Fires, Floods, Famine, etc.....

[Pennyworth]

History of Electric VehiclesBetween 1832 and 1839 (the exact year is uncertain), Robert Anderson of Scotland invented the first crude electric carriage. A small-scale electric car was ...inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aacarselectrica.htm - 29k - Cached - Similar pageshttp://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aacarselectrica.htm The History of Electric Vehicles The Early Years - Electric Cars (1890 - 1930) Between 1832 and 1839 (the exact year is uncertain), Robert Anderson of Scotland invented the first crude electric carriage. A small-scale electric car was designed by Professor Stratingh of Groningen, Holland, and built by his assistant Christopher Becker in 1835. Practical and more successful electric road vehicles were invented by both American Thomas Davenport and Scotsmen Robert Davidson around 1842. Both inventors were the first to use non-rechargeable electric cells. Frenchmen Gaston Plante invented a better storage battery in 1865 and his fellow countrymen Camille Faure improved the storage battery in 1881. This improved-capacity storage battery paved the way for electric vehicles to flourish. France and Great Britain were the first nations to support the widespread development of electric vehicles in the late 1800s. In 1899, a Belgian built electric racing car called "La Jamais Contente" set a world record for land speed - 68 mph - designed by Camille Jénatzy. It was not until 1895 that Americans began to devote attention to electric vehicles after an electric tricycle was built by A. L. Ryker and William Morrison built a six-passenger wagon both in 1891. Many innovations followed and interest in motor vehicles increased greatly in the late 1890s and early 1900s. In 1897, the first commercial application was established as a fleet of New York City taxis built by the Electric Carriage and Wagon Company of Philadelphia. The early electric vehicles, such as the 1902 Wood's Phaeton (top image), were little more than electrified horseless carriages and surreys. The Phaeton had a range of 18 miles, a top speed of 14 mph and cost $2,000. Later in 1916, Woods invented a hybrid car that had both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. By the turn of the century, America was prosperous and cars, now available in steam, electric, or gasoline versions, were becoming more popular. The years 1899 and 1900 were the high point of electric cars in America, as they outsold all other types of cars. Electric vehicles had many advantages over their competitors in the early 1900s. They did not have the vibration, smell, and noise associated with gasoline cars. Changing gears on gasoline cars was the most difficult part of driving, while electric vehicles did not require gear changes. While steam-powered cars also had no gear shifting, they suffered from long start-up times of up to 45 minutes on cold mornings. The steam cars had less range before needing water than an electric's range on a single charge. The only good roads of the period were in town, causing most travel to be local commuting, a perfect situation for electric vehicles, since their range was limited. The electric vehicle was the preferred choice of many because it did not require the manual effort to start, as with the hand crank on gasoline vehicles, and there was no wrestling with a gear shifter. While basic electric cars cost under $1,000, most early electric vehicles were ornate, massive carriages designed for the upper class. They had fancy interiors, with expensive materials, and averaged $3,000 by 1910. Electric vehicles enjoyed success into the 1920s with production peaking in 1912. The decline of the electric vehicle was brought about by several major developments: By the 1920s, America had a better system of roads that now connected cities, bringing with it the need for longer-range vehicles. The discovery of Texas crude oil reduced the price of gasoline so that it was affordable to the average consumer. The invention of the electric starter by Charles Kettering in 1912 eliminated the need for the hand crank. The initiation of mass production of internal combustion engine vehicles by Henry Ford made these vehicles widely available and affordable in the $500 to $1,000 price range. By contrast, the price of the less efficiently produced electric vehicles continued to rise. In 1912, an electric roadster sold for $1,750, while a gasoline car sold for $650. Next page > History of Electric Cars - The Middle Years (1930 - 1990) Photos and partial information provided by the U. S. Department of Energy

[Pennyworth]

The History of Electric Vehicles The Middle Years of Electric Cars (1930 - 1990) Electric vehicles had all but disappeared by 1935. The years following until the 1960s were dead years for electric vehicle development and for use as personal transportation. The 1960s and 1970s saw a need for alternative fueled vehicles to reduce the problems of exhaust emissions from internal combustion engines and to reduce the dependency on imported foreign crude oil. Many attempts to produce practical electric vehicles occurred during the years from 1960 to the present. In the early 1960s, the Boyertown Auto Body Works jointly formed the Battronic Truck Company with Smith Delivery Vehicles, Ltd., of England and the Exide Division of the Electric Battery Company. The first Battronic electric truck was delivered to the Potomac Edison Company in 1964. This truck was capable of speeds of 25 mph, a range of 62 miles and a payload of 2,500 pounds. Battronic worked with General Electric from 1973 to 1983 to produce 175 utility vans for use in the utility industry and to demonstrate the capabilities of battery-powered vehicles. Battronic also developed and produced about 20 passenger buses in the mid 1970s. Two companies were leaders in electric car production during this time. Sebring-Vanguard produced over 2,000 "CitiCars." These cars had a top speed of 44 mph, a normal cruise speed of 38 mph and a range of 50 to 60 miles. The other company was Elcar Corporation, which produced the "Elcar". The Elcar had a top speed of 45 mph, a range of 60 miles and cost between $4,000 and $4,500. In 1975, the United States Postal Service (see top image) purchased 350 electric delivery jeeps from the American Motor Company to be used in a test program. These jeeps had a top speed of 50 mph and a range of 40 miles at a speed of 40 mph. Heating and defrosting were accomplished with a gas heater and the recharge time was 10 hours. Next page > Electric

[Pennyworth]

The History of Electric Vehicles Recent Years (1990 to 1998) Several legislative and regulatory actions in the United States and worldwide have renewed electric vehicle development efforts. Primary among these is the U.S. 1990 Clean Air Act Amendment, the U.S. 1992 Energy Policy Act, and regulations issued by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). In addition to more stringent air emissions requirements and regulations requiring reductions in gasoline use, several states have issued Zero Emission Vehicle requirements. The "Big Three" automobile manufacturers, and the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as a number of vehicle conversion companies are actively involved in electric vehicle development through the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV). Electric conversions of familiar gasoline powered vehicles, as well as electric vehicles designed from the ground up, are now available that reach super highway speeds with ranges of 50 to 150 miles between recharging.Some examples of these vehicles are the Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck (top image), converted by U.S. Electricar and no longer available. It was powered by dual alternating current motors and lead acid batteries. It had a range of about 60 miles and could be recharged in less than 7 hours.The Geo Metro, converted by Solectria Corp., is an electric-powered 4-passenger sedan powered by an alternating current motor and lead-acid batteries. It has a range of 50 miles, and it can be recharged in less than 8 hours. During the 1994 American Tour de Sol from New York City to Philadelphia, a 1994 Solectria Geo Metro cruised over 200 miles on a single charge using Ovonic nickel metal hydride batteries. The "Big Three" automobile manufacturers also developed electric vehicles. An early 1990s vehicle was the Ford Ecostar utility van with an alternating current motor and sodium sulfur batteries. The top speed was 70 mph and it had a range of 80 to 100 miles. While about 100 Ecostars were produced, it was considered an R&D vehicle and never offered commercially. Ford offered an electric version of its Ford Ranger pickup. It had a range of about 65 miles with its lead acid batteries, had a top speed of 75 mph, it accelerated from 0 to 50 mph in 12 seconds, and it had a payload of 700 pounds. General Motors has designed and developed an electric car from the ground up instead of modifying an existing vehicle. This vehicle, called the EV1, was a 2-passenger sports car powered by a liquid-cooled alternating current motor and lead-acid batteries. The EV1 had a top speed of 80 mph, had a range of 80 miles, and could accelerate from 0 to 50 mph in less than 7 seconds.In addition to the EV1, General Motors offered an electric vehicle Chevrolet S-10 pickup. This vehicle had a range of 45 miles, it accelerated from 5 to 50 mph in 10 seconds, and it had a payload of 950 pounds. Other electric vehicles that were available during 1998 included the Toyota RAV4 sport utility, the Honda EV Plus sedan, and the Chrysler EPIC minivan. These three vehicles were all equipped with advanced nickel metal hydride battery packs. Nissan placed limited numbers of their Altra EV station wagons in California fleets during 1998. The Altra was equipped with a lithium-ion battery pack. In addition, both Ford and General Motors during 1998, made the Ranger, the EV1, and the S-10 pickup available with nickel metal hydride battery packs. While the vehicles in 1998 satisfied the driving requirements of many fleet operators and two car families, the cost of $30,000 to $40,000 (1998) made them expensive. However, this cost was considerably lower when tax credits and incentives were included.Large-volume production and improvements in the production process are expected to reduce prices to the range of current gasoline-powered vehicles.An excellent site on the history of electrical vehicles is "the history of electric vehicles" site, the first online archive created to encourage electric vehicle enthusiasts to help preserve the recent history of electric vehicles.

[Pennyworth]

Paul Pennyworth wrote:Big Bertha Is Back.....http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/id ... 8Florida's Fatal Fay ..... http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/ ... 0820080822

[Pennyworth]

Heavy Hurricane Hits Haiti..... http://voanews.com/english/2008-08-26-voa51.cfm

[Chad Duncan]

While im on board with your information, were all within 6 degrees of making any scenario in this life comparable to anything we want it to appear like. I could easily be a driver for a Mafia boss, and believe I have the mentality to have been like James Files and I even starting writing letters to the man. But whether global warming is causing more storms or earthquakes are increasing in intensity and frequency we are still on a planet that is free floating in a universe and are being pulled around a hot star which could flat out explode or drop us from its pull and we would be ice blocks in 10 minutes. So really who is to say what is "normal" and caused by man. There is no true bible on how things are "supposed" to be. Its all open to personal interpretation.

[Pennyworth]

NEW ORLEANS - Police with bullhorns plan to go street to street this weekend with a tough message about getting out ahead of Hurricane Gustav: This time there will be no shelter of last resort. The doors to the Superdome will be locked. Those who stay will be on their own. New forecasts Friday made it increasingly clear that New Orleans will get some kind of hit — direct or indirect — by early next week. That raised the likelihood people would have to flee, and the city suggested a full-scale evacuation call could come as soon as Sunday.http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080829/ap_ ... tionGEORGE TOWN, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Hurricane Gustav strengthened over the warm waters of the Caribbean on Friday, swirling toward the Cayman Islands and the Gulf of Mexico on the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's deadly strike on New Orleans.The storm, which killed up to 77 people in the Caribbean, plowed toward superheated waters south of Cuba where it could absorbenough energy to strengthen into a major hurricane before ripping through the heavy concentration of U.S. oil and natural gas platforms off Louisiana.While long-range storm forecasts are prone to huge errors, the most likely track had Gustav going ashore west of New Orleans on Tuesday morning as a Category 3 storm on the five-stage Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity.U.S. emergency officials warned that Gustav was expected to be accompanied by a 15- to 30-foot (5-to-9 metre) storm surge along the Gulf Coast and said four states in its potential path were expected to begin large-scale evacuations on Saturday."This storm has the potential for being a very dangerous storm," said Bill Irwin, a program director with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/id ... 4320080830

[Pennyworth]

Chad Duncan wrote:While im on board with your information, were all within 6 degrees of making any scenario in this life comparable to anything we want it to appear like. I could easily be a driver for a Mafia boss, and believe I have the mentality to have been like James Files and I even starting writing letters to the man. But whether global warming is causing more storms or earthquakes are increasing in intensity and frequency we are still on a planet that is free floating in a universe and are being pulled around a hot star which could flat out explode or drop us from its pull and we would be ice blocks in 10 minutes. So really who is to say what is "normal" and caused by man. There is no true bible on how things are "supposed" to be. Its all open to personal interpretation.Hello Dan maybe you should go see a psychiatrist or a spiritual advisor .......I would like to write here express denying suspending and hi-jacking one of my e-mails, [the one that has saved documents along with some inflammatory and idiotic but also some comical and entertaining e-mails send by dallas dan] ....and I found out that 'YES HE CAN' do things like that...I might or might not have some surprises coming up for you

[Pennyworth]

Gustav is going, here comes Hanna.....http://www.bebo.com/PhotoAlbumBig.jsp?M ... 8776316668

[Pennyworth]

2007 News::COLOMBO: Sri Lanka, a country that imports all its oil, next month will ask explorers to compete to develop a field that may contain 1 billion barrels of crude, 17 percent of neighboring India's reserves....http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/05/ ... pTsunami:A tsunami (pronounced /(t)suːˈnɑːmi/) is a series of waves created when a body of water, such as an ocean, is rapidly displaced. Earthquakes, mass movements above or below water, some volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions, landslides, underwater earthquakes, large asteroid impacts and testing with nuclear weapons at sea all have the potential to generate a tsunami. The effects of a tsunami can be devastating due to the immense volumes of water and energy involved. Since meteorites are small, they will not generate a tsunami.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_India ... hquake2005 News2004 Indian Ocean earthquake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThe earthquake itself (apart from the tsunami) was felt as far away as Bangladesh ...... The December 26, 2004, Sumatra Earthquake and Indian Ocean Tsunami: ...en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake - 173k - Cached - Similar pageshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquakeCNN.com - Tsunami death toll tops 118000 - Dec 30, 2004Dec 30, 2004 ... BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (CNN) -- The death toll from Sunday's tsunamis has jumped to more than 118000 after Indonesia reported nearly 80000 ...http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/1 ... index.html - 59k - Cached - Similar pagesCNN.com - 340 perish in Java quake, tsunami - Jul 18, 2006Jul 18, 2006 ... JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- The death toll from an earthquake and resulting tsunami that smashed into fishing villages and resorts on ...http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/0 ... index.html - 40k - Cached - Similar pagesMore results from http://www.cnn.com »