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You mean the other car companies? Like the one that built electric cars two decades ago and then crushed them instead of selling them?

Care to tell us how you know that? Better yet, care to cite it?

Third pic down: http://www.ev1.org/

Over twenty years ago GM made the EV-1 electric car. It was only available for lease. The leasees were so happy with it that they wanted to buy the car, but the cars were reclaimed and destroyed under very questionable circumstances and production lines were promptly shut down. There are GM executives who are known to be rabidly hostile to EVs. Chevron, in collusion with the automakers, ultimately bought the patent to the EV-ideal environmentally-friendly NiMh battery and refuses to license it in a format suitable for EVs.

The oil and auto industries colluded to keep EVs and any other competitive technology from eroding the profits of Big Oil. They did it before when they conspired through shell companies to acquire and destroy streetcar companies. Streetcars were powered by electricity not fossil fuel, so by forcing consumers away from streetcars they had little choice but to buy cars. Auto makers fattened their profits, as did oil companies.

I find it hard to believe that GM is at all serious about EVs.

Is it a cost/benefit relation that making another true 100 eMPG car like the EV1 requires more efficient and expensive motors and motor controllers?

The EV1 used NiMH battery tech which was sold by GM to Texaco which is now owned by Chevron, and they will not license it to anyone. It is the key to making affordable EVs with a decent range until the new Lithium techs (like batteries with carbon nanowires) become readily available. GM didn't want to make EVs because like the other two "Big Three" automakers of the USA, they depend on service revenues to stay afloat. This led them to develop a series of shitpiles in the 70s and 80s. The Japanese responded by building superior automobiles and operating on a superior business model where they turned our crushed cars into their new cars and sold them back to us at a profit even after import tariffs.

GM killed the electric car by lobbying against California's upcoming emissions standards and by selling its battery technology to another party with an interest in preventing EVs from making a foothold so that they would be legally unable to repeat their feat. Nissan has brought it back by being willing to have vision. A Japanese automaker can get away with building a car which will require less service revenue because their business model does not depend on them to the same degree. Reviews of the Nissan LEAF have been universally positive with the only complaints being uninspired steering (A typical trait of relatively heavy vehicles) and poor rear visibility, which is mitigated by a rear-facing camera on the nicer trim package. Mitsubishi will follow shortly.

Can the big three follow suit? Can the USA afford to be the only nation in the world not embracing alternative energy? Will we be able to breathe in a future where energy production continues to be dominated by big oil?

Or maybe an oil company will purchase the efficient engine manufacturer and disallow it's use by anyone, citing it's intellectual property rights.

Well, given the documentary, I'm quite sure that it actually was GM, the oil companies and CARB that were at fault. You can read more about it here: http://www.ev1.org/

And where are those NiMH batteries now? Hmm?

Here's an old article about the battery technology of the electric car by General Motors(EV1) of the 1990's, being kept from the public by the 'Evil' oil company Chevron, buying up the patent rights to the technology from GM (also an 'Evil' company, or just plain stupid).

http://www.ev1.org/chevron.htm

For all you morons who say "duhhhhh, I don't see any oil execs in GM's boardroom", what the parent is referring to is GM's partnership with Chevron to license large scale NiMH battery technology way back in 2000 to effectively shut down all electric vehicle. Cobasys was basically a patent troll which sued Toyota over their electric RAV vehicle way back in 2002, plus preventing this same battery technology from letting the (then) EV-1 from getting a 200 mile range! If it weren't for the oil companies doing this blatent power grabbing anti-capitalist move, we might have been driving EV-1s by now. Even fucking TODAY people who want to retrofit Prius with extended range NiMH battery packs have to worry about "intellectual property" so those fucking oil companies are STILL inhibiting innovation in electric cars. Guess what these oil companies are doing with all the trillions of dollars they recently received from the recent $4/gal last year? Wonder if they're looking into Lion technology :-/

Next time, get a fucking clue before you speak...

I think your real fear should be that you are perceived as both a Troll and a Twit! I believe Trolls are the !@#$% idiots who comment on things about which they know nothing.

The truth is that Lithium Ion technology in its current form is very safe. Modern Lithium Ion battery technology based on Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) is not nearly as susceptible to explosions or fires as older Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LiCoO2). Further, Iron Phosphate is substantially cheaper than Cobolt. So the batteries used in modern electric vehicles are not vulnerable to explosions that were common with older Li-Ion technology. For more information read:

http://myelectricbike.org/adaptron//batteries/Lithium/Iron/Phosphate/index.htm

And with respect to GM's actions, again, you appear to be a moronic twit who doesn't know what he is talking about. GM had a long list of people who were willing to sign liability waivers to completely absolve GM of any liability with respect to the EV1. GM refused to even consider the possibility. For more information read:

http://www.ev1.org/ceo.htm

I just contacted GM Canada to let them know they have lost a future customer. Pointed out the following links to them: Who Killed the Electric Car: GM and Chevron, Sony Pictures.

Li-Ion batteries are still very expensive, so a Li-Ion Prius would cost at least $10-15K more.

Nimh batteries would be a more cost effective option, and Toyota used them in it's all electric Rav4. Sadly, Chevron now owns the patents and won't let the technology back on the market -- http://www.ev1.org/chevron.htm

there are some things we can do to clean up fossil fuel powerplants, but it's not as effective as just replacing them with something better. and production of co2 is a fact of combustion; the only thing we could do is make the c into something else, and that takes a lot of effort. we need modern nuclear reactors (they're cleaner too) and more solar/wind/wave powered things.

after some googling, i found a bit of a something, though i didn't find the presentation i saw.

http://phillymag.com/articles/science_al_gore_is_a _greenhouse_gasbag

this article is more an anti-gore thing, but it mentions gieg.

anyway, battery technology is getting there, and there are some that point to an oil conspiracy... ok whatever. i'll give a link, say i don't necessarily trust it, you decide (i mean, it is the internet).

http://www.ev1.org/

it might not be hard for gas stations to set up power outlets that monitor usage, then charge customers who use them. the transition would not be hard for them, though it would require they change their business model perhaps.