.Politically inconvenient truth about electric cars
President Nicolas Sarkozy would dearly like to end France’s rotating presidency of the European Union on a high note by brokering this week a deal on a grand European response to global warming and energy efficiency. The ultimate plan is to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent with member states at the same time drawing their future energy needs from clean renewable sources by the same percentage amount. Under the circumstances, it is no surprise that the automobile industry has found itself at the heart of the climate change debate.
Indeed, Mr Sarkozy’s own government commissioned months ago one of France’s leading energy experts – Jean Syrota, the former French energy industry regulator – to draw up a report to analyse all the options for building cleaner and more efficient mass-market cars by 2030. The 129-page report was completed in September to coincide with the Paris motor show. But the government has continued to sit on it and seems reluctant to ever publish it.
Yet all those who have managed to glimpse at the document agree that it makes interesting reading. It concludes that there is not much future in the much vaunted developed of all electric-powered cars. Instead, it suggests that the traditional combustion engine powered by petrol, diesel, ethanol or new biofuels still offers the most realistic prospect of developing cleaner vehicles. Carbon emissions and fuel consumption could be cut by 30-40 per cent simply by improving the performance and efficiency of traditional engines and limiting the top speed to about 170km/hr. Even that is well above the average top speed restriction in Europe, with the notable exception of Germany. New so-called “stop and start” mechanisms can produce further 10 per cent reductions that can rise to 25-30 per cent in cities. Enhancements in car electronics as well as the development of more energy efficient tyres, such as Michelin’s new “energy saver” technology, are also expected to help reduce consumption and pollution.
Overall, the Syrota report says that adapting and improving conventional engines could enhance their efficiency by an average of 50 per cent. It also argues that new-generation hybrid cars combining conventional engines with electric propulsion could provide an interesting future alternative.
By combining electric batteries with conventional fuel-driven engines, cars could run on clean electricity for short urban trips while switching over to fuel on motorways. This would resolve one of the biggest problems facing all electric cars – the need to install costly battery recharging infrastructures.The report warns that the overall cost of an all-electric car remains unviable at around double that of a conventional vehicle. Battery technology is still unsatisfactory, severely limiting performance both in terms of range and speed. The electricity supply for these batteries would continue to come from mostly fossil sources.
The misgivings over the future of the electric car may explain why the French government appears to have spiked the report. It probably considers it politically incorrect, especially when some of Mr Sarkozy’s big business chums such as Vincent Bolloré and Serge Dassault are developing either electric cars and lobbying hard. Renault too has struck a deal with Israel to jointly develop a mass-market electric vehicle. To paraphrase Al Gore’s documentary on climate change, Paris may feel it is not the best of times to publicise the inconvenient truth about electric cars.
A clear line into S Korea
South Korea has finally taken a step forward to liberalising its much regulated telecoms market by lifting a technical requirement that has made it hard for foreign handset makers to break into the market. The Korea Communications Commission has said that adopting WIPI, a homegrown technology on which all local handset applications are based, will no longer be mandatory from next April.
The move will allow foreign players, who previously found it too expensive to produce handsets tailored for South Korea in line with the WIPI rule, a way into a market. Samsung and LG together control nearly 80 per cent of the market.
Nokia, global leader in the handset market, has been virtually absent in South Korea, and Apple, the US technology group, has kept its iPhone out of the market because of the WIPI rule. Motorola is also a minor competitor in South Korea with less than 5 per cent of the market.
South Korean telecom groups on Thursday welcomed the move, saying that the removal of one of the main barriers to foreign entry to the market would help widen choice for their customers.
Nokia is in talks with SK Telecom to provide the country’s biggest operator with handsets, while Apple is discussing with KTF, another local operator, to supply its next-generation iPhone.
FT
Leave it to the French to state the fucking obvious, and try and hide it anyway.
Remember to go into your dealer and ask for your "single mode hybrid" by name. Then when you see your salesman empty look. Tell them to call you as soon as they have a single mode hybrid to sell.
Indeed, Mr Sarkozy’s own government commissioned months ago one of France’s leading energy experts – Jean Syrota, the former French energy industry regulator – to draw up a report to analyse all the options for building cleaner and more efficient mass-market cars by 2030. The 129-page report was completed in September to coincide with the Paris motor show. But the government has continued to sit on it and seems reluctant to ever publish it.
Yet all those who have managed to glimpse at the document agree that it makes interesting reading. It concludes that there is not much future in the much vaunted developed of all electric-powered cars. Instead, it suggests that the traditional combustion engine powered by petrol, diesel, ethanol or new biofuels still offers the most realistic prospect of developing cleaner vehicles. Carbon emissions and fuel consumption could be cut by 30-40 per cent simply by improving the performance and efficiency of traditional engines and limiting the top speed to about 170km/hr. Even that is well above the average top speed restriction in Europe, with the notable exception of Germany. New so-called “stop and start” mechanisms can produce further 10 per cent reductions that can rise to 25-30 per cent in cities. Enhancements in car electronics as well as the development of more energy efficient tyres, such as Michelin’s new “energy saver” technology, are also expected to help reduce consumption and pollution.
Overall, the Syrota report says that adapting and improving conventional engines could enhance their efficiency by an average of 50 per cent. It also argues that new-generation hybrid cars combining conventional engines with electric propulsion could provide an interesting future alternative.
By combining electric batteries with conventional fuel-driven engines, cars could run on clean electricity for short urban trips while switching over to fuel on motorways. This would resolve one of the biggest problems facing all electric cars – the need to install costly battery recharging infrastructures.The report warns that the overall cost of an all-electric car remains unviable at around double that of a conventional vehicle. Battery technology is still unsatisfactory, severely limiting performance both in terms of range and speed. The electricity supply for these batteries would continue to come from mostly fossil sources.
The misgivings over the future of the electric car may explain why the French government appears to have spiked the report. It probably considers it politically incorrect, especially when some of Mr Sarkozy’s big business chums such as Vincent Bolloré and Serge Dassault are developing either electric cars and lobbying hard. Renault too has struck a deal with Israel to jointly develop a mass-market electric vehicle. To paraphrase Al Gore’s documentary on climate change, Paris may feel it is not the best of times to publicise the inconvenient truth about electric cars.
A clear line into S Korea
South Korea has finally taken a step forward to liberalising its much regulated telecoms market by lifting a technical requirement that has made it hard for foreign handset makers to break into the market. The Korea Communications Commission has said that adopting WIPI, a homegrown technology on which all local handset applications are based, will no longer be mandatory from next April.
The move will allow foreign players, who previously found it too expensive to produce handsets tailored for South Korea in line with the WIPI rule, a way into a market. Samsung and LG together control nearly 80 per cent of the market.
Nokia, global leader in the handset market, has been virtually absent in South Korea, and Apple, the US technology group, has kept its iPhone out of the market because of the WIPI rule. Motorola is also a minor competitor in South Korea with less than 5 per cent of the market.
South Korean telecom groups on Thursday welcomed the move, saying that the removal of one of the main barriers to foreign entry to the market would help widen choice for their customers.
Nokia is in talks with SK Telecom to provide the country’s biggest operator with handsets, while Apple is discussing with KTF, another local operator, to supply its next-generation iPhone.
FT
Leave it to the French to state the fucking obvious, and try and hide it anyway.
Remember to go into your dealer and ask for your "single mode hybrid" by name. Then when you see your salesman empty look. Tell them to call you as soon as they have a single mode hybrid to sell.
posted by madtom at 9:51 PM
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