THE ESTAR CAR
If you are in despair about the state of the planet, wish you could buy a car that did not add to the mess being made of it, but feel helpless in the face of the big carmakers' refusal to stop producing millions of fossil vehicles, then make a paradigm shift to people power. The Big Iron carmakers do not want the world to go from fossils vehicles to electric, because fossil vehicles are complicated things to make, so they can only be made at an affordable price by Big Iron. Electric vehicles are far, far simpler, so manufacture would escape from the hands of the powerful few and fly over the wall into the hands of the many. If the world turns to electrons the reign of the Big Iron boys will be over. People power will have replaced it.

A parallel happened in the computer industry. Once computers were mainframes--big, complicated and hard to make. Only big, well-heeled companies could make them and support them. Then the PC was invented. It was small, it was people-sized, it was made from off-the-shelf bits. And oodles of people could make them. The Little Iron machines ended the reign of the Big Iron.

It is the same with cars. The Big Iron boys are dragging the chain on planet-friendly cars as long as they can. They pretend that billions of dollar and years of effort have to be consumed in R&D before all the problems have been sorted out and mass-production of vehicles running on electrons can start. Bunkum! A very profitable bunkum for them, but still bunkum. Detailed costings show that a prototype electric car, with a good range, can be produced for $500,000. Not billions. Just $500,000, and at most two years of development. A powerful BEV with a good driving range and superb performance and driveability, and FCV-ready.

People power can make it. Many a little makes a lot. If 500,000 people chip in $1, the project would be on its way. Or 250,000 people $2. Or 100,000 people $5... One person chipping in $500,000 would be good, but people power is far, far better. Once the prototype is on the road, mass-production can start using dispersed teams. No big factories. Teams using small premises to assemble modules. People power again.

Please click on the Donate to the E*Car link in the Links section on the right-hand side of this page to see the specifications overview. Then send a small donation, either by crediting to the bank account shown on the E*Car page, or mail a small cheque or a small-denomination United States, British, Euro, Australian or New Zealand banknote (folded in a sheet or two of notepaper for a tad of security) to 'The EStarCar, 2-4 O'Brien Road, Rocky Bay, Waiheke Island, New Zealand 1240.' Then watch the total figure on the E*Car page grow. Thank you for caring about the planet.

Click on the About EStarFuture link in the Links section if you want to know more about the company. In summary it is passionate about the planet, and determined to do something about it. With a little help from a lot of friends.