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| The problem with electric cars. I prefer my bicycle over internal combustion or electric vehicles. |
When are line ups good news? When they are at electric vehicle charging stations. Good news because these line ups are a sign that our world is undergoing an energy revolution, the likes of which have not been seen since 1970 when crude oil triumphed after 60 years, and achieved #1 status in the global energy mix.
It was Henry Ford and the internal combustion engine that pushed our transition from coal and wood as the major energy sources, to liquefied fuels suitable for the family car. Our insatiable thirst for this new fuel helped create some of the largest, most profitable, and most harmful corporations ever.
Exploitative oil companies think that our fossil fuel future will be pretty much the same as it is now, at least the next 50 years. And their fabricated anti-change propaganda is trying to make sure that this is the case. It is all occurring at a time when the experts are saying we need to transition to a carbon-neutral world right now. Not 50 years from now.
Koch Industries is one such company that has benefited from petroleum production for our car-based society. The Koch brother's father started the company after inventing a way to refine heavy oil into petrol. Now his climate-denying sons are among the richest men in the world, and they like to spend their money obstructing a change that may be slowed, but won't be obstructed.
Meanwhile, line ups are likely to continue until a solar powered infrastructure to support demand is developed. Currently the growth in sales of EVs (electric vehicles) is 50% annually, and this is projected to continue to the end of this decade.
The transportation world is changing, now. We may not hear much about it in mainstream circles, but all over the world people are making choices that are ushering in a new energy era. If electric cars continue to jolt the car and oil industries, there may be a fossil fuel flop in the future.
That would be good news, too. More good news would be if bicycles also figured prominently in the new energy ethos.
In the last few years, electric vehicle charging stations have been popping up all over my town. It's just so exciting! My dad, who drives a hybrid and loves to chat up other hybrid/electric car drivers, met a very knowledgeable person. Apparently, this man thinks we're on the verge of a breakthrough in battery power and driving distance for electric vehicles. It's so wonderful to think that, in my lifetime, gasoline vehicles may go away and a far better alternative take over. I also wouldn't mind seeing the Koch brothers go away and lose their influence in politics. That's exciting too.
ReplyDeleteNew battery technology has interesting applications for home use as well. I would love a pedal-powered generator hooked up to a battery. Perhaps I could power our whole house, and get exercise at the same time.
DeleteIt would be wonderful to see the internal combustion engine retreat into museums.
Hello Gregg,
ReplyDeletewhen my car finally doesn't work any more I'm looking forward to doing all of my travel by bicycle (or taking the train for city visits). The car is currently useful to transport my kids around town - it is very hilly and public transport is almost non-existent (I live in a country town), but I can't see myself needing it much once the kids fly the nest.
I read that 63% of members of Danish parliament get to work by bicycle. And an estimated 50% of people living in Copenhagen travel to work by bicycle each day. Most continue to do this even when it's cold and snowing - wonderful!
I'm hoping for more bicycle lanes in my town to make bike travel safer - it does make all the difference and I think many people here would use a bicycle if they could do it more safely.
Madeleine.x
Just as the Chinese are switching to cars we will be switching to bicycles. Love the bicycle statistics! You are fortunate to have a train as an option. I love traveling by train.
DeleteI like what Anonymous said, "...wouldn't mind seeing Koch Brothers go away and lose their influence in politics...". Wouldn't it be nice if they got busted by the Panama Papers leak?? There are a couple of people I wouldn't mind seeing go away in our current U.S.A. presidential campaign. Geez this is nuts here.
ReplyDeleteMadeleine, you bring up something that is a problem here where I live. I'm witnessing unsafe car and bike traffic on roads engineered to handle cars, not bikes. My city decided to bring cycling here. Nice. I'd hoped that it would become a bike friendly town for regular citizens complete with bike safe lanes. But that hasn't been the case. They intend for this small city to be a cycling training center for Olympic cyclists. But these cyclists are not regular people going about getting their groceries, etc on a bike. I was at a city meeting and loudly suggested that the city hustle and get bike lanes added to roads AND educate the public about how to drive with bicyclers....which they didn't do. Now we have cyclists and cars traveling together and it is a very dangerous mix. I have no power or influence with the city planners. I'm just a regular citizen that speaks up when I see an opportunity. They have written down my ideas from time to time. So maybe they listen. But they didn't on the bike thing. I would not dare ride a bike on roads here only because of safety concerns. I hope that changes in the future. I'd like it to become a walking friendly city as well. For now, I have to drive.
Good on you for speaking up, Terri. I think you are right about education too, a lot of motorists are unsure about how to share the road safely with cyclists.
DeleteYou've inspired me to have more of a say on this issue in my own town - you never know, I may be pleasantly surprised with a positive response.
Madeleine
Wonderful Madeleine! You inspire me too!
DeleteOur cities have been planned for cars so that to live there you do need a car. Thanks for speaking out for bikes. A city planned around bikes and pedestrians would be a healthier, more pleasant place to be.
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