5 Responses

1. “unnecessarily duplicated efforts by the four” Possible, yes, probable, no.

   However, It’s their money at risk. Also with 4 investors that could mean 4 different directions the research could be directed in and the 4 may or may not be duplicating each others research. What is 6 or 10 or more enter? If they do not want to risk the money don’t enter. I have also heard there have already been 2 that have signed on.

2. Interesting point about the cross-Atlantic prize. My main problem with your 4-investor scenario, however, is this: Since they’re not sharing their findings (for fear of losing the contest), then much of that $800M spent will be in unnecessarily duplicated efforts by the four parties working in their separate silos.

3. I invented the battery! look at my video.

4. Excellent vid and thanks for calling out the ridiculous attempts by the GOP and McCain to give happy talk and platitudes to the voters. You’re right, if this is all an “energy policy” for McCain is, then we’re all screwed if he gets elected. This is just another example of the right not wanting to deal with the issue. Further, carrots are less important at present than sticks. The government must take control of this situation or leave it to the “free market”, which means “screw us”.

5. This has worked in the past. If 4 independent investors each spend $200 million trying to develop a battery and one does, than that would save the government a few hundred million dollars in research dead ends.

   Did you know Charles Lindbergh built the Spirit of St. Louis in 1927 to win the Orteig Prize of $25,000 for anyone who could build the first plane that could fly across the Atlantic Ocean non stop?