Driving Mahmoud out

Today’s ‘Positive and Optimistic Sunday’. A few days ago, during a speech in Tehran at a rally marking the 32nd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that ‘the new Middle East will turn into an area without the United States and Zionist regime’ [1]. Leaders of civilised nations seem unclear what to do about this puppet tyrant and his theocratic benefactors. As Iran earns its wealth from petrol and gas, one thing the rest of the world can do is reduce its use of fossil fuels. Electric vehicles are about to hit the market, but their uptake will be slow. Given that petrol vehicles will be around for decades yet, it’s critical they be made as fuel efficient as possible, i.e. they use as little fuel as possible per kilometre. Last week VW unveiled a concept car – the XL1 (pictured) – powered by a diesel engine and a small plug-in electric motor [2]. Its fuel consumption’s 20% of a Prius’s, i.e. 0.75 litres per 100 km – which equates to 1,000 km on A$10 worth of diesel fuel. Its fuel tank holds a miserly 10 litres, and its range’s 500 km. It’s aerodynamic. It’s light. And it could go into mass production in the next few years. It’s said to herald a new age of super-efficient fossil fuel powered vehicles. If that new age eventuates, and it helps the world get rid of Ahmadinejad and his ilk, how positive and optimistic would that be. Ho hum.