i have read automotive engineers saying that a light, simple, plastic and aluminum electric car could be made for 5 to 10 thousand dollars, depending on if you need a top-up 10kw petrol auxiliary engine. there were preliminary designs done when the china/india market was thought to be primitive.

it's now clear the chinese and indians insist on mercedes s class, like the rest of us. i told chinese friends 15 years ago that if they remained on a bicycle culture, it would save endless trouble. they didn't listen, can't think why.

how many would buy such a car, no radio, no air conditioning, but also no trouble. just plug it in when ever you stop, city people don't need an auxiliary engine. almost as green as a bicycle, and 4 people ride dry.

how many? none. that's why no one is rushing to make them. or would you buy?

Um DEMOS....what does this have to do with ecology ??

ludwig, if everyone who could use such a car did just that, it would knock about 10-29% off our energy consumption. not elegant, but a relatively quick and practical way to do something without much help from canberra.

of course, the pollies could say such a car would come off badly in a collision with a range rover. then, instead of getting the range rovers off the road, they'd disallow this cheap greenish car. no profit in it,and fewer jobs.

Alright DEMOS I understand now. I think you need to substitute the word ‘ecology’ with ‘environment’, but no big deal.

I support the idea of minimalist cars. Motor scooters and motorised bicycles will no doubt come back into fashion. And the ever-popular bicycle will increase greatly in popularity.

But these things will basically have to wait until fuel prices cause people to take them up.

Some preparation can be done in the meantime, by companies who would produce this sort of thing. And some raising of fuel taxes and/or surcharges on fuel-guzzling larger vehicles would be in order to prompt people to take this sort of thing up before they absolutely have to.

Another idea, which I practice on an almost daily basis, is hybrid drive/rides. I drive about half way to work with the bicycle in the back of the car, and then ride the rest of the way…. a distance of about 12km driving and 12km riding. Works a charm!

ludwig, your drive/ride plan is a very good one, and should be encouraged- get a gold star on your windscreen signifying you won't drive in cbd, but get cheap rego in return. this is a guerrilla warfare response to climate crisis. not as a good as a concerted effort coordinated by government, but it may lead and/or shame the government into more action.

in the usa, cities and counties are way out in front of any national politician. only natural, mayors have to deal with mothers, senators have to deal with corporations. i presume your motivation is a mixture of health and convenience. getting commuters out of cars in large numbers will need more. economics will provide some, regulation the rest. but as our cities have been built around cars, an eco-car must be provided for the many people that are too dispersed for effective public transport.

I'd buy such a vehicle in a flash if it was available...especially for 5-10k...sounds too good to be true.

The other positive about electric vehicles is that the power generation is from a centralised source. This would make capture and storage technologies much more effective.

no radio = use an ipod
no air conditioning = open your window (especially if everyone is driving electric cars)

Bring it on!

Gasoline 50 Cents A Gallon (in the US?)

Don’t laugh. It’s closer than you think. However it’s not exactly “gasoline.” It’s something much better and it will run our present cars beautifully…and, yes, it will cost you the equivalent of gasoline at 50 cents a gallon. What is this amazing fuel? It’s hydrogen…and not just any hydrogen, but hydrogen produced by nuclear power. I prefer to call it “nuclear hydrogen.”

Even if we start building nuclear power plants right now it will take some time (at least 9 years,) to reach that point but as we build each new nuclear power plant the price of electricity will decrease until we reach the point that it is relatively insignificant. When we have at least 1000, or more, nuclear plants in the United States, and at least 20,000 in the rest of the world, we will drive our cars and trucks, ride our buses or trains, fly our airliners, all powered by hydrogen, we will have conquered global warming, ended power shortages, ended water shortages and we will be at peace.

This is not just some “pipedream.” It is not only possible…it is inevitable! The only thing standing in our way here in the United States is a Congress whose primary goal is getting re-elected and some of the morons who presently lead groups like The Sierra Club and Greenpeace (both of which I'm a longtime member.) I suggest we measure all politicians and all environmentalists who want to be elected by their stand against all roadblocks to progress and are 100 percent in favor of unlimited nuclear power.

If we do that we can all live to see a better, cleaner, safer and happier world.

There's much more on this subject at www.nucleargreen.org, and it's worth the trip :-)

In your dreams troublemaker !

You obviously know zilch about hydrogen.
You can't even legally park a hydrogen powered car in an unventilated
to specific regulations, parking area. It has to be ventilated at the
top as the hydrogen leaks through the walls of the tanks and forms
an explosive mixture.
You need a tank the size of the boot on an American car to hold a
practical amount of fuel.

As for aircraft what a joke, the tank will be most of the load weight
of the aircraft.

It is just silly.

Dear Bazz:

It's you that doesn't "know zilch" about hydrogen. Here are some facts: Exactly four weeks ago, I was invited to the huge BMW Engineering and Emission Test Center in Oxnard, California. I was invited to drive the new BMW 7 sedan with it's 12 cylinder internal combustion engine. What a thrill, and the performance was outstanding...at least as good or better than any car I have ever driven. Only this was different. It was powered by hydrogen ! ! and it is already being driven in Europe, particularly Germany.

Although BMW was the first, there are now several major companies producing HICE (for Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engine) cars, trucks and buses RIGHT NOW. In fact many if not all buses in Amsterdam are running on hydrogen.

Equally as important as the BMW sedan are the many new "gas" stations being built by Shell Oil Company in Europe and here in the U.S. If you're really interested in the facts, I'll be happy to email you pictures of the several Shell stations, along with several of the cars, buses and trucks currently running on hydrogen. I wall also "snail mail" you a copy of the extraordinary brochure BMW has published to promote their hydrogen-powered sedan.

I am also a pilot, and I fly the new Cirrus plane, and it can quite easily be converted to be powered by hydrogen. It will be a lot safer and quite a bit faster. I'm hopeful that it will be available within the next 3 or 4 years.

Apparently, BMW, Shell Oil, General Motors, Ford, Mazda and Chrysler do not agree with your assessment of hydrogen power.

My email address is ralph@nucleargreen.org. I will look forward to hearing from you.

Ralph Andrews