interpreted by Pierre Gosselin
" ... The Austrian engineer also says German and European policymakers are making a big mistake by prescribing to the industry what drive technology to use. “They can give us the targets, but they have to leave it up to engineers to find out how to best reach the targets, and to build a car that is affordable to the buyer.”
... In the assessment of battery powered vehicles, Indra describes the problems of range and battery disposal that still profoundly plague electric battery vehicles.
..."Bosch, about one year ago, stopped research in the lithium ion battery. That means they have backed out completely from the topic of batteries,” says Indra. “That’s an unbelievable decision, because that’s a global company.”
... “On the subject of hydrogen, Mercedes was always way ahead. […] About half a year ago, Mercedes announced that it was getting out of hydrogen. That means that as a way for mobility, they see no chance for it.”
... According to the Austrian engine expert, hydrogen as a fuel for fuel cells is plagued by too many efficiencies and dangers, describing how a fueling station would need three stages of piston-type compressors to get the fuel into the car at the “unimaginable” 1000 bars of pressure – never mind the technical obstacles building such a car poses.
A quarter to one third of the energy offered by hydrogen would be consumed just to pressurize the gas, Indra reminds. Moreover, hydrogen refueling stations would need to be supplied by tankers transporting the highly explosive gas at 50 bars of pressure.
... Indra sharply criticizes claims that lithium batteries can be recycled: “But for those who don’t know, the recycling of lithium is an unbelievably difficult and expensive process.” He adds that electric cars also will also never be able to meet Europe’s recycling directives, which call for minimum 80% of devices be recyclable."
... “A combustion engine car with synthetic fuel a is much cleaner and can be used much longer than electric cars,” Indra says. The retired engineering expert also says countries who have declared an end to the combustion engine are “full of politics” and predicts they will push off their targets, if not completely abandon them as reality hits."