Plugging into City Hall – December 21, 2010

The EV revolution requires charging stations and political buy-in

In case you need convincing that electric vehicles are going mainstream, the New York Times declared “EV” one of its "Words That Made the Year" on Sunday. Still, most of us know little-to-nothing about lithium-ion phosphate batteries or battery management software. But if EV advocates expect electric vehicles to gain any traction in mainstream America, there's one group of people who really need a primer on these new wheels: the folks at city hall.

That's because without the support of municipalities and departments of traffic and parking all around this country, drivers aren't going to have… more

by: Mary Catherine O'Connor

(0) Comments

Make Room in the Garage for Your SAV ... Suburban Air Vehicle – December 9, 2010

Americans spend 4.2 billion hours a year stuck in traffic each year, according to the transportation research group TRIP, and this costs them $78.2 billion in wasted time and fuel. Brien Seeley, the president of the Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency Foundation (CAFE), doesn't think a better public transit system will solve this problem. He objects not because he thinks travel--or even single occupancy travel--is bad, but because he thinks ground transportation is never going to get substantially better. We're too hardwired to eschew public transport for the private space afforded by our… more

by: Mary Catherine O'Connor

(0) Comments

EMF Concerns Causing Smart Grid Interference – December 6, 2010

The smart grid is supposed to deliver clean energy salvation, bringing renewable energy mainstream and enabling rate payers to optimize energy use and lower their rates through smart meters that provide two-way wireless communication portals to utility providers. That’s the vision. But it’s not quite how activists in Northern California would like to see it play out—not because they oppose clean energy, but because they’re concerned about the way smart meters operate.

The concerns are on multiple fronts, but chief among these are health concerns due to electro-magnetic fields (EMF) emitted by smart meters. (Others include worries that utilities could use the meters to collect data on energy usage and thereby… more

by: Mary Catherine O'Connor

(1) Comments

← Recent  

View Posts by Date View Posts by Author