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Important point to note: that the first hundred were sold before they were even built, so that’s the cash flow issue sorted. The big automakers are sniffing around: pray that they don’t succeed in buying the company. They’ll just shut it down like they did the EV1.
I worry about batteries. I now religiously turn off and unplug my wife’s laptop – which she tends to leave running all day, even though it is little used by the kids who both have access to desktops. It was that Dell story about Sony batteries bursting into flames that did it. This story refers to “liquid cooled” batteries like those in laptops. This seems like a waste of energy to me – unless it is being used for heating and/or cooling the car for the occupants, something that other electric vehicles found problematic.
Plus of course the usual issue (not mentioned here) of where the electricity will come from. In California, probably from more remote, oil and coal fired generating stations I’m afraid. Not zero emissions, just elsewhere emissions.
Stephen Rees's blog 
If everyone had homes or offices that were also energy production using several different renewable energy sources we could charge up at home using solar power, wind power, biofuel, or human power [crank it!].
Consume Less, Produce More.
positivenergyoutput
August 22, 2006 at 11:24 am
I don’t disagree – I just think that your approach has that very big word “If”
My house has one of those legally binding but unenforcable mandates. When I replaced the roof I was supposed to use cedar shakes. Sorry, I can’t afford that and went for laminated shingles: longer life and cheaper than cedar. I cannot imagine that solar panels would have satisfied anyone. They cost a bomb, only work when the sun shines and, as of the time of writing, you can’t push the excess power back onto the grid at a reasonable price. I don’t see a reasonable chance of many domestic windmills in the suburbs either. Look at the fuss a proposal for a few out on the salt marshes created – it would spoil the view from the dyke!
My pals at what was then called BC Gas thought that we would eventually have fuel cells in our houses with the hydrogen coming from natural gas. As far as I can see biofuel generation (and cranking!) at home is simply unrealistic. I cannot even get biofuel for my minivan (except ethanol blended gasoline!).
stephenrees
August 22, 2006 at 12:08 pm
Thank you for the reply. I know the idea for Positive Energy Output has many roadblocks, but they are not all permanent. I’m thinking more long term. Who knows what advances we may have in our government, technology and social consciousness in the next 30 years.
The thing is we have a way to affect that outcome right now. By bringing up the possibilities we wipe the cobwebs from our minds and allow the imagination to forge new roads to a future by choice instead of a future by accident.
We are currently living the results of the designs from 50 to 100 years ago. The decisions by the designers of society in the early 1900s has created our current state of affairs. Things could have been so different, but now we have the means to communicate to the masses, from the masses. That is the difference today. Everyone is responsible for the future. We choose our future. We just have to fight like hell to build the momentum to get the big money to pay attention. Nothing happens if we stay quiet.
The point it is affect change by starting the conversation. I’m all for letting the ideas flow. Let’s think of how it can be done, not how it can’t be done.
positivenergyoutput
August 23, 2006 at 11:50 am