You’re Invited! Film & Panel on Future of Electric Cars

Posted on 12/06/2012 by Ross Baldick

 You’re invited!

“Revenge of the Electric Car”

Join  us for a free film screening
followed by a blue-ribbon panel of electric car visionaries
and community reception

Revenge of the Electric Car

Date:           December 11, 2012
Time:          4 pm
Location:   UT Blanton Museum of Art Auditorium (Smith Bldg)

Free and open to the public!

Sponsored by the Center for Electric Vehicles–Transportation and Electricity Convergence

In “Revenge of the Electric Car,” director Chris Paine takes his film crew behind the closed doors of Nissan, GM, and the Silicon Valley start-up Tesla Motors to chronicle the story of the global resurgence of electric cars. Without using a single drop of foreign oil, this new generation of car is America’s future: fast, furious, and cleaner than ever.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk puts his personal fortune on the line. Bob Lutz, GM’s Vice Chair, stakes the entire brand on the very technology it once tried to kill. Nissan’s CEO, Carlos Ghosn, bets the farm on a car almost no one believes can happen. And car converter Greg ‘Gadget’ Abbott sets out to prove you can do it yourself. The challenges they face are as tough as capitalism can be cagey.

“[The film] profiles four EV visionaries, each navigating separate paths which they hope will lead to production and ultimately profit. Their stories are skillfully woven together, each presented in their own voice.” ABC News

“The stakes are staggeringly high. We get the idea that building electric cars isn’t merely an act of political or social significance, it’s a brutally risky endeavor demanding superhuman devotion.” Jalopnik

“Slick and beautifully photographed [ . . . ] a must-see movie for anyone interested in cars.” USA Today

Photo Copyright All rights reserved by Revenge of the Electric Car
Posted in news | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Austin’s Fuel Cell Hybrid Bus

Posted on 12/04/2012 by Ross Baldick

fuel cell busA few weeks ago, I was commuting using biofuels from my house to the university. In other words, I was walking.

I was surprised and pleased to see a very nice-looking bus on the university shuttle route, rather than the one I occasionally catch. I realized it was a hydrogen fuel cell hybrid electric bus, built by the UT Center for Electromechanics (CEM). It looked very cool!

I contacted CEM’s Bob Hebner and Michael Lewis about the bus, and the good news is that they will be bringing it along to the “Revenge of the Electric Car” screening event on campus next week that my electric vehicle center is hosting.

I asked Michael about the prospects for hydrogen vehicles. A limiting factor, he says, is fueling infrastructure. First adopters will be fleets and lift trucks in warehouses.

At The Electric Vehicle Transportation and Electricity Convergence (EV-TEC) Center, we are particularly concerned with the interaction of transportation and the electricity system. Michael agrees–a fuel cell vehicle similar to his bus, which could also be plugged in to charge up its batteries, would be a sensible development. Look out for more developments from CEM!

Posted in news | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Electric Vehicles: Alternatives to Alternatives

Posted on 10/19/2012 by Ross Baldick

When it comes to electric vehicles, most of us think of sedans. But there are electric scooters, segways, and electric motorcycles that are all electrified transportation, too. In Austin, KLD Energy is developing electric drives for scooters and motorcycles, and Lit Motors in San Francisco has a prototype of a gyroscope-stabilized motorcycle with a protective shell. According to Lit, the C-1 is the world’s first gyroscopically-stabilized “rolling smart phone,” combining the efficiency and freedom of a motorcycle with the safety and convenience of a car.

Posted in news | Tagged | Leave a comment