Agent009
Agent009
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RUMOR MILL: Does At Least One Oil Company Have A Vested Interest In Hybrids?

Every once and a while we hear a juicy rumor that sounds so outlandish it couldn’t be true, and yet it is. So imagine my astonishment when undercover agent “Juice” gave me a call with these details.

The common perception is that the oil companies have a lot to lose when it comes to gas savings technology.  After all the less you sell the less you make, however Juice’s tidbit, led me to believe that that scenario just isn’t quite right.

According Juice’s information source, oil giant Chevron may have more than just a passing interest in hybrid technology.  The reason is because, Chevron actually owns batteries that are in every hybrid car made and sold. According to Juice the manufacturer actually LEASES the batteries within the vehicle.  Now I tried rather diligently to confirm this, and have not been able to do so, and for obvious reason this has been kept pretty hush-hush.

However, this would explain why the manufactures in general offer bounty programs for the battery packs in each and every hybrid out there, this is more a recovery mechanism for property for Chevron, rather than a green initiative.

So is this simply off the wall speculation, or is it a secretive part of a larger generally unknown scheme? 

If you have any details about this it is your time to bring us all up to speed because we want to know.
RUMOR MILL: Does At Least One Oil Company Have A Vested Interest In Hybrids?



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tysonjacquestysonjacques - 4/15/2008 4:05:15 PM
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Are you saying that Cheveron has a hand in building these batteries or that they actually own them, even after they are bought and sold between dealers, private consumers, etc?

Frankly it would be great if oil companies would start investing in alternative energy and that should include the manufacture of more efficient batteries for these cars. After all, it's pretty much an investment into the longevity of their other investments.

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EnnNorakEnnNorak - 4/15/2008 8:02:20 PM
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Actually, oil companies see themselves as energy companies in the broader sense and many have ongoing energy research projects (remember R&D is tax deductible) for stuff they can bring to market once oil dependency diminishes and alternative energy takes off. For the moment, most oil companies want to make sure they recover the huge investments they have made in oil production and disribution


GreenPleaseGreenPlease - 4/15/2008 11:31:11 PM
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Chevron owns a battery company Cobasys, that owns most of the patents on NiMh batteries. As I understand it, royalties are paid by companies for the use of the battery.

It would make sense for the western oil majors* to become battery companies. After all, they collectively control less than 10% of global oil production. NOCs control about 90%**.

Mass deployment of PHEVs would eliminate the need for foreign oil imports to the U.S. In fact, the U.S. would actually become an exporter of oil. I've always advocated using windfall profits to build batteries for PHEVs. The oil companies would own these batteries and lease them to the consumer.

This would drastically reduce the upfront cost of a PHEV. The Chevrolet Volt, with a 16kW/h battery pack, would see its price fall by ~$10,000 if oil companies footed the bill for the battery pack. Consumers could then pay $0.10 per kW/h to a utility and an additional $0.05 per kW/h to an oil company.

Consumers pay less for the vehicle, less at the pump (even with an additonal charge for using the battery), and western oil companies make more money. It's a win all around.


*ExxonMobil, ChevronTexaco, BP, Shell, Total
**Global total ~85mbpd. Saudi Arabia ~10mbpd,Iran ~3mbpd, Rest of middle east ~5mbpd, Russia ~10mbpd, Mexico ~5mbpd, Venezuela ~2mbpd, Sub-Saharan Africa ~3mbpd.


EnnNorakEnnNorak - 4/15/2008 8:06:34 PM
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Cheap solar energy along with nuclear, geothermal and wind energy is already beginning to replace oil. The problem is that oil is still too cheap and oil companies are under pressure to recover investments already made. I predict that, 25 years from now, the energy picture will be totally different than it is today. I believe that most oil companies will be simply known as energy companies as they venture head-on into alternative forms of energy.

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07G35J07G35J - 4/15/2008 4:16:47 PM
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Agent009:
"this would explain why the manufactures in general offer bounty programs for the battery packs in each and every hybrid out there, this is more a recovery mechanism for property for Chevron, rather than a green initiative."

I'm a little lost here. Please explain.


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Agent009Agent009 - 4/15/2008 4:35:18 PMView My AgentSpace
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The rebate has now been termed as a "core charge", However Toyota Still offers a bounty on junk yard batteries from hybrids:

For hybrids that wind up in a scrap yard, there's a toll-free number on the battery pack: Callers learn they'll get a $150 reward for bringing the unit to a Toyota or Lexus dealer. Toyota then ships the battery pack to a single recycling center. Every component from plastic to precious metal is recyclable. With nickel prices near all-time highs, it's likely a large portion of recycled batteries will quickly become part of other products.


PorschinatorPorschinator - 4/15/2008 4:24:12 PM
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Chevron owns patents on Lithium batteries. Got patents from working with GM during the EV1 era. Smart move on Chevron's part.

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EnnNorakEnnNorak - 4/15/2008 8:17:52 PM
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GM recently took a minority interest in a company that appears to have a process for producing a vehicle-useable fuel for about $1 per gallon using microbes to convert waste carbon compound materials into a gas which is then converted to a liquid fuel. If this catches on, it will change the political landscape of the planet. There is also a microbial process in the works that sucks carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and produces a liquid fuel after intermediate steps in the process. BTW these processes are highly efficient and, unlike corn ethanol, result in a large net reduction of atmospheric CO2.


fatboifatboi - 4/15/2008 5:02:50 PM
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tobacco companies sell death and invest in medical care, same thing with car companies .. its a way to market their products

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EnnNorakEnnNorak - 4/15/2008 8:07:51 PM
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Tobacco companies help to kill off lo-lifes before they become a burden to taxpayers in their old age -- put that into your pipe and smoke it!


toolatetoracetoolatetorace - 4/15/2008 10:47:15 PM
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.......... but before the tobacco users die off prematurely , they wind up in intensive care units with respatory and heart problems racking up bills many cannot afford


AudiphileAudiphile - 4/15/2008 10:26:23 PM
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If oil companies invest in alternative-energy technologies, more power to them!

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1995e341995e34 - 4/15/2008 11:19:21 PM
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very funny.


mocashflo924mocashflo924 - 4/16/2008 9:34:20 AM
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THis is true. If anyones ever seen the documentary movie called, "who killed the electric car" it mentions this in there. Oil company's better do something to save their a**es cause when hydrogen, and electric cars rule the world they're not going get there big fat bonus checks anyone so I hope the CEOs are stock piling some of that money we give them.

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