)
Can somebody point me to the Forbes article and Bo's response please?
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Congratulations on your 200th episode! What were you thinking when you started this podcast? If this were a weekly show, EVs would already be on the road because it’s almost four years later. Keep up the good work.
Here is the link to the Forbes article:
http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/18/ford-electric-cars-business-autos-jerry-flint.html
Congrats on #200 :) Thanks guys (And gal)
Find Bo's response here, Darell (and anyone else!).
I will tell you what I find the most troubling thing about the Chevy Volt. It has to do with Obama's stimulus package and what it is going to take to get this country straightened out. Handing out money is not going to do it. It is that old "teach a man to fish versus giving a man a fish" story. Nothing is going to improve in the long run unless we start putting Americans back to work. We need to start buying things that are made in this country. This is despite the fact that it can be made and sold for half of that price by China. Mark my words people, when all that we have left to sell in this country is real estate, the end will be swift and sure. What good does it do to finance GM and their ilk in the production of their cars if no one can afford to buy them because they have lost their jobs. GM has taken billions of dollars in "loans" from the taxpayers. They were on line to use lithium ion batteries made in Watertown, Ma. by A123. They are arguably the best lithium Ions batteries in the world. I believe they are the ones used in the Telsa Roadsters. GM just pulled the plug on that and are going to be buying them from Korea. Our tax dollars hard at work?!! We should be turning up the heat on our government officials to put a stop to this. If they choose not to use A123's batteries, there are other lithium battery manufacturers in the USA that they could choose from. If they insist on "outsourcing" the batteries, or other components in their vehicles, to other countries, the government should outsource GM and withdraw the taxpayer funded bailout money. I, for one, currently have 4 vehicles. Three are GM and one is Ford because I believe in buying American. While I believe in the future of electric vehicles, I, for one, will be boycotting anything made by GM if this situation stands. DZ Nbpt., MA
guest,
What exactly does "American made" car mean in this era of globalization? If your "American made" GM car is an Aveo be advised that the Aveo is simply a rebadged Korean made Daewoo Kalos. The Cobalt had the number 4 ranking in American parts content and is rated at about 75% American made parts. The vehicle with the highest American made content is the Ford F150 at 90%. Read it here at http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/51923/car_focus/chevrolet_cobalt_is_4th_most_american_car.html
Interestingly the Toyota Sienna ranks 6th in the amount of American made parts content and the Toyota Tundra is 10th. The Malibu made number 7 so the Sienna has more American parts in it than the Malibu. In fact until the downturn the Tundra was made in San Antonio Texas. This only makes sense as the largest market for trucks is here in Texas.
Cheers,
Rick, from the oil capitol of the world, Houston, Tx.
About the question a few postcasts ago regarding the difference between 110V and 220V outlets.
Power=(Voltage squared)/Resistance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_power
(sorry had to type equations in here)
Basically if you double the applied voltage to the same amount of electrical load you effectively quadruple the total energy that can be transfered. Which is probably why companies like the 220V and sometimes even the new 440V chargers as they can provide much higher energy transfer rates.
Hope that help,
Ryan Gibbs
New Zealand
Rick: Thanks for the info and the link. Truth is truth whether you like the looks of it or not. DZ
Off topic.
One often stated advantage of EV's is their (assumed) reliability compared to gasoline engines. It is assumed that the more complex gas engines leads to less reliability. This is logic has merit, but reliability is a complex issue. When manufacturers do a good job, they can make reliable product despite complexity. Here is a case in point.
J.D. Power and Associates has announced that the Toyota Prius is the most reliable compact car sold in America according to their 2009 survey of 46,000 car owners. Pretty cool that something as complex as the Prius can be the most reliable compact car sold. It is even more reliable than Toyotas other cars. Go and Figure it.
Anyway, something to consider the next time someone is arguing about reliability issues.
LaterJohn C. Briggs
No, Wait, Bo don't go out and buy a used Tesla now!!!
I think that will ruin the EVCast. Having you waiting, and considering, and deciding, and suffering is an important part of the show. If you actually buy an EV now, the whole nature of the show will change. You will lose that gasoline-power-guilt that drives the show forward. DON'T DO IT.
DZ
"Truth is Truth"I guess you are talking about "Your Truth" rather than "Rick's Truth."
I share your frustration about things being made in America. I am particularly sad about the A123 system's loss of the GM contract (I live in Lexington MA).
But as Rick said, this is a complex issue. I used to be in the disk drive business and we had suppliers from all over the world, including in the USA. Sometimes there is just no choice but to go abroad for component. Other countries have expertise that just does not exist in the USA. In addition, you might buy from a US company, or Japanese Company, or Korean Company and find that each of them has decided to do manufacturing in China. All companies seek the lowest possible cost. Sometimes that means doing something in the USA (as Toyota can tell you) and sometimes it means doing it in Korea (as GM can tell you).
You may have to settle on buying a car that is "mostly" made in the USA. Also, the car might come from GM or it might be Toyota. Don't let the American sounding nameplate fool you.
But in any case, I appreciate your desire to buy American. I think it is a worthwhile goal. Personally, I look forward to buying some "made in the USA" electric for my EV. Better yet, I look powering my EV with electricity made from solar panels on my roof, and the solar panels are made by Evergreen here is Massachusetts.
Alriiiight! The EV Cast has 2 Kiwis so far and counting. Welcome Ryan!
Bollocks, I keep getting logged out. That was me welcoming you Ryan.
LOL And by "me" I mean Gav. Hey it's been a long week.
For People interested in EV's and EMF (electromagnetic fields) and their impact on human health, this link is a start
http://www.fixingtheplanet.com/emfs-electric-vehicles
Here is what I learned.
If you are sitting in your house, you probably have 1mg (milligauss) of exposure due to the electric appliances in your home. This is kind of a baseline for human exposure. If you are underneath power lines, you might have 100mg exposure.
So how much exposure do you have in an EV, well, it is tough to know because there is no central place to look up the data. However, a bunch of amateurs on the web have posted data.
According to these amateurs, the EV1 had a level of 24mg (pretty high). Otherpeople measured the Toyota Prius and found it to be low (1 or 2 mg) except in the back seat (I don't know why). Other people found high levels in ICE cars, particularly by the gas pedal (the wiring harness is in that area).
Depending on how the EV is shielded or not shielded, you might or might not have higher exposure than a conventional car. I know, not a great answer.
OK, so assuming that you have higher exposure, are you at higher risk for some scary disease. Well, no one seems to know for sure. It seems reasonable, that high level exposure to radiation (e.g. your cell phone, or your power line to your home) might increase your risk. However, it has been difficult to prove. Studies with lab animals were inconclusive, and studies with humans did find some correlation between disease and exposure, but correlation does not prove causation.
Given this information, it seems reasonable to limit your exposure to EMF. In order to do that, you would have to get some data and perhaps a meter. Risks might include your house, your job (don't be a seamstress or a utility worker), your ICE car, or your EV. Don't assume that the EV is some strange new risk. Your exposure might actually be lower than when you are at work. You just don't know.
The debate is similar to the debates about cell phones. I don't think people know for sure about the risks of cell phones and human health either. On the one hand, cell phones are a much different frequency than power lines, on the other hand, they are right next to your head (not something you are likely to do with a power cord or your EV motor).
So perhaps until you are worried enough to give up your cell phone, you should not be too worried about your EV. On the other hand, go ahead and ask your EV dealer for EMF levels. They should at least supply the data.
Summary: Your EV might or might not have higher EMF levels than your ICE car, and this might or might not lead to increased risk for disease. In other words, giving up smoking and dropping 20 pounds is probably more important to your health than your EMF exposure.
If anyone wants a fair look at the current state of the EV market, there is a different Forbes article for that.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/03/18/electric-cars-new-lifestyle-vehicles-electric-cars.html
Nothing new here for long time EVCasters, but a great summary.
