In support of technologies aimed at solving global warming, Google.org - the philantrophic arm of Google - issued a $10 million request for investment proposals (RFP) with particular focus in the areas of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), Electric Vehicles (EVs), and Vehicle-to-Grid Solutions (V2G).
This news comes amidst new rounds of oil rate hikes and the OPECs intentions to raise global oil supply. Further serving as a backdrop is a seemingly growing discussion which purports man-made global warming as a mere hoax.
Bannered under Google's RechargeIT program, the RFP seeks to invest amounts ranging from $500,000 to $2,000,000. The funds are earmarked for corporations and similar for-profit enterprises worldwide whose initiatives have the capacity to fast track global commercialization of eco-transport solutions. The Google.org blog said, "This is a global challenge, and it will take all of us to solve it."
While $10 million is a fraction of the total investment needed to transform our transportation sector, we hope this RFP will help catalyze a broader response. We need the automakers to bring these cars to market, but plug-in vehicles also need an entire ecosystem of companies to flourish. (from blog.google.org)On a personal note, global warming or not, this initiative I believe is long overdue. Technology is about finding a better way and our centuries-old dependence on fossil-fuel based transportation should already be transplanted by cleaner more efficient technologies.
Proposals need to be on the desk of the RechargeIT group no later than October 22, 2007. Details of the Google.org's RFP here.
2 comments:
Re: Your comment on my blog - about why Asian Crime interest.
I served 2+ years in Southeast Asian - '63_'65 and another year as a civilian.
When I was a police sergeant in New Orleans my captain came to me one fine day and said, "You were in Vietnam, weren't you?" When I answered in the affirmative he gave me the job of investigating Vietnamese gang extortion on a local Vietnamese night-club.
I found that NO-ONE cared about what happened to the Asian residents of my area. What choice had I,being a cop, but to try and do something about it. Got a lot of flack my whole career after that. The Powers That Be only want to concentrate money and manpower on things that hit the front page and the TV. Asian crime and violence was passed over, "We don't have any problem with those people, you don't know what you're talking about." Perhaps.
Wofat
Thanks WoFat for the comment. Its out of context with this blog post but hey, who cares, right? :)
All I can say is I'm an Asian and I live with Asians and Asians can be just as diabolic as the next Caucasian, Hispanic, African or whichever race else there is on the planet.
To those who haven't come across WoFat, he is one of the more interesting bloggers I've encountered in the past few months via blogcatalog.com. A no-nonsense fellow (seemingly). Frankly, I wouldn't want to mess with him.
WoFat, you have made quite an effort to know a people whom others would easily just dismiss or ignore. While others act on ignorance or prejudice, you work based on knowledge and understanding. Good form!
Check out his Mac-made blog over at WoFat at Home - http://web.mac.com/wofat
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