huh? I thought we`re already doing this

[kimba1]

http://gas2.org/2008/09/15/gm-asks-for-government-support-on-battery-development/

all this time I thought the u.S. was already on top of this situation
I give america too much credit

[Xavier_Onassis]

It is possible to build safe batteries, and someone, someday will develop and build these at an affordable price. It is also absolutely essential, because this is the key to propelling cars using solar, wind, and tidal power.

During WWII the Japanese cut the West off from the rubber supply, and the US government started a crash program to develop synthetic rubber. When the formula was discovered, the inventors were paid, but it was RELEASED PATENT-FREE to everyone to use, because the war was far more important than profit for the few.

This is where we stand today, and this is what we should do now.

There is no problem with paying the actual inventors: after the first twenty million or so, every possible desire and need will be met. No reason to enrich corporations for twenty years just because they hired this or that guy.

Xerox copies cost 25¢ for years, until the patents ran out. After that quality improved and the price plummeted.

[Lanya]

http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/11/autos/volt_official_reveal/?postversion=2008091610

I hope they can make these cars quickly, and make them affordable.

[Xavier_Onassis]

Well, gee, that is a disappointment. The Volt looks more like an Impala and less like the Volt Chevy has been displaying in their ads for two years.

The original design was tres cool. This one resembles a Camry or an Impala.

[Plane]

http://www.essortment.com/all/alexanderflemin_rchb.htm


Also never patented penicillin.

But for ten years after its discovery it was not useable because it was hard to purify , I wonder if this development might have been more rapid if there had been a profit motive ?

[Xavier_Onassis]

But for ten years after its discovery it was not useable because it was hard to purify , I wonder if this development might have been more rapid if there had been a profit motive ?


I have no knowledge of this. I doubt if anyone can answer this. Doctors back then were not generally in it for the money, and drug companies had not become such money grubbers as they are now, so it's anyone's guess.

[kimba1]

don`t forget available technology

the resources needed to do it may not be accessible.

[Lanya]

I keep hoping that retro-fitting (if that's the correct term) will make us able to use the cars we already have.  We might have to burn a little more french fry grease, but it would be worth it.

[kimba1]

maybe the vw bug.

[Xavier_Onassis]

You can't run a gasoline engine on used cooking oil. You CAN mix it with Diesel or convert it to biodiesel, but there is not enough cooking oil available to make any significant difference in the amount of fuel consumed. There have been only two companies that have sold Diesel cars lately: VW and Mercedes. There are a tiny number of old GM Oldsmobiles, Cadillacs and Lincolns still around with Diesel engines. Lincoln had a BMW six Diesel engine, Chevettes were available with an Isuzu Diesel for a few years. The GM engine was a disaster for the first two years. They eventually got the bugs out, but by then no one was buying.

Of course, there are Diesel trucks made by Ford, GM and Dodge (with the Cummings engine).

There are very few Diesel cars and trucks that would qualify as family vehicles.
==============================
For around $1000 or so you CAN convert a gas engine to natural gas or propane. The problem there is that there are very few places where you can fill the fool thing. They are all over Europe, but US gasoline companies have never wanted to sell gas from their stations.