Multinational corporations in the USA that receive huge fossil
fuel subsidies from the federal government and pay almost no taxes, have been
waging war for more than two decades against the development of electric cars
and other sources of "alternative" and renewable energy.
In the 2006 Academy award-winning documentary, "Who Killed
The Electric Car" the case is made
against the oil company Texaco - Chevron, and GM Motors that purchased the
patent rights to the NiMH battery 20 years ago that would have put the USA out
in front as the number one producer of electric cars. But instead of producing
cars, they have been suing companies like Panasonic to prevent them from
producing NiMH batteries.
We created our own problems as a nation when we sanctioned a business
deal between a conglomerate of four American oil companies (Texaco, Standard,
Esso and Mobile) and the Saudi Arabia government. The "open door" deal
was favored by Republican politicians as a way to alleviate gas shortages in
the US following WWI that lingered into the 1940's.
It had taken more than five years of oil exploration and drilling
to establish the California-Arabian Standard Oil Company that was producing
1,500 barrels of oil per day.
Then in 1944, the Saudi's insisted on a name
change to Arabian American Oil Company (or Aramco.) In 1950, King Abdulaziz threatened
to nationalize his country's
oil facilities, thus pressuring Aramco to agree to share profits 50/50.[Wikipedia.org17] A similar process had taken place with American oil companies in Venezuela a few years earlier. The Saudi's also moved Aramco headquarters
from New York to Dhahran.
That is when the US government started giving the big four
American oil companies huge tax breaks -- known as the "golden
gimmick" equivalent to the 50%
profits given to King Abdulaziz -- effectively removing them from the corporate tax roll.
Then another 25% stake in Aramco was given to the Saudi
Arabian government in 1973, the price for allied-US support for Israel during the "Yom Kippur War."
With
the increased profits, the Saudi government was able to acquire a 100% stake in
the company by November 1988, taking over complete management of the oil fields
and renaming the company "Saudi Arabian Oil Company (or Saudi Aramco.)
It officially cut all oil supply to Israel the same year by order
of the CEO, and became the world's largest fully owned, privately held company,
with an estimated market value that had risen to $781 billion in 2005.
Concerns for monopolization of the world's economy have been
raised.
Saudi Arabians have major holdings in big oil, cars and media
companies that rake in fossil fuel subsidies in the United States, produce
gas-guzzling vehicles and do everything possible to fight-off the adoption of "renewable" and
other "alternative sources" of energy.
"Who Killed
The Electric Car," Academy award-winning 2006 documentary spells out the case against Texaco - Chevron, and GM Motors that purchased the
patent rights to the NiMH battery 20 years ago that would have put the USA out
in front as the number one producer of electric cars. But instead of producing
cars, they have been suing companies like Panasonic to prevent them from
producing NiMH batteries.
China is now the world's largest car
manufacturer -- thanks to global labor outsourcing of US car manufacturing and
the Chinese development of lithium ion batteries that are in popular use in
inexpensive electric vehicles that are flooding the world market (except in the
USA where they are restricted.)
China produces almost half of all Chevy cars sold in the world,
and produces cars and "components" for all of the major US car
companies. However, tight federal import regulations prohibit the import of
most electric cars designed to exceed 35 mph (anything more than a golf cart in
other words.)
Panasonic has successfully managed to be able to produce NiMH
batteries Japanese companies but will only offer them for sale in batches of
10,000, which makes it impossible for start-up companies to test the use of the
batteries or acquire them for concept and custom electric vehicles.
Way to stand in the way of progress!!!
"The oil companies said electric cars can't work, but
the truth is, they don't want them to work," Elon Musk, CEO founder of
Tesla Motors told a crowd eager to see his new Tesla Model S sedan, unveiled
Oct. 1, 2011 in Fremont, California.
Electric battery-powered vehicles are capable of zero to 60 mph in under 6
seconds that blows away it's gas combustion-engine powered competitors. They also have a 10-year battery life and require very little maintenance compared to combustion gas-powered engines.... which require frequent oil changes and engine parts replacement.
So, electric cars are a big time and money saver for motorists but they do not fit nicely into the current car dealership business plan that relies heavily on parts replacement and oil changes, that are also key to getting you back to the store to buy the newest model.
Never the less, passionate custom-conversion builders have been designing and racing electric cars for more than 40 years in California and South Carolina.
"I have been up against Mustang GTE racers
on NASCAR tracks with one of my converted electric Mustangs and walked away
from all of the gas powered cars every time. I have
clocked top speeds of zero to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds with a top speed over 145
mph," said our top builder.
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E-Cars are faster than blue lightning but they can also be tamed to top speeds under 50 mph for resort community travel needs.
Ideal for town and retirement community travel
see our Electric City Car Collection at e-cars.cc.
The future is here and it's Electric!
Contact Tom Lloyd: TCLloyd@gmail.com
