AutoblogGreen

"What I'm saying is that it's not too often that we say somewhat nice things about Exxon Mobil."

How true, your bias is obvious. Glad to burn their fuel, use their products and at the same time, take a holier than tho attitude towrds them. Now, let me google the meaning of "hypocrite".

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Exxon Mobile isn't going to release their technology in any meaningful amounts if there's still plenty of oil to be sold at a grater profit than the battery's profit margin will be.

If Exxon Mobile make some great battery, they'll probably purposely make them in very limited amounts as to hike up the cost for EVs. (Heck, if anyone had the miracle battery, anyone would take advantage. lol) In this way, they look green b/c they'd make batteries for EVs and they're making a little money, and they're protecting their oil business to stay attatched to oil until they want (i.e. when the alt. is more profitable) to start making dramatic changes to the business.

Does anyone remember what happened with large-format NiMH batteries for EVs? Oil companies took the patents. (whether that was really patent infringement or not is up to debate)

Maybe I'm just biased, but I don't trust an oil company getting into the EV business. Money is still money no matter what.

However, I think it is a little late in the lithium-ion game to get involved.

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Again, Cobasys has always been willing to sell, if you're willing to pay.

They've not been interested in selling to hobbyists, but in filling orders of several thousand units.

The conspiracy theories have come from those upset that they can't buy NiMH packs in quantities of one to convert their own personal vehicles.

In any event, NiMH has been eclipsed by Li technologies for EV applications.

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Quote from post #8: "It is not in the interests of big oil to support fuel cell technology..."

Actually, it is. The oil companies are currently the biggest producers of H2 for fuel cells, they have the cheapest source of H2, and they intend to be the biggest sellers of that expensive new fuel to H2 car owners when the oil runs low.

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Guys,

It's not in the oil companie's interests to block hybrids.

The reason is: if peak oil is coming and we see a collapse in production there will be an immediate world-wide recession.

What effect will that have?
Oil prices will go DOWN just as production goes down. The oil companies will be screwed.

THUS, not only does it not make sense that they will block HYBRID technology, they MUST support it and moreoever, they must ALSO support EV technology so that the economy doesn't collapse.

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Maybe I'm confused about the society I live in. I was under the impression that I lived in a free-market economy that dictated supply & price by demand & availability.
Looking at marketing as a casual observer (a mere high school graduate with a mid C GPA) what I see is a history of every invention beginning as a "Pearl of Great Price" owned by the rich first. This by no means is an indictment of the rich or manufacturing. It is, simply, the means to which research, developement, pre-production & startup costs are to be recovered quickly.
When this is accomplished, and, as greater production is achieved opening availability to a broader audience then prices begin to decline. We don't need to see far into the past to cite example s of this particular event. The Flat Screen Television just a relatively short time ago sold for over 16,000 dollars and, while declining in price, still is relatively high for a comparable screen size of the old "Tube" TV.
It seems that what is holding back the technology of Fuel Cell & pure EV vehicles is not material but rather demand. Fuel Cells are way too expensive for all but the elitist levels of income & EV's are not pratical cars for one vehicle families in average America. It's hard to take a vacation in an EV when you can't go more than 300 to 350 miles to a charge.
Texas has over 90% humidity levels for 5 to 7 months a year with temps sometimes as high as 105 degrees into Labor day (and routinely in the upper 90's) in the Gulf Coast Region. With these conditions it doesn't take long to discover, as you're driving to work in the morning with your makeup melting down your face, you need A/C. For those of you who are touting all electric as the "Green" choice that would probably be the color of your complexion here after a nice "cool" August.
Companies are in business to make money--no more, no less. They are not idealistic dreamers of a better tomorrow that leave them bankrupt and gone. Therefore, these companies are unlikely to mass produce something there is not a large enough market at present for. It is best left to the small "niche" companies to fill the relatively small EV market where lower overheads will allow lower productions with greater profitability.
Hybrids have succeeded because they are the best compromise for mainstream America. They give hope to the lower income family of the one car group who occasionally travel on vacation that they can get there in a meaningfully shorter time with a greater fuel economy than a standard "fossil" car would achieve. They are far from the perfect solution but they are the affordable advance toward that solution of the moment.
I laud all of you who can afford to support the advances in the Fuel Cells & EV's. Please keep up your work. In time, if your pocketbook can and is willing to pay, you will drive the price down for those of us with incomes under 50,000 dollars a year who can't afford 1,000,000 dollar (Fuel Cell) or 40,000 dollar (EV's) cars that have neither reasonable access to filling stations (Fuel Cell) or reasonable travel distance/recharge time ratios (EV's). And please, DON'T FORGET THE AIR CONDITIONER for those of us in intolerable heat conditions.

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Oil companies have a reputation of tilting the playing field in their direction in everything they do or are involved in. To them it's all about control of the products and thus the industry. As indicated earier, an excellent example is the control of the NiMH battery business by Chevron/Texaco and Ovonics through the holding company, Cobasys. And, the political pressure put on California Governor Wilson to cancel the ZEV program. When Oil companies gain control over battery components, I get very leery. In the past we have all suffered by the technology drag created by these controlling companies. Based on their track record, I don't believe for a moment the oil companies have suddenly had a major epiphany of doing good for their fellow world citizen.

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There is a German company who also developed a new separator for lithium-ion-batteries. It will we interesting to see which seperator will be the better one:

http://www.evonik.de/en/company/research-development/nomination/separion.html

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Whenever the world (at the UN Energy Org.)is ready to decide on standard size and voltage batteries the electric car
'swap battery stations'can also be available. They were shown
in my previous web pages for over two decades now. Check this site for more info.--
http://globalsys.topcities.com/electriCar.html -- Some other patented systems were also shown
but...see for yourself. P.S. Also at a later date these EVs will also access high speed 'maglev'guideways.
See --- http://globalsys.topcities.com/dualmodemaglev.html
--EVs are coming-- Jack marchand
Email me at -- jackmarchant@yahoo.com

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If Toyota/Panasonic had a license, it seems
strange that Ovonics restricted that to HEVs.
There were virtually no electric cars at that
stage. How was Texaco/Chevron/Ovonics able to
win that law suite?

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If you look at Cobasys 8K from 2004, you will see some of the details of the law suit. The key thing here is that it never went to court but was settled out of court. Although the specific details of the settlement were not able to be disclosed, it does mention that the agreement included restrictions on the types of batteries that could be licensed until about 2014.

Regarding conspiracy theories, I find it interesting that the people who don't want to believe in conspiracy theories are as stubborn as the people who do. If you look at the documented facts, you will see clear evidence that oil companies fought to suppress the technologies and the major car companies were only half-hearted in their efforts to develop the EV's and gave up without much of a whimper.

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