Sunday, November 1, 2009

GAS 2.0

Jim and I went to a play and I met an old friend. She introduced me to her partner as the first person in the state to buy a Prius. It struck me as funny that she remembered that about me. It got me to thinking about how automobiles have changed.
I used to own this Electric, 1994 Chevy Pick-up. It was a government experiment and the engine was built by Hughes Aircraft. It looked like an aircraft engine.


Somehow it seemed unreal to me when I'd open up the "gas cap" and plug in this huge plug instead, like it was a cartoon or something.
The 24 batteries were wired together under this plastic shield under the bed of the pick-up. It was quite a chore unscrewing the bed and removing it to look at the batteries. Only did it once. They were guaranteed for 8 years, but I got the truck when it was 11 years old and still running. Three years later it was unable to make the hill leaving my house. I had to have it towed by a neighbor once to get it home. Finally sold it, but I thoroughly enjoyed this big heavy horse.
After Obama got elected, it seemed Detroit was flatly disinterested in any environmental improvements on their autos.That has changed dramatically. Everyone is putting out an electric hybrid, or plug in, or changing the world, one car at a time. I took a picture of this little plug-in below. No one blinks an eye at plug-ins now. They are numerous, Ford Fusion, Volkswagen Scirocco, Mini-E, Axon...
Check out Gas2.0. You will find cars that will make your head spin. Prototypes such as the Porquepine, a solar vehicle, Tesla motors expensive jewel and so on. But, no one has quite matched the far reaching efforts of Denmark where they use wind power. Then they store it in car batteries. They intend to switch their entire country over to Nisson electric vehicles with "filling" stations-in two years. For distance travel, they can drive onto a docking station and in 40 seconds, the old batteries are exchanged for a full new one. Its quite a feat and quite an investment.
The same American entreprenuer working to make this change in Denmark a reality, is also focusing on Hawaii and other places. Can't wait to see the wonders of a new world. Like the Porquepine come to life. Oh, man, I want one of those, Porquepines.

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