Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Those Sneaky Bastards!

[Erik Nielsen (judge4re]

And people wonder why GM needs billions before Christmas...

On Sat, Dec 6, 2008 at 12:18 PM,  <red5hilser [at] aol.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> And I thought the Hun was sneaky after bombing Pearl Harbor! Maybe those old 
> stories about the 100mpg carburetors weren't so far-fetched after all?
>
> Yer pal, Ferrari Bubba
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ABOUT IDE
>
>
>
> FAQS
>
>
>
> ARCHIVES
>
>
>
> PRODUCTS
>
>
>
> CONTACT US
>
>
>
> WHITELIST US
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Technology For Electric Vehicles Is Moving, Only It Is In Reverse
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> NATO UPDATE
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> MaryEllen Tribby
> Publisher
>
>
>
>
>
> Jedd Canty
> Business Director
>
>
>
>
>
> Nicole Reynolds
> Marketing
>
>
>
>
>
> Jon Herring
> Editor
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Charles Delvalle
>
>
>
>
>
> Andrew M. Gordon
>
>
>
>
>
> Dr. Russell McDougal
> D.D.S.
>
>
>
>
>
> Rick Pendergraft
>
>
>
>
>
> Lynn Carpenter
>
>
>
>
>
> Andy Carpenter
>
>
>
>
>
> Christian Hill
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Thursday, December 04, 2008
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Technology For Electric Vehicles Is Moving, Only It Is In Reverse
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Christian Hill
>
>
>
>
>
> My previous articles on General Motors and the EV1 generated quite a bit of 
> reader feedback, and many of you asked the same question:
>
> If GM could build the EV1 to go up to 150 miles on a full charge 10 years 
> ago, why can the Volt only go 40 mi
> les on a full charge today?
>
> Excellent question. Surely, battery technology has advanced in the past 10 
> years, right?
>
> Yes, but that's not the real problem.
>
> The battery pack powering the EV1 was NiMH (nickel metal hydride).  The Volt 
> will be powered by lithium ion batteries like the ones in laptops and cell 
> phones.
>
> So, yes, battery technology has advanced in the last 10 years, but I think 
> the problem of reduced battery range goes beyond that. I think the 
> "regression" in battery capability is intentional. Here's why:
>
> In 1994 General Motors bought a controlling stake in ECD Ovonics. By doing 
> so, GM gained control over the development and manufacturing of Ovonics large 
> NiMH batteries. This move also provided GM with all the patents on the 
> batteries.
>
> As mentioned, these NiMH batteries were used in the final examples of the EV1 
> in 1999, and reportedly worked flawlessly.
>
> Fast forward a couple of years to 2001, and a relatively unpublicized 
> transaction took place. GM sold its share of ECD Ovonics (and the patents) to…
>
> Texaco.
>
> Yep, the oil company.
>
> Six days later, Chevron completed its' purchase of Texaco. So now the battery 
> technology that allowed the EV1 to run for 150 miles without a single drop of 
> gasoline is in the hands of one of the largest oil companies in the world.
>
> In 2003, Texaco Ovonics Battery Systems was renamed Cobasys, a 50/50 joint 
> venture between Chevron and ECD Ovonics. Independently, Chevron owns a 20% 
> stake in ECD Ovonics.
>
> By=2
> 0now, you are probably guessing that an oil company with the patents to a 
> very effective battery technology would never let that technology see the 
> light of day. It could very well put them out of business.
>
> To state that the technology was buried is not entirely true. But what 
> Cobasys did is extensively limit the ability for any one to get their hands 
> on NiMH batteries. And anyone found utilizing the NiMH battery technology 
> that Cobasys had the patents on were sued and sued often, such as Panasonic. 
> In essence, Cobasys controlled the market for NiMH batteries, and they were 
> doing their best to make sure none of the batteries made it into any 
> electronic vehicle.
>
> And that brings us nearly full-circle to the current crop of electronic 
> vehicles, including the Volt. The Volt, as mentioned, will run on costlier 
> lithium ion batteries, which will drive up the cost of the Volt. GM could 
> have used the cheaper and proven NiMH batteries, but alas, they sold the 
> patents to Cobasys (Chevron). Do you think Chevron would allow the Volt to be 
> produced with NiMH batteries, eliminating the need for a gasoline engine to 
> supply power after 40 miles? Not a chance.
>
> Now, to be fair, Cobasys is allowing their NiMH batteries to be used in the 
> Chevy Malibu hybrid, the Saturn Aura Hybrid, and the Saturn Vue Hybrid. But 
> all of those vehicles are hybrids, so they still rely on gasoline. Not one 
> vehicle is utilizing Cobasys batteries as the sole source of power.
>
> But it gets better. The company chosen to supply th
> e Lithium Ion batteries for the Volt is called A123Systems. Guess who they 
> are partnered with? Cobasys.
>
> Great.
>
> So, to bring this all together, the battery technology from 10 years ago that 
> powered a car 150 miles, is now controlled by an oil company, and any new 
> hybrid vehicle in production now relies on batteries from an oil company.
>
> Is it any wonder that we are 10 years down the road from the EV1, but have 
> yet to see a true mass market electric vehicle? Not when the technology is 
> owned by an oil company. I guess we can only sit and wait until 2014 when the 
> patents expire.
>
> P.S.  To let me know what you thought of today's article, send an e-mail to: 
> feedback [at] investorsdailyedge.com.
>
>
>
>
>
> INTERNAL ENDORSEMENT
>
>
>
> The Coming Gold Rush of 2009 Could Hand You Safe Gains of 408%
>
>
> If you think it's too late to make big money in the precious metals bull 
> market, it's time to think again. The financial crisis has caused tremendous 
> pain… but the "solutions" are likely to make the situation even worse in the 
> long run. But there is a way to protect and grow your wealth… with inflation 
> proof, depression proof gold!
>
>
> Click here to learn how to turn the gold rush of 2009 into safe gains of 408%
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> 0A
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> To unsubscribe or modify your subscription options, please visit:
> http://lists.ferrarilist.com/mailman/options/ferrari/judge4re%40gmail.com
>
> Sponsored by BooyahMedia.com
> and F1 Headlines
> http://www.F1Headlines.com/
>