Renault-Nissan and Project Better Place To Mass Market Electric Vehicles

Electric cars are a double whammy.  Not only do they not burn expensive fossil fuels, they need far less lubricants than internal combustion cars.  In fact, except for occasionally oiling the door hinges, an electric car could probably be built today which won't need any extra lubricants for its entier life.

<p>Only a small, technologically advanced country like Israel or New Zealand could set up such a system.&nbsp; The inertia in the big countries is too great and the vested interests too entrenched.&nbsp; The&nbsp; great thing is that once the system is working in one country, all the other countries will follow in quick succession.&nbsp; It will be a shift as dramatic as when the horse was replaced by the motor car.&nbsp; Imagine in a country like Israel with its insanely reliable sunshine if all these cars had solar cells on all horizontal surfaces.&nbsp; If you are a reasonable distance from work, the 8 hours your car sits in the sun should give you enough charge to get back home again to your cheap, after hour electricity.&nbsp; The mind boggles.</p><p>http://mtkass.blogspot.com/2007/10/excess-energy-what-to-do.html&nbsp;</p>

Pardon the ambiguous senses here. Comments re Isreal appear as accurate as the fact that we have waited for decades as US auto manufactures endlessly told us, &quot;It can't be done&quot;.&nbsp; Why? Truly, not cynically . . . why, have we been told endlessly that the knee-jerk plausible solutions of the Isrelis (and Renault-Nissan) and the solutions of the Japanese and others are doggedly denied by Michigan's industrial leaders? Why? Don't please tell us its because of the power of Mobil-Exxon and Shell etc., etc., etc. Why? I can't accept the US engineers cannot be creative. Why?

Interesting article, but based on rather incomplete history I believe. It seems to me that Henry Ford and Thomas Edison had in mind to build electric powered autombiles which would refuel, if you will, at electric stations able to recharge batteries or swap them out, scattered around the countryside. Ford got the car production going but Edison was didn[t get the electric side up on schedule. Therefore Ford had to substitute gasoline engines in order to move out and sell the cars he was producing. Electricity lost and the rapacious oil refiners won. An unfortunate outcome for the country and its citizens. It is nice to think that the oil sheiks could be lunching on oilburgers to avoid starvation.<br />

<p>Only a small country such as Israel or New Zealand could contemplate such a development.&nbsp; The vested interests are too strong in countries like the USA.&nbsp; After they have shown the way and made a success of it, thought the rest of the world will follow and there will be a change as big as the one when the motor car replaced the horse.</p><p>In Israil with its very dependable sunshine, an interesting development would be having the roof and bonnet of every car covered in solar panels.&nbsp; You drive to work, leave your car in the sun for 8 hours to charge.&nbsp; Depending on your distance to work, you might never have to purchase energy again.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This story is a bit off from the&nbsp;full article in Business Week Feb. 4th 2008 pg. 42.</p><p>Instead of recharging or waiting for rechaging, you would pull into a station that swaps out the depleated battery for a fully charged one.&nbsp; An interesting concept.</p>

<p>Unfortunately&nbsp;<span> fran</span> and Johnathon, Although I agree it is a wonderful thing Israel is doing in supporting the transition to electric vehicles, we do have to consider there are factors that make this a better action for them than it would be for the US....</p><p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Petroleum products are hard come by considering the politics of the region, and and are subject to control by Israel's bitter enemies. Thus electrical vehicles are&nbsp; more likely to eliminate a source of prablems for Israelis.</p><p>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Israel is much smaller, travel inside the nation would be less impacted by the more limited range of electrics without refuelling.&nbsp;</p>

wow this is truly impressive! israel leads the way once again and shows the rest of us how a small motivated democracy can really move forwards at a brisk pace. Watch this space....

If a smaller country, like Israel, could plan and begin implementation of such an organized way to address climate change, what could a country the size of the US do? Think of the jobs that would be created! Sure, the dinosaurs known as the big automakers would have to give up their lucrative parts and repairs market&nbsp; for internal combustion engines that is their lifeblood, but, hey... Evolve or bye-bye!

Isreal and many other contries practice top down dictates as many socialists posing as &quot;green&quot; backers want and call for in the U.S. of A. However if the land of the free and home of the Brave is to exist, the answers must come from the individuals not the government. A small electric commuter vehical (NEV HPEV) and home recharging Wind/solar/Hydro or other renewable electric generating system is one way people can Fuel themselves. (and avoid fueling the government subsidies for coal and Nat Gas posing as &quot;renewable&quot;)&nbsp; where inovation leads - industry follows.&nbsp; Hand something to a Government and what you get back is high priced fuel for your biodigester. <br />