interview > frank > frank 9

Frank 9 (1:22)
Topic(s): Auto Industry / Electric & Hybrid
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Video Transcript

It's been a long walk through the forest—a long lonely walk through the forest and yes, it was—I was the only one. As a matter of fact, over and over again I made the presentations to the car companies and to—to actually car companies all over the world— and sometimes I was thrown out on my ear, sometimes I was said, "Oh, you, thank you very much, Professor Frank. That's very interesting." But with very, very little belief that this could ever make a change. However, that's when gasoline was about a dollar and a half a gallon. Now remember I said that electricity would drive your car at 70 cents a gallon. At that point, California Resources Board and many agencies—government agencies said, "That's not enough difference to make any effect. If a person buys a car, they can run on gasoline or electricity, he'll just buy gasoline, even though it's half the cost to use electricity." Now it's $2.50 a gallon and it's still 70 cents a gallon for electricity, that's a factor of 3 ^1/2. Now, I mean, if I had one of these cars, I'd plug it in because instead of buying gasoline at $2.50 a gallon...