Andy Grove Onbattery Power

摘要

When Gas Was Topping $4 a gal-Ion last summer, the urgency to find alternative sources of energy to power cars and trucks became clear to most Americans. But with oil prices toppling since, the push for new energy technologies is being shoved aside by the nation's other economic woes. That is a mistake that could cost the United States everything-especially if this recession is followed by a period of fast growth.rnEconomic growth requires energy. When the world economy starts to grow again, all countries, andrnespecially China and the U.S., will be competing for the same finite supplies of oil and gas. If we had the ability to use varied sources of energy to power transportation, we would have a competitive advantage. We would also have a degree of resilience in the face of threats. And they exist. Just this past year Russia sent tanks into oil-rich Georgia, and an oil tanker was hijacked off the coast of Somalia. In addition, climate change demands that we harness new, renewable sources of energy. Here, too, electricity is key.rnThe power and efficiency of the internal-combustion engine were at the core of the development of the automobile. In a similar vein, batteries will be a competitive advantage for the auto-rnmakers of the future. Batteries that go farther than the competition's and recharge in a shorter time will win. This does not bode well for U.S. auto manufacturers. Battery technology has been the domain of consumer electronics manufacturers, and that industry migrated out of America decades ago. We must bring this important technology back to the U.S., and we must do it quickly to save Detroit.