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Show i i National News ii i u . r. i : Electric Cars Are Economic Solution To Pollution needed in the morning is low and increases gradually until reaching a peak in After the peak, it decreases suddenly and energy is wasted, because the engines cannot drop off as quickly as the mid-afternoo- n. 60-12- load drops off. prototype produced In West Valley by B.A.T. Technology, Inc. Inset: Part of the vehicle's battery system. An electric by Temmie K. Fleming Forum staff writer Electric vehicles are emerging as a practical and economical answer to the pollution problems caused by gasoline-powere- d cars and trucks. The vehicles serve ideally as commuter vehicles for individuals and as fleet vehicles for businesses. Liz McAndrew, energy conservation manager at Murray City Power, has recently done research on electric vehicles. She said the advantages will not only benefit the consumer, but will help power generating facilities to operate more efficiently as well. . Because the vehicle itself emits no pollutants, the only emissions associated with Temmie k. Fleming it come from the power plants, which are located outside the urban front In addition, the generating facilities are not as dirty as most people believe. According to McAndrew, old plants are closed down and replaced with new ones which are very clean and highly efficient By the year 2000, the Intermountain Power Project (located in Delta, Utah) will exceed todays air quality standards by 10 times, she said. Not only are the plants cleaner, but control of emissions can be concentrated on the one source, rather than on every vehicle. Widespread use of electric vehicles would greatly increase the efficiency of generating facilities. McAndrew explained that different amounts of power are needed at different times of the day. The power If people could use these off peak hours to recharge electric vehicles, the power plants would be able to operate consistently and actually reduce emissions. Besides the environmental advantages of utilhours, Utah Power provides izing off-pea-k an economic incentive as Well. Residential customers who use electricity during off-pea-k hours (10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Mon.-Fri- ., and all day on weekends and holidays) will save 7.46 cents per kWh over regular peak time rates. This type of program is ideal for electric vehicle owners, who would normally be recharging their batteries during these hours. As far as the environment goes, McAndrew said, it was something the affluent were concerned with, just maybe a stylish thing. But at this point, its really a matter of our quality of life. Its affecting everybody. McAndrew said electric vehicles make good sense as far the efficiency of our operations goes, as well as the financial and environmental benefits. She said that Murray Power is interested in testing and demonstrating the vehicle to ensure that they are a viable Thats the option for their customers. unique thing about Murray Power, she said. Were owned by the city of Murray and the citizens of Murray, so my job is to try to find things that help ... anything that 20 75-10- Robbins Runs For Congress To End Deficit Spending by Jennifer Thompson Forum editorial assistant William Robbins announced his intention to seek the Democratic nomination for Utahs 2nd U.S . Congressional district seat in the 1992 elections attheSaltLake County Commission Chambers in Salt Lake City March 12. Im the candidate from hell, said Robbinsin a private interview. A liberal, he is referring to his anonymity, lack of party support, public office experience and campaign funds. Im not really made to run for office, said Robbins. I know what the problem with our country is, so does the public, I know what to do about it. The problem, according to Robbins is our national deficit. Americans think of debt as inevitable and believe it cannot be overcome, said Robbins. Actually, our current borrowing habit is nothing less than a declaration of dependence. His campaign is based solely on government operating within the self-describ- ed budget I would go about getting out of debt the same way anybody on the street would, said Robbins. This means sacrifice, choosing certain things over others, paying back previous debt and giving up anything that can t be paid for, he said.- Page March 24,1992 We will balance the budget by cutting programs, many of which are not particularly wasteful and which are desperately needed by those who depend on them, and by raising taxes, said Robbins campaign flier. We believe we can feed anyone and keep everyone alive. We cant. If we could, we wouldntbe trillions of dollars in debt, said Robbins. He compares current economic policy to someone flying around and dropping money out of an airplane. Robbins said many of the internal problems in our country are due to debt. I think human suffering can be traced to the debt. When prosperity is lost, people tend to attack each other. The U.S. is in debt because government gives money to every special interest group who makes a lot of noise, business interests seeking to increase their own profits through increased government spending and local constituents at the expense of the nation as a whole. We behave as if were in the midst of a series of crises, said Robbins. Robbins said he wouldnt cut programs . that would endanger national security or gut the future. The idea that reducing waste or reorganizing programs will balance the budget is a myth, its necessary to raise taxes, according to Robbins. I suspect everything else we do besides that is fantasy. - People listen when education, welfare, health care and other such issues are discussed, but economics is the least motivating topic so many candidates avoid it, said Robbins. Peoples ears dont perk up when we talk about numbers, but they had better. We need to change the way the government relates to the people and there will be suffering. Anytime something impacts many people, it becomes the governments problem, said Robbins. Although operating within the budget will cause hardship now, the alternative for the future will be worse, said Robbins. I wouldnt be running if there were anyone else saying these things. What we have to do is radical, and the candidates wont tell you how radical, said Robbins. The current election process corrupts candidates. Cowards end up getting elected because they wont say anything people dont want to hear. Idontbelievethereare any safe choices out there. Robbins will not discuss any other issues because he doesnt want to take a controversial stand on any other issue that would jeopardize his campaign. The election process is conducted in the dark, said Robbins. The decision isnt made in November but in the next couple of months. I wont make it to November, he said. helps the power department helps the citizens because it keeps the costs down. The only shortfall of electric vehicles is battery technology. The average range for 0 miles these vehicles is currently before the battery needs to be recharged. This is why an electric vehicle makes an excellent second car. If you want to go down to Southern Utah, youre probably going to be using a gas vehicle, McAndrew said. Thats something we need to accept Its not a cure-a- ll at this point. However, a better battery already exists and is currently being produced by B.A.T. Technology, Inc., in West Valley City. The 96 volt Ultra Force battery is warranted for 75,000 miles, as opposed to the battery being used by General Motors, which is expected to last for only 20,000 miles. The batterys driving range is 90-1miles, according to the company. B.A.T. Technology, which stands for Battery Automated Transportation, is also producing prototypes of electric vehicles using the new batteries. According to information provided by the company, the energy equivalent for driving the B.A.T. 0 electric vehicle is approximately miles per gallon if compared to the mileage of a standard gasoline operated vehicle. Bob Martino, vice president public relations for B.A.T. Technology, said that the company is also working on a hybrid electric vehicle which uses aclosed cycle gasoline engine to greatly increase the vehicles range. It uses a 10 horsepower motor which recycles 100 percent of the emissions and puts them back into the carburator. This motor helps to recharge the battery while it is in use. This concept is a significant step toward eliminating the greatest disadvantage of electric vehicles. However, recent studies show that 90 percent of all second car driving is less than 20 miles per day, according to information from B.A.T. This makes electric cars ideal for this purpose. Centerville resident Art Cox has been driving his 1976 electric Vanguard Citycar for 12 years. Ever since I was little I thought electric cars were the only way to go, he said. Although he admits that he bought the car on a whim, the more he learns about electric vehicles, the more he is convinced. He said electric cars have only improvements and no drawbacks in comparison with a gasoline vehicle. To begin with, starting the car is simple, like turning on a vacuum cleaner, he said. Extremely low maintenance costs are another advantage of electric cars, Cox said. A car owner never has to replace fuel pumps, fan belts, radiators or leaky hoses because none of these are found in electric vehicles. Since he bought the car, Cox has spent only about $209 on maintenance, $200 of which was spent replacing the battery system. The car still has the original tires and they look like new, he said. The tires receive very little wear because the car is coasting a great deal of the time. The Citycar has a system of eight deep-cyc- le batteries which must be recharged after about 40 to 50 miles. The car plugs into any household outlet and recharges for about four to six hours. Its such a novelty right now, Cox said, that when you run . Continued on Page 1 1 |