Dick Cheney is a Liar
Roi J. Tamkin
“ginger”
Recently, oil baron turned ailing VP Dick Cheney announced that the country is in an energy crisis. He made the statement that Americans could not “conserve” their way out of this one. Instead, we must turn to alternative sources of energy – namely, coal and nuclear power. But only until his ex-employer drills all the crude oil out of Alaska.
When did coal and nuclear power become alternative fuel sources? What happened to wind and solar? According to Cheney, those technologies are “far in the future.” Interesting statement, since we’ve been using those technologies on a small scale for several decades.
Thankfully, we can turn to the automotive industry for a real solution. Ford, Honda, Toyota, and GM are working on developing vehicles utilizing a hybrid-electric drive train that combines batteries and gas to produce cars that produce zero emissions and extremely high gas mileage. Ford’s Ranger EV is currently available for lease, while their two-seater Think is available as a Hertz rent-a-car. The Ranger runs on a nickel metal hydride battery, and the Think has a quick battery recharge turnaround time.
Did the auto industry just suddenly turn Green? Do you think they have big hearts for the environment? No. The industry realized that oil and gas are finite products. In order to remain competitive and marketable, the industry has to change and develop automobiles that do not rely on an internal combustion engine.
On the down side, these vehicles are not cheap. Although high gas mileage and engine efficiency will benefit all consumers, most EV cars are only available to corporate clients that purchase fleet of vehicles. Toyota’s RAV4 EV is only available in fleets, but it makes one wonder what company is going to buy a fleet of 4x4s. Consumer level vehicles made by Honda and GM are still off in the future, but it does appear that environmentally safe hybrid vehicles are coming. Ford is even working on its first Electric SUV.
So drill on that one, Dick Cheney! ◼
