Minister Ryan announces that the taxpayer will foot the bill for future purchases of vehicles by big business

cactus flower wrote:

Do you fancy one of them, Hermes and tonys?

They are very ickle.
I'm not mad about tiny cars. Small cars, fine.
Tiny cars have a place in New York, Paris, London. Somewhere where you can live your whole life only doing urban driving. But not so suitable for Ireland, I think.
Still, I suppose I could use it to pop to train or the shops.

And I'd be tempted to get one of those classy looking Veltrix scooters if I had the cash!

eoinmn wrote:

Hermes wrote:

Yes, most people drive during the day, and a petrol engine will give better mileage than an electric engine. Yet there's been no move to have petrol stations only open at night.

Loads of petrol stations are open 24 hours.

There is a also a big difference between charging an electric car and filling up with petrol. Charging an electric car can be done at home.

I won't deny that electric cars have a long way to go before they entirely replace petrol/diesel. They are not ready for prime time yet.
But, we will never develop them unless we try. Modelling consumer behaviour on a computer screen in a university will not be much help. What is needed now is to encourage early adopters (ie nerds) to go out buy them and try them. This will give the companies involved good feedback and income for R&D.

The measures taken by Ireland, Israel etc, are only first steps. But they are very necessary first steps.
Hermes, you are being too pessimistic and negative about the whole thing, IMO.

The point is that most people fill their cars during the day.

Statistical analysis on a computer screen is much preferable to attempting a DIY experimental circumcision on yourself with a garden shears.

I'm not being negative in the least, I'm being very practical. I'm saying that the emperor is naked and that it can be fixed by taking action. To suggest not taking any action and instead, to ignore the problem, is being negative imo. (I'm not suggesting that it's you who's being negative, I'm suggesting Minister Ryan and Co. are.)

eoinmn wrote:

Auditor #9 wrote:

I'm at a loss as to why we don't see more about it from the Greens or anyone else for that matter.

More about what? Smart meters?

Yes and meters we can use to plug solar panels and other gadgets into to micro-generate electrons and send them into the grid. Any chance ?

Ryan never shuts up about his Smart meter roll-out.

eoinmn wrote:

Ryan never shuts up about his Smart meter roll-out.

OK I'll google it for the specs and the rollout date. Maybe I'm not paying so much attention to it as other stuff. A device like that I believe should make an enormous difference if it's got the right inputs.

I'm convinced the development of battery and other electrical component efficiency is accelerating and could even follow some kind of curve like the Moore's Law one for transistors. Here's two pieces from Metaefficient - a hot air blog or detailing some real products ?

Quote :

New Lithium-Ion Battery Recharges To 90% Capacity In 5 Minutes


Toshiba has developed a new lithium-ion battery called SCiB (or Super Charge Ion Battery) which can charge to 90% capacity in 5 minutes. The life cycle of the new battery is more than 10 years even if it is rapidly charged and discharged many times. The battery is also mucher safer than other types of lithium ion batteries, which are potential fire hazards. http://www.metaefficient.com/rechargeable-batteries/lithiumion-battery-recharges-90-capacity-5-minutes.html

Quote :

100% Electric SUV Recharges In 10 Minutes



This SUV by Phoenix Motorcars is an all-electric, zero-emissions vehicle. It can recharge in 10 minutes, and it has a range of a 100 miles (or more) per charge. It’s fast too — it can achieve speeds of 95 MPH while carrying five passengers and a full payload. The vehicle uses the innovative NanoSafe batteries by Altairnano. NanoSafe batteries are made with a non-toxic compound, lithium titanate. This is similar to lithium-ion chemistry, but the use of titanium that prevents the fundamental cause of uncontrolled thermal runaway. http://www.metaefficient.com/cars/100-electric-suv-recharges-in-10-minutes.html

The Green blog site Earth2Tech comments today on the ESB investing $20M in the battery-powered car maker, Tesla motors - the fruits of which are depicted below.

Quote :

Irish Utility ESB Invests $20M in Tesla Motors

Ireland’s state-owned utility, the Electricity Supply Board, has invested $20 million in electric car startup Tesla Motors, according to the Independent. News of the investment, made through a clean technology fund managed by VantagePoint Venture Partners, comes on the heels of an announcement that the Irish government has set out to have electric vehicles make up 10 percent of all cars on its roads by 2020.

What is an Irish electric company doing backing a small-scale luxury automaker in Silicon Valley? We are working to get more details from ESB and Tesla, including when the investment was made. VantagePoint Venture Partners is already a major investor in Tesla.

We do know that the utility has held talks with electric vehicle infrastructure developer Better Place and perhaps this move to fund the lately cash-strapped company could mean Tesla’s technology could play some role in electrification of Ireland’s fleet — if not through the high-end, low-volume Roadster, then potentially through components for the electric vehicle industry that the 2020 initiative is meant to kick start. That could only be good news for Tesla, which according to CEO Elon Musk, has created a profitable powertrain supply business within the still-unprofitable company.

So the first people to have one of the 10% electric vehicles will be sports car enthusiasts ?

Auditor #9 wrote:

The Green blog site Earth2Tech comments today on the ESB investing $20M in the battery-powered car maker, Tesla motors - the fruits of which are depicted below.

Quote :

Irish Utility ESB Invests $20M in Tesla Motors

Ireland’s state-owned utility, the Electricity Supply Board, has invested $20 million in electric car startup Tesla Motors, according to the Independent. News of the investment, made through a clean technology fund managed by VantagePoint Venture Partners, comes on the heels of an announcement that the Irish government has set out to have electric vehicles make up 10 percent of all cars on its roads by 2020.

What is an Irish electric company doing backing a small-scale luxury automaker in Silicon Valley? We are working to get more details from ESB and Tesla, including when the investment was made. VantagePoint Venture Partners is already a major investor in Tesla.

We do know that the utility has held talks with electric vehicle infrastructure developer Better Place and perhaps this move to fund the lately cash-strapped company could mean Tesla’s technology could play some role in electrification of Ireland’s fleet — if not through the high-end, low-volume Roadster, then potentially through components for the electric vehicle industry that the 2020 initiative is meant to kick start. That could only be good news for Tesla, which according to CEO Elon Musk, has created a profitable powertrain supply business within the still-unprofitable company.

So the first people to have one of the 10% electric vehicles will be sports car enthusiasts ?

I’ll have me one of those or that SUV at a push.