The Race For The Future Car (Martijn Kieft, VPRO Backlight)

With rising temperatures and rising gas prices, cars need to become greener fast. And superficially, the large car manufacturers seem to work hard to improve the fuel efficiency of their products. But are they really? The technology to make cars much more fuel efficient already exists for decades, but it never makes it to the showroom. Why do we have to wait so long for fuel efficient vehicles?

The Race for the Car of the Future

According to Vijay Vaitheeswaran, reporter for The Economist and author of Zoom, the global race for the fuel of the future, the large manufacturers lack the power of real innovation. A lot of money is spend of development of new models, but very little is spend on real research on new fuels and new ways to propel the car of the future. Meanwhile, the large car manufacturers are lobbying hard to block regulation on fuel efficiency.
But innovation is happening in the car industry. Several small companies are working hard on cars that are much more fuel efficient, or that work on other fuels than gas. Some of those compete in the X-prize, a new initiative which will result in a race for the most fuel efficient car next year. Competitors include electric cars, hybrid cars and even a car that runs on compressed air. All of these competitors create cars that will be ready for production soon, and that will create a real threat to the large manufacturers.
Companies like Tesla Motors, where Silicon Valley entrepeneurs who made large fortunes with innovative internet companies, are stepping up to the challenge. Why are they changing their focus from the internet to the productionof cars? And do they have what it takes to compete with Volkswagen, GM or Ford? Their first production car, the all electric Tesla Roadster, is received well by both analysts and consumers.

The technology is there and the consumers are looking for more fuel efficiency. Why then, does it take so long before we can buy these cars and drive around cheap and environmentally friendly?

Featuring:

* Vijay Vaitheeswaran: correspondent for The Economist and author of Zoom: The global race for the fuel of the future
* Elon Musk, CEO and product architect of Tesla Motors
* Illuminati Motor Works, contestant for the X-prize
* Ray Lane, venture capitalist at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
* Evan McMullen, car dealer from Seattle who found an Opel from 1970 that does 376 miles to the gallon.
* Prof. Dr. Uwe Grebe, executive director Global Advanced Engineering, General Motors.
* Jos Dings, lobbyist for Transport & Environment Brussels.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• electric
• car
• energy
• innovation
• gas
• fuel
• technology
• hybrid
• tesla
• environment
• illuminati
• transport
• general
• motors
• opel

[Air420]

I agree with Elon, hydrogen is a joke and a stalling technique.

[Chhaylin]

INTEREEESTING

[johnnytodumb420]

This is out dated but good info!

[DancingSpiderman]

@sexyneu Why wait for 3.5 hours to recharge your batteries (haha) when you may exchange the entire bank of batteries with a fresh recharged set? The concept: ejecting a casette tape, removing, plugging in another casette tape; Only, you will be ejecting/plugging in a bank of batteries, with a standardized pallet plug-in design.

[3089280288]

Illuminati motor works? I wouldn't trust them.

[frankbonita]

I watched the hole thing. Good video!

[LusoCMD]

@sexyneu just google "electric cars batterie replacement stations" and there is your answer

[Air420]

@sexyneu You're not. But electric has the potential to replace almost all commuter vehicles. I'm also not as hostile towards hydrogen as I was last year, look up Dan Nocera on google video. He has a lab at MIT that is promising electrolysis for sub $500 compared to tens of thousands of dollars today.