Friday, May 3, 2013

The Electric Car Wars - Part 2


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

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