Today's New York Times writes that Toyota is preparing to test a prototype plug-in hybrid, creating a possible competitor to the Chevy Volt. Maybe this electron economy thing will happen after all!
By the way, Toyota, if you need test drivers in the Northeast US, drop me a line.
I was delighted to read an article about General Motors' emphasis on green technology in today's Wall Street Journal (link - $$). GM has announced that the Chevy Volt, a mostly electric car with a small gas engine to recharge the battery en route, will be the linchpin of its effort to "change the DNA of the automobile." But hidden in the article were a few clues proving that GM's commitment to green technology is paper-thin:
In other words, it's a PR stunt. If gas prices plunged tomorrow, the Volt would disappear faster than day-old bread.GM executives acknowledge it is unclear whether these advanced-technology vehicles will ever come to market, much less generate a profit. The auto maker, as with companies in other industries, has concluded it can no longer wait and see how the public debate on global warming and the world economy's increasing thirst for oil plays out. A big consideration in this change: GM fears it will sell fewer cars if consumers associate it with gas guzzlers.
"We have to have people think we are part of the solution, not part of the problem," said Lawrence Burns, GM's vice president for research and development and global planning. The rush to produce its electric vehicle, known as the Chevrolet Volt, is in large part an effort to show consumers that "we get it" on climate change, Mr. Burns said. "It's not just words. It's deeds."
I'm a fan of electric cars (see a previous post on electric power as an essential component of green energy). In fact, I'm hoping to hold onto my eleven-year-old Izusu Trooper until I can replace it with a car that uses mostly electricity.Voice-to-Screen messaging - powered by SpinVox
green technology technology sustainability innovation automobiles 
public relations 
Wall Street Journal
I recently discovered an epic series of posts from Michael Hoexter, author of the Green Thoughts blog, on the Electron Economy. What is that? It's a point of view on sustainable energy use that focuses on relying more on electricity as opposed to relying on point of use fuels (petroleum, biodiesel, ethanol, hydrogen, etc.), emphasizing "the desirability of building out the electricity-based energy system as a means of harnessing most renewable and carbon-neutral forms of energy."
Here's Hoexter's thesis in brief:
Electricity generation, efficient forms of electric storage (electrochemical batteries and beyond), and electric motors, powered by renewable energy flows, should become even more central in our energy economy, much more important in the short and intermediate term than more celebrated biofuels or hydrogen fuel cells.
On the same subject, "Science Friday" from National Public Radio several weeks ago presented an interesting segment on advanced fuel technology in automobiles (download an mp3 of the broadcast here). It included an advocate for plug-in hybrids (Sherry Boschert, the author of "Plug-In Hybrids: The Cars That Will Recharge America
"), whose arguments were more compelling to me after reading Hoexter's introduction.innovation, 
electricity, sustainability
