I suppose "Cubanization" refers to the fact that people in Cuba drive old cars, if they drive cars at all, Absalom. Maybe there's a deeper meaning, but I'm not aware of it.
Natural Gas fueled vehicles absolutely require natural gas to function - they can not use any other fuel. Same for gasoline and diesel fueled vehicles.
Plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) are powered by electricity generated by multiple sources (oil, gas, coal, hyrdo, nuke, wind, and solar).
Today, most electricity in the US is generated from natural gas, oil, coal, or nuke, but wind and solar sources are begining to come online.
I've never heard the term "Cubanization". I wonder what its origin is?
I do like the idea of keeping all the best of the older cars on the road like the Road Runners, Firebirds, the big Broncos, Suburbans and, of course, my Dodge Ram.
The phenomenon you aptly describe, Absalom, is a real concern among industry analysts. They call it the "Cubanization" of the market. They're afraid that people will hang onto their old cars instead of springing for new ones.
Define 'subsidy'. On-the-road gasoline has road taxes (vs. farm gasoline). The natural gas for your residential furnace and water heater does not have road taxes. So if you are not paying road taxes on the CNG fuel for your vehicle, is that not effectively a subsidy ?
Actually, there are already companies manufacturing home refill 'stations' connected directly to the residential natural gas line - once again, without government subsidy!
I agree, dubues, driving a Tesla Roadster is an incredible experience. I need to add, however, that I didn't pay a penny to take the Roadster for a spin. And I can't afford to plunk down $109,000 to buy one.
Compressed Natural Gas has a much lower energy density than gasoline. And it requires (relatively) high pressure; e.g. propane is a liquid at 70 F and about 200 psi. So refilling a CNG tank requires a trained operator and specialized equipment vs. refilling a gasoline tank. Propane was also used (briefly) as a motor vehicle fuel. The relative scarceness of propane stations vs. gasoline stations, and having road taxes added, eventually killed the propane option. The CNG fill station would probably be at the fleet yard only.
Plug in an electric for a re-charge and you likely are getting power from a coal or nuclear power plant and their related 'green' issues.
Natural gas seems to be increasingly abundant. Many local fleets have operated on natural gas for years - seemingly without incident or government support!
Any kind of Government subsidy effectively distorts the markets. This is especially true of late in the Wind Power business. It is all but impossible to get a accurate picture of the cost of producing electric energy for the grid from wind power.
Ethanol subsidies have a similar effect just like milk price supports and any kind of government intervention. Free market Capitalism works really well when it is Free, a real Market of competing products, and the profit motive drives the business.
Frequently the environmental impact is cited as a reason to perturb the Free Market. this is incorrect. Teh true cost of the effects on the environment must be included in the product cost.
Imagine an electric car with the performance of a muscle car, the best energy efficiency and the best environmental impact. There is almost zero chance a product like that can emerge from our current system of subsidies and big corporations trying to maintain their status quo and huge investments in infrastructure.
By experimenting with the photovoltaic reaction in solar cells, researchers at MIT have made a breakthrough in energy efficiency that significantly pushes the boundaries of current commercial cells on the market.
In a world that's going green, industrial operations have a problem: Their processes involve materials that are potentially toxic, flammable, corrosive, or reactive. If improperly managed, this can precipitate dangerous health and environmental consequences.
With LEDs dropping in price virtually every year, automakers have begun employing them, not only on luxury vehicles, but on entry-level models, as well.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
3 
