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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: i-node who wrote (618166)	7/4/2011 7:35:33 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1583823

At least for now, this is why the Volt has it over the Leaf. I can tell you how frustrated Leaf drivers are.......they have to calculate almost every mile of every errand so that they don't run out of 'gas'. Seattle gets commercial car chargers – Tri SEATTLE — Heidi Bray’s trip to Seattle on Thursday morning was well-planned — she had to be in the city for at least five hours, or she wouldn’t be able to make it back to Olympia. The electric-car owner’s 120-mile round trip just became possible, and it’s about to get a whole lot easier. Her car was one of many charging up in the parking lot of Qwest Field on Thursday at the debut of commercial chargers in Seattle. About 2,000 chargers will be installed in the Puget Sound area by the end of the year through a federally funded imitative called the EV Project. Half of those chargers will be in homes, and the others in public hubs like the stadium or Fred Meyer parking lots. The demand for electric cars is here to stay, but drivers need a reliable source of energy, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn said at a news conference, adding, “we’ll do all we can to make sure Seattle is eco-ready.” Washington is one of six states participating in the EV Project, which will set up 14,000 chargers nationwide. Most of the machines will be on the West Coast, and high-speed chargers will soon dot Interstate 5. While an hour of charging at the Qwest Field machines will net a driver between 11 and 22 miles of travel, preparing for that same distance would take only about 15 minutes at the high-speed devices. Bray said that would be just enough time for her to grab a cup of coffee. New, blue signs featuring a picture of the charger and the letters “EV” will start appearing along I-5, said Washington Department of Traffic spokeswoman Tonia Buell, who showcased the sign Thursday. The EV Project started in 2009, when the U.S. Department of Energy gave ECOtality, a renewable-energy-focused company, $99.8 million. Since then, other grants and donations have been added to bring the project’s total budget to $230 million. Funding has covered the cost of chargers — which have a $3,000 retail price — and most installation fees. For customers, fueling up is free. At least for now. By the end of the year a small fee will added, so plugging in for an hour or two at Qwest Field will cost a couple of dollars, said Rich Feldman, ECOtality’s regional manager in the Northwest. The Chevrolet Volt, Tesla Roadster and Nissan Leaf are the most common vehicles using the stations, but the chargers meet an industry standard and will be compatible as other companies roll out electric vehicles, he said. The Leaf, which Bray owns, costs about $30,000. Bray is one of 8,300 vehicle owners nationally who are receiving a free charger at their home through the EV Project. Four hundred already have been installed in Seattle. in-seattle.org

To: i-node who wrote (618166)	7/4/2011 7:37:58 PM
From: tejek	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1583823

> At least Ted recognizes that meeting the demands of union workers amounted to a "bad decision" on the part of management, Really good point. Ted stepped in it with that remark; I didn't even notice. I guess I'm just used to it ;) Stepped into it? Not at all. What you all don't understand is that I am a fiscal conservative in the sense that you don't give away the store when negotiating and you don't waste money or materials. Every project I did came in under budget. Detroit's mgmt was too weak and indifferent to be good negotiators. Clearly the unions were more motivated and took advantage of the situation. Of course, in the end, everyone pays the price. Its why I abhor incompetence......like that of Mr. Bush and 21st century wingers......something you will never understand.