Flashermac Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 PHOENIX (AP) - John McCain hopes to solve the country's energy crisis with cold hard cash. The presumed Republican nominee is proposing a $300 million government prize to whoever can develop an automobile battery that far surpasses existing technology. The bounty would equate to $1 for every man, woman and child in the country, "a small price to pay for helping to break the back of our oil dependency," McCain said in remarks prepared for delivery Monday at Fresno State University in California. McCain said such a device should deliver power at 30 percent of current costs and have "the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars." The Arizona senator is also proposing stiffer fines for automakers who skirt existing fuel-efficiency standards, as well as incentives to increase use of domestic and foreign alcohol-based fuels such as ethanol. In addition, a so-called Clean Car Challenge would provide U.S. automakers with a $5,000 tax credit for every zero-carbon emissions car they develop and sell. ... Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 Does he think that no one is working on this already?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 He probably needs it for his pacemaker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogueyam Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 Does he think that no one is working on this already?? In America we call this concept of offering a monetary payment for the development of a specific technology an " X Prize". X Prizes are thought by some people to work. That is, they are expected by some to hasten the development of a technology more than it would be hastened by simply spending that same amount of money directly on developing that technology. Are you familiar with the X Prize concept? What do you think of it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Hippie Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 O.k. great, batteries for zero emissions autos...cool...now what are we supposed to use to charge the battery? that energy has to come from somewhere right? So until we come up with an alternative energy source to charge the batteries, what good are they? This where Nuclear comes in. Of course any alternatives to mid east oil, Nuclear, drilling in Anwar etc will not help for at least 10 years...so in the mean time we are still fucked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lazyphil Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 NUCLEAR NUCLEAR all the way. the french who adore their country have no qualms having many nuke power plants. all the naysayers refer to (ancient) russian chenoybol technology!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 NUCLEAR NUCLEAR all the way. the french who adore their country have no qualms having many nuke power plants. all the naysayers refer to (ancient) russian chenoybol technology!!! I'm inclined to agree with that. main issues against are disposal of waste, and justifying preventing certain countries, ie Iran, from following suit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 Does he think that no one is working on this already?? In America we call this concept of offering a monetary payment for the development of a specific technology an " X Prize". X Prizes are thought by some people to work. That is' date=' they are expected by some to hasten the development of a technology more than it would be hastened by simply spending that same amount of money directly on developing that technology. Are you familiar with the X Prize concept? What do you think of it?[/quote'] If it was a time when battery powered vehicles were a novelty and no one was investing resources into their development, then it may well achieve an end. When it is now, when the technology is improving in leaps and bounds and vehicle manufacturers are already investing significantly more than that and when practical electric vehicles are already in production and on the road, it's basically a vote chasing exercise. Yes, battery technology is still holding things back, but the people working on new batteries aren't going to miraculously pull some new invention out of their arse that they were keeping there until a prize was offered. Doesn't mean I think it's necessarily bad, but I don't think it will achieve much now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogueyam Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 Yes, battery technology is still holding things back, but the people working on new batteries aren't going to miraculously pull some new invention out of their arse that they were keeping there until a prize was offered.Doesn't mean I think it's necessarily bad, but I don't think it will achieve much now. The idea is to get more people working on it, get them all to work harder, and to get potential funders of such research to loosen the purse strings. The worst that can happen is that the goal will be reached only incrementally faster and better than it would have without the X Prize competition and that this relatively small benefit will have been overpaid for. I think it would be hard to estimate today the liklihood of this worst-case outcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted June 23, 2008 Report Share Posted June 23, 2008 Yes' date=' battery technology is still holding things back, but the people working on new batteries aren't going to miraculously pull some new invention out of their arse that they were keeping there until a prize was offered.Doesn't mean I think it's necessarily bad, but I don't think it will achieve much now.[/quote'] The idea is to get more people working on it, get them all to work harder, and to get potential funders of such research to loosen the purse strings. The worst that can happen is that the goal will be reached only incrementally faster and better than it would have without the X Prize competition and that this relatively small benefit will have been overpaid for. I think it would be hard to estimate today the liklihood of this worst-case outcome. Well. it can't do any harm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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