E&EM Lead Professor Jonathan Deason was featured on the Brazilian television network Globo Television in a program entitled “The Electric Cars Are Coming,” which was broadcast to 46 countries in March 2008. The newscast, which was filmed in Washington, D.C., was taped on March 2, 2008.
Globo TV is the largest television network in Brazil and Latin America, with daily audiences exceeding 40 million in Brazil and 47 other countries. The program featured updates on a forthcoming array of new electric vehicle products, including the General Motors Volt and the Tesla electric car, forthcoming products that have already received major media coverage in magazines like Newsweek, New Yorker and The Economist.
During the interview, Professor Deason responded to reporter questions dealing with electric cars and related technologies. He discussed reasons why some major car manufacturers are investing specifically in the electric car, and set forth his prognosis regarding the part that electric cars will play in new transportation modes in the future.
In the past, major automakers have tended to keep new projects in great secrecy before they become available. However, this trend appears to be changing, as auto manufacturers are making major headlines years before products are released on the market.
Professor Deason discussed the pros and cons of electric car technology and how they fit in to the overall future of motor vehicles in light of the recent major increases in oil prices and increasing concerns nationwide over the environment implications of continued use of gasoline-powered internal combustion engines.