xcel
01-07-2008, 03:22 PM
With oil prices now a triple-digit concern, the timing has never been better. (http://www.thestar.com/columnists/article/291509)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2008_Escape_PHEV.jpgTyler Hamilton – Toronto Star – Jan 7, 2008
2008 Ford Escape PHEV. With Toyota’s own OEM Prius PHEV, could a meld of the two vehicles drivetrains be what Ford and Toyota are working on together? -- Ed.
Hitting $100 oil may be just a symbolic milestone, but it certainly brings into focus a sobering reality: the price of this finite resource is more likely to go up than down.
And as it goes up, so too does the exploration and development of lower-grade, dirtier oil – so dirty, in fact, that the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions they represent are expected to offset any gains we'll see in vehicle efficiency over the coming decade.
This has more energy and automotive experts talking about the electrification of transportation as a necessary way to wean society off oil.
Bob Lutz, vice-chairman of auto giant General Motors, made this thinking shockingly clear in last week's Newsweek magazine.
"I believe strongly that this country has to get off oil ... The electrification of the automobile is inevitable," he told the U.S. magazine.
GM showed off a prototype of its plug-in electric Chevrolet Volt last week in Detroit for international media. The company sees the Volt, an electric car that is charged from a power outlet, as its chance to outshine rival Toyota in the green-car race …
The trend is undeniable. There are industry rumors that Ford and Toyota are secretly discussing a joint venture that would manufacture plug-in electric cars… http://www.thestar.com/columnists/article/291509
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2008_Escape_PHEV.jpgTyler Hamilton – Toronto Star – Jan 7, 2008
2008 Ford Escape PHEV. With Toyota’s own OEM Prius PHEV, could a meld of the two vehicles drivetrains be what Ford and Toyota are working on together? -- Ed.
Hitting $100 oil may be just a symbolic milestone, but it certainly brings into focus a sobering reality: the price of this finite resource is more likely to go up than down.
And as it goes up, so too does the exploration and development of lower-grade, dirtier oil – so dirty, in fact, that the lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions they represent are expected to offset any gains we'll see in vehicle efficiency over the coming decade.
This has more energy and automotive experts talking about the electrification of transportation as a necessary way to wean society off oil.
Bob Lutz, vice-chairman of auto giant General Motors, made this thinking shockingly clear in last week's Newsweek magazine.
"I believe strongly that this country has to get off oil ... The electrification of the automobile is inevitable," he told the U.S. magazine.
GM showed off a prototype of its plug-in electric Chevrolet Volt last week in Detroit for international media. The company sees the Volt, an electric car that is charged from a power outlet, as its chance to outshine rival Toyota in the green-car race …
The trend is undeniable. There are industry rumors that Ford and Toyota are secretly discussing a joint venture that would manufacture plug-in electric cars… http://www.thestar.com/columnists/article/291509