[Marxism] Electric , Trucks and Buses

[Anthony Boynton <northbogota@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hello again:

I think the energy discussion is very important if we
are ever going to revive the revolutionary, Marxist,
movement. We need to address humanity's presing needs,
and provide the answers that the leaders of society
can not.

Ethanol is not the answer. It probably is part of the
answer in the short run.

I think David missed my main point. He wrote,

"However...going back to Anthony's main point....that
one can use other sources,
say hydro power, to make fuel from sugar cain or corn,
which itself is
non-polluting and renewable and whose output, as of
now, can not be directly
used in transportation, does make sense. The point is
to cut petroleum out of
the picture and, maybe methane too."

My first point, but not my main point, was that
electricity can not be used directly for
transportation, so ethanol is a good substitute given
the current industrial structure of the world economy.

My main point is that the current industrial structure
of the world economy is environmentally and energy
inefficient.

The best alternative is to replace the internal
combustion engine based transportation system of the
world with electric motor based transportation. This
transformation should take place at all levels from
cars, buses and trucks, to ships and aircraft.

Electric motors are far more energy efficient than are
any kind of comubustion engines. And they produce zero
emissions.

Of course there are real use-value obstacles to such a
transformation.

For buses, trucks, and trains there are virtually no
technical problems. The only obstacles are in the form
of the high up front investment in overhead or
undergreound transmission systems and other
infrastructure costs.

For cars the main obstacle is the current level of
battery technology. Lead-acid batteries are heavy, and
need frequent recharging. However, for small cars
designed for commuiting and in-town use, they are
completely feasible. For larger vehicles and longer
distances, improvements in battery technology would be
required.

Lighter than air airships with battery powered engines
are technically feasible. They are not competetive
with jet ariplanes because of speed, but might be
competitive now on an operating cost basis.

Electric/wind combinations for ships are feasible, but
not on the drawing board.

How fast we will run out of fossil fuels may be a
matter of debate. What is not a matter of debate is
that we are running out of fossil fuels. Also not a
matter of debate is that ALL fossil fuels create CO2
and CO, both of which are major agents of
environemental change.

Switching to electric transportation, partially or
completely will not eliminate burining carbon based
fuels. It will reduce it, and allow us to burn those
fuels in the most energy efficient way, and reduce
emissions of CO2 and CO to the miniumum.

The reason for this is called "economies of scale". It
is cheaper and more efficient to reduce all kinds of
emissions in a large scale generatring plant, than in
millions of small internal combustion engines.

(Batteries do represent a significant envirnmental
problem in this proposal.)

Anthony

Envriormental effects aside, we can't use hydro power,
solar power, nuclear
power, or coal power in cars. So we need to
manufacture the bridge energy for
transportaiotn. If the total sum of pollutants and
other not-so-obvious effects
on society is *less* than the extraction, refining and
usage of petroleum fossil
fuel, then it's worth trying. That is what in large
part the debate is about.
Does ethanol fit that bill? I really don't know but it
doesn't sound like it
even taking into consideration Anthony's well
structured explanation.

Like you however, I don't believe the peak-oil folks
either. Fossil fuel running
out I don't believe is going to happen any time soon.
Getting scarcer? Maybe.
North America can run on coal for hundreds of years if
all we're talking about
is energy for residences and commerical operation, if
we want to live with he
pollution. And, there is essentially enough nuclear
power forever. So the real
question is that the issue at hand is the distillation
of energy for
transportation and how to resolve THAT problem.

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