“No proven or likely ultracapacitor capacity can provide a high AER, but what power it does store is available: all of it, maybe more than you really wanted, at any instant. You can get your 40kw for a few seconds easily from a capacity of under 5kwh, unlike a battery.”

If they use A123s as it appears they might, a 5KWH pack can deliver 40KW no sweat. As a matter of fact, a 5KWH pack using the ANR26650M1 cells could for a few seconds deliver 200KW with no harm to the cells. A123s have very low internal resistance and thus very high power density. Google the Killacycle for details. I use them myself on my RC plane, pulling 80A from an 8 cell series pack during vertical climbouts and they barely get warm with no cooling (10 minute total discharge time).

Just got around to reading your responses to my #167 about the retard.

I am not overly pleased with our President as I was not with Clinton and Gore. I am a registered Democrat, but find it very difficult to vote for any of them. I am beginning to find it increasingly difficult to vote for any Republican also. I am conservative, more towards the middle on most matters and somewhat to the right when it comes to national defense matters and border security.

I did not like it when people make insulting remarks about any President, whether I like him or not. I was hoping we could get to a better attitude in Washington, but the game of politics and one-upmanship is preventing that. No one is really looking out for the American people anymore.

I suspect we three would be in agreement many times more than not on a wide range of topics. I just reacted to one too many instances of people referring to the President as a retard or as dumb, which he is neither.

I meant to say I am NOT a right wing Republican.

I’m really sorry though to disagree.
Oddly, I am a Republican who really misses the “other guy”.
I am a Republican, just a right wing Republican. I don’t let the party
BS speak for me when I vote. I choose who I think will best serve the country and my family. So when I vote, I don’t really look at party, but the person. I suppose I should be registered as an Independent, because that is really how I think.

BTW, as I said long ago, one of the amazing things about GM-Volt.com is that people who may strongly disagree on other issues – Republicans vs. Democrats, “greenie weenies” (me, for example) vs. the opposite and so on and so on – find common ground here.

Volt Or Bust!

I really appreciated your kind words the other day on another thread.

Even so, I guess no one agrees on everything all the time. My wife comes to mind.

On this issue, I respectfully agree to disagree.

Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae have about 50% of the US loan market so allowing market forces to rule, is not an option. On Friday shares in both plummeted. This, I suspect, is the unknown news statik was wondering about yesterday. Folks, this is huge, the ripples will be world wide.; I have, on the basis of this, advised one of my wind farm customers to place their NZD200 million project on hold, as the increased funding costs will make the project inviable at present.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/business/11ripple.html?_r=2&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

From the WSJ:
Fannie and Freddie are among the largest financial companies in the world. Their liabilities – mortgage-backed securities (MBSs) and other debt – add up to some $5 trillion. To put that in perspective, consider that total U.S. federal debt is about $9.5 trillion, compared to a total U.S. GDP of $14 trillion. About $5.3 trillion of that debt is held by the public (in the form of Treasury bonds and the like), while $4.2 trillion is intragovernment debt such as Social Security IOUs. This is the liability side of America’s federal balance sheet, and its condition influences how much the government can borrow and at what rates.

The liabilities of Fan and Fred are currently not on this U.S. balance sheet. But one danger is a run on the debt of either company, putting pressure on the Treasury and Federal Reserve to publicly guarantee that debt to prevent a systemic financial collapse. In an instant, what has long been an implicit taxpayer guarantee for both companies would be made explicit – committing American taxpayers to honoring as much as $5 trillion in new liabilities. U.S. debt held by the public would more than double, and the national balance sheet would look very ugly.

If the Government misshandles this, think crashing dollar & 1930,s type depression.

As Al Jolson used to say “Wait you ain’t seen nothing yet”.

I agree that the word “retard” is derogatory and uncivilized. Imagine your reaction when insensitive types snicker at your Downs Syndrome child and toss out “retard.” Rashiid provided much better options.

About your other point, let’s not get too partisan here. I doubt “what he replaced and what he saved us from” could have lived up to the right-wing hype. He certainly didn’t live up to the right-wing hype. Don’t believe the hype. And please, don’t propogate the hype. We need reason.

Thank you very much…..