China to Invest Billions in Electric and Hybrid Cars

Recent post by the NYT on China's commit to EV's. Appearing they want to take the mantle from the US to be the EV capital of the world.

Megacities will drive huge demand for electric cars by 2020

Good news everyone...as we continue to slam ourselves closer together (the death of the far flung suburbs continues) EVs will become more and more necessary. In order to stem pollution the EV will become the choice way to get around.

U.S. Most Likely to Lead Electric-Car Revolution

Interesting note on our current lead in the BCS standings for EVs. As stated several times in this blog it's not a given EVs become the be all end all (remember that ethanol was our savior years ago) and eventually market forces must take over as the govt. cannot be expected to drive adoption through subsidies.

Killer App for E.V.’s: 30-Minute Recharges

Just realized I haven't posted in a bit. Where did the time go? Anyway, the NYT comes up with an interesting piece on charging and the importance of fast charging. While I agree fast charging is a cool and important solution there is still much to work out. For now, first and foremost, is a network of charging that folks need to overcome range anxiety (level 2 is a good start). Who's going to be up to create the next iteration of the filling station?

Rush Blitzes EVs

Former Kansas City Royals employee Rush Limbaugh is none too pleased on the EV movement. He feels EVs are nothing more than a status for the uber-liberal and are yet another example of govt boondoggle.

While I understand he's vitriol I do think he's a tad myopic. There are those in the camp from the Right that EV proliferation is a matter of national security as it will decrease our need from oil from places that really, really do not like us. I think that position is centered and true.

Electric Bikes Where MTN Bikes Were in 80s

Biker mavens the Stanforth brothers tell BikeBiz they are moving into the electric space. Love the quote below:

It's interesting to note that the Stanforth's believe the electric bike market is very much in the same position mountain biking was in the mid-eighties – in its infancy and with potential to achieve huge growth in a matter of years. So could the Stanforth's be onto a winner yet again?

E-Bikes have been slow out of the gate here in the US but there are those who feel the tide is coming (including me). I hope the Stanforth's are turn out to be Oracles.

Tesla Electric Cars: Revved Up, but Far to Go

Yes, I know. I am late with this one as it's about a week old but I wanted to comment on it and simply slipped out of my fleeting short term memory. Anyway, thought the gray lady nailed this one with a peerless look at Tesla. They do not shy away from the facts and are not seduced by the aura that seems to come from the company.

Bottom line is Elon Musk got the car out, took the company public and love him or hate him, has made folks talk a lot about the EV space. He's is almost Steve Jobs like in his ability to capture the public's attention and very few choreograph public events the way he does.

Time will tell on the future of the company but they have left a mark. If this turns into a revolution or not remains to be seen.

Sacre Bleu! Paris Bike Rental Program Spurning EV Ideas

Paris' bike rental program has been so successful they are planning on setting up an EV version this fall. Now you can vroom around the Louvre in an EV. Should be interesting to see if they can pull this off.

Sparks Are Flying

A rare moment in politics is when both sides agree on an issue. It's pretty rare but we have one in the adoption of EV. One side wants to do it to save the planet and the other to reduce need for foreign oil. Yes the means are different but the end is the same and that is what matters.

The Senate got together last week and put up nearly $4B for EV adoption including a plan to get 400K cars on the road in the next three years. Not all folks are happy about this (see Wash Post article previously in this Blog). Interestingly enough some folks in the auto industry are worried that they will now be responsible for upstream emissions (what comes out of the power plant) since their cars will be getting fed from the grid instead of the pump. That's a fair fear on their part as they are already getting hammered on MPG standards as it is. No reason to believe it won't come up in the future. Hopefully when EVs become more of a standard then an exception the Senate will not be struck by selective memory.

The Great Charging Plug Standard Debate

I wouldn't yet call it a war but we could get there. No we're not fighting over a rock in the Mediterranean but instead it is a common standard for public charging. We have two in the running but logic tells us one is the way to go (see either your BetaMax or HD-DVD player as an example). Not sure how this will get to an accord but the infrastructure builders and chargepoint homes (retailers, grocery stores, etc) are going to want a simple solution before real estate is ceded. Here's hope they get there soon.

Low Voltage - Wash Post Weighs In On EV

The Wash Post (general lover of all things government subsidized) let's it be known they are concerned with the current cost of EVs. Specifically the feeling is that the govt. A)Subsidized the cost of the GM plant to the tune of $150M B)Battery suppliers are outstripping demand C)Those who will buy an EV will likely be making over $200K.

The questions are valid but anytime a new technology comes to market the well heeled are the first to adopt. I'm pretty sure that when the car first came to market (pre-Model T) it was not the rank and file ponying up.

Still the challenges are ahead for the technology. A mix of patience and a steel reserve will be needed. Costs have to come down and a road map to move off of subsidization will need to happen. But for now it's early and the main victory is the cars are coming to market in the first place.