"Former Intel CEO Says "Clear and Present" Energy Danger Can Be Solved by EVs" Green Car Advisor

Former Intel CEO Says "Clear and Present" Energy Danger Can Be Solved by EVs

By Philip Reed, Senior Consumer Advice Editor

Andy Grove addresses 2008 Plug-In Conference in San Jose.

If only our elected leaders spoke as directly about our energy problems as does Intel founder Andy Grove.

Grove, speaking to a hushed lunchtime audience, said the bloodiest battle in history (the Battle of Stalingrad in which 1.5 million were killed) was fought over the oil fields of Caucasus. The implication is obvious. If we don't kick the oil habit we will wind up fighting more "resource wars" over oil.

Grove wants to see us using electricity to power our vehicles, an obvious choice, he said, because electricity is "fungible," meaning that it can be created in many different ways, transported easily and used in different ways.

Throughout the speech, Grove referred to the "Tragedy of the Commons," a phrase popularized by Garrett Hardin in a 1968 essay about what happens when resources that are held in common are overused.

Flashing a red powerpoint slide on the screen with the movie title "There Will Be Blood," Grove concluded his speech by saying, "It is up to us to rebuild the commons and make that (the movie title) not be so."

Grove threw down a stiff challenge to the gathered representatives of the auto industry and startup PHEV companies: convert 10 million existing pickups, SUVs and vans to plug-in electric hybrids in the next four years. He said this challenge should also be presented to the new president who takes office in 2009.

Answering skeptics, Grove said that 50-60 million electric cars could be charged before any modifications are needed to our electric power grid.

The use of electric vehicles could cut the emission of greenhouse gases by 50 percent in the near term, he said.

Grove seemed to want to motivate the audience when he called the current problem "borderline undoable." He added, "So far we are doing the very worst job we can do. We are trying to pretend the signs are not there."

Conversely, Grove praised an announcement from GM last night that it had teamed with the Electric Power Research Institute to gain the cooperation of 34 utilities in 37 states to prepare of the introduction of electric vehicles.

Grove's speech followed a morning of workshop speeches by Ford's Nancy Gioia, director, sustainable mobility technologies and hybrid vehicle programs, James Boyd, from the California Energy Commission and Professor Dan Sperling of the UC Davis who is also on the California Air Resources Board.

Also speaking was Southern California Edison's Ed Kjaer, director of electric transportation, who gave a glimpse into the future of how a "smart grid" will work. He said SCE is looking at equipping 50 homes with battery storage capability which can be charged by photovoltaic cells.

Kjaer said consumers are currently "passive," blindly accepting utility charges with little understanding of what they are for. By 2012, "smart meters" will be deployed allowing two-way communications with the grid. Consumers will better understand and manage (sometimes remotely) their power usage.

A plug-in electric hybrid car could be the centerpiece of this new era of power management, he said.