Andy Grove: Converting Gas-Powered Cars to EVs Best Way to Shake Oil's Grip

Andy Grove, the former head of Intel Corp. and Time magazine's 1997 Man of the Year, says converting gas-powered cars into electric vehicles is the fastest way to ease international competition for energy because passenger autos account for almost half the U.S. use of oil, the Bloomberg news service reports today.

Grove, who revolutionized production of devices at the heart of computers, is exploiting his name and ties to investors and politicians to jump-start a similar advance in battery-run vehicles.

His idea is to refit millions of gas-guzzling autos to run on electricity part-time and convince carmakers to adopt so-called open source rules on advanced technology so that Americans can convert their cars, Bloomberg reports.

In four years, Grove wants 10 million vehicles to be equipped with battery packs capable of powering at least 40 miles of all-electric driving before the gasoline engine engages. They'd be recharged with power from domestic sources instead of oil, 58 percent of which is imported.

In a speech Grove is expected to give Tuesday at a plug-in vehicle conference in San Jose, California, Grove will call on the U.S. to offer tax credits or interest-free loans to retrofit vehicles and urge utilities to provide fee-free power to charge them for two years. Carmakers should adopt open-source policies to share technology, he said, and commit to honoring warranties when consumers do such modifications.

Scott Doggett, Contributor 

Posted by

Scott Doggett July 21, 2008, 8:46 AM

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Batteries, Emissions, Fuel Economy, Plug-ins and Electric