Plug-in vehicles can help end our oil dependency
I would like to add a few comments related to the Feb. 20 editorial on plug-in vehicles.
Recently, I was able to tour the Hybrid Technologies facility in Mooresville. They are now selling vehicles that go over 100 miles per charge with lithium battery technology. Battery life is projected at close to 200,000 miles. Their engineers are heavily involved in the research and development of electric vehicles. At present these vehicles are not cheap, however future costs should be reduced as production increases.
Plug-in vehicles may not solve all of our transportation problems, but they will be one of several solutions. If the Post’s editorial staff has a working blueprint for a more environmentally friendly vehicle, I would like to see it.
At present, approximately 40 percent of our area’s electricity is produced by nuclear power plants. France produces over 90 percent of its power via nuclear fission. Breeder reactor technology can greatly expand the amount of available nuclear fuel. Fuel rods can be reprocessed, which makes available large quantities of unused fuel and greatly reduces the volume of waste that must be isolated. This has allowed some countries to make nuclear energy a reasonable option.
I have not forgotten our county’s fight with the state over an attempt to locate a low-level nuclear waste dump literally in my back yard. However, if technical solutions to the waste problem can be produced, nuclear energy could be used to charge our plug-in vehicles.
Yes, alternative sources of energy should also be a top priority.
China is presently building a huge plant to convert coal into a liquid fuel. The Germans used this technology during WWII. We also have large reserves of coal.
We must do everything possible to make our nation less dependent on foreign oil. It has become a matter of national security.
ó Joe D. Teeter
Gold Hill