Am Sonntag, 5. Juni 2005 14:40 schrieb Mike Carrell: > Very interesting, but this is a niche solution because of the proximity of > the Grand Coulee dam and the fact that the water flows day and night. Grand > Coulee supplies power to a large transmission network; within that network, > the logic applies. > > If you are an automaker investing in the hybrid world, you have to look at > the whole market, including the many places where pollution is created as a > byproduct of producing energy, whethe in a stationary power plant or on > board a car. In those locations, the plug-in hybrid just shifts the source > of pollution from the refined on-board engine to a central power plant. > > In the context of resources available this day, the way out of the > energy/pollution/.warming problem may be a patchwork of niche applications. > In my view, hybrids are a necessary phase before the commercial emergence > of really advanced energy sources. > > Mike Carrell --------------------- I agree, but what I find interesting is that Seattle doing something that most other cities would not even consider doing because they can't. What is not stated in the article, but is very relevant, is the fact that the City of Seattle actually owns the power company. The result has been that Seattle's residents have enjoyed some of the lowest rates available anywhere on the planet. I don't know what they are charging right now, but when I first moved there, I was paying 2.5 cents per kilowatt hour. When I left, it was a bit higher, but not by much. Billb could probably tell you what the present rate is.
So, Seattle is leveraging its grassroots political power to influence the automakers to produce an auto that fits their particular niche. Other cities and areas may be able to benefit from this kind of auto as well, but getting the auto manufacturers to widen the options of what is available will take organizing on the scale that Seattle has initiated. Besides being one of the cheapest cities to live in for electrical costs, Seattle would also benefit by having better air quality, less inner-city traffic noise, and by being one of the cheapest cities in which to drive a vehicle - if you chose the right vehicle. The question is, will the auto manufacturers react in a positive manner to this type of initiative, and actually produce that auto, or will we all remain enslaved to what they decide we want. Knuke
