Posts tagged Brett answers

The Nissan Leaf is an amazing electric vehicle built by a large trusted auto manufacturer.  They really pulled out all the stops to make this a reliable and technically cutting edge car.

I especially like the work they have done integrating charging with mapping/route planning via GPS.  This makes it very easy to plan your day so you can drive more than the 100-mile range.  Depending on your habits, you’ll probably use this for all your city driving, and then you’ll still need to own or rent a gasoline powered car to go on long trips.

I think these cars will really hold their value, so even if you try it out on lease for 3 years at only $350 per month, you can always just hand it back in and move on.

The car is slightly funky looking because the engineers were going for the utility of a large internal storage capacity, and reduced wind drag/noise.

My friend Paul Scott, a long time EV driver and advocate (see the movie Who Killed the Electric Car?) will be selling the Leaf in Southern California out of Santa Monica Nissan.  Check out his blog post about it here.

The Aptera project got bogged down with too many design changes, and my own opinion is that they will never deliver production cars.  They have missed their window to be first with a really clever looking car, and now they will be relegated to the back seat so to speak.

That is an interesting question, yet embedded in it is a common misconception.  Greenhouse gasses are actually invisible, like methane and carbon dioxide.  These generally let visible light into the atmosphere, which heats the planet, but then traps the heat.  On the other hand, particulates, visible pollution like soot from diesel motors, dust, and aircraft contrails actually reflect the heat before it reaches the planet. 

Therefore, the visible pollution or “blackened skies” you mentioned will cause this global dimming, which ironically helps counteract global warming.

Obviously, the data suggests that the greenhouse gasses have been winning the battle, and we are heating up.

In terms of countries continuing to put teeth into regular emission regulations and carbon removal, I expect the developing world will continue to slowly ramp down pollution over the next couple of decades.  The developed world will continue improving as well.

I think it has to be, to a degree, since ego is important for living by defining the boundaries between you and I, facilitating sales transactions.

On the other hand, business ultimately is a service we provide for others, so in its essence it can be an act of generosity, of sharing, and of breaking down boundaries.

I am not human yet, but shall be when consciousness overcomes capitalism.