Recharge America with Electric Cars

Today, our country is facing a set of seemingly insurmountable problems:

• an economic meltdown of historic proportions
• a car industry crashing, because of a lack of innovation and growth
• oil dependence transferring our wealth abroad
• an extended military presence in the Middle East
• and climate change, which threatens the health of our planet

We are hearing daily of various proposed solutions -- industry bailouts and massive infrastructure projects -- geared primarily to avoid job losses and rising unemployment. These solutions promise to take us through this rough period, but take us where? What is the long term change?

When it comes to changes to the car industry itself we see only small steps after decades of resistance. Improving car mileage slightly over the next 4 years is not the transformative change that is needed. Converting the industry to hybrid cars 10 years after the Toyota Prius was delivered to market looks to the past, not the future.

Yesterday, joined by San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums I announced a nine-step policy plan for transforming the Bay Area into the "Electric Vehicle (EV) Capital of the U.S." In support of this initiative Better Place, a global electric transportation company announced that it would enter the U.S. market with California as its first state, beginning in the Bay Area.

Commercial availability of electric cars is targeted to begin in 2012, and Better Place estimates its network investment in the Bay Area will total $1 billion when the system is fully deployed. I welcomed Better Place's announcement and anticipate many other EV companies will focus on the Bay Area as a top-priority market.

Electric vehicles represent an overarching, game-changing solution that allows us to transform, and recharge the American transportation sector for the 21st century. By accelerating the conversion of the car industry from its oil dependent past, to a new electric century, we can jump start the car industry, eliminate our dependence on oil, reduce our required presence in the middle east, create millions of jobs, and eliminate a significant portion of our CO2 emissions.

This plan ties together a triangle of influence that can get our nation back on track: Detroit car makers who know how to scale production, working in concert with San Francisco's culture of innovation, aided by Sacramento and Washington DC policy-making. The goal is to create a sustainable strategic advantage for the US instead of a series of bailouts.

As California prepares to launch this electric recharge infrastructure project, it can also serve as a blueprint for a more widely integrated solution.

California can generate upwards of $2.5B in new investment in jobs and the economy for the infrastructure effort, with billions more in cars and battery sales to consumers. The nation as a whole can trigger tens of billions in infrastructure, manufacturing and innovation investment. At the same time, this conversion reduces the cost to the consumer and nation per mile we drive. California, followed by the western US states of Oregon and Washington are ready to drive this effort.

Listen to the Gavin Newsom Show this Saturday at 11AM PST on Green 960 AM. My guest this week is the director of "Milk" Gus Van Sant. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. The movie opens nationwide on November 26th.

Comments

[01paf]

America must definitely go into Electric Vehicle Industry.
The future of the Big 3 in Detroit is in electric cars, not in Big autos that need a lot of gas

[PlugINCarsRule]

Not enough credit is being given to the high gas prices this past year and it's serious damage on our economy and society. That one factor alone has caused serious stress in both individuals and businesses. A record number of homes and jobs have been lost as a direct result. And, while we are doing the happy dance around the lower prices at the pumps OPEC is announcing cuts to manipulate the prices upward again. We must get on with becoming energy independent.We can't take another year like this past. There is a wonderful new book out about the energy crisis and what it would take for America to become energy independent. It covers every aspect of oil, what it's uses are besides gasoline, our reserves, our depletion of it. Every type of alternative energy is covered and it's potential to replace oil. He even has proposed legislative agenda's that would be necessary to implement these changes along with time frames. This book is profoundly informative and our country needs to become more informed and move forward with becoming energy independent. Green technology would not only provide clean cheap energy it would create millions of badly needed new jobs. The Book is called The Manhattan Project of 2009 Energy Independence NOW. Our politicians all need to read this book. www.themanhattanprojectof2009.com

[mediamarv]

Interestingly enough, I spent the past two days at the San Francisco Auto Show working on a demo of upgrading a Toyota Prius to a plug-in version, which is not yet on the market. AAA put the event on since they have moved most of their company cars to hybrids, including the Pruis that was converted as part of this demonstration. HyMotion provided the battery assembly for the conversion and PatsGarage of San Francisco did the actual installation.
Very informative and exciting to be part of. If you are in the SF area next week, Friday and Saturday, stop by and watch as they re-do the conversion for a new audience. I'm the guy with the camera shooting close ups!!

[corwin]

Yes,Why not?Certainly if a photovoltaic cell can turn a hand held fan and cool someone,it can move a ton and a half car.I'm waiting for more. Like you,I'll leave details for the "smart people" .And I want to take a moment to comment on SF .I don't know how many (I'm guessing only a few)Huff Po readers know who Larry NIven is.Perhaps the easiest way to explain him is he's Heinlein's successor in hard Sci fi.he wrote a book years ago about a development in LA called Todos Santos(All Saints)which in effect succeeded from the city.I think San Francisco is becoming more enclaved and will beat LA to the prize.It will be very interesting to see if a competernt mayor will be able to reverse the trend.It will be fun watching.
My feeling-especially after talking to an ex is SF's populationwill be declining.And especially if Calif raises its taxes.I'd quote a little Horace here,but why bother?

[Nikola Tesla]

"Renewable resources (solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, biomass, and waste) provided nearly 12 percent of the nation's electricity supply in 2003"

http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/pub_summaries/renew_es.html

[Nikola Tesla]

"As of April 2008, worldwide wind farm capacity was 100,000 megawatts (MW)"

http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5448?utm_campaign=vital_signs_online&utm_medium=email&utm_source=wind

[KillTheMessenger]

100GW out of 6TW is 1.6%. And that's peak, not average, right?

So we need about 100 times more to even make a dent.

[KillTheMessenger]

Almost all of that was 50+ year old hydroelectric power.

[Nikola Tesla]

To quote the VP, "So?"

[research]

Well As KTM says: it's impossible because we aren't doing it now.
What if we decide to do it?
Never happen.
It Could.
Show ME!

But I thank KTM,

because he is a very thorough "black Hat". He WILL find likely errors. Which is helpful for refining a scenario.

[strick9]

I agree electric cars, and even the natural gas powered ones are best for many reasons, but something no one in the media has brought up is that fuel taxes are what pays for highway and bridge repair.

[research]

Trucks are responsible for about 90% of road damage. Trucks will not become electric any time soon. We can always pay for road work from the general fund.

[Konnie]

And I get really tired of management types using the phrase "illiterate or non-skilled
blue collar workers" You'd be surprised how computerized those lines have become,
and just how much those so-called overpaid slobs have to know.

Now lets compare the compensation packages of the management side - not just the
ceo but the second and third level employees to those working in the factories.

the way to go here is electric cars w/ "wind regeneration while moving" to recharge the battery.
and a home solar recharging system. not every one has a garage, but it certainly would be the
way to go for the millions of suburbanites who drive to work every day........

We are never going to get ONE BIG FIX. get over it. instead there will be many little fixes
that should be embraced. see: t.boone pickins for his natural gas truck idea.

the government fix should be to move all current and retired big 3 employees to medicare.
#1 the money would stay in the treasury.
#2 the weekly/bi-weekly insurance premiums deducted from the employee paychecks
would go to the treasury.
#3 it would take medical insurance off the big 3's bottom line, which would result in savings far larger than they could pull out of congress
#4 it would take our country 1 step closer to a single payer national insurance plan, where
we all want to be anyway.

[drec1500Madrid]

I'll embrace electric cars without a problem...the problem lies in an antiquated electric grid and opposition to renewable resources such as wind power...nobody wants a wind farm next to them, ask Robert Kennedy...and places where there is the best wind dont have the infrastructure to transport the energy to markets...foiled by county and state regulations and zoning...

What is killing the country is not only the greed and misplaces power of a few but the layered and byzantine regulations that are crushing innovation progress.

[Emmory]

Nice...

[newpotusplease]

Newsom was forced to use a regular town car for his day trip to UC Santa Cruz for a rally in support of same-sex marriage. A staffer followed in a second car.

Asked how much security the mayor took with him on the Santa Cruz run, Ballard gave the same answer as when he was asked how much it cost to take the Gav-mobile to Montana for his July wedding.

"The Police Department makes all the decisions about the mayor's level of security and the vehicles that are used," Ballard said.

The man should put it on tape.

Incidentally, police finally sent us documents Tuesday showing that the city spent $2,024 to send one officer in the SUV to Montana for the mayor's wedding, including $357 for gas. The total doesn't include overtime pay that the officer racked up.

As for the second officer who escorted the mayor by plane to Montana, police Lt. Daniel Mahoney said providing that cost breakdown would constitute a security risk. Such information is "exempt from disclosure" under city law, he said.

http://sfchronicle.us/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/29/BAQD13PQ1H.DTL

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/27/BADT13NUQI.DTL

[Emmory]

They like it both ways.

[strick9]

This brings up another question. My father drives a Lincoln Town car and claims that on a recent trip he obeyed the speed limit and got over 29 mpg on the highway. I have occasionally driven the car and got 24 mpg. Why does a Ford with a similar power train only get 12 - 16?

[newpotusplease]

The Police Department declined to discuss details of the mayor's security, but we have confirmed that the two officers were sent to Montana, along with the mayor's SUV.

Privately, we're told that the decision was based, in part, on all the advance publicity about the July 26 wedding, including its location. Police feared that Newsom's anti-gun, pro-same-sex-marriage stances might draw protests or worse in conservative Montana.

Add in that Newsom invited other highly placed Democrats to the party such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and police had even more reason to worry about possible protests - though none ever happened.

The logic was that if things got hairy, Newsom would need a getaway car that met police safety specifications.

Police reasoned that it would be cheaper for an officer to drive the mayor's car - outfitted with a satellite phone and other telecommunications and navigation devices - than to spend $1,000 to rent a vehicle in Montana that was similarly sized and equipped.

As for the final tab to the city? Police said Friday they couldn't provide the figures just yet.

Incidentally, we're not sure that a similarly equipped vehicle could have been found in the state. We do know, however, that Alamo and Budget rent regular SUVs in Montana for about $50 a day. With unlimited mileage.

[ARTIST50]

What is your point? He's a public official. He could have flown in a private jet. This sounds fairly reasonable to me.

[Nikola Tesla]

Must . . . discredit . . . reality!

[Emmory]

The car industry in America is crashing because of pensions and high union wages...
And THEN bad management.
It's not because of their failure to embrace electric cars.
That has NOTHING to do with it.
Even if they had stated pumping out electric cars like crazy a decade ago they would STILL be faced with crippling pension bills and insanely high union wages.
THAT is what has to change.
The big three could get rid of all of those problems by going bankrupt.
The union can't keep that from happening.

[FogBelter]

A miserable business philosophy in play the last 28 years has destroyed the economy and most of America's businesses ... Unions are merely a handy scapegoat for the disingenuous and the ill informed.

[Emmory]

Really?
The median wage per hour at GM is $72.
Toyota is $42.
You do the math.

[KillTheMessenger]

They didn't have to embrace electric cars. All they had to do was to automate and design a sound small and medium sized car portfolio.

[Emmory]

Your missing the fact that they are really in the pension business at this point.

[mommamia526]

Electric cars are a big step in the right direction, ...but...we can do better with respect to the greening of America. All these cars will still need large paved over parkinglots. These parkinglots will hold on to heat, just by the fact that they are stone or concrete. And, there are certainly no (shade) trees in such locations or other vegetation. I say, let us keep the electric cars, but use them as part of a fast transit system, e.g. short circular routes to larger connection points, or pick-ups by appointment - and those can be shared rides if there is ridership. The short rides connect to larger vehicles (busses, cabldecars, trains). Certain busroutes and trains can be fast transit (lanes). It will also cut down on cost. We should also do other, seemingly unrelated things, such as not letting teenagers have cars and work in fastfood restaurants. Youth is a precious time for learning, study, discussion, reading, making frienships. The *kids* can progress much faster, be out of school faster, can start families earlier (best for healthy offspring). All that will cut down on the cost of electricity, which will still be generated in large grids.

[FogBelter]

As a San Franciscan I appreciate your Green initiatives and your stance on Prop 8, Mayor Newsom.

I only hope you are preparing to address the tsunami of mortgage defaults and foreclosures likely to hit San Francisco in the coming months. And the impact upon families that are both home owners and renters who might be dislocated.

It may not be a glamorous concern, but it certainly seems to be immediate.

[nastywolf]

We can't switch to all electric cars until we can first figure out a way to keep the power on. California hasn't done that and until that state signs on to the plan, electric cars are going nowhere. Add in the cost of a massive rebuilding of our power grid to accommodate the vehicles and subtract the dubious results of the trade off from petrol-fired engines to petrol-fired generators and there may not be much left in the plus column. Right now there's no reason hybrids can't be getting 100+ miles to the gallon and a nation of such vehicles, coupled with less commuting, would trump a nation of electric plug ins.

[ObjectiveRealist]

[
We can't switch to all electric cars until we can first figure out a way to keep the power on.
]
Wind + Solar

]
California hasn't done that and until that state signs on to the plan, electric cars are going nowhere.
]

The Governor of California seems not only amenable, but enthusiastic, based on his climate summit in advance of The Global Climate Summit.

[Emmory]

Wind power will be picketed by animal rights activists...
wait and see.
Solar might work in the way we will need it in about 50 years.

[KillTheMessenger]

There is no need to "switch" everyone to electric cars. There will be early adopters and there will be people who will join in later. Some vehicles will never be electric because they need the performance of an ICE that's beyond the reach of battery powered electric propulsion. It's not an either-or.

Hybrids will, indeed, dominate the landscape for the next 15-25 years. That does not mean we don't need to get started on supplying the fully electric alternatives now.

[leftcoastindy]

Hybrids will, indeed, dominate the landscape for the next 15-25 years."

I hate it when I hear statements like this. Suggesting we can't have a really good battery within 5 to 10 years is rediculous. If the batteries now in production for the Tesla were able to be manufactured cheaply, we wouldn't even need 'new' batteries.
I say hybrids are off the road in 15 years (maybe sooner), replaced by fuel cells or battery only vehicles.

[I say that]

BAY ARRRRREEAAAAA!