MTU Cork Library Catalogue

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Zoom : the global race to fuel the car of the future / Iain Carson and Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran.

By: Carson, Iain.
Contributor(s): Vaitheeswaran, Vijay V, 1969-.
Publisher: London : Penguin, 2008Description: viii, 336 p. ; 24 cm. + pbk.ISBN: 9780141036724 ; 0141036729 .Subject(s): Automobile industry and trade -- Forecasting | Automobiles -- Research | Alternative fuel vehicles | Automobiles -- Technological innovations | Power resources | Automobile industry and trade -- United States -- HistoryDDC classification: 338.47629222
Contents:
Part I: Highway robbery -- The terrible twins : cars and oil wrote the history of twentieth-century American capitalism -- Down and out in Detroit : how the car industry, the icon of American greatness in the last century, lost its way -- Big oil in big trouble : the world is not running out of oil, but America's oil giants are in trouble even so -- Part II: Can dinosaurs dance? -- The parable of the Prius : how Toyota's culture propelled the once-provincial carmaker past GM to number one -- The axis of oil : oil's geopolitical complications arise from America's bipartisan addiction to oil -- The slumbering giant awakes : the great awakening of America to the dangers of oil addiction and global warming is pushing corporations to act--but can big business really solve the problem? -- Part III: Manifold destiny -- Crouching tiger, leaping dragon : Asia's rise could save, rather than destroy, the planet -- The juice and the jalopy : the same anarchic, amazing forces that brought us the Internet and telecom revolutions are now racing to develop the clean fuels and smart cars of tomorrow -- A call to arms : a grass-roots movement sweeping across America promises to overturn Washington's oil curse--and level the playing field for clean energy and the car of the future.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Copy number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
General Lending MTU Bishopstown Library Lending 338.47629222 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Available 00116455
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

If oil is a problem, it seems that cars are the solution. Working on innovative, environmental technologies and entirely new business models, the car industry could be launching society's greatest leap forward in a hundred years.

Zoom visits the boardrooms of oil executives and shows how some are fearlessly exploring new energy sources and designs. Elsewhere, Carson and Vaitheeswaran examine the alliances that are being formed to end our addiction to oil in both the West and the growing markets of China, India and Russia, as well as what Toyota and the Prius can teach us, economically and ecologically. Zoom also introduces the Thomas Edison of the twenty-first century, a legendary inventor whose revolutionary work with hydrogen-powered vehicles on a pure water loop is already having a positive impact on the environment and the marketplace.

The global race to discover cleaner energy sources is on - and Zoom demonstrates just how cars could be the driving force to a better and cleaner future.

Originally published: New York: Twelve, 2007.

Bibliography: (pages 321-325) and index.

Part I: Highway robbery -- The terrible twins : cars and oil wrote the history of twentieth-century American capitalism -- Down and out in Detroit : how the car industry, the icon of American greatness in the last century, lost its way -- Big oil in big trouble : the world is not running out of oil, but America's oil giants are in trouble even so -- Part II: Can dinosaurs dance? -- The parable of the Prius : how Toyota's culture propelled the once-provincial carmaker past GM to number one -- The axis of oil : oil's geopolitical complications arise from America's bipartisan addiction to oil -- The slumbering giant awakes : the great awakening of America to the dangers of oil addiction and global warming is pushing corporations to act--but can big business really solve the problem? -- Part III: Manifold destiny -- Crouching tiger, leaping dragon : Asia's rise could save, rather than destroy, the planet -- The juice and the jalopy : the same anarchic, amazing forces that brought us the Internet and telecom revolutions are now racing to develop the clean fuels and smart cars of tomorrow -- A call to arms : a grass-roots movement sweeping across America promises to overturn Washington's oil curse--and level the playing field for clean energy and the car of the future.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

This is a highly readable, very timely, general audience book by two experienced Economist magazine writers who argue for US energy independence by weaning cars off oil. Most oil used in the US is for transportation, mostly in cars. The authors convincingly state that "oil is the problem, not cars," and that increasing supply by more domestic drilling is not the solution. The book contains excellent chapters on US energy politics; the role of big oil and US auto companies in promoting consumer addiction to oil; and the undesirable political, military, and financial consequences the US is currently experiencing because of this dependence on oil. On the other hand, the authors include a chapter describing the race to find oil replacements outside the US in Japan, China, and India. The book ends on a quite hopeful note describing the "grassroots movement sweeping across America ... to level the playing field for clean energy and the car of the future." It includes excellent descriptions of fuel cells, hydrogen, plug-in technology, energy storage devices, etc., their domestic developers, and how US energy politics is changing from the bottom up, rather than the top down. Excellent bibliography. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels of readers. D. Brand formerly, Harvard University

Kirkus Book Review

A stirring call to arms urging Americans to demand that the government act now to meet the challenges of global warming and to tackle the country's addiction to oil. Carson, former industry editor of The Economist, and Vaitheeswaran, who for ten years reported on environmental and energy issues for that magazine, take to task the automakers of Detroit and Big Oil, dubbing them "dinosaurs" facing extinction unless they change their thinking soon. The authors' closeup look at the workings of the auto industry is sharp and pulls no punches. They credit Toyota with taking the lead in the race to develop the successor to the internal-combustion engine, calling the Prius a stepping stone to the car of the future. The chapters on oil trace the story of America's dependence on Mideast oil from FDR's pact with Ibn Saud of Saudia Arabia in World War II to the terror-threatened market of the present day, and they consider the serious problems now facing the Western oil giants, especially the restricted access to reserves as competition from national oil companies increases. But there's also good news, note the authors. Employing religious terminology, they envision a "Great Awakening" under way in the form of a new awareness of the need for energy reform and some specific actions being taken to achieve it. They offer engrossing stories about a variety of technology innovators and entrepreneurs with fresh ideas about clean energy, including the use of hydrogen to power cars that have clean fuel cells instead of dirty gasoline engines. The authors conclude with a manifesto stating five principles for a smart energy policy, including the necessity of individual action and a grassroots rebellion that will prompt action from the country's leaders. A timely, authoritative book written in a punchy, easy-to-read style. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Iain Carson has been the Industry Editor of The Economist since 1994, covering the airline, transportation and manufacturing industries. He has also worked as a reporter and anchor for BBC Television and Channel Four. He is (with Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran) the author of Zoom

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