Internal Combustion
Edwin Black talked about his book, Internal Combustion: How Corporations and Governments Addicted the World to Oil and Derailed the Alternat… read more
Edwin Black talked about his book, Internal Combustion: How Corporations and Governments Addicted the World to Oil and Derailed the Alternatives, published by St. Martin’s Press. He said that people have been trying to monopolize resources such as wood, water, and electricity since the beginning of human history. He described the first battery-powered cars, developed in the 1890s, which were undermined by interests who stood to profit from cars powered by the internal combustion engine. He said that Henry Ford and Thomas Edison undertook a secret program to bring back the electric car in 1912, but it was ultimately unsuccessful. He speculated about the feasibility of alternative energy sources such as corn and sugar cane ethanol, hydrogen, nuclear power, and solar power. After his presentation he responded to audience members' questions. close
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