NC Ch 2 : Reinventing the Wheels

A solution to a particular problem, namely transportation.

Here, the authors tackle the car industry and promote hypercars, a Rocky Mountain Institute design from 1991.

Key features, hydrogen-fuel cell running electric motors, ultralight made out of carbon-fiber composites. (p25)

They say GM promised production-ready hybrids by 2001 and fuel-cell versions by 2004. Ford P2000, 40% lighter, 60-70mpg hybrid versions could be in dealerships by 2000. Supposedly Chrysler and Volkswagen all had plans for hybrids. (p26) So what happened?

In order to make fuel cells themselves cheaper, the authors propose using them in buildings first (2/3 of America's electricity use). "Fuel cells can turn 50-60 percent of the hydrogen's energy into electricity and 170F water" (p34).

Natural gas can be separated into hydrogen for the fuel cells and carbon dioxide, that can be reinjected into the gas field. The authors predict we have 2000 years worth of natural gas. Another option is to use electricity from wind or solar to make hydrogen. I'm a little surprised that it can be efficient to convert from fuel to fuel.

Besides technological improvements, changes in lifestyles and community planning can decrease the need for so much driving. Ave US commute increased over 30% during 1983-1990

1. Make parking and driving bear true costs
2. Foster competition between different modes of transportation
3. Emphasize sensible land use over actual physical mobility - a symptom of being in the wrong place

(p41)

projects:
"parking cash-out" law in CA for firms of 40+ people in smoggy areas.
Frankfurt, Germany, no free parking built along with an office
Britain, taxing firms that provide free or below-market employee parking
Metropolitan Sydney taxes nonresidential parking spaces to fund suburban railway-station parking
Japan, can't buy car unless you prove you have spot to park
Singapore, morning-ruch-hour $3 entry fee cut the number of cars entering the city by 44%, traffic moves 20% faster

narrow windy streets can be safer than wide streets because people drive slower
Amsterdam - 18mph speed limit in central district plus more sidewalks and less parking

Pasadena, CA, free bikes for city workers for commuting
Palo Alto, CA, require office buildings to offer lockers and showers for bikers
Bicycling unit police forces
"virtual mobility" - work from home

clustering of houses, jobs, and shopping
change mortgages and tax rules- Fannie Mae experiment in 1995 with bigger mortgages for energy-efficient homes (p46)