Incase anyone here had a shred of respect left for the oil companies...

[Pierre.Suave]

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/08/03/chevron-drains-battery-planned-for-mercedes-ml-450-hybrid-merce/#comments

<snip>

"Plans for Mercedes to release the ML 450 hybrid in 2009 may very well be canceled. The maker of the nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries that was to provide the energy storage component for the SUV, Cobasys, seems to be refusing to begin production of the essential part. It appears the company's parent firms, Chevron (who just posted a $5.98 billion 2nd quarter profit) and Energy Conversion Devices (ECD) have "pulled funding" from the battery supplier, preventing it from meeting manufacturing commitments agreed upon last year."

:mad:

[DarkTirade]

1. Short sighted greed. Gotta love it.

[RoyGBiv]

2. Save this ...

Well, I'm saving this.

Not too long ago some yahoo was blathering around these parts about how no one had any evidence whatsoever that the oil companies had ever had a hand in killing off efforts to promote alternative forms of powering motor vehicles.

Didn't have the energy at the time. Need to keep stuff like this on hand.

[Pierre.Suave]

3. Anyone who says that

Is purposely ignoring the obvious.

[redqueen]

10. Frickin trolls.

x(

[flvegan]

4. Point taken BUT, this is Mercedes we're talking about.

Bet they find a way around it. You watch.

Chevron is still king of the douchebags today, though for this.

[Pierre.Suave]

5. I have a friend from college

He is an Engineer, works in the auto/aerospace industry at a small start up.

Word is that Chevron has done this same thing to Toyota too. Toyota wanted to build the stuff themselves, but cant because of Chevrons lawsuit. Apparently, Toyota knows of something that will make the batteries way more efficient, but cant use it because of the lawsuit with Chevron. probably because it was also a Chevron owned company that came up with it, and Chevron owns the patent or something...

And there is not a car company out there that has more cash than Toyota to spend on it.

[flvegan]

6. Toyota

you mean the company with the non completely electric hybrid Prius for the American market but for everywhere else?

Mercedes takes this type of shit as a personal insult. Toyota complies. Chevron just sucks.

[Pierre.Suave]

7. I hope so

But I suspect that Toyota is just as motivated to sell cars as MB is.

edit: the new tech is also supposed to be much cheaper.

[Pierre.Suave]

8. Bump for the morning crew

[Connonym]

9. When does the revolution start again?

[Pierre.Suave]

11. If I had my way

it would be over already.

:mad: