Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Video: Better Place electric car system





More at http://www.betterplace.com
Posted by Dr Mariano Ramirez Jr at 8:25 PM
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3 comments:

  1. James TurnbullMarch 18, 2010 at 1:21 AM

    An interesting clip about the future of motoring but the question I find myself asking is how much energy is required for the recharging process and for the installation and implementation of the battery changing roadside infrastructure?

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  2. Dr Mariano Ramirez JrMarch 18, 2010 at 1:28 AM

    James, it's very good that you are questioning solutions that are being proposed here and there. Please dont misconstrue that just because I post things here that I necessarily believe they are good or well-resolved solutions; they are here because they are interesting responses to the issues. Electric and hybrid vehicles are only good in as much as they do not produce tailpipe emissions and therefore reduce pollution in the immediate surroundings that they drive through, but the environmental impact of these vehicles will still be negative if the energy required to recharge them comes from coal-fired power stations; this means that the tailpipe emissions are simply transferred to the emissions at the smokestack of the power plant. So in one of my lectures later I'll make this point, that sometimes people buy "green" products and neglect to question the impacts of their use of those products. I'll touch on this partly during my lecture on Monday. See you then.

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  3. James TurnbullApril 3, 2010 at 7:05 PM

    Yes I agree, please don't think that I was insinuating that you hadn't considered other important aspects to overall process of the concept above. Designers are constantly thinking about the overall process of all objects and systems rather than the more obvious immediate impacts and processes. I see a major problem with the motoring industry as a change is an imperative however it seems that most alternatives have direct and indirect trade offs. In this instance it is the overwhelming effort and the initial and ongoing energy required to implement this system. Still very interesting nonetheless. To me cars seem to be the major environmental issue we are faced with. People love to drive and are very reluctant to sacrifice elements of the motoring experience that define it yet are so damaging to our world. To reach an alternative for motorists based on choice rather than an alternative based on exhausting our ability to put any more pressure on the environment will be one the our greatest achievements.

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