Great ideas Klapton.

May be a bit hard to implement and I'm afraid McCain is just using this idea as political rhetoric. Here are my thoughts on it:

Unfortunatley the major stockholders in the auto industry are also major stockholders in the oil companies. That's why we dont already have electric cars. The oil industry needs consumers for it's oil so they bought up the auto manufactures to make sure they keep fuel economy down. The oil industry has a vested interest in making sure our cars burn gas like crazy, which just drives their industry. This will make it very difficult to transition away from gas based vehicles. It's going to happen, but they are going to make sure it happens as slowly as possible.

There is a much smaller example of this kind of business practice that I enjoy very much. Let me share :)

You might remember several years ago there was a company that came out with the "tripple bladed windshield wipers". They were attachments to your normal wiper arms that had 3 blades instead of 1 and they were supposed to do a better job of keeping your windshield wiped.

Well the guy who invented and patented them, just before he released them, invested a bunch of money in the leading manufacturer of the MOTORS that drive your wipers. He did this because during testing he realized that his tripple wipers were so heavy that they burned out wiper moters REALLY FAST. So he figured that if his blades caught on, there would be a huge new demand for the motors since they would all burn out. If his wipers sold well, his stock in the motor maker would jump up as well and he'd be a double winner!

So I love your idea Klapton, I'm just skeptical about it working.

I read an article about a guy who converted his chevette to run on cat poop. Worked pretty well but smelled bad.

Yeah if Obama gets elected and you make more than about 300k/year, prepare to be taxed.

I wasnt suggesting that anyone's taxes would go DOWN :) Although under Bush Jr anyone making over 200k got huge tax breaks that are still in effect and McCain has stated he'll continue them.

But lets get back to fuel :)

I think the oil companies are behind this big push for hydrogen cars. Hydrogen is actually a pretty crappy way to fuel a car, but it allows the oil guys to sell you H instead of gas at their little gas stations. If you go electric on your car, then you can charge it up at home in your own garage and you dont need a gas station at all. Plus you can then run your house on PV panels and cut out the coal bastards as well (same guys of course, .1% of the population owns it all, including industrial farming).

1) 250 miles isn't enough, imho. 400 would be more like it. Of course, if they installed these stations in other places than CA, I'm game. That would be just as good as my "battery swap station" idea (minus the stuff listed below).

2) It still emits CO2. I am, however, not 100% convinced about human-caused GW, so this is kind of a wash for me.

3) I'd have to have natural gas to my home. This works fine in suburbia, but not in the sticks where I will build my log home (and the only place I can AFFORD to build my log home)

4) I'd prefer 100% electric, because I KNOW I will have electricity in my home (either produced by me, or from the grid). And 100% electricity from a clean source (like PV on top of my house) emits no CO2. So, even though I'm not 100% convinced about human-caused GW, I will be able to say that it isn't my fault.

5) I almost forgot the biggest one: Natural Gas is a finite resource. We will eventually start running out of that too. We will never run out of sun or wind.

The dreams of electric cars are in the air for decades, but nothing is done.
We can talk or dream about it forever, but it doesn't make me sleep any better.
If I buy natural gas powered honda civic, i can sleep much better while the car is charged.
Natural gas is much cheaper then gasoline. And much cleaner.
200 miles is perfect for me. With my driving needs and habits it is more then anough for two weeks !
It is more then anough for most people.

If I will wait for electric powered car for a few years (what is extremely optimistic ) I will spend thousand $$$ on gasoline
If I buy this Civic, I can save money imidiately. And wait till the dreams about electric cars come true...

If one want to be comletely emission free, should use his own two lower extremities to get from point "A" to point "B"
Even horses are not "zero emission" transportation - they produce greenhouse gases as well :)))

Electric cars are not "zero emission" too. They arent "green" .
Just think how much polutuion happens during production of any car.
How about battery disposal every three - five years ?

More about natural gas powered cars here:

http://blog.cngaz.com/

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Larry, don't get me wrong - I like your idea, but it doesn't help me today.
I am trying to find solutions that are available for me today, and use it.

I won't get into a "greener" argument, but this is just plain cool. Google XP Vehicles. It's an inflatable car that runs on 500 cell phone batteries. The inflatable technology has been used on boats for years. One of the layers is the same thing they use on bullet proof vests so it won't pop, there are valves so if you get hit you don't bounce a hundred feet. It will float if you get caught in a flood, but it is not a water vehicle. The up side is you don't drown, the down side is you have one hell of a repair bill. BUT-- the estimated cost as of now for the vehicle is only $5,000. They should be on the market in 2 years if Chevy,Ford ect.. lobbyists don't shut them down via our GOVERNMENT.

How does an NG conversion compare to a LPG conversion? I thought about converting my Dodge Ram truck to LPG but I'm not sure if there is any clear advantage to it.

Klapton,

There actually quite a few schemes that have been suggested by action groups that are along the same lines. But, the main problem is the division between government regulation and the manufacturers.

At present, a good example is children's safety seats. There is general legislation in most states and safety guides/requirements at the federal level. You would think that manufacturers both of autos and safety seats would seek a mutually agreed upon design spec and make it a standard?

But, they don't. If you've ever tried putting the same child's car seat in different manufacturers autos, you quickly become aware that this type of coordination left to the benevolence of the "industry" just doesn't happen. There is no incentive and plenty of decentive to prevent it from happening. Yet, the local government still mandates a car seat for persons uncer 4'9," even though there is not a standard to say that a seat is installed correctly--or has any benefit to the child in a collision as installed.

EEstor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EEstor

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Green-Transportation/1979-07-01/An-Amazing-75-MPG-Hybrid-Electic-Car.aspx

Hey my brother has an opel gt in his garage. I wounder if I could talk him out of it. Mush prettier than a prius too.

Check this out!

http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/07/laugh-at-high-g.html

I believe you have to buy those Tata's in pairs....