Monday, March 26, 2007

Who Killed the Electric Car? Directed by Chris Paine

Who Killed the Electric Car?  Directed by Chris Paine

Who Killed the Electric Car? was a really good documentary. I don’t normally blog about movies, but this one was quite interesting. As the title suggests, the subject is the rise and fall of the EV1, a fully electric car made by GM. While the content is clearly slanted in favor of the EV1, the presentation is non-confrontational and informative—a refreshing change from the accusatory crap that usually passes for documentaries these days. Interestingly, the filmmakers don’t pin the demise of the EV1 on any particular group, but spread the blame (seemingly fairly), over the automakers, oil companies, and the government. They go out of there way to not blame the consumer, but I don’t agree with the reasoning there. While there are many EV enthusiasts and a waiting list always existed for the (limited supply of) vehicles, if the demand was truly that widespread I can’t imagine that both GM and the lawmakers would both walk away. This is of course one of the points of contention into which the movie delves, but no hard numbers are presented and I was left unconvinced of this point.

I was a bit amused at the subtle indignation of the writers that oil companies lined up against the EV. Big oil doesn’t want a challenger in the marketplace? Wow, what a surprise. The natural gas companies fought electricity, steel fought plastics, rail fought the automobile, the entertainment industry fought VCRs and now the internet—why is anyone surprised that oil is fighting electrics? To me, this is a silly argument.

On the other hand, one excellent argument made is that it took laws to force seat belts in cars, enforce gas mileage improvements, and mandate catalytic converters. Will it take a law to get EVs on the road for good? It can’t hurt, but then the product has to provide obvious advantages over current offerings for the marketplace to care. Being better for the environment simply isn’t enough. Electricity beat natural gas without government intervention because it was a clear improvement to consumers. In a world that can’t even agree if global warming is a real issue, a greener car isn’t a killer app. Can you imagine NASCAR running an all-electric race? Bubba wouldn’t stand for it (although I think it could be pretty interesting)!

Towards the end the movie discusses other green friendly alternatives, such as gas-electric hybrids and fuel cells. It avoided all the ethanol silliness, although I was surprised to see no mention of natural gas. Natural gas seems a big deal here in Austin, but if it was mentioned in the movie, I missed it. Interestingly, these other green options don’t get much screen time; electric vehicles are the main focus here.

A friend of mine is busy converting a gas powered car to an electric one, and our conversations have forced me to question many of my stances on electric vehicles. Would I drive one today? My answer is still no, but some of the reasons I’d have given as to why a few months ago I now understand aren’t valid. I have driven a pickup for over fifteen years now, and fill the bed with cargo often enough so I feel justified in owning one. Until recently when I thought of electrics, the image I had was a large version of the toys in which my kids ride around the yard. I couldn’t imagine one that would have the power to tow a trailer or haul a load of dirt. I’ve been corrected in this line of thought: plenty of torque available but at a cost to battery life. So why won’t I use an electric as my primary car? Range.

Range is the killer for an EV in my opinion. The claim is that the range of an electric will meet 90% of the needs of the average driver. 90% feels high (for at least me), but let’s go with it for now. 90% is great, but what do I do for the other 10%? I’m not interested in being a three vehicle family—two electrics for my wife and I for everyday use and an internal combustion for travelling or hauling—but that seems to be the electric answer. When charging stations become prolific on the highways range may cease to be an issue, but I can fill my gas tank in under ten minutes and be on my way right now; if my cell phone and laptop are any indication, I suspect a battery charge will take considerably longer. Coupled with the fact that the more weight you have to move the bigger the drain on the batteries, this is a huge hurdle.

In summary: I still don’t entirely agree that the EV1 got an unfair shake in the marketplace, but this movie certainly made me consider it. If the EV1 had the same or improved perceived value to the average consumer as a traditional car, the EV1 wouldn’t have vanished so quickly. I don’t think electric vehicles are ready for the mainstream quite yet, but they are certainly viable. With technology continuing to advance at a steady clip, it is only a matter of time before we have real alternatives to internal combustion machines. If you are at all interested in this topic, check out this movie!

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Running from the Law, by Lisa Scottoline

Running from the Law, by Lisa Scottoline

This felt like a novelization of a McBride movie mystery on the Hallmark Channel: enjoyable, but not going to win any awards. A maverick lawyer defends the father of her lover—an important judge—of sexual harassment, which quickly escalates to murder. With an eccentric supporting cast and a twist right before every commercial break, the plot moves along quickly, culminating in an ill-advised scheme to entrap the killer. This is an entertaining read, mental candy well-suited for a rainy afternoon and a stiff drink.

First Sentence:
Any good poker player will tell you the secret to a winning bluff is believing it yourself.

Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy, by Lindsay Moran

Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy, by Lindsay Moran

This struck me as a candid, inside look at the CIA. The book is divided loosely into two parts, the first detailing the training of an agent and the second describing the author’s posting to central Europe. The over arching theme is one of regret: Moran is constantly having second thoughts about whatever she happens to be doing at the time. The blurb on the back cover calls this a “searing indictment of the CIA” but I don’t agree. I found this to be an honest portrayal of a woman that finds herself in the wrong profession. Yes, there is a heavy dose of disgruntlement with the excessive bureaucracy, but that is endemic of all government agencies—not just the CIA.

The difference between a memoir and an autobiography is how much of ones self goes into the writing. The intensely personal nature of this work puts it firmly in the memoir category.

First Sentence:
I am in a medical laboratory at the Central Intelligence Agency, waiting to pee in a cup.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

AC/DC: The Savage Tale of the First Standards War, by Tom McNichol

AC/DC: The Savage Tale of the First Standards War, by Tom McNichol

When electricity first started becoming common, there were two competing standards in the marketplace: alternating current and direct current. Today we think deregulation is a big deal, but a century ago you could decide what kind of current powered your house! I’ve heard that modern advertising is considered cutthroat, but the AC/DC fight was unreal. Simply lying to the world wasn’t enough; Edison and the DC backers tortured and killed dogs (and once, an elephant!) in an attempt to link death with AC in the public eye. AC eventually won the war—it can be transmitted much farther—but it was a shocking fight.

While intriguing, this book is a bit of a mess. It touches a lot of interesting topics, but doesn’t give quite enough detail on many of them. It seemed it couldn’t decide if it was a biography, corporate history, or the story of electricity becoming a nationwide standard. We get parts of all of these, but not the whole picture. The bio on Edison gave a good look at his life, but nothing about his family or how he dealt with his deafness. We see the beginnings of General Electric and Westinghouse, but not how they became juggernauts. The standards battle between AC and DC gets the most text, but the hints of parallels between the VHS/Betamax and HD-DVD/Blu-Ray standards wars are merely tantalizing. All in all, this book is interesting, but ultimately disappointing.

First Sentence:
The story of electricity begins with a bang, the biggest of them all.

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Money for Nothing, by Donald E. Westlake

Money for Nothing, by Donald E. Westlake

Second book in a row by Westlake that was ridiculous. This one features an unintentional spy, a guy that cashed checks which later blackmailed him into betraying his country. As unbelievable as that sounds, it gets worse. The victim goes along with the plot because he is afraid either 1. nobody will believe him, or 2. the $80,000 collected over seven years will make him look guilty. Never mind that the two reasons contradict each other. When given the chance to escape, he doesn’t take it because he’d rather stop the bad guys—even though he knows they intend to kill him when everything is over. Utterly silly. I don’t think I’ll be reading much by Westlake in the future.

First Sentence:
When the first check came in, Josh Redmont, who was then twenty-seven, had no idea what it was for.

Put a Lid on It, by Donald E. Westlake

Put a Lid on It, by Donald E. Westlake

This was fairly silly. A group that is trying to get the President reelected decides to hire a criminal to steal an incriminating video that the opposition party is planning to release to the press. Sounds more like a sitcom plot than a novel, but it wasn’t really even that good. Every character is cartoonish at best and the plot has only one thread, no depth whatsoever. It wasn’t horrible, but it had the feel of something that a junior high kid would crank out for an English assignment. I expected more from an author as prolific as Westlake.

First Sentence:
The eleventh day Meehan was in the MCC, the barbers came around to 9 South; two barbers, a white one for the white inmates, a black one for the rest.

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