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Skeptical Debunker

Drivers find electric cars have enough range - Autos- msnbc.com - 0 views

  • “I would expect the market for electrics does not depend at all on the development of a [charging] network, given the way in which these vehicles are used,” said Tom Turrentine, director of the Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Center at the University of California, Davis. Through his survey of 150 people leasing the BMW MiniE battery electric prototype last year, Turrentine discovered that its maximum range of 100 miles per charge was enough to satisfy their normal driving habits. Turrentine found that most MiniE drivers were able to drive between 80 and 100 miles per charge, which they found to be sufficient. “The vehicle meets their needs in this range,” he noted.Market research firm Frost & Sullivan also queried more than 2,000 drivers of all kinds of car nationwide and found that most feel the recharging time for an electric car's battery is acceptable. This satisfaction with the battery's range meant that drivers were able to charge conveniently at home, rather than dealing with the hassle of plugging in at work or in other public parking locations. The relative lack of these recharging locations could prove less of a deterrent to electric car acceptance than was expected, Turrentine said.
  • When Berlin, Germany, installed a public charging network, the chargers went largely unused by the city’s electric car drivers, he added. Still, electric drivers don't like the notion of getting stranded and sympathized with one another’s plight. MiniE drivers posted their locations on a Web site they shared, so if one of them found themselves far from home with a low battery, they could head to another MiniE driver’s home for some electrons to get home. The home-charging units provided with the cars can juice up a battery more quickly than just plugging into an available 120-volt outlet, getting the driver back on the road in less time. This self-organized grass-roots support network that sprung up through the use of social media is an example of how electric car test drivers have communicated with one another and with carmakers even without organized surveys like Turrentine’s. “Our customers will give us feedback anyway, whether we like it or not,” said Ulrich Kranz, head of BMW’s Project i. Even if drivers infrequently need public charging, knowing it is available provides considerable peace of mind to prospective EV buyers, according to Frost & Sullivan’s director of automotive and transportation research, Veerender Kaul.
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    To all those cities worrying about how they are going to get wired for electric vehicles: Fret not. "Range anxiety" may not be as acute as you think. Studies of drivers who already have electric cars are finding that they prefer the convenience of charging at home, and despite their vehicles' limited range, most are able to avoid public charging. That's good news as tightfisted states and cities prepare to deal with the transition by some drivers to battery-powered vehicles. And it's also good news for automakers who were worried that acceptance of the vehicles would depend on creating a network of charging stations, much as there are now gas stations dotting every neighborhood.
Alex Parker

Why has wave power lagged behind other renewable energy sources? - 1 views

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    With the UK going coal-free for a record-breaking 90 hours over the weekend, energy sources such as solar and onshore wind now play a key role in generating electricity. However, with the urgent need for new energy sources to replace the 60% of the electricity produced worldwide by fossil fuel combustion, it has become necessary to look further afield to alternative energy sources.
eyal matsliah

No Impact Man: When the lights go out…Gulp! - 0 views

  • As for lighting, strategically placed candles with mirrors behind them shine more brightly than people give them credit for.
  • A suggestion for those who find it financially difficult to be green. Search in your areas for Trade and Barter organizations. I'm sure most big cities have them. But you don't have to join a group, but people you know that you can barter with. I have done this before, traded my time with a friend who is a carpenter who builds energy efficient off-grid homes. It saved me a lot of money. Everyone has a skill they can trade. You can still be green even if you have a low-income. I've managed to do it, and having a low-income has taught me to be responsible with money. Grow your own food, or find someone who has a space you can start a garden. I live in a bachelor suite and grow culinary herbs, and baby lettuce, romaine, spinach. Also grow sprouts in jars. There is lots of info on the net about sprout growing. Posted by: dare | April 21, 2007 at 12:46 PM
Steve Stearns

The Most Profitable Company in US History - 0 views

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    Can you guess who earned the most profits last year? If you guessed Exxon you are right! You and I are funding these profits be paying higher gas prices at the pump.

    While you're pinching every penny to feed your family and cutting back to conserve they pocketed 39.5 billion and assured their pla
Alex Parker

European Commission gives green light to state backing Hinckley Point - 1 views

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    The European Commission has given the UK Government the go ahead to offer EDF a guaranteed price per unit of electricity generated for a 35-year period for the purpose of incentivising investment. Ever since it was first proposed in October 2013, the proposed deal between the UK government and French nuclear power company EDF for the financing of a new nuclear plant has courted controversy.
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