Subaru R1

Subaru has shown an all-electric vehicle to the public: the Subaru R1.

It's reported that the Japanese creator of the Eliica met with Subaru executives years ago in his pursuit to develop and produce EVs in large scale. So maybe this car is a result of their partnership?

This car as shown is obviously underpowered though, and not a heavy contender against any conventional vehicle that runs on gasoline.

It is hard to beat the energy density contained in gasoline. I believe that if humans apply their mind to developing EV technology, that eventually we will have available batteries that are cheaper and have higher energy density than gasoline. As Professor Shimizu, the creator of the Eliica, once stated, "EVs have to be superior to ICEVs in regards to performance and cost in order for people to switch to EVs." (paraphrasing)

So Tesla Motors is showing up from the top with a sports car that costs amost 100 grand while other companies are showing up from the bottom with smaller and economic cars that can take advantage of current EV technology. I trust that EVs will catch on and become mainstream, and that maybe the general population will follow a trend of switching to small cars from the big cars we now drive. It may not seem like people would want to do this, but I believe Peak Oil will not leave us much choice. When it costs more for some people to commute to work than the money they earn in one day at work, I think people will stop driving their cars because they simply can't afford gasoline at ever increasing prices. This scenario is not far-fetched.


Trivia: R1 is the name of a popular Yamaha sportbike - I wonder why Subaru didn't apply more creativity when coming up with a name for this electric car.
The 2008 Yamaha R1 engine technically has more than 3 times the power output of the motor used on the Subaru R1 (horsepower number comparison). Yes, the astounding power of gasoline with technology that has been developed in over 100 years. Dedicate 100 years to developing battery technology for EVs and we'll have cars that not only charge while driving, but never need to make a stop for fueling!

The Dangers in Life.

When promoting electric vehicles I often run into people who defensively point out the problems with electric cars, and why they are not a solution. Something I've learned is that people are resistant to change; we all are. Change is threatening, it's unpredictable, it brings us the unfamiliar.

One problem that was once pointed out to me is that batteries are dangerous because they can explode or catch on fire. Do you remember the not too distant case of the notebook batteries that caught on fire and caused at least a couple of big companies not only bad publicity, but some financial damage as well because the batteries ended up being recalled? Well, that's the danger!

I wanted to point out that despite any challenges, dangers or difficulties, that nothing has stopped human beings from pursuing what they want. Think of it: how much more dangerous is it to carry at all times inside your car this fuel called gasoline, which is liquid and highly flammable? Because it's flammable, a flame or heat can cause an explosion. Because it's liquid (instead of gas) it does not evaporate in case of a leak, but rather stays right under the vehicle if it's not moving.

Yet we didn't let this danger stop us. We reinforced the gas tank and placed it in the back of the car as close to the ground as possible in order to protect the passengers. But the risk is still there. Technology has reduced the risk to a point that people don't even worry about an explosion anymore. But just throw a lit cigarette in your gas tank and you'll see that it will explode (no, don't do that).

Here's a recent video that captured an explosion at a gas station, thus reminding us that the risk still exists despite gasoline being the ubiquitous fuel at the moment.

Note: this video may be too graphic to some, so you've been warned!

To clarify.

In one of my earlier posts, I said something to the effect of "gasoline prices are not coming down". I believe this comment made me lose some credibility with some of my fellow friends because they literally interpreted that comment as "gasoline prices will not possibly go lower than the record $3 a gallon that we're currently experiencing".

Well, I don't think I was clear with that comment and so I wanted to apologize and clarify things. Gasoline prices are always going to fluctuate for as long as we have gasoline available and being sold. However, the trend is that gasoline prices will only go up. So in this sense, gas prices will never come down again, as an overall trend. That is to say, over time. I would dare say (and am willing to bet money) that gasoline prices will be higher a year from now than today. And two years from now gas will cost even more. And so forth. This is based on understanding the serious issue of Peak Oil. As supply starts to diminish and demand continues to increase the law of supply and demand determines that gas prices will only go up (over time). Unless some major event happens that changes this trend, such as the unlikely discovery of a major oil field, or a catastrophic natural disaster that wipes out a big portion of the population, thus lowering the demand for oil (or gasoline) by having fewer people consuming energy.

On the same topic, a barrel of crude oil cost less than $25 in 9/11, around $60 a year ago (Nov 2007), and today it's being sold at $96.70.

I understand that oil prices are not determined simply by supply and demand, but largely by market speculation. Still, I think this is a trend. And I say that based on understanding the serious issue of Peak Oil.

I am grateful to Greg Rock for opening my eyes to this issue and explaining in detail what Peak Oil is and how it's starting to and will affect our society and the world at large. Greg is an expert on the issue of Peak Oil, and an active and dedicated individual to seeking and providing solutions to the energy crisis we're starting to face. It was Greg who finally steered me in the direction of conservation also, as part of the solution to the upcoming energy crisis.

To learn more about Peak Oil, search for the term on the Internet, or look for books by Dr. M. King Hubbert. Dr. Hubbert was an engineer and expert in the oil industry who first understood and introduced the term Peak Oil. He correctly predicted that oil production would peak in the United States. What we are facing now is worldwide oil production peaking, at a time when demand continues growing because most countries have economies that are dependant on constant growth.

This energy crisis by the way, is the most serious issue yet faced by humankind.

But my intention today is not to write a scary post. So let me finish by saying that I'll soon be visiting Tesla Motors down in Sillicon Valley, assuming they will welcome me. I should come back with some great news and stories.

- Ricardo Parker