[extropy-chat] peak oil schmeak oil

[BillK]

On 6/17/05, spike wrote:
> Clearly this technology is not ready for prime time, but it
> strengthens my contention that these sorts of ideas cannot
> be practically implemented until we pump all the cheap easy
> oil out of the ground.
> 
> spike
> 

Europe is a bit further ahead in testing hydrogen fuel cell buses. But
Europe cities are also running out of fresh air and suffer heavy
traffic congestion, so their need is possibly more urgent than sunny
California.

Quote:
Nine cities in Europe are taking part in the fuel cell bus trial,
making it the largest project of its type anywhere in the world. The
reason it is so important is because local air pollution, greenhouse
gas emissions and inner-city noise levels are major causes for
concern. The project brings together over 40 organisations, including
the bus manufacturer, operating companies, hydrogen suppliers,
fuelling and storage facilities, and universities.

It is part of the ongoing development of clean urban transport systems
which combine energy efficiency with cost-effectiveness.


News item from 10 February 2005	

Major Milestones Passed
The CUTE / ECTOS / STEP fleet has passed two important milestones:
    * Just before the end of last year, the total mileage of the 33
fuel cell buses amounted to 500.000 km.
    * By the middle of January, the vehicles had been running for
40.000 hours since the beginning of operation.

All participating cities - Amsterdam, Barcelona, Hamburg, London,
Luxembourg, Madrid, Perth, Porto, Reykjavik, Stockholm and Stuttgart -
are very pleased about the progress of the three projects. Buses and
infrastructure continue to operate reliably.


BillK