Open Access Article Originally Published: September 30, 2009
The following is the text of my speech delivered on September 29, 2009 at the opening plenary session of PHEV '09. The accompanying slides may be downloaded in PDF format here.
[SLIDE 1]
THANK YOU.
[SLIDE 2]
LET ME BEGIN BY EXPRESSING MY APPRECIATION, AWE AND DOWNRIGHT AMAZEMENT THAT YOU'D THINK I'D HAVE SOMETHING WORTHWHILE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONSIDERABLE INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL REPRESENTED IN THIS CONFERENCE.
IT IS TRULY AN HONOR TO BE WITH YOU TODAY AND I HOPE THAT MY REMARKS WILL BE BOTH EDIFYING AND THOUGHT PROVOKING.
BEFORE I BEGIN, HOWEVER, LET ME SHARE WITH YOU A PERSONAL ANECDOTE ABOUT MONTREAL. THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE, IT WAS WITH MY WIFE, WHO SPEAKS A LITTLE FRENCH AND SHE ABSOLUTELY FELL IN LOVE WITH THE CITY, AS DID I. SO MUCH SO, IN FACT, THAT WE EVEN TALKED ABOUT RELOCATING THE BUSINESS HERE, ESPECIALLY DURING SOME OF THE DARKER PERIODS OF THE LAST EIGHT YEARS. AMONG THE THINGS THAT DISSUADED US WERE YOUR LONG, DARK WINTER NIGHTS -- WE GET PLENTY OF THOSE BACK HOME -- AND THE FACT THAT WE WOULD NEVER KNOW WHAT TO WEAR. I MEAN WHAT'S WITH THIS CELIUS - CENTIGRADE BUSINESS? IF IT'S 32 DEGREES OUTSIDE -- DO I WEAR AN OVERCOAT OR SWIMMING TRUNKS?
YOU DO HAVE A BEAUTIFUL CITY HERE AND I AM PLEASED TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO RETURN AND ENJOY IT.
[SLIDE 3]
NOW, WHAT I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT TODAY IS THE YEAR 2012.
[SLIDE 4]
A LOT OF MYTHS AND SPECULATION HAVE SPRUNG UP AROUND THAT YEAR AFTER MAYAN EXPERTS LEARNED THAT THEIR LONG COUNT CALENDAR ENDS ON OR ABOUT DECEMBER 21ST, THE WINTER SOLSTICE IN 2012. THIS HAS FOSTERED A PANOPLY OF THEORIES ABOUT WHAT MAY HAPPEN, FROM THE END OF THE WORLD TO THE DAWNING OF A NEW, MORE ENLIGHTENED AGE. DO A GOOGLE SEARCH FOR 2012 AND MAYAN CALENDAR AND YOU GET AN AMAZING 1.56 MILLION HITS.
[SLIDE 5]
MY PERSONAL BELIEF IS THAT THE DAY WILL COME AND GO AND WE'LL STILL FACE THE SAME SET OF CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES WE DID ON DECEMBER 20TH. BUT I ALSO BELIEVE THE WORLD IS CHANGING ALREADY -- GRADUALLY BECOMING AN INCREASINGLY "EV WORLD." THE SIGNS ARE EVERYWHERE.
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Reader Comments
4 comments so far...
01-Oct-2009
68251
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Bill,
Great pitch. What I like the most is your 2012 wish about a transformation of humanity. That is the single biggest impact that would address all issues, energy or otherwise.
Posted by: Serafino Carri
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01-Oct-2009
68257
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Bill... Concerning the energy to produce microchip, nanowires,
or other materials, everything needs energy to be manufactured.
The benefit of the electric car, is not that it doesn't need energy,
but is that it doesn't need petroleum. Petroleum is the cause
of many sociatal ills.
Posted by: Ian Stanley
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01-Oct-2009
68243
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Very good Bill, you said it well. I particularly like your "Goldilocks moment" and the 4 speed bumps. I personally think the embodied energy thing is overblown, it's all in the assumptions and since EVs are so long lived the energy used to make them will actually be "amortized" over a very long life.
Posted by: Dave K.
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06-Oct-2009
70369
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Bill, great job. You've started to venture into the larger perspective of energy and EV's.
Adding to the comments of Serafino Carri and Ian Stanley all sources of energy have some impact on the earths eco-system and no matter how benighnly we harness them...it takes energy to convert it into something useful.
I would go a step further to suggest we as a civilization need to reverse our wasteful energy habits previously allowed and encouraged by cheap oil. The human population has already far exceeded by 5 fold the ability of sustainable benign energy to support it. As an example, we need to learn to travel less and go shorter distances in smaller lighter EVs.
Posted by: Danny Epp
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