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.

A Zero Carbon Plan for Australia: Boy, what a no-brainer

Governments are stupid. Lacking balance. Lacking perspective. Lacking concern for their constituent populations. That’s politics for you: The art of compromise. The art of pandering to sectional interests. The art of granting rewards for favours bestowed; for donations given. And the art of maximising the probability of re-election; of retaining power. So I’m not surprised that – in this age of imminent or current Peak Oil, and in this age of rampant global warming – my nation’s government has decided to direct the future of Australia’s motor manufacturing industry to improving the efficiency of infernal combustion engines, rather than to innovative technology; especially zero emission technology, e.g electric, hydrogen fuel cell [1]? And it has the temerity to call its handouts the Green Car Innovation Fund [2]. What greenwash [3]. And hogwash. Talk about a dinosaur mentality. But unlike our government, some of our leading scientists are creative, innovative, and unafraid to aim high. The University of Melbourne’s Energy Research Institute [4] has just published a Zero Carbon Plan for Australia [5]. It’s a 10-year roadmap for 100% (yes, 100%!) renewable energy, at a cost of A$8 per household per week, using technology that’s available today. Should we implement it? Boy, what a no-brainer. Will we implement it? Don’t answer that – it’s a rhetorical question. Ho hum.

This week's compendium

Here’s this week’s compendium. This week…

1. the Zephyr unmanned solar plane set a record of 14 days 24 minutes aloft, thanks to its photovoltaic panels and lithium-sulphur batteries [1]. Go, Zephyr.

2. Blade Electric Vehicles [2a], Australia’s leading electric car manufacturer blasted the federal government for choosing an imported model to be our first electric trial fleet – even though Blade’s car’s better, cheaper and had been developed with federal government funding [2b]. Ho hum.

3. the effectiveness of so-called Hands-Only CPR, i.e. with heart compression only, was found no less than CPR that also includes respiratory assistance [3a, 3b]. It’s easier too, of course.

4. I learnt of the GrowFood website that matches farmers with potential paid or volunteer farmworkers [4a, 4b]. Pity it’s currently limited to US farms.

5. Nutrition Diva told us how to store half an avocado [5]. Yep.

6. Get-It-Done Guy offered advice on how to respond to important emails [6]. You’ve no excuses from now on.

7. Australian airlines said they have no policy to deal with overweight or obese passengers – even though the public wanted one [7]. As weight affects aircraft fuel consumption, lighter passengers should get a bigger baggage allowance – and vice versa.

8. the Age’s Jason Koutsoukis wrote that ‘Israeli troops removed several trees on the Lebanese side of the border fence that separates the two countries without incident’ [8]. The fence’s 200-300 metres on the Israeli side of the border. Even UNIFIL said so – as Koutsoukis wrote at the end of his article. Yet again Koutsoukis didn’t let the truth spoil a good story. He’s an apologist – not a journalist.

Finally, I wish you, dear Farmdoc’s Blog readers, a wonderful week.

This week's compendium

Here’s this week’s compendium. This week…

1. I was sorry to read Al and Tipper Gore are separating after 40 years of marriage [1]. Big pity.

2. I was also sorry to read that Art Linkletter had died [2a]. Michael Schildberger too [2b]. I grew up with Art’s TV show People are Funny [2c]; and I attended the same synagogue as Michael.

3. treehugger reported on an electric car that went 623.76 miles (1,003 kilometres) on one charge [3]. That’s so impressive.

4. the BMJ reported that infrequent tooth-brushing’s linked to a higher risk of heart disease [4]. Apparently it’s an oral hygiene issue. At least twice a day’s the go, folks.

5. the BMJ also reported that active elderly people who wear multifocal glasses reduce their risk for falls if they use single-focus, distance-vision lenses during outdoor activities [5]. Makes sense to me.

6. I read this item about bald guys [6a]. I’m okay being one [6b].

7. treehugger reported that German researchers are using shark skin-like paint to make wind turbines more efficient [7]. It has implications for cars, planes, boats etc.

8. Nutrition Diva told us all we need to know about salt [8]. Including that we should all eat less of the stuff.

Finally, I wish you, dear Farmdoc’s Blog readers, a wonderful week.

Wordsmith, electric cars and Better Place

I have a new friend. In the blogosphere. His blog’s Wordsmith. He’s Canadian. And he’s an interesting chap. Two of his latest four blog posts are about cars. Excluding F1, my latest one was on 5 February. So today I’m fixing that situation: This item in yesterday’s Age said Better Place’s third (after Israel and Denmark) large-scale charging network for electric cars will be in Australia, with a national roll-out by late 2012. Better Place predicts by 2020 10-20% of our national fleet will be electric, and by 2035 almost 100%. I don’t know, and can’t find out, if Better Place will generate its own electricity, or if it’ll use grid power. The latter raises the question as to whether a plug-in electric car using coal-fired electricity pollutes more or less than a fossil fuel powered car. Or even a fossil fuel (non plug-in) electric hybrid. Speaking of which I was disappointed to see here, also in yesterday’s Age, that only 1.1% of new cars in Australia in 2010 will be hybrids – little altered from 1% in 2009. And this 1.1% won’t rise much until petrol reaches A$2 a litre. Of course it’d rise sharply if our federal government showed some real concern about climate change and global warming, and introduced incentives to buy hybrid or electric cars. I doubt it’ll occur; but you never know. Meantime Better Place shouldn’t hurry to meet the late 2012 national roll-out target date. Charging stations sitting idle due to few customers could be its worst nightmare. Ho hum.

farmdoc's blog post number 587

Here’s this week’s compendium. This week…
1. sick of unwanted calls from unwanted people trying to sell me unwanted goods and services, I joined the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s 'Do Not Call Register' [1]. The Australian Direct Marketing Association has called telemarketing 'the lifeblood of commerce in this country'. Screw them.
2. the Liberal Party, bitterly divided over Rudd’s proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, is in the process of imploding [2]. It couldn’t happen to a nicer lot of people. Rudd’s performance on global warming/climate change is appalling. Theirs is abysmal. Shit eh.
3. talking of which, the Nutrition Diva told me that bananas contain a type of fibre called pectin that absorbs water in the intestines and so can help with diarrhoea. Also bananas are high in potassium, a nutrient that can be depleted by diarrhoea [3]. I love bananas regardless.
4. saw the launch of bicycling tours around my area (i.e. the Great Western Tiers). Maps and podcasts are downloadable from the website [4]. It’s a great idea. But…
5. I saw that so far this year the media have reported nine crashes involving log trucks [5]. These crashes have been State-wide. Nevertheless cyclists are no match for log trucks. And they never will be.
6. it was reported that up to 40 plug-in electric vehicles – either full electric or hybrid – are being developed by the world’s motor manufacturers for launch within three years, propelling electricity to the forefront of alternative transport [6]. That’s great news – both environmentally and geopolitically.
7. I read that male staff at a UK National Trust property are being encouraged to piss on a compost bale, saving the organisation water via less toilet flushing. But also to create nutrient rich compost activator. Yet women are excluded - their piss is considered too acidic! [7]. Ho hum.
8. Sweetheart Vivienne was invited to read from Alzheimer’s: a Love Story – at the prestigious Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas [8]. At 6 p.m. on Monday 15.3.10. Good for her. I’ll be there. You couldn’t keep me away.
Finally, I wish you, dear Farmdoc’s Blog readers, a wonderful week.

farmdoc's blog post number 398

More about car makes. I’ve previously written of my erstwhile idiosyncratic car-naming skill. However I thought I still knew all the makes even though nowadays I’m often unable to name them when I see cars – in the metal, or in photographs. Until a couple of weeks ago when during a visit to my friend and neighbour Dorothy, she showed me some photographs she’d taken. ‘This one’s a Zonda,’ she said. ‘A what?’ I blurted. ‘A Zonda. One of the fastest road cars in the world,’ she retorted. And she went on to tell me she saw one competing in this year’s Targa Tasmania. According to Wikipedia, the Zonda’s a mid-engined sports car produced by Pagani in Italy. It debuted in 1999. About 10 cars are made per year. And up to September 2008, only 95 Zondas had been built. So it’s exclusive. And swish, too. So now I know of the existence of Pagani and its Zonda. But with a 7.3 litre 12-cylinder engine, the Zonda won’t get anywhere near the upgraded US fuel efficiency benchmarks President Obama announced earlier this week. A few people in the world can afford Zondas, but the world itself can’t. It may be an engineering marvel, but its existence is irresponsible. Hopefully it’ll cease production. And soon. But if Pagani’s engineering wizards turn their attention to producing an electric Zonda, that’d be a different story. For sure.

farmdoc's blog post number 384

Over recent decades there have been several infamous examples of electronic hardware incompatibility. Betamax versus VHS videotape, for example. Also Blu-Ray versus HD-DVD. But other incompatibilities are subtler. A couple of years ago, when Sweetheart Vivienne came home to Mole Creek, she forgot to bring her mobile phone charging cord. Asking around, she quickly discovered that not all charging cords fit all phones. And indeed not all Nokia cords fit all Nokia phones. Now for some good news. With the future of cars headed in the direction of plu-in hybrid or, even better, plug-in electric, recently Treehugger reported that in mid April leading car makers – including VW, BMW, Ford, GM, Fiat, Toyota and Mitsubishi – meeting in Europe, agreed on a standard interface for the plug and socket at the car end of the charging cord. Thus whether the charging electricity is 110 or 220 or 240 volts, or in future higher voltages, the car-end plug and socket will be uniform. The 3-point, 400-volt plug (pictured) will allow most if not all electric cars to be recharged anywhere. This will alleviate logistical headaches for operators of public charging stations. And also, presumably, for Sweetheart Vivienne if she forgets to bring her cord when she recharges her future electric car (which I can’t wait to buy her). But above all, it’s heartening to see some unselfish commonsense in the world of commerce and industry. For a change.

farmdoc's blog post number 358

GFC (Global Financial Crisis) is an initialism (or alphabetism) and not an acronym. But undoubtedly the GFC’s a real crisis, it’s not over yet, and before it’s over one or more of the USA’s major vehicle manufacturers – General Motors being the most precarious – will probably have succumbed to it; or rather a combination of it and the global climate and peak oil crises. GM had its chance with its 1990s electric vehicle [EV1] programme, and it muffed it, so it can’t blame anyone but itself. Though petrol electric hybrids are currently de rigeur for environmentally conscious drivers, the future’s heading towards electric cars. Whilst Mitsubishi (with its i-MiEV) and, paradoxically, GM (with its Volt) are frontrunners among the established carmakers, the probable overall field leader is a new kid on the American block. Tesla Motors is named for the US Immigrant genius Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) whose many inventions include the induction motor and A-C power transmission. It’s a newish corporation with some impressive backers, and it markets its vehicles as beautiful, exciting, and ‘the most efficient production automobile on the planet’. Since you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, it’s out with the old (GM) and in with the new (Tesla). Corporate Darwinism. I’m eagerly following Tesla’s progress. And, who knows, some day I may even drive a Tesla.

farmdoc's blog post number 102

Whilst the cost of development of vehicles that run on non-petrochemical fuels, and therefore the size of the potential downside risk, is massive, the captains of the automotive manufacturing industry are presumably intelligent, and it’s been apparent for years that peak oil is imminent. The 2006 film documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? shows how General Motors [GM] and other stakeholders including President Reagan, brought GM’s 1990s electric vehicle [EV1] programme to a screaming halt, to the dismay and anger of EV1 lessees whose cars GM repossessed and trashed. But 10-15 years later a seemingly amnesic GM has re-ignited its electric car program, aiming at release before decade’s end of a car named the Volt. But between EV1’s demise and Volt’s nascence, other manufacturers, especially in China and Japan, have pushed on and are set to pre-empt the Volt’s release. Ho hum. Due to supply/demand considerations, petrol prices are unlikely to fall much. So the mid-long term auto future is likely to be hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and plug-in electric. Great. Count me in. But in Victoria most grid electricity is generated from brown coal, so plug-in hybrid and plug-in electric are none too environmental. Tasmania fares better because most grid electricity here is hydroelectric – as long as there’s enough rain to fill the dams to drive the hydro turbines. But that’s another story.