BlackPerspective.net
Discussing the Diaspora as seen through an internal Black lens
Who Killed The Electic Car, Consumer Consumption, and The Oil Crisis
June 7th, 2008
Over the last couple of days I watch an intriguing documentary called Who Killed The Electric Car
It came out in movie theaters about a year ago; but never showed in Nashville, so I finally rented it. It was very informative and interesting all the way through, I encourage everyone to pic it up.
A few Points:
1. There have been electric cars since the Model T days (beginning of the 1900s). Through the great wisdom of the Capitalism; the exhaust engine was simply chosen over electric engines, and not out of necessity.
2. There were a bunch of electric cars on the road in California from about 1996 to 2004; did you know this?!! I remember hearing a little bit about the state’s zero emissions mandate, and about how car companies were going to start making them, and then nothing.
3. When the leases were up on the original test market cars, GM and other car companies would not let their customers continue to lease nor buy the cars. They rounded every single one of them up, and took them to land fields and crushed them.
4. Oil companies bought the rights to the highest performing eclectic engine battery from GM, a battery which allowed the electric cars to go 300 miles without recharging.
5. There were solar panels on the white house in the 70s during the Carter administration. Did you know this? When Reagen came into office he took them down; apparently for no other reason there could be possible other than ideological spite, and that advancing solar power was a threat to his energy company buddies.
Is There a ‘Green’ Lining in the Cloud of This Oil Crisis?
TUE JUN 3, 2008
Listen to this NPR broadcast here; about the title above.
The broadcast discuss “The Senate [holding] hearings on whether oil prices are being manipulated by investors. Who gains from higher prices? What kind of lifestyle changes will Americans be forced to make? Will more people go green? Guest host Sara Terry looks beyond sticker price shock at the gas pump. Also, speculation on the results of today’s primaries, and if you think gas prices are high, imagine spending three quarters of your income on food. A major UN summit opens today in Rome to tackle the global food crisis.”
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6 Responses to “Who Killed The Electic Car, Consumer Consumption, and The Oil Crisis”
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About The Blog
Yobachi Boswell is creator and publisher of BlackPerspecitve.net. I’m a writer, activist and political watcher based in Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve also been know to do some spoken word and MCing in my day.
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All you say is true. Back in the 1940s Preston Tucker built the Tucker car - which was way ahead of its time - most people have never heard of this car, let alone seen one. The auto industry ran a anti-Tucker campaign and guess what - The Tucker automobile was kaput!
The real problem behind the soaring gas prices is strictly American Oil Companies fault. Had they not screwed the oil producing countries which, to protect their own interests, finally formed OPEC, we’d still see the price of oil at much lower prices - experts say it would be around $30-40 a barrel.
I did not know that Carter had installed solar panels while in the White House - I Googled ‘carter administration and solar panels’ and came up with enough material to write a book.
As always, D. Yobachi Boswell is at the forefront of topical news.
Thanks, man.
I’m going to have to look up that tucker car.
Thanks!
Peace *_^
Thanks for this. I’ll check for this film.
We’ve had technologies that can make it possible for us to have free energy, for some time now. The Greedmongers will have to step out of the way. It’s the information age. What the universe intends will be. All signs point to empowerment of the people (from Opensource software to electric cars to solar energy and etc). I firmly believe it’s only a matter of time before they can’t control the basic resources of the masses.
Shine on
~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Sorry Zoe, I don’t believe that at all.
It’s not just going to happen. They’re not going to roll over and give up all of their money. The ability to freely surf the internet may even be gone soon if people don’t get behind net.
We can’t just believe, we have to do something about it. If the masses don’t wake up, get up, and stand up for themselves; the powers the be will continously run rampant. They don’t sit on their ass talking about how politics don’t matter. They make politics do what they want.
Power never concedes without a demand, it never has and it never will
–Fredrick Douglas
Peace *_^
I’m not suggesting were going to wake up and find all our problems solved without lifting a finger, but I do believe things are moving in a direction that directly supports the masses rather than the greedmongers.
We know they won’t roll over, but they won’t have a great deal of power if they can’t control energy any longer because everyone has a way to generate their own (ie. solar, wind, etc)
I’m basically saying we have the resources we need to run a relatively peaceful world. We’re heading in that direction. The struggle greedmongers create to get there isn’t omnipotent. They will be overcome at some point. The writing is on the wall in my humble opinion. That’s why they’re freaking out, ignoring the protests within the country and outside of the country, and invaded Iraq anyway.
When the oil runs out and only natural options remain, they won’t have the leverage they’ve enjoyed. I’m sure they’ll whip up as much fear as they can, but seriously… times are changing. Not all Americans are stupid. Plenty of folks know the time and have the will to reshape world society.
Shine on
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
We are going to sit around and watch things go from bad to worse to ridiculous and then we are going to go through some harsh times before things get better. And that’s the view from an eternal optimist. We all should KNOW that oil dependence is damaging to the planet and inimical to all our economic interests. So why aren’t we all screaming for it to end? Because nobody wants to be the first to give up their standard of living. The powers that be depend on your innate selfishness, and your culturally imposed imperative to consume to keep you from even thinking, much less acting, in your best interest.
The funny thing about it is if we went about it in the right way, eliminating our dependence on fossil fuels could serve to elevate the standard of living of most of the population. There may be some super rich people who find their profits dwindled, but that’s the price that’s ultimately going to be paid either way. Whether it’s easy or hard, well that’s the real question.