Important outside speaker is making presentation on the
history of the electric vehicle, to contextualize for the future - overflow
crowd at Case... mix of students and others - shows this is a topic of great
interest. Interesting the event comes just an hour after the close of the Wind
Power Conference - the time for sustainability in NEO has come.

Notes from on-site:

Before 1899, in the early days of the automobile, it was clear electric was
the most cost effective and desirable technology - there were many early models
in fleet applications and the primary problems included bad batteries and
tires, which were engineering challenges but not reasons to switch to gas. They
had rapid charging stations where they switched out the batteries in 70
seconds.

The speaker documents the main reason the technology went to
gas was the "(culture of the adventure machine" - buyers of personal
motorcars, especially male, wanted the noise and mess and challenge of keeping
a gas car running - early adopters pointed out the electric car was too quiet
and effective to be an adventure for the "car culture"... fascinating
realization, but very easy to accept. Early on, there were electric charging
stations all around France, for example, and a Belgian was the first to go over
100 KW/H and that was in an electric vehicle.

In second generation 1902-1924 of vehicles, problems with batteries were
solved and longevity was good. An example was with fleets of fire trucks,
around 1910, which started right up, were very reliable - in Germany at that
time there were also electric/steam hybrids - ran on electricity until steam
was hot to run on. 1915 - 80 electric cabs in Amsterdam - 25% of entire auto
population in city at that time. Speaker has chart showing costs for
electricity vs. gas at that time were nearly equal and overall both motor types
operated the same, in cities - chart showing in 1924 40 electric cabs went
120,000 KMs - 30,000 KMs per car per year...

In third generation 1915-1940 electric cars looked same as gas cars - but there
developed a prejudice that electric cars were for women - manufacturers started
marketing only to women - while gas vehicles were marketed to men - and that
was a big mistake by manufacturers. Some manufacturers did market to
"gentlemen" but did not get traction. Interesting next development -
even though by 1915 electric batteries were reliable and there were enough
charging stations to "tour", the speaker explains engineers started
dreaming of "Miracle Batteries" - Thomas Edison was early developer
and promoter - which would make battery longer lasting, smaller, and lighter.
Marketed like a machine - nickel iron battery - but needed to be hand made and
was expensive... but important concept.... speaker will get back to this
subject

Next point to address is with trucks - in 1914 nearly 40% of trucks in NYNY
were electric - GM had a model, for example, and these were adopters of Miracle
Battery from Edison. MIT determined electric trucks out-performed all other
technologies.

So why did electric vehicle sector fail? And do we need new electric/hybrid?
and new miracle battery - fuel cell?

The electric car did not fail on a level beyond that of the artifact as a
whole - it was effective bringing about the electrified combustion engine car.
.. the Pluto effect (gotta be here to understand how that term fits in).

Structural analysis of a car

In competition the manufacturers do not compete at the level
of technology but function - so when gas cars competed with electric vehicles
they absorbed the best innovations of the electric and implemented into gas
vehicles. Open hood of modern car, you will see and electric vehicle underneath
- all the good functions invented for electric vehicles were implemented into
gas vehicles. As long as it is possible, a dominant technology will implement
best of competing technologies.

What does this mean for the future - Q&A?

Speaker suggests answer is not electric cars trying to become gas cars - there
is a "Car Culture" that wants that device. Speaker does not believe
culture will accept shift to electric car, but engineers may introduce
enhancements that improve functionalities of gas vehicles. Ultimately, speaker
concludes shifting future vehicle choices to more ecological solutions requires
changing car culture - my words... de-Hummer men