With the world looking for alternative energy and automobiles that can get us where we want to go without using fossil fuels and adding to the pollutions problems, hybrid cars can be a good alternative to the cars most people are driving now.

One of the main drawbacks or the hybrid cars has been their batteries.  The typical battery – a lead acid battery – can store a great amount of energy, however there are also problems associated with them.  When they are charged and discharged repeatedly, as in turning on and off a car engine, the battery gradually fills with deposits of chemicals, which coat the inside of the battery.  These deposits make the battery wear out much faster.

Researchers have been looking for a battery that will not have those problems, and a company named CSIRO out of Australia has created the Ultra Battery.  The Ultra Battery combines a lead acid battery with a supercapacitor.  The Ultra Battery will store as much energy as a regular lead acid battery without the battery plate getting coated with deposits that make it wear out sooner.  The capacitor acts as a buffer during charging and discharging so that this does not happen and the life of the battery is extended.

During testing, the Ultra Battery lasted 4 times as long as the lead acid battery and drove over 185,000 km without any problems.  The Ultra Battery was still in good shape with plenty of energy left to keep running. 

Cost has been another worry regarding batteries for hybrid cars.  The Ultra Battery should solve that problem as well.  The projected cost of the Ultra Battery is about one-third to one-fourth of NiMH batteries and only one-sixth of what the lithium ion batteries used on higher powered electric cars cost.  A couple of Battery manufacturers in Japan and the United States have begun the process of modifying their plants so that they can begin manufacturing the Ultra Battery, making it available sometime next year.

The Paris Auto Show is one of the most extravagant in the world.  It features the newest, the latest and the trendiest cars available.  This year’s show, which is open right now, has blended two trends together for the good of the auto-buying public and for the sake of the environment.

The trend toward keeping the planet green and helping to do it by using small efficient cars has been combined at the Paris Auto Show, in many cases through the premiere of electric cars.  It has become apparent that the economy will be headed in the “green” direction – keeping the earth green, and by doing so by the use of electric cars; it should keep some green in both automakers and consumers’ pockets.

All of a sudden everyone is interested in electric cars – even the United States.  There are a number of reasons for this, but the main one is the fuel crisis and its impact on economics.  Last month only 1 million cars were sold in the United States.  That’s a very scant number.  In fact, this is the lowest amount of cars sold in a month in the last 15 years.  Europe is worried about the same situation.  Half of the cars purchased in Europe are financed, so the number of cars sold has a huge effect on the economy.

This is why the electric car is getting so much attention.  There are 19 electric cars showing at the Paris Auto Show.  They are all similar versions of the same basic car – a small car that can be plugged into a regular outlet at home or at a charging station.  The idea is that charging stations will be made available at various easily accessible places on the street – instead of the way that filling stations are used now.  Charging would take about 6 hours for a complete charge at 110 volts in the U.S., or 3 hours at 220 volts in Europe.  The cars can run for about 100 miles when fully charged, which is great for city commuters.

The Chevy Volt is one of the cars on display at the Paris Auto Show.  The Volt is currently being tested in Denmark and Chevy plans to sell between 100,000 and 200,000 units starting in 2010.  These would switch from fuel to electricity when the fuel runs out.  It is estimated that by 2015 there will have been 2.5 million electric cars sold in Europe. 

There will still be hurdles.  If the price of fuel continues to drop the way they have been dropping, many people may choose to keep their old cars a little longer rather than spend $10,000 for a new car.  In addition, nobody really knows how strong the market for electric cars will be and there are other alternatives that could come on the market as well.

Regardless, there are now beginning to be more options, and they are all the rage these days in Paris.

We all know that we are in the midst of a fuel mess.  Not enough fuel.  No way to get it fast enough.  No real plan in place.  You know the deal.  So, what is the answer to solving the crisis?  In a few words, there are a lot of suggestions but not one answer.

At the Republican National Convention there were loud chants of “Drill, baby drill!”  To some, this seems like a good idea, and it may or may not be.  The issues that have come up from both sides of the aisle regarding drilling are that drilling takes a long time to set up.  There is the task of finding the right spot, ecological studies, permits, test drilling, building platforms and more.  Experts, researchers and many others say that it would take nearly 10 years to see any usable fuel from new drilling.

Since right now, the United States has about 3% of the world’s oil but uses well over 25% of the world’s fuel, waiting 10 years doesn’t seem like a helpful short-term option.  This is not to say that drilling should not be part of the equation to address the fuel crisis.  It is to say that other forms of fuel and energy need to be researched and probably combined into a complete plan that will evolve over time.

There are ways to use ethanol and biofuels in certain cars now.  Production could be increased on these cars and incentives could be given to both the automobile manufacturers and the individuals who purchase these autos in an effort to offset costs for both.  Change of this magnitude is not free, and it’s not cheap, either.

There are cars that are already hybrid and cars using solar and electric power.  Other cars in the wings are hydrogen cell powered.  All of these are less harmful to the environment and will conserve energy and eliminate the need for at least some amount of fossil fuels.  Some of these are being used now, and their use can be increased with the right marketing and incentives.

Researchers are looking at ways to use recycled solid waste to power cities and transportation.  There are ways to use nuclear energy to create power, and we have been doing this for decades.

As for drilling, those who say that it won’t work also say that most of the usable oil is located within 50 miles of the shoreline, but the new energy plan, if passed, will not allow drilling any closer than 50 miles of the shoreline, so there may not be many oil rich areas out there, according to some.  Also, even though the lawmakers will allow the moratorium on drilling to lapse so that the possibility of drilling can become a reality, it ultimately remains up to the individual states as to whether they will approve it or not.

Drilling is a viable option and should not be dismissed.  The current fuel crisis was not created overnight, and just like losing weight after gaining it over a period of time, the solution will not be finalized over night either.

One of the signs that things have changed with relation to fuel and fuel prices is the fact that fuel-guzzling vehicles are no longer in demand.  In fact, in many cases, because of huge fuel price increases, it is hard, if not impossible, to even give them away. 

SUV’s and large trucks that do not get good mileage were status symbols not long ago.  Within the past year as fuel prices have continued to rise, prices for these vehicles have continued to drop.  Vehicles that cost $20,000 to $40,000  less than a year ago are being sold – or as some people say, given away – for well under $10,000. 

These are signs that things have changed and are continuing to change when it comes to the way we view transportation and fuel.  Not only are individuals, families and consumers realizing this, but so are car companies that have been producing those large and inefficient vehicles.

As a result, auto makers are changing the way they do business and changing their factories to match.  They are making adjustments to coincide with the adjustments that have taken place in the vehicle market due to the fuel crisis.

Ford Motor Company, for example, has begun to change many of its truck factories and adapt them so that they will be able to produce smaller, fuel efficient vehicles, such as the Ford Focus.  The factories will be retooled and this retooling will begin in November. 

These adjustments are important because they are intelligent.  This retooling will cost million of dollars, but save thousands of jobs.  It will help the economy by providing a product that people need and a product that will conserve fuel and energy and ultimately help the environment.

Other auto makers are looking at following Ford’s example in similar ways.  This makes sense for them financially – why keep producing products that won’t sell when you can produce more products that you already produce that you know will sell?  In addition to making financial sense for the auto makers, there will be benefits to the country and its citizens as we have already discussed.

So, one more sign that it is time to deal with the fuel crisis head on is the fact that politicians are talking about it and industry – including automakers – is actually doing something about it. 

With some concerted effort, there can be progress, and with progress, we just might get through this crisis and change the way we look at and use fuel forever.

Here we are in the 21st century with inventions that boggle the mind.  In addition to computers that are outdated in a nanosecond, we have been offered – and some people have already put deposits down for – the first commercial trip to the moon.

All of this and we are unable to deal with the fuel crisis.  It is interesting that the fuel crisis is not a new idea or situation that just landed on the horizon.  As far back as the late 70’s we were being warned that this time would come, and it would happen sooner than we think and affect us much worse than we thought it would.  Those who predicted this were right on the money, no pun intended.

In around 1979, Jimmy Carter, who was president at the time, stated that there should be alternative energy, such as solar power.  He even went so far as to have solar panels installed at the White House.  No word on whether they are still there or still in use, but it seems that he may have been a visionary who was ignored, as many visionaries are.

Carter had a few other ideas, too, such as pushing automakers to increase the mileage to somewhere around 48mpg by 1995.  Well, a few of the hybrids, like the Prius that has been out a couple of years now, boast 50mpg.  Carter suggested offering windfall taxes to oil companies so that they could look for alternative fuel and energy sources.  He also felt that at least 20% of our energy should come from alternative sources – especially solar power – as soon as possible.

Here we are 30 years later listening to the very same arguments by lawmakers while the price of gas has gone up from under $.50 per gallon to over $4.00, partially due to inaction on some of the logical alternatives to dependence on fossil fuels.  Then again, there is also the fact that for years, America has been far behind the curve in manufacturing cars that perform like those that have been manufactured in Japan.  Only recently have U.S. automakers been catching up.  And only recently – with an election looming and with gasoline prices that have skyrocketed – have lawmakers across the aisles been actually seriously talking, and some of them have stopped arguing long enough to actually communicate about getting things under control.

The worst of the issue is that we could have avoided getting to this point to begin with, so getting things under control now will not be quick or easy.  It’s like trying to keep ice from melting after it has sitting on the counter for an hour or two.  It can be done, but it has to go back into the freezer. 

The fuel crisis can be remedied, but it will take going back to some of the ideas that have already been proposed and actually implementing them and adding to them to get started.  It’s good to know that at least part of Congress is finally talking together and working together to move forward and get things done before it’s really, really too late.  Hopefully, the rest of Congress will stop arguing and join in solving the problem.