Introducing the Aptera

Today I would like to introduce the Aptera. The company's co-founder, Steve Fambro, dreamed of the concept while stuck in traffic. He wanted to design a better and more efficient method of getting from point A to point B and I do believe he has succeeded. Chris's solution is described below.

From the Aptera website:

"The idea was simple yet brilliant. Design a vehicle that follows nature and glides through the wind instead of pushing it. He was almost there, but there was something missing. The answer came when Steve met entrepreneur and boat builder Chris Anthony. Chris introduced Steve to a composite body system that enabled the vision to take shape.

Together, Steve and Chris carried their dreams to Pasadena, Calif. and the doorsteps of new business incubator Idealab and it's founder Bill Gross. Gross saw the vision and seeded the team with the investment needed to make a dream become a business."

What emerged from their collaboration is a wild looking three-wheeled vehicle that resembles an airplane more than a car. By deciding on three wheels, Aptera is able to avoid the more stringent new car requirements of four wheelers. The vehicle will be registered as a motorcycle and may even be cheaper to register, depending on your state.

The best feature of the Aptera is its use of alternative energy. The 2e model is pure electric with great performance and a range of about 120 miles. Obviously, with this range, the Aptera 2e meets the daily driving needs of the overwhelming majority of commuters. The only time this vehicle would be restrictive is in long hauls, such a vacations and visits to relatives. With careful planning, even these hurdles can be overcome with opportunity charging.

The other model in the works is a serial hybrid configuration that uses batteries in conjunction with an onboard gasoline generator. This internal combustion engine will drive the wheels and charge the batteries when they become depleted. This hybrid would probably be the killer app that will attract the masses. There is absolutely no range anxiety with ubiquitous gasoline stations on every corner. The expected all electric range of the hybrid Aptera is 60 miles, which once again meets the daily commuting needs of most drivers. I would love to have the hybrid version and cannot wait for it to hit production.

Oil Free, the way to be.

Low Gas Prices and the Oil Free Movement

So what are the prices at the pump in your neck of the woods this weekend? Where I live in central Ohio, they were in the $1.50's on Wednesday and then jumped to $1.75 on Thanksgiving. Inexplicably. Is there any other commodity on Earth that can retail for $4.00 in summer and then $1.50 in the fall? I can't think of any.

What I am already seeing and hearing are consumers who are forgetting the bad gas times and returning to their gas guzzling ways. It has only been two or three months and we are forgetting the pain we felt. How can our memories be so short?

I sincerely hope that we, as consumers, will continue to demand more fuel efficient vehicles, more electric vehicles, more (any) plug-in hybrid vehicles and more alternative energy vehicles. Oil prices are dictated/controlled by Big Oil and as long as we are so addicted, we are their slaves. My biggest fear is that we will completely forget (the past) and then watch helplessly as the auto makers return to their oil soaked ways. Giving us 25/35 (city/hwy) mpg vehicles day after day after day...

UAW President Ron Gettelfinger pipes up

Everyone is chiming in lately about the plight of the US auto makers and what needs to be done. Well, we are now hearing from the president of the United Auto Workers Union, Ron Gettelfinger. Basically, he is repeating the mantra, asking Congress for the bailout and defending the auto workers.

From Automotive News:

"U.S. automakers urgently need a federal loan to survive, United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger said on Saturday, but their work force should not be blamed for the industry crisis.

Gettelfinger, in a rare news conference, said General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC were a critical part of the economy and needed the aid before President-elect Barack Obama takes office in January.

"We need to get this bridge loan and we need it in this lame duck session," he said, referring to next week's congressional session during which lawmakers will discuss emergency aid for the "big three" car companies.

Gettelfinger said it was unfair to blame UAW workers and retirees for the problems facing U.S. automakers."

I have noticed a lot of union bashing lately and many think the auto worker s are the reason the Big Three is in this mess. Nothing could be further from the truth. Do I think that auto worker's are actually worth the money they make? Probably not, but hey, more power to 'em if they can get that kind of money. Let's face it, the US auto makers are in this mess because they insisted on forcing gas guzzlers down our throats. Instead of working on hybrid technology and making their cars more fuel efficient, they gave us Hummers and Durangos. Sweet.

It takes about 25 man hours to assemble an automobile at the plant. At 50 dollars an hour, this equates to $1,250 dollars in union wages, which is a small fraction of the vehicle's final MSRP. I realize that you need to add in the cost of benefits and retirement but my point is that these relatively fixed costs are NOT the reason for the current failures. There is no reason to blame the UAW or its union members for the financial ills of the Big Three.

I wish journalists would blame the CEO's and Board Members and call them on the carpet. All three US automakers have made high mileage vehicles in the past (like 70 to 80 mpg) and all three have made electric vehicles, so what is stopping them now? I want a bailout to stipulate they commit to resuming production of these vehicles so we can get off oil!

Another day at the office for GM

With each passing day, headlines mount pointing to General Motor's imminent and spectacular death.

From Wall Street Journal Online:

"General Motors Corp.'s shares Monday plummeted to a price it hasn't seen since 1946, on rising concerns the auto maker will run out of cash in the next few months and that any government bailout won't be beneficial to shareholders.

Shares of GM fell 23% to $3.34 in late-morning trading, after earlier hitting a 62-year low of $3.02, as analysts at both Barclays Capital and Deutsche Bank cut their target prices and investment ratings on the stock.

Barclays now targets GM shares at $1, while Deutsche Bank slashed its target price to zero."

From gm-volt.com:

"It was recently reported that the plug-in Saturn VUE program was being moved from 2009 to 2011 due to GMs financial crisis. While partly true, the statement is not entirely correct.

GM had never stated the plug-in VUE would arrive in 2009.

GM spokesperson Brian Corbett has provided us the following statement:

“Our original statement said that production would begin “as soon as 2010” because we did not want to create artificial deadlines. We have dedicated significant resources to the program and it is progressing rapidly. Now that we are further along in the development process, we can now give a more up-to-date projection.”

Target shares for GM at $1 or less? Wow, that is brutal my friends. What is interesting to me about the plug-in Vue is that it could have been a major step in the right direction. Even though the vehicle is planned to have only a 10 mile EV only range, this is enough to offset many trips that would have required gasoline. If you had the ability to plug in your vehicle at work, then up to 20 miles of your commute could be oil free.

I find it rather comical that GM would talk about a plug-in Saturn Vue for 2011 when it is uncertain that they will make it to February. What is not comical is that it is nearly 2009 and there are NO production EV or PHEV vehicles for consumers. None are scheduled to appear from the major automakers next year either.

GM seemingly in freefall, nearly bankrupt

The big news in the auto industry this week is the shocking revelation of General Motor's severe cash crunch. They are currently burning through $2.5 billion in cash EVERY month! These numbers are hard for me to fathom and it is no wonder that the company is near the breaking point. Recently, there were rumors of a merger between GM and Chrysler, apparently so that GM could get its hands on their cash. These merger talks have been suspended.

So why do we care if GM goes belly up? I think the main reason we want GM to survive is so that they can be FORCED to manufacture alternate fuel vehicles and high mpg vehicles. Unfortunately, it looks like the government will have to bail them out if they are to avoid bankruptcy. This aggravates me no end. I wish we could insist that all the upper management employees be fired as part of a bailout. Of course, no such thing will occur.

We need oil free cars to be an oil free country. We need successful auto makers in order to purchase the oil free cars, so get your act together GM!

Drill Baby Drill!

Did you happen to see any of the Republican National Convention or any of the McCain rallies where the crowds would start chanting, "Drill Baby, Drill?" Apparently, the Republicans thought this was really cool and inspiring. They also thought this was a good way to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. The biggest problem, of course, is that oil is a non-renewable resource and drilling for more solves nothing.

In fact, drilling for more only hurts our environment in so many ways that it beggars description. Oil spills, waste, massive electrical consumption and a host of other issues are all overlooked to eke out the remainder of the earth's oil reserves. If the ocean happens to be deep where the company wants to drill, then you are looking at tons of concrete that needs to be poured and this results in even more pollution. Concrete manufacturing is responsible for 7-10% of GLOBAL CO2 emissions, so you see the dilemma.

What is it going to take for the leaders in Washington to find a spine and get some legislation enacted that will begin weaning us off oil? At this point, even if we drill, there is no way to meet our current demand domestically, so another option is needed. Options such as wind and solar and geothermal all come to mind.

At any rate, offshore drilling is not the answer even though so many people call for it.

Welcome to Oil Free Now!

Hello Friends!

Welcome to the Oil Free Now! Blog, where we will examine our unhealthy addiction to oil and discuss the alternatives to its use. Along the way, we will discuss, solar, wind, geo-thermal, natural gas, biofuels, wave generation and any new technology that comes down the pike. Every day we see new and exciting headlines in energy technology and development and this blog will attempt to keep you abreast of all the news.

Along with looking to the future, I would like to look to the past and present so that we remember where we came from and how we got in our present predicament. Obviously, we will keep our eye on the mammoth oil companies that continue to haul in unprecedented profits and seemingly hold hostage the majority of civilized society.

Please join in the discussions and let me hear from you. Are you as disgusted as I am with the lack of energy options available today? Can you believe the wild price fluctuation in the oil market and at the pump? Is there anything you and I can do about it?

Come back early and often!