Open letter to Scientific American

Dear Editor:

I was very happy to read the October 2012 issue without coming across a single oil company ad. I was thrilled to see the two page ad for the Chevy Volt on the front fold. Then I got to the last page--Yuck! There it was. A Chevron ad with brazen anti-scientific language claiming that gas can be safe for the environment. Please look out the window--you don't need to be a scientist to see that the climate is changing before our eyes, and science is very clear that CO2 is a major cause. You can't burn gas without causing catastrophic environmental damage.

Why do you permit such blatant distortion of the truth in Scientific American? Would you take ads from tobacco companies?

There are plenty of non-polluting companies that can make good advertisements in Scientific American. Please stop accepting ads from oil companies, unless they contain a warning that burning fossil fuels causes climate disruption (see below for an example). No more lies!

Sincerely,

Jack Lucero Fleck

 

 

National Plug In Day in Alameda

I had fun today in Alameda at the South Shore Shopping Center at the East Bay's National Plug In Day Event.  I talked to a lot of people and learned a lot, and hopefully passed on some of what I've learned.  I estimate that about 125 people attended the event plus about 25 - 30 people who brought electric vehicles to display.

Photo from today's event.  I hope to post more from other participants.

 

I counted two Volts (including ours), tow or three new plug-in Prius's, three Leafs, a Think, a new RAV 4, an old RAV 4, a Kewet, a Sparrow, several Yike Bikes, several electric motorcycles, at least four electric conversions, and a Tesla roadster.  I probably missed some cars since I was busy talking to people and offering test rides/drives.

 

Some thoughts from various conversations:

• Most people don't understand that the Volt is an Extended Range Electric Vehicle that always runs on the electric motor--powered by the batteries for the first 35-40 miles, and then by the generator
• The challenge for most people is up-front financing.  I need to learn more about the way that lease options work since that is the way most people are buying these cars.
• Most people do not know about PG&E's E9 electric rates for charging EVs (e.g. see my previous post dated May 22, 2012)  PG&E should be required to promote these rates.
• The tax subsidies for purchase of EVs and for installing charging equipment are very important at this early stage of EV adoption.

All in all I was very happy to see more EV models out this year than I saw last year at Krissy Field in San Francisco.  I enjoyed the day, and hope National Plug In Day continues to build in the future.

 

Order By Numbers Roundup

Welcome to the best blog on the net that no one reads. That'll all change as the all LUGNuts issue of brickJournal is coming out real soon. This means a lot of new lookyloos will suddenly become hip to our LEGO car buildin', crass bloggin' ways. So since we'll have a lot of new eyes on us, lets bring the newbies up to speed on what we're all about. When it comes to dog ownership, food goes in the sharp end and poop comes out the stinky end...and never the other way around. Bane from The Dark Knight Rises sounds like Sean Connery trapped in a toilet while eating a sub sandwich, Three-Peckered Billy Goat coffee is the bee's knees and aluminum foil on your head will keep the monsters at bay. When a lady is present, we can't tuck in our shirts as none of us wear any pants around here, and Burt Reynolds is the reason my dog puked on the rug. Tim is no stranger to paying for strange, Ralph has definitely time traveled and is the reason we now have strip clubs and you can always expect one disgraceful sacrilege or another from Rolic. Ok, I think that about covers it. Now that we've brought the new readers up to speed...and then scared them away, lets get to this month's build challenge called Order By Numbers...all about choosing 10 vastly different ideas off a menu. For quick reference, here are the orders we had to choose from:

1. A legendary vehicle...in Europe
2. Raphy makes a Batman trilogy in 2025 and Catwoman needs a new set of wheels
3. Some good ol' American muscle
4. A vehicle to go with the new LEGO Monster Fighters line
5. A vehicle suitable for a James Bond movie
6. A hard working farm vehicle
7. A vehicle to contend in the 2013 races
8. Any badass vehicle...customized to accommodate a wheelchair
9. The perfect vehicle for a family road trip
10. A vehicle to handle any extreme terrain

Lets see how we did, shall we?


Tim Inman starts us off and orders up a #3...Some good ol' American muscle. In this case a totally badass, balls out gray and black 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner called Hammer.It was the car that Vin Diesel drove in the final scene of "Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift." And if Vin Diesel is involved, you know its got to be good!



When it comes to American muscle cars, just like chips, no one can eat just one. That's why Tim orders up another, but this time a lime green'71 Hemi 'Cuda convertible. Who's that aloof fig with his arms crossed? Why that's none other than Don Johnson. If you want one of these for reals, yo...be prepared to plunk down well over a million dollars. I'll see what I have in the couch cushions.



No stranger to going up for a third helping at the all-you-can-eat buffet, Tim graces us once again, but this time mixes up a combination of #1, #5 and #7 with this Maserati Tipo 151/3. This car is laden with a dry sump something or other, 15 inch doohickies, Dunlop thingamajigs and all kinds of other techno-fritz I don't understand. Let me share a little secret with you new readers...Tim is a real car guy. I, on the other hand, am a real car dunce.



How am I qualified to lead this group, then? I have a way with words and apparently some mad skill with the brick.None of that skill was made apparent however when Lino Martins (hey, that's me!) ordered up a #1 and presented this 2012 Fiat 500. The result: scores of comments about how the tires are too small, and I messed up the back end. Turns out there's just no love for this little car. Awwww nuts!



But there is plenty of love for LEGO Junkie and his camo Tumbler from The Dark Knight Rises. It technically qualifies as a #10 as the streets and rooftops of Gotham are pretty extreme. Is it time for a seemingly unrelated joke? If you ever see Howie Mandel, tell him Burt Reynolds will break a foot off in his ass. He'll totally know why.



Living up to his name, LEGO junkie tweaks out again, but this time with Bane's Semi, also qualifying as a #10. The extreme terrain in question presumably would be Batman's face. Bane is such a badass. Its too bad in the movie he sounded like a kind old pensioner who wanted to sit in a rocking chair and tell me war stories while falling asleep mid



Making good on the aforementioned sacrilege disgrace, Rolic picks on poor handicapped Batman. Yes, Bane breaks the bat and as a result he now has to tool around in this wheelchair accessible classic El Camino, which presumably only gets classic rock stations. Still Batman falls out of his wheelchair anyway. Is it wrong to laugh? If so, I don't wanna be right. This is hilarious! Hey, at least he gets all the best parking spaces now. Right? Right?



Don't taze me, LEGO bro! Sorry, couldn't resist the reference. It was like 5 years ago in Florida. Remember? Anyway, look it up on youtube...but before you do, take a nice long steamy gawk at this bright blue Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic. Its tazer-ific!



Lets say you're in England, just drinking tea, minding your own business and doing whatever it is people do in England. Now lets say the Thames floods and suddenly you're ass over tea kettle in water. What to do? Luckily, Ralph Savelsberg averts the crisis with this Land Rover Defender in the livery of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, a British charity dedicated to saving lives at sea. Jolly good indeed!



Later, Ralph orders up a second helping, but this time he has a craving for the Citroen 2CV Charleston...a legendary vehicle in Europe, but not in the US. Our LUGNuts member with a doctorate degree makes it a point to tell us this car is a horrible little shitbox but it developed a bit of cult-status over the years and was in production for several decades. Tee-hee! He said a naughty word!



Lets say you're in the bathroom, just drinking tea, minding your own business and doing whatever it is people do in the bathroom. Now lets say you're suddenly very, very bored and figured the bathroom could use some spicing up. What to do? Luckily, The Bing-Bong Brothers flushes out a real winner with this bathroom Lamborghini seen here negotiating the punishing terrain of the bathroom counter. Remember, if its yellow let it mellow.



Are you comfortable? Do you have your feet up and wrapped in a blanket? Have you brewed yourself some Three-Peckered Billy Goat coffee? Why not? Get to it, god damn it! For you new readers I always crack similar jokes at the start of Lego911's entries cuz Peter is the world's most prolific builder and this is gonna be a long haul. He starts us off with a Jaguar F-Type GT2 Racer, qualifying as a #7.



Next the prolific Peter orders up a #1 with a generous helping of BMW 2002 TI. He tells us its the ultimate driving machine genesis.Speaking of which, remember when that one guy let somebody drown off his boat? Then Phil Collins invites him to his show and plays that real creepy song "In The Air Tonight" and the whole place is dark except for one spotlight on the guy the whole time. You know what I'm taking about?



Dude, you can't deny its totally true! Even that Emenem song "Stan" referenced it, so if Emenem raps about it, you know its totally true. Just like that story of Richard Gere and that gerbil. Oh, and Peter builds some American muscle...a badass '68 Olds Hurst Sport Coupe.



Next Peter tells us the Bowler EXR-S Ultimate Offroader can handle any terrain, making it a top contender for the Paris-Dakar races and the perfect #10 for our challenge. It was also seen in the Top Gear's England vs Germany challenge. I haven't seen that one yet so don't spoil it for me. I was gonna see that Titanic movie then someone told me the boat sinks and the whole ending was spoiled so I said awwww screw it.



Oh wait, is Peter done? Already? That wasn't so bad. Anyway, if you're like me, you've spent many a night crying on your sweaty pillow wishing someone would contribute a number 4 to the challenge. Luckily, Volume X remedies all our crying and night sweats with this Zombie Junk Racer...made to look like an official LEGO Monster Fighters set. I'd totally buy that.



I'd also plunk my hard earned scratch down on his second entry, a TRT or Tactical Riot Truck. Its like a party in my mouth and everyone is being arrested. And sprayed with pepper gas and a riot hose. Heh! Riot hose! I know, right! I can't believe how funny I am! Where do I think up this stuff?



Where does Gilcelio think up his stuff, for that matter? He's submitted a number 10 and a Batman vehicle simply called Bane. Yes, the venom-enduced bruiser has his own look-alike vehicle to pound Batman's face into a pulp. Poor Batman. He's really taking a beating with the riot hose this month. Hah, RIOT HOSE!!



Raphy finishes out our roundup with a Saab Sonet III that qualifies as an order #1. What it lacks in riot hoses and the ability to beat Batman's face into a pulp, it makes up for in yellow and black Saab goodness. Its like a party in my mouth and everyone is swimming in grease. Or something. I don't know, my jokes just went stale.



Perfect timing, too. That was this month's round up, kids. What did you new readers think? Like most things in life, this roundup started with poking fun at Vin Diesel, ended with a greasy taste in my mouth and there was some tazing and making fun of the handicapped somewhere in between. Sort of like a job interview I had recently. So, what to we have in store for next month? You'll have to tune in next month to see, but its a little challenge we like to call Nifty Fifties, Daddy-O...all about 50's era cars. Many people cite the 50's as their fave automotive era so we're bound to have some pretty exciting entries with mile long fins and copious chrome. I, for one, can't wait to see how this all unfolds. So for now I'll sit in my 50's era bomb shelter, sip a highball and hope the commie reds don't harsh my conservative groove. What? Its what they did in the fifties!

Telling a convincing story about climate disruption

Today I attended an excellent presentation by Betsy Taylor of Breakthrough Strategies and John Neffinger of KNP Communications at the Sierra Club office in San Francisco.  As I started to write this post, I noticed that Joe Romm has an extensive description of their publication "Climate Solutions for a stronger America--A guide for engaging and winning on climate change and clean energy", which covers most of the points made in the workshop I attended.

I urge people to read Joe Romm's review not only because it is thorough, but also since I admire his work on the use of language.  I just finished reading his book Language Intelligence, which explains how the Greek art of rhetoric is essential if we want to convince people to act to stop climate disruption (the term that today's workshop suggests as a stronger version of "climate change", and that avoids the thought that a little global warming might feel good in January in Chicago). 

In the book, Romm shows how Shakespeare, Lincoln, and Churchill among others thoroughly mastered the tools of rhetoric ("the art of winning the soul by discourse"--Plato) in powerful and positive ways, and how George W. Bush seduced people to the dark side with the same tools--short words, repetition, irony, alliteration, foreshadowing, metaphors, extended metaphors, and many others.   Romm makes a compelling case that we fail to employ these tools at our own peril. 

The power of rhetoric is captured by Plato:

             "If a rhetorician and a doctor visited any city you like to name and they had to contend in argument before the Assembly or any other gathering as to which of the two should be chosen as doctor, the doctor would be nowhere, but the man who could speak would be chosen, if he so wished."

This is the situation we find ourselves in politically, where scientists are not able to convince people that climate change is a real threat, and demagogues are able to convince people that the whole thing is a hoax.

This is where the workshop on climate change that I attended today comes in.   Following the ideas of rhetoric, Betsy Taylor said that we need to tell a story, and there has to be a clear villain.  Star Wars is great because Darth Vader is a great villain.

John Neffinger went on to explain a three part story that we need to tell. 

John Neffinger speaking in San Francisco September 19

He explained that "Science does not win the argument. . ." but personal experience does.    People are now willing to listen and talk about extreme weather--not just heat, but droughts, floods, fires and destructive storms.  And this willingness gives us an opening for part one of the story.

People generally will agree that we have a moral obligation to our kids to take this seriously; "we owe it to our kids to protect them".  Failure to act puts our kids future at risk.  The message of part one of the story is "We must".

Part two of the story is "We can."  "No one should doubt America's ingenuity and resolve."  It is important to take the patriotic high ground and tap into pride that people feel in our country's technological advances.  In combatting naysayers, Betsy Taylor urged a statement like, "Are you telling me you don't think America is up to this challenge.  Those who say nothing can be done about climate change forget who we are and what we can do."

Of course, for those of us with solar panels on our roofs and electric cars, we can point to the technology that is here, and that it costs less than paying the utility company for electricity and the gas company for gasoline.  That's what this blog is all about.

Part three of the story is "We will."   This is where the villain comes into the story.  Here we have powerful, greedy, deceitful oil corporations--e.g. Exxon, Chevron, BP, . . .that are trying to block clean energy and rigging the system.  To protect our children's future we have to win the political battle against the oil companies who are buying votes in Congress. It's time to break the stranglehold that big oil and coal have on Washington.

So all in all, I learned a lot at the workshop and found it very inspiring.  In terms of rhetoric, the story line--"We must.  We can.  We will."-- is short and effective, like Lincoln's "of the people, by the people, for the people."

One fascinating point is to look at President Obama's acceptance speech at the Democratic Convention, where he mentions climate change.  His words:

"And yes, my plan will continue to reduce the carbon pollution that is heating our planet – because climate change is not a hoax. More droughts and floods and wildfires are not a joke. They’re a threat to our children’s future. And in this election, you can do something about it. 

I will not let oil companies write this country's energy plan,or endanger our coastlines, or collect another $4 billion in corportate welfare from our taxpayers."

So President Obama included "We must" by talking about our children's future.  He also talked about "We can" by discussing renewable energy previously in his talk (although, unfortunately with equal emphasis on natural gas).  And then he brought in the villain--the oil companies--in saying "We will" do something about the problem.

One key issue that was raised at the workshop is "where do we go when people are convinced?"  This the situation we have here in Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco.  I believe that a majority of the politicians and general population here "get it" that climate change is human made, and that it is a serious problem.   I'm working with 350 Bay Area to find ways to make deep cuts in CO2 emissions in the Bay Area and beyond.  To take real action, even in the Bay Area, however, requires that we make a compelling case and tell a clear story.  "Climate Solutions for a Stronger America" is a powerful step in right direction.

Clearly I believe that electric vehicles powered by clean energy are an essential part of our effort to address this looming crisis.  I hope all of us EV owners can tell a compelling story about how much fun and fulfilling it is to drive cars that are peppy and part of the solution, not the problem.

For more about Joe Romm's excellent book, Language Intelligence, see Van Jones' review.

Electric cars--lots of choices

Electric cars--yes there are choices to fit your needs.

Two years ago, there was one choice--convert your car to electric by yourself or with the aid of a local mechanic.  Today there are a lot of choices, and there are more all the time.  Here is a list of the vehicles being displayed on National Plug In day September 23.

Tesla Model S
Nissan Leaf
Tesla Roadster
Chevy Volt
Coda
Mitsubishi iMiEV
Zero Motorcycles
BMW ActiveE
Honda Fit EV
Plug-In Prius
Toyota RAV4 EV
Fisker Karma
Smart ED
Ford Focus EV
eBikes
plus many conversions

Electric Cars Making Great Progress

Two years ago I attended the Green Drive Expo in Richmond, CA.  I was excited to talk to many electric car enthusiasts and I learned a lot.  But at that time most of the vehicles on display were conversions--either of the Prius or other internal combustion engine vehicles.  There was no Volt, no Toyota, and no major car manufacturers that I can recall (although I think Nissan may have been there taking names for a waiting list for the Leaf). 

What a difference two years has made!  Toyota, Volt, Leaf, and Coda were at today's Green Drive Expo displaying brand new plug-in vehicles.

I was greeted by a small army of Toyota representatives offering test drives.  I drove the all-electric RAV4, and was very impressed.  The car is scheduled for sale before the end of this year.  It has a 41.8 kwh lithium ion battery (compared to about 16 kwh for the Volt).   My Toyota co-pilot on the test drive told me that the normal full battery charge would be around 33 kwh (compared to 11 kwh for the Volt).  He said that the range for those 30 kwh would be around 100 miles.  If that proves true, that would be 3.3 miles per kwh, which is about the same as the 3.1 miles per kwh we got on the Volt during the first full year (although we've been getting more like 3.5 miles per kwh lately).  Since the RAV4 weighs a hefty 4,032 pounds, that's not bad (the Volt weighs 3,781 pounds/1,715 kg).  I like it that EVs are breaking out of the compact market.  I hope soccer moms learn about all the advantages of electric vehicles and start buying.

I was impressed to learn that Green Car Expo is the brainchild of Eric Powers, and is the product of Eric, Becky Powers (Eric's wife), and Linda Weidemann.  They put on a great show with a small staff.  I encourage people to get on their email list by contacting Eric at: eric@greendriveexpo.com

I also got a chance to talk to keynote speaker Chelsea Sexton, a long time advocate for electric vehicles who was featured in Who Killed the Electric Car.  We talked about PG&E's recent rate hike for EVs, but Chelsea, who is from Southern California and not in the PG&E territory, said that we in California are lucky to have off-peak rates at all.  She can charge her car for $30 a month, which is a bargain compared to buying gas.  She said that we need to campaign to get all utilities in the U.S. to offer rates that favor both electric cars and solar panels.

Some photos from the event:

 Coda:  See Coda Automotive for details

 2013 Chevy Volts

 Event organizers Becky Powers and Linda Weidemann

Keynote speaker Chelsea Sexton

RAV4 EV

Solar Powered Electric Car

 

Warning Labels on Gas Pumps--update

The idea of warning labels on gas pumps stating that burning gasoline is causing global warming has been bouncing around the internet for a year or more.  This past Sunday, September 9, I got a chance to see how the idea would fly in Berkeley, CA by collecting signatures on petitions at the Solano Stroll, a huge block party in Berkeley/Albany with around 100,000 people in attendance.

I was staffing a table for 350 Bay Area, one of whose projects is to urge local Bay Area cities to require labels on gas pumps reading something like:

The warning would be accompanied by a link to the local city's Climate Action Plan.  Most SF Bay Area cities have adopted climate action plans.  See for example Oakland , Berkeley, San Francisco, El Cerrito, . . .

Having a warning label on the gas pumps puts the oil companies in the same category as cigarette companies. Their product is legal, but it is a health hazard and consumers are warned that they should avoid it or use as little as possible.

Altogether we collected about 70 signatures on petitions aimed at the city councils of Berkeley, Albany, El Cerrito, and Oakland, plus a few miscellaneous cities.  We also handed out a couple hundred leaflets explaining our proposal.  Here are my thoughts/observations:

Most people are not at Solano Stroll to sign political petitions--they just want to listen to music, have some fun with their kids, eat, and people watch. But I think it is a very supportive audience in general.  Quite a few people liked the warning label idea right away and signed the petition without any questions, which was very encouraging.

The number one reason people gave for not signing was "Doesn't everyone already know that?"  I have two responses to that:

First, I think many people do NOT know that burning gasoline is causing global warming, or if they do know, they don't think global warming is a very serious problem.  Many people who watch Fox "News" or listen to Republican politicians are likely to dismiss global warming as a hoax or as a natural climate fluctuation and a non-issue.  They tend to think there is a lot of debate and uncertainty with regard to climate change predictions.  (It is true that scientists constantly debate and refine their models, but there is overwhelming agreement that climate change is human caused and is a real threat.)

Second, and of more importance to the general San Francisco Bay Area population,  I think the feeling behind the question is "Yes, I know I am causing global warming by buying gasoline, but this warning label is too much of a guilt trip, and there aren't really good alternatives."   That's why the petition also calls for the warning label to link to the local city's Climate Action Plan as a positive way to reduce gasoline consumption.  Here's the exact wording (with Berkeley, Oakland, . . . substituted for "Our City"):

Petition to the Bay Area Local Governments:

We urge our city council to require warning labels on gas pumps to:

1)   Warn consumers that burning gasoline is causing global warming,

2)  Inform people that our city has a Climate Action Plan to reduce CO2 in general and gasoline use in particular.

I'm pretty sure that most people are not aware that their city has a climate action plan.  I think it is important for people to understand that there are good alternatives to internal combustion engine vehicles.  Even getting a high mileage vehicle is a positive step, although it will only slow the rate of global warming; it won't stop it. The local climate action plans call for transportation related ways to reduce CO2 emissions--transit, pedestrians, bicycles, and electric vehicles.  The plans also call for conservation/weatherization of buildings and conversion to clean energy among other points.

The petition drive shows that people will support this effort to stop global warming, and to shift to carbon neutral transportation.  This is only the beginning of this campaign.

Electric Car at Solano Stroll

View down Solano Avenue 9/9/2012

 

 

To learn more about 350 Bay Area please click here.

 

National Plug-in Day 2012

Join the electric car revolution by coming to National Plug-in Day on September 23.

Click here to find an event near you.  We'll be joining the East Bay Electric Auto Association at the South Shore Shopping Center parking lot on Park Street (details). 

Hope to see you there on September 23

--Jack

PS--the Volt set a new sales record for July by selling 2500 cars.  The word is starting to get out.