Neil Young: How to Save a Major Automobie Company.

[jammybastard]

Please don't comment unless you actually read the whole article or just want to insult Neil for whatever reason.
Thanks.

This was posted yesterday on a national news and opinion site....

http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2008-11-14-neilyoung1.jpg

Find a new ownership group. The culture must change. It is time to turn the page. In the high technology sector there are several candidates for ownership of a major car and truck manufacturer. We need forward looking people who are not restricted by the existing culture in Detroit. We need visionary people now with business sense to create automobiles that do not contribute to global warming.

It is time to change and our problems can facilitate our solutions. We can no longer afford to continue down Detroit's old road. The people have spoken. They do not want gas guzzlers (although they still like big cars and trucks). It is possible to build large long-range vehicles that are very efficient. People will buy those vehicles because they represent real change and a solution that we can live with.
The government must take advantage of the powerful position that exists today. The Big 3 are looking for a bailout. They should only get it if they agree to stop building autos that contribute to global warming now. The stress on the auto manufacturers today is gigantic. In order to keep people working in their jobs and keep factories open, this plan is suggested:

The big three must reduce models to basics. a truck, an SUV, a large family sedan, an economy sedan, and a sports car. Use existing tooling.

Keep building these models to keep the workforce employed but build them without engines and transmissions. These new vehicles, called Transition Rollers, are ready for a re-power. No new tooling is required at this stage. The adapters are part of the kits described next.

At the same time as the new Transition Rollers are being built, keeping the work force working, utilize existing technology now, create re-power kits to retrofit the Transition Rollers to SCEVs (self charging electric vehicles) for long range capability up to and over 100mpg. If you don't think this technology is realistic or available, check out the Progressive Insurance Automotive X prize. Alternatively, check out Lincvolt.com (http://www.lincvolt.com/) or other examples.

A bailed out Auto manufacturer must open or re-purpose one or more factories and dedicate them to do the re-power/retrofit assembly. These factories would focus on re-powering the Transition Rollers into SCEVs but could also retrofit and re-power many existing vehicles to SCEVs. These existing vehicles are currently sitting unsold at dealerships across America.
Auto manufacturers taking advantage of a government bailout must only sell clean and green vehicles that do not contribute to global warming. No more internal combustion engines that run exclusively on fossil fuels can be sold period.

No Big Three excuses like "new tooling takes time". New tooling is not a requirement for SCEV transition rollers.

Build only new vehicles that attain the goal of reversing global warming and enhancing National Security.

Government legislation going with the bailout should include tax breaks for purchasers of these cars with the new green SCEV technology. The legislation accompanying the bailout of major auto manufacturers must include directives to build only vehicles that attain the goal of reversing global warming while enhancing National security, and provide the financial assistance to make manufacturing these cars affordable in the short term while the industry re-stabilizes.

Eventually the SCEV technology could be built into every new car and truck as it is being assembled and the stop gap plan described above would have completed its job of keeping America building and working through this turbulent time.

Detroit has had a long time to adapt to the new world and now the failure of Detroit's actions is costing us all. We pay the bailout. Let's make a good deal for the future of America and the Planet. Companies like UQM (Colorado) and others build great electric motors right here in the USA. Use these domestic electric motors. Put these people to work now. This plan reverses the flow from negative to positive because people need and will buy clean and green cars to be part of World Change. Unique wheel covers will identify these cars on the road so that others can see the great example a new car owner is making. People want America to win!

This plan addresses the issue of Global warming from our automobiles while enhancing our National Security and keeping Detroit working.
Neil Young, activist (Bridge School, Farm Aid) rock legend, has assembled a team that is in the process of transforming his gargantuan 1959 Lincoln Continental from a gas guzzler into a showcase for green technology and sustainability. The car will be entered into the Automotive X Prize that offers a $10 million prize to develop a vehicle that can get 100 miles per gallon or better. The almost 50 year old Lincoln, one of the biggest, heaviest production cars of all time, has been re-named "Linc Volt" and is the subject of a feature documentary called "Repowering The American Dream" that is now in production under the aegis of Young's Shakey Pictures.



In case you missed it, Neil's already made his 5,000 pound 1959 Lincoln Continental completely battery powered.
Here's the article on why and how he did it...
Long May You Run: Neil Young’s Eco-Lincoln (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/automobiles/autospecial2/30young.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=neil%20young%20lincvolt&st=cse&oref=slogin&oref=slogin)

By DAN FOST
Published: October 29, 2008
NEIL YOUNG (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/y/neil_young/index.html?inline=nyt-per) wants fuel-efficient cars, and as a politically active rock star, he wants everyone else to have them, too. But Mr. Young is not ready to give up his love of big cars, and he doesn’t think many other drivers are, either.



http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/10/30/automobiles/30young2-650.jpg



Check out www.lincvolt.com (http://www.lincvolt.com).

[Teleplayer]

Saw a Neil interview on PBS with Charlie Rosie recently. Interesting. Layman's terms and discussion, laced with some pretty darn good ideas.

[Tony Foran]

Cool hood ornament !

[big mike]

Links to the huffington post are considered political folks. Please don't link to that sight from Tgp.

[pfflam]

Neil is great, I love his gumption!

I too love old cars even the big ones, and if I had his dough I'd have done the same thing

[jammybastard]

Links to the huffington post are considered political folks. Please don't link to that sight from Tgp.


Sorry for that Mike...that wasn't my intent.
No matter where he posted it I would have link to it so people could know the source and judge for themselves.
IMHO people need to get it from the horse's mouth.

BTW - I thought the rule restriction regarded actual post content and not links?
Is that a recent change?
I guess I have to re-read them.

I'm surprised you didn't nuke the NYTimes link as well considering some people think that's a political site as well.

[eBay]

Well, if you take what Neil did with Lionel as an example, he definitely has a flair for innovative business strategy. I love dreamers and visionaries. It's about time. I'm tired of all the old arguments and fear strategies. It's gotten really boring. Back in the 60's, we were supposed to have flying cars and bases on the moon by 1999 and all we've got is moronic consumers who want Hummers and they don't even realize that an H2 isn't even a real Hummer but just a big pickup truck chassis with a box on top. Foolish humans.

[pfflam]

NTYimes ?!?! . . .. sheesh :cry:

[DC1]

Well, I for one am glad ole Neil found a hobby.

DC

[macheesmo3]

I'm sure we could all make our cars like that if we had 47 of them and Neil's money....

Unrealistic , big money whining by rock stars , makes me want to fire up a v8 Mustang and take the pipes off !

[bluesjuke]

We need to get realistic on meeting our energy rquirements by being less wasteful in all areas.

Still, I wonder if anyone is doing something about the coming mini Ice Age or will that and global warming cancel each other out?

[karmadave]

I read the article and think Neil has some excellent ideas!

-KD

[jcoloccia]

I suppose he uses a hamster wheel to charge all those batteries in his car?

[JELLIS]

Yeah, so Neil has a shit load of money and he's famous and talented. At least he is trying to help. He's not out doing the fashion parade and going to Hollywood parties. I applaud the guy, I think he really cares about the world. I'm a big cynic, but ya gotta believe in something. I believe that Neil is a good and decent human being. He doesn't need any more wealth or fame or publicity. I think the man has a good soul, just like Jackson Browne, another "old hippie" who cares.

Now let's go burn some rubber and fossil fuel!!!

[DC1]

I had a few minutes, and went to the Lincvolt website.

What a bunch of jibba jabba...

And nary a word on how this all will actually work.

Looks like hucksters to me.

If one thing was proved by the 1960's it is that good intentions are never enough.

How's it work, Neil?

DC

[Dave Orban]

I'm sure we could all make our cars like that if we had 47 of them and Neil's money....

Unrealistic , big money whining by rock stars , makes me want to fire up a v8 Mustang and take the pipes off !A nice, well-reasoned, mature rebuttal. LOL!

[JELLIS]

I had a few minutes, and went to the Lincvolt website.

What a bunch of jibba jabba...

And nary a word on how this all will actually work.

Looks like hucksters to me.

If one thing was proved by the 1960's it is that good intentions are never enough.

How's it work, Neil?

DC

Maybe it is huckterism....only time will tell.
Ain't gonna happen overnight. Neil even says that it's not a done deal yet. Give him a few years. He claims that all of the new information will be shared.

Jeez, poor Thomas Edison. If the net was around when he was experimenting, he would have been shot down before the light bulb was invented. You know, light bulbs, the things we take for granted.

Man, these rich guys are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

[Bones]

If nothing else, it's good to see people thinking about alternatives, maybe there's a kernel of something in there that may spark some innovation.

However, last time I saw CSN&Y in concert (2004 i think), the video screens were used to highlight how wasteful we are and how we need to look for clean renewable energy and start taking better care of the planet. In the meantime, they had 4 18 wheelers and 5 tour buses sitting outside the venue with the diesels running for the entire show.

[DC1]

Maybe it is huckterism....only time will tell.
Ain't gonna happen overnight. Neil even says that it's not a done deal yet. Give him a few years. He claims that all of the new information will be shared.

Jeez, poor Thomas Edison. If the net was around when he was experimenting, he would have been shot down before the light bulb was invented. You know, light bulbs, the things we take for granted.

Man, these rich guys are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Hah, but with no artificial illumination, no one could see their computer screens, so Tom could have worked in peace after all.

Here's something else that concerns me:

The Lincvolt site links to another one of the "run your car on water" websites. Those are ALL scams. Nothing runs on water. You have to make hydrogen from water and the car or fuel cell runs on the hydrogen. It is dishonest from the beginning to call it "running on water". This is important because no one has yet to come up with a system that makes significantly more energy than it takes to make the hydrogen from water...

The whole deal looks like BS to me. I'd love to be wrong.

DC

[JELLIS]

If nothing else, it's good to see people thinking about alternatives, maybe there's a kernel of something in there that may spark some innovation.

However, last time I saw CSN&Y in concert (2004 i think), the video screens were used to highlight how wasteful we are and how we need to look for clean renewable energy and start taking better care of the planet. In the meantime, they had 4 18 wheelers and 5 tour buses sitting outside the venue with the diesels running for the entire show.

Ah yes, hypocrisy at it's best. The big rock star, movie star flies from New York to LA. Their jet, on that one flight, burns the same amount of fuel that a flunky average American spends on gas for his car every year!

But, if some of those rich pricks invest time and money, like Neil, into alternative fuel sources,
I feel better.

[pir8matt]

I like Neil, but he's showing his age with his ideas about 'reducing models to basics'.

The vehicle types he mentions already contain a lot of crossover between types. And speaking of crossovers, he didn't even mention crossovers (unibody SUV's - basically cars that look like SUV's). But seriously though, there are large sedans that qualify as sports cars, same with economy cars. Why limit this vision to just a 'truck, an SUV, a large sedan', etc?

And it's nice that he thinks it can be done using existing tooling, but just because he says it doesn't make it so. If congress or anyone else could legislate technology, they'd have done so already. You can't just will this stuff into existence. Most of the Xprize vehicles are going to be highly specialized, lightweight vehicles that won't meet 35mph side impact crash tests or meet any other type of modern safety standards.

I can appreciate Neil's enthusiasm based on his big Lincoln, but he's oversimplifying things. His Lincoln was reputed to have cost something in the order of 100,000 dollars to convert to electric. That's not exactly a model for the car thats going to 'save the big 3'.

With that said, I have little sympathy for the big 3, either. While Japanese car companies have been gradually making better and better products over the last 30 years, gradually refining and improving, the big 3 has been making huge cash selling Americans gussied-up pickup trucks (SUV's). American car companies made huge profits on those things because they could use existing assembly lines and parts from fullsize truck lines (trucks are pretty cheap to build), but sell them at a much higher premium than trucks. They didn't do anything intelligent with all that profit and now they're in dire straights.

What I'd really like to see is a breakdown of CEO compensation for the big 3 over the last 20 years. I bet none of those guys walked away broke.

I think if ANYONE should be bailing out the big 3, it should ExxonMobil and Chevron. They've made lots of money over the last couple of decades thanks to gas-guzzlers made by the big 3. If they want to see those types of vehicles stay on the road, they ought to pony up.

Prince Charles converted his Aston Martin to run on wine-based biodiesel. Now thats the dream! "One for the car, one for me"

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/07/01/prince-charles-converts-38-year-old-aston-martin-to-run-on-briti/

[macheesmo3]

A nice, well-reasoned, mature rebuttal. LOL!

Just being smarmy ! Every thread needs a bit of smarmy cantankerousness.

[Dave Orban]

Just being smarmy ! Every thread needs a bit of smarmy cantankerousness.
True enough! LOL!

[JELLIS]

Hah, but with no artificial illumination, no one could see their computer screens, so Tom could have worked in peace after all.

Here's something else that concerns me:

The Lincvolt site links to another one of the "run your car on water" websites. Those are ALL scams. Nothing runs on water. You have to make hydrogen from water and the car or fuel cell runs on the hydrogen. It is dishonest from the beginning to call it "running on water". This is important because no one has yet to come up with a system that makes significantly more energy than it takes to make the hydrogen from water...

The whole deal looks like BS to me. I'd love to be wrong.

DC

Don't judge a man by his links..LOL!

Good and interesting stuff here.
Hell, my car doesn't even need water, it runs on air...and later, monkeys will magically appear to be flying out of my ass.

[Rad Skronker]

Ashton Kutcher (I know...I know..), was on Bill Mahers show and had a great idea: Let big oil bail out the car companies.

Brilliant!

[JELLIS]

Ashton Kutcher (I know...I know..), was on Bill Mahers show and had a great idea: Let big oil bail out the car companies.

Brilliant!

HAHA! And let Bruce Willis bail Demi Moore out of jail for contributing to the delinquincy of a minor.

[Zilmo]

Maybe he actually has talent after all.

[jammybastard]

Maybe he actually has talent after all.

He was a lot smarter than I would have ever given him credit far. It's just bizarre watching Kelso get passionate about politics.

[Mark Robinson]

Edison got a good share of ridicule in his day. Not comparing the two at all, but the cultural dialectic is often slow to acknowledge changes that are monumental. Next thing you know, it's all different. Spend a year or two at $5.00 a gallon and many a tune will change and a bulk load of amazingly inefficient vehicles will gather yet more dust on the big three lots. Keep thinking folks, somehow progress will be made, and new sets of folks we've never heard of are going to be wielding major rakes full of cash. New problems will be coming out of today's progressive contributions too. It takes time. Hopefully we have that. I enjoyed the article for the ideas and stimulation of my mind, thanks for posting it!

[michael.e]

Hey Neil,
Love your tunes baby!

This is how I need to get my gear to rehearsal.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y175/M_E113123/P1040068.jpg


Something useful to me like this, would cost me WAY too much money and consume much too much energy [though it would keep a few more folks down the line employed] to plug in to the wall.

I hope someday we can find a viable alternative for the sake of society and resources.


Global what??

Cram anything down folks throats for long enough, they have to swallow some time.

[americananalog]

Don't judge a man by his links..LOL!

Good and interesting stuff here.
Hell, my car doesn't even need water, it runs on air...and later, monkeys will magically appear to be flying out of my ass.

Well, here IS a car that runs on air!
http://zeropollutionmotors.us/

[scott757]

I agree with a lot of what he had to say. Corporations should always be forward thinking and innovative. If not other companies will come around that do, and the competition will push the technology forward or run one of the companies out of business. But this gets tricky when you start asking for a bailout from the government. Left to themselves these companies should live and die by their decisions. But they are asking for our money, so they put themselves in a position to have to be completely subjected to whatever stipulations the government puts on it. If they don't want the government interfering then they need learn to survive on their own. If they want a bailout, then welcome to being subjected to things you may not like.

[Bill Brasky]

Why is that celebrities and many people on this board only single out American car companies for criticism? Why is it that Japanese car companies are saintly in your eyes? Most American cars get very good MPG, equal to or near most Japanese cars, yet all you ever hear is the same 'ol "gas guzzler" cliche's. You guys are the ones stuck in 1970's, not the Big 3. And I love your righteous damning of American car companies for selling profitable SUV's and trucks to consumers THAT THEY WANTED AND DEMANDED. What car company is going to tell buyers "NO, you can't have the truck you want. You must buy this 50 MPG Yugo II hatchback that you don't want and we don't make a profit on". You guys seem to yearn for communist Russia style car development and sales practices.

BEHOLD! It's the car of your dreams! Best of all it's not made by one of those EVIL American car companies. BONUS: You're guaranteed to die in any car collision!
http://www.siue.edu/ITDA/CUBA_2004/PHOTOS/CubaWebPhotos/Cars2.jpg

[Bill Brasky]

If nothing else, it's good to see people thinking about alternatives, maybe there's a kernel of something in there that may spark some innovation.

However, last time I saw CSN&Y in concert (2004 i think), the video screens were used to highlight how wasteful we are and how we need to look for clean renewable energy and start taking better care of the planet. In the meantime, they had 4 18 wheelers and 5 tour buses sitting outside the venue with the diesels running for the entire show.

There's a certain breed of person that loves to be yelled at and told they're bad.

[big mike]

Last warning, get off the political tip.

[Dave Orban]

I don't know why folks would be surprised at a car that runs on air.



Hell, we have an entire forum that runs primarily on (hot) air.



;)

[Greggy]

I've been running on hot air for some 30 years. I'm an eco-friendly dude!

[DC1]

I don't know why folks would be surprised at a car that runs on air.



Hell, we have an entire forum that runs primarily on (hot) air.



;)


:roll


:argue


:Spank

[cottoneyedjoe]

I am not going to bash Neil. We need change and we all just about know it.

He had a dream that helped save Lionel. His passion could save the car industry.

Hell, I am not going to say a bad word about Mr. Young. He has done more for the American farmer than I could ever hope to in a lifetime. Most rich artists set up charities to help the tax break. At least Neil is putting his money into the American farmer and has worked to do so repeatedly. He can say whatever he wants. I am fine with it.

[orogeny]

rolling stone covered the neil car story. it runs on ethanol. it currently gets 80mpg. they're just not happy yet. they want it at 100.

[DC1]

rolling stone covered the neil car story. it runs on ethanol. it currently gets 80mpg. they're just not happy yet. they want it at 100.

I don't believe it. I certainly don't believe RS.

Let's see some actual tests and documentation.

DC

[gibsonjunkie]

The Sunday Morning program had a segment on space travel today. They discussed how, in the next couple years, very rich people will be able to fly into space for unGodly sums of money. However, the point was made that the rich folks who support these new technologies help pave the way for more affordable alternatives. At one time only the very rich could afford to fly in a plane and now Southwest Airlines has $99 tickets.

Right now it might cost $100,000 to make a Lincoln get 80 mpg, but each effort will teach us something to make it cheaper and better down the road.

Dean Kamens, the guy who gave us the Segway has actually spent considerable money on a project to purify water efficiently.

I applaude Young for his attempt to leave the world a better place than how he found it. Shouldn't we all aspire to that goal?

[pir8matt]

What car company is going to tell buyers "NO, you can't have the truck you want.


There's no problem with selling cars people want, but while they were making huge profits on them, they might have socked away a little money for R&D on vehicles that get better gas mileage for when the oil spigot started to run dry.

Notice that Honda, Toyota, and Nissan all had fuel-efficient cars ready to go (being sold in other markets) in parallel while they were also building giant trucks and SUV's. All they had to do when the demand arose for them was to start importing them here. The point is that foresight is something that successful car companies employ.

What makes even less sense is that both GM and Ford sell incredibly fuel efficient vehicles in other parts of the world and have been dragging their feet getting them to the US. Why?

[Dave Orban]

I applaud Young for his attempt to leave the world a better place than how he found it. Shouldn't we all aspire to that goal?You'd think...