#Electric Cars 🚗 🚘 🚙

[xtruss]

The Electrobat Taxi, One of the World’s First All-Electric Car, was Popular with Members of High Society in Late-19th Century Manhattan, New York. Photograph By New-York Tribune/Library of Congress

The Forgotten History of New York’s First Electric Taxi Fleet—In The 1800s

More Than a Century Before Teslas Hit The Road, Battery-Powered Taxicabs Zipped Silently Through The Streets of Manhattan.

— By Christopher Klein | June 04, 2024

The bustling streets of 19th-century Manhattan had a horse problem. The estimated 150,000 horses roaming the city each produced 22 pounds of waste daily. The inauguration of New York City’s motorized taxicab service on March 27, 1897, promised a cleaner solution. Because Gotham’s first taxis weren’t powered by gasoline—but by electricity. It turns out that the car of the future is actually from the past.

An Electric Start

The idea of electric vehicles gliding around New York City in the 1890s might sound like a steampunk-inspired fever dream, but battery-powered automobiles outsold their internal combustion counterparts at the dawn of the automotive age. Electric cars were quiet, clean, and easy to drive. “Back then, you were lucky if a gas car started in the morning,” says Dan Albert, author of Are We There Yet? The American Automobile Past, Present, and Driverless. “It was noisy, polluting, and rickety, whereas an electric car started with a flip of the switch.”

During the 19th century, when electricity began to be used practically, it seemed capable of overcoming any challenge. “If you asked people on the street what was going to happen, they would have said that electricity is this magic force,” says electric car historian David A. Kirsch, author of The Electric Vehicle and the Burden of History. “We harnessed it for light. We harnessed it for traction through the trolley. It’s spreading everywhere, and now it’s going to take us around.”

The Pioneering Electrobat

When Nikola Tesla was the only Tesla making headlines, the Electrobat emerged as the first commercially viable electric vehicle. Crafted by Philadelphia engineers Henry Morris and Pedro Salom in 1894, this 2,500-pound car was propelled by a lead-acid battery, achieving top speeds of 15 miles per hour and covering distances of up to 25 miles on a single charge.

Furthermore, the pair devised an ingenious battery-swapping system inside a former Broadway roller skating rink to keep its cabs in continuous operation. Working with the efficiency of a NASCAR pit crew, employees maneuvered vehicles with elevators and hydraulics as an overhead crane, plucked out the depleted 1,000-pound batteries, and inserted fresh ones. The process took only three minutes. “It was much faster than changing a horse team and probably as fast as what we would today associate with filling a tank of gas,” Kirsch says.

The duo’s Manhattan cab service rapidly gained popularity, especially among the upper echelons of society. Rather than selling their cars, Morris and Salom opted to lease their vehicles on a monthly or per-ride basis through their venture, the Electric Wagon & Carriage Company.

The taxi fleet experienced substantial growth, expanding from a mere dozen vehicles in 1897 to over 100 by 1899. The Electrobat proved the ideal city car with its rapid acceleration and noiseless ride. However, its speed and quietness posed unforeseen challenges. In May 1899, the press reported that cab driver Jacob German had become the first automobile operator arrested for speeding after whizzing down Lexington Avenue at 12 miles per hour. Weeks later, an electric taxi fatally struck real estate broker Henry Bliss as he stepped off an Upper West Side streetcar. The first pedestrian killed by an automobile never heard the Electrobat coming.

The Bubble Bursts

Morris and Salom found new backing from wealthy investors, notably New York financier William Whitney, known for his success in electrifying the city’s streetcars. Under Whitney’s leadership, the company merged with the electric street railways and battery manufacturing firms to form an integrated, nationwide electric transportation network.

The Electric Vehicle Company swiftly expanded its taxi operations to major cities like Philadelphia, Chicago, and Boston, eventually becoming the nation’s largest automobile manufacturer. However, its rapid expansion proved unsustainable. Operations outside New York were poorly run, and investors felt swindled when a New York Herald investigation in late 1899 revealed the Electric Vehicle Company had fraudulently secured a loan. The company’s stock plummeted, and the enterprise was virtually bankrupt by 1902.

Electric Cars Lose Power

The company’s collapse sent shockwaves through the investment community and cast a shadow over the future of electric vehicles.

“The thing that killed it is not really the idea, the technology, or the business model,” Albert says. “It was the shadiness of the wheeler-dealers behind it.”

A devastating fire destroyed a significant portion of the fleet. Coupled with the economic turmoil of the Panic of 1907, this dealt a final blow to electric cabs in New York City just as gasoline-powered vehicles gained momentum in the market. The same year, local businessman Harry Allen introduced a taxi service with 65 gasoline-powered cabs imported from France. Within a year, his fleet swelled to 700 vehicles.

The internal combustion engine would drive the next American century, but battery power is slowly returning after a long detour. When 25 all-electric taxis began operation on the streets of New York in 2022, the car of the future arrived—again.

[zoomautocredit]

Certified Pre-Owned Perfection: Why Zoom Auto Credit Stands Out in Value and Quality 🚗💎

When searching for a reliable vehicle, the balance between value and quality is critical. Zoom Auto Credit has earned a reputation for offering certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicles that meet both standards.

With their robust selection and commitment to customer satisfaction, Zoom Auto Credit delivers on all fronts. Here's why they stand out in the crowded pre-owned car market! 🌟

What is a Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle? 🤔

Certified pre-owned vehicles differ from regular used cars because they must pass stringent inspections and meet manufacturer standards before being resold.

At Zoom Auto Credit, their CPO vehicles undergo a comprehensive multi-point inspection to ensure that each car meets the highest standards of performance and safety. 🔧✨

Why Certified Pre-Owned? 🚙

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Cost Savings: CPO cars offer near-new quality without the hefty price tag of brand-new vehicles. 💰

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Why Zoom Auto Credit Stands Out 🏆

Rigorous Quality Standards 🔍

Zoom Auto Credit takes the time to carefully select each vehicle in their CPO inventory. Every car must pass an extensive inspection that includes everything from the engine to the electrical systems.

If a vehicle doesn’t meet their standards, it won’t make it to their showroom. This dedication to perfection sets them apart from other used car dealers.

Customer-Centered Approach 😊

At Zoom Auto Credit, customer satisfaction is always the priority. Whether you're a first-time buyer or a seasoned car shopper, their experienced team will guide you through the process with transparency and care.

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Zoom Auto Credit makes purchasing a car accessible with flexible financing options. Whether you have excellent credit or are working to rebuild it, their finance experts can help tailor a plan that works for you. This focus on affordability is what keeps their customers coming back. 💵👍

Great Selection, Better Deals 🎉

At Zoom Auto Credit, you’ll find a wide variety of makes and models to fit every need, from family-friendly SUVs to fuel-efficient sedans. Their certified pre-owned vehicles come with competitive pricing, ensuring you get great value for your investment. 🔑

Conclusion: Zoom Auto Credit—Where Quality Meets Value 🚗💼

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Their rigorous inspection process ensures that each car is up to the highest standards, while their affordable pricing and financing options make it easy for anyone to drive home a great vehicle. 💯

For value and quality you can trust, visit Zoom Auto Credit today and discover your perfect certified pre-owned car! 🎉🚘

You Can Contact Us Via:

Address: 7064 Oak Orchard Rd Elb NY 14058 United States

Phone: +1 585-757-5009

Official Website:https://www.zoomauto.com/search/used-elba-ny/

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[xtruss]

Who’s Laughing Now? China’s Shrewd Planning Paved Way for Manufacturing Dominance! The Success of China in a Number of Areas Owes to the Country’s Unique Economic System, Unlike Anything Else in the World.

— By John Miles | Sputnik International | Sunday February 25, 2024

© Sputnik/Anna Ratkoglo/Go to the Mediabank

Among the many adjectives that could be used to describe tech magnate Elon Musk, “Humble” is not one of them.

When a US journalist warned Musk in 2011 that Chinese company BYD Auto sought to compete in the Electric Vehicle (EV) space, the Tesla CEO literally laughed off the prospect.

“Have you seen their car?” Musk asked derisively, adding he didn’t see the upstart manufacturer as a competitor at all.

Some 13 years later, the more relevant question may be whether BYD should view Musk as a threat as China’s EV industry seems poised to dominate the global market.

The numbers are striking. After years of double-digit increases, EV sales in China accounted for 60% of global purchases in 2022. Last year BYD surpassed Tesla in total electric vehicles sold worldwide. One-third of EVs purchased anywhere are BYD cars.

High-Tech Innovations Drive China's Auto Sector Advances!

Now, trade barriers against the domestic sale of Chinese vehicles are the primary factor preventing BYD from dominating the US market as well, as the Xi'an-based manufacturer rolls out affordable cars unmatched by anything from Musk. That’s set to change as BYD explores assembling vehicles in North America.

How was BYD able to turn the tide so quickly? The answer lies in smart industrial planning that has allowed China to lead in the manufacture of everything from smartphones to solar panels.

As former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping pursued economic reform in the 1980s, Western leaders declared victory. Won over by the efficiency and superiority of US capitalism, China had abandoned communist dogma and would soon join the ranks of the “free world,” we were told. With the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, American political scientist Francis Fukuyama claimed human civilization had reached “the end of history,” with the only remaining questions pertaining to minor tweaks and refinements of the free-market system.

Those paying closer attention knew China never abandoned Marxist analysis, but rather sought a contingency that allowed the developing country to access global investment and technology. Offering cheap labor and little regulation, Beijing was able to lure global manufactures eastward, learning Western methods in the process.

Decades later China’s efforts have paid off as the country has built the largest middle class in the world. With trillions of dollars of wealth at his disposal, President Xi Jinping has reaffirmed shared prosperity as China’s guiding principle, claiming the world power will develop into a modern socialist society in the years to come.

“What does any of this have to do with eclectic vehicles?” you may ask. The answer is that China’s success in this area was only made possible by its unique economic system. China threw open the doors to global market forces in the 1980s but maintained the leading role of the Communist Party. As a result, its government is able to quickly and effectively launch new industries through the provision of grants and subsidies.

But China’s newfound financial largess isn’t the only factor at play. State ownership of the country’s largest banks allows leaders to funnel profits towards infrastructure that makes China the best place in the world to manufacture goods. Shrewd planning has allowed the country to maintain its competitive edge even as workers enjoy rising wages.

Additionally, China makes great efforts to ensure its workforce is trained to meet the needs of businesses worldwide. Apple CEO Tim Cook summed up the reason for China’s success in a 2015 interview, noting simply, “It's skill.”

“China put an enormous focus on manufacturing, in what you and I would call vocational kind of skills,” Cook said. “I mean you could take every tool and die maker in the United States and probably put them in the room that we're currently sitting in. In China you would have to have multiple football fields.”

Understanding the magnitude of the country’s growing economic dominance provides insight into why relations between China and the United States have reached almost Cold War levels of hostility. The United States lacks the will or capability to transform its economic system overnight. What it does have is Westerners’ fear of the communist-ruled country, which it can endlessly stoke to enforce sanctions and erect barriers to trade.

It also has a ruthless military and intelligence complex capable of undermining perceived enemies around the globe. “We will coup whoever we want!” declared Musk on X (formerly Twitter) in the wake of a 2019 US-backed putsch in Bolivia that set the stage for Tesla and other Western companies to exploit the South American nation’s vast lithium reserves.

Chinese leaders have made it clear their country will not succumb to the same fate. “The US will not stop the rejuvenation of China,” said the country’s foreign minister recently, warning of the “catastrophic consequences” of US aggression.

War with China’s population of 1.4 billion would indeed make mutually-assured destruction certain. Still the question remains whether the hubris of US leaders will make it inevitable.

[zoomautocredit]

Certified Pre-Owned Perfection: Why Zoom Auto Credit Stands Out in Value and Quality 🚗💎

When searching for a reliable vehicle, the balance between value and quality is critical. Zoom Auto Credit has earned a reputation for offering certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicles that meet both standards.

With its robust selection and commitment to customer satisfaction, Zoom Auto Credit delivers on all fronts. Here's why they stand out in the crowded pre-owned car market! 🌟

What is a Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle? 🤔

Certified pre-owned vehicles differ from regular used cars because they must pass stringent inspections and meet manufacturer standards before being resold.

At Zoom Auto Credit, their CPO vehicles undergo a comprehensive multi-point inspection to ensure that each car meets the highest standards of performance and safety. 🔧✨

Why Certified Pre-Owned? 🚙

Opting for a CPO vehicle offers several advantages:

Peace of Mind: You know the car has been thoroughly inspected and meets high-quality standards.

Warranty Coverage: Most certified pre-owned cars come with an extended warranty, protecting you beyond the sale.

Cost Savings: CPO cars offer near-new quality without the hefty price tag of brand-new vehicles. 💰

Zoom Auto Credit excels in providing a reliable inventory of certified pre-owned cars, making them a go-to destination for budget-conscious buyers who don’t want to compromise on quality. 💪

Why Zoom Auto Credit Stands Out 🏆

Rigorous Quality Standards 🔍

Zoom Auto Credit takes the time to carefully select each vehicle in their CPO inventory. Every car must pass an extensive inspection that includes everything from the engine to the electrical systems. If a vehicle doesn’t meet their standards, it won’t make it to their showroom. This dedication to perfection sets them apart from other used car dealers.

Customer-Centered Approach 😊

At Zoom Auto Credit, customer satisfaction is always the priority. Whether you're a first-time buyer or a seasoned car shopper, their experienced team will guide you through the process with transparency and care. They ensure you understand all aspects of your purchase, from pricing to warranty coverage, so you feel confident driving off the lot. 🚗🌟

Affordable Financing Options 💲

Zoom Auto Credit makes purchasing a car accessible with flexible financing options. Whether you have excellent credit or are working to rebuild it, their finance experts can help tailor a plan that works for you. This focus on affordability is what keeps their customers coming back. 💵👍

Great Selection, Better Deals 🎉

At Zoom Auto Credit, you’ll find a wide variety of makes and models to fit every need, from family-friendly SUVs to fuel-efficient sedans. Their certified pre-owned vehicles come with competitive pricing, ensuring you get great value for your investment. 🔑

Conclusion: Zoom Auto Credit—Where Quality Meets Value 🚗💼

Zoom Auto Credit’s commitment to offering top-quality certified pre-owned vehicles and exceptional customer service makes them a trusted leader in the automotive world.

Their rigorous inspection process ensures that each car is up to the highest standards, while their affordable pricing and financing options make it easy for anyone to drive home a great vehicle. 💯

For value and quality you can trust, visit Zoom Auto Credit today and discover your perfect certified pre-owned car! 🎉🚘

You Can Contact Us Via:

Address: 7064 Oak Orchard Rd Elb NY 14058 United States

Phone: +1 585-757-5009

Official Website:https://www.zoomauto.com/search/used-elba-ny/

[xtruss]

Switching to an electric car is far more impactful in Vermont than in West Virginia, where it is half the state’s electricity is generated by hydropower, than in West Virginia, where it is almost entirely generated by coal. Photograph B Jackal Pan, Getty Images

What is a Carbon Footprint—and How To Measure Yours

Determining a carbon footprint is easier said than done, and it’s not clear how much weight we should put on it.

— By Kieran Mulvaney | June 24, 2022

As awareness of climate change grows, so does the desire to do something about it. But the scale of the problems it causes—from wildfires to melting glaciers to droughts—can seem utterly overwhelming. It can be hard to make a connection between our everyday lives and the survival of polar bears, let alone how we as individuals can help turn the situation around.

One way to gain a quantifiable understanding of the impacts of our actions, for good and bad, is through what is known as a carbon footprint. But while the concept is gaining traction—Googling “How do I reduce my carbon footprint?” yields almost 27 million responses—it is not always fully understood.

What is a Carbon Footprint?

So, what exactly is a carbon footprint? According to Mike Berners-Lee, a professor at Lancaster University in the UK and author of The Carbon Footprint of Everything, it is “the sum total of all the greenhouse gas emissions that had to take place in order for a product to be produced or for an activity to take place.”

For most consumers in developed countries, these products and activities tend to fall into four principal categories: household energy use, transport, food, and everything else, which is mostly the products we buy, from utensils to clothes to cars to television sets.

Each of these activities and products has its own footprint; a person’s carbon footprint is the combined total of the products they buy and use, the activities they undertake, and so on. A person who regularly consumes beef will have a larger food footprint than his vegan neighbor, but that neighbor’s overall footprint may be larger if she drives an hour to work and back in an SUV each day while our meat-eater bicycles to his office nearby. Both their footprints may pale in comparison to the businesswoman across the street, who flies first-class cross-country twice a month.

Unsurprisingly, in general terms the size of a person’s carbon footprint tends to increase with wealth. In his book, Berners-Lee writes that the average global citizen has a carbon footprint that is equivalent to the emission of seven tons of carbon dioxide per year. However, that figure is approximately 13 tons for the average Briton and roughly 21 tons per person in the United States.; The “average American takes just a couple of days to match the annual footprint of the average Nigerian or Malian,” he writes.

The carbon footprint for first-and-business class passengers is larger because they take up more space on the plane and because their higher cost creates an extra incentive for the flights to actually take place. Photograph By Yaorusheng, Getty Images

How is a Carbon Footprint Calculated?

It isn’t easy to calculate a carbon footprint; indeed, Berners-Lee calls it the “essential but impossible” measurement.

Consider, for example, the personal carbon cost of taking a commercial flight. On the one hand, the calculation is straightforward: take how much fuel a plane burns and how many greenhouse gases are emitted during the course of a flight and divide by the number of passengers. But the footprint is larger for first-and-business-class passengers, because they take up more space and because their higher cost creates an extra incentive for the flight to actually take place. Other considerations include how much cargo the plane is carrying, and the altitude at which the plane flies.

Even so, it is a relatively simple calculation compared to assessing the emissions involved in every step of, say, the manufacture of a car: the emissions that take place at the assembly plant, the generation of electricity to power that plant, the transport of all the component items, the factories at which the components were made, the creation of the machinery used at those factories and at the assembly plant and so on, all the way back to the extraction of the minerals that are the car’s building blocks.

Because of the complexity involved in such calculations, Berners-Lee concedes that in such cases it is “never possible to be completely accurate.” The good news, he argues, is that for most individuals, that doesn’t matter. “Usually, it’s good enough just to have a broad idea,” he says.

What steps a person can take to reduce their personal footprint the most of course depends on the kind of lifestyle they presently live, and the same actions are not equally effective for everyone. For example, switching to an electric car is far more impactful in Vermont, where more than half the state’s electricity is generated by hydropower, than in West Virginia, where it is almost entirely generated by coal. Berners-Lee notes that, “for some people, flying may be 10 percent of their footprint, for some people it’s zero, and for some it’s such a huge number that it should be the only thing they should be thinking about.”

A Cornucopia of Calculators

To that end, in recent years, a veritable cornucopia of personal carbon footprint calculators has emerged online. By entering information about your household energy use, food consumption, and travel habits, for example, these calculators aim to provide you with an approximation of the amount of greenhouse gases being emitted to support your way of life. This one from the Nature Conservancy focuses on home energy use, transportation, diet, and shopping; this, from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, also considers transportation and energy use but adds in waste—specifically, how much you recycle. It also enables you to calculate how much your footprint could be reduced by taking steps such as insulating your home, driving less, or procuring a more fuel-efficient vehicle. This one shows just how much of an idealized personal carbon budget is taken up by consuming two large cheeseburgers a month or spending two nights in a hotel.

Are Carbon Footprints Just Fossil Fuel Propaganda?

It has been claimed that the earliest such calculator appeared in 2004 as part of the “Beyond Petroleum” campaign of oil giant BP—a fact that causes some observers to criticize the pressure to reduce personal carbon footprints as a “sham” to “promote the slant that climate change is not the fault of an oil giant, but that of individuals.”

“A few years ago, Shell promoted a tweet into my thread that asked, ‘What are you doing to reduce your carbon footprint?’” recalls Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy and a professor at Texas Tech University. “So, I replied with something along the lines of, ‘You are responsible for 2 percent of global emissions, equivalent to the entire country of Canada; when you have a plan to get rid of those, I’d be happy to talk to you about my personal carbon footprint.’ And they hid my reply.”

“It’s really important that all of us think about what we’re consuming, whether it’s fish or furniture or air conditioning: where it came from, what impact it had,” says Kert Davies, director of the Climate Investigations Center. “But industry then turned it around and made it: ‘It’s not our fault, you’re using our product. You deal with it.’”

That is all the more egregious, he argues, given that the fossil fuel industry has directly fought to limit some of the measures that are often cited as ways for people to reduce their personal carbon footprints: more fuel-efficient vehicle standards, or clean energy technology, for example.

“If not for fossil fuel companies, you would already be driving an EV, your house would be more efficient to run if industry hadn’t blocked solutions and obscured the truth about the urgency of addressing climate change,” Davies adds.

Do Carbon Footprint Calculators Have a Role?

Hayhoe argues that there are other problems with the concept of personal carbon footprints, not least the fact that many of the proposed means to reduce those footprints are unavailable to those who, for example, don’t have access to public transport, or can’t afford the upfront cost of an electric car or a heat pump, or who live in food deserts, where healthier, lower-impact foods such as vegetables and grains are harder to come by.

“There’s a role for the personal carbon footprint concept in high income countries among middle-to-high income people,” she explains. “There’s a very big role for the personal carbon footprint among the very richest people in the world. But we have to realize it is a limited concept—it does not apply to everyone.”

In addition, she argues, acting by ourselves is just one small part of what is required to affect change in a system that, despite the best individual efforts, remains dominated by the production and use of fossil fuels.

“I would say personal carbon footprint calculators are a useful tool to assess the impact of your immediate actions: where you live, where you travel, what you eat,” she says. “But what’s much more important than your personal carbon footprint is your climate shadow. Where do you keep your money? How do you vote? What about the businesses you work with, or the university you’re a part of, or the Rotary Club of which you’re a member—what are they doing, and how could you advocate for change?

“So, in a nutshell, when people ask me what they should do, I say: Do something, anything, but then talk about it. The only way to bring the carbon footprint of everybody in rich countries to where it needs to be for a sustainable planet is to change the system, and to change the system we have to use our voice.”