<DrumBeat: April 28, 2008 The Oil Drum A Real Time Example of Energy Quality- How Wind Turbines are Subsidized by Fossil Fuels>

156 comments on Thoughts on Demand Destruction: Where Is It?

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AlanfromBigEasy on April 29, 2008 - 10:59am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I think the key difference is more historical

GM was convicted for restraint of trade for buying streetcar lines in order to shut them down.

Over a half century of public policy and public subsidies has supported sprawl and suburban/exurban expansion. Roads and highways, federal and state money for new schools, post-WW II VA loans could only be used for new housing and not on existing homes in established neighborhoods, etc.

Suburbia is *NOT* the result of "natural" economic forces, but of a lifetime of public policy support and subsidies.

Best Hopes for Redirected Public Policy Support and Subsidies,

Alan

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tonyw on April 30, 2008 - 4:32am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

If I remember right don't Chevron own some battery technology that they refuse to let anyone use for cars?

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BruceMcF on April 30, 2008 - 12:21pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

If I remember right don't Chevron own some battery technology that they refuse to let anyone use for cars?

Either way, that kind of action is small potatoes compared to the effect of the systematic, ongoing, substantial subsidy for sprawl development.

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biketowork on April 30, 2008 - 10:03pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

In the film "Who Killed the Electric Car" they explained how the nice elderly couple who invented the great battery idea for GM was sold by GM to Chevron after they killed the EV1 in California.

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Pholostan on May 2, 2008 - 4:57am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Google "cobasys patent".

Cobasys has succesfully sued the major battery-makers of the world. Chevron-Texaco owns half of Cobasys, Energy Conversion Devices owns the other half. They have a very basic patent on NiMH-tech that expires in five years or so. Settlements with major battery-makers expires before that I think.

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156 comments on Thoughts on Demand Destruction: Where Is It?

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