Let me start off by saying that I am not an accountant nor a business expert, but rather someone who has worked all his adult life, traveled the world, seen a lot of things and met a lot of interesting people – from Presidents through to whole communities infected with HIV.

I could spend a lot of time writing about all the negative impacts of the current crisis, but for the purposes of this article I wanted to suggest a few of the many ways in which I think we will all eventually benefit.

I’m going to keep the points brief and would simply ask readers to think about them, expand upon the themes, and if necessary take issue with my conclusions.

First the banks. There are a lot of greedy people in the world, and bank scandals along with corporate theft are unfortunately here to stay. Human nature dictates this. People will always exploit a loophole no matter how tight the regulations.

However what is certain is that new regulations will now be put in place around the world considerably tightening up loopholes , making banking transactions more transparent , introducing simpler mortgage agreements, and making banks in general act far more responsibly.

Import lessons are being learnt  – how to avoid making the same mistakes again, what to regulate, ways to avoid companies becoming too big to fail, what techniques best stimulate the economy,  and how much or how little money to throw at a particular problem.

Now let me turn to the general public around the globe. This crisis has forced most people to examine their own spending habits, savings and pension plans (or the risks of having neither),  credit card debts, and in short just how much they are spending on everything…from drinks down at the pub to food and the monthly electricity bill.

Already there is evidence emerging that people are trimming their spending and reducing where possible their debts. This is what governments have been urging for decades, although now ironically they would rather we spend like crazy to help get the economy “back on track”!

But  people are now wiser than just a few months ago. Even though you can encourage them to spend more money than they have I am convinced that many  have been so shaken by events that they will simply be a lot more careful with their cash in future – becoming far more prudent in terms of  daily spending, buying a house or car, investing in stocks, or taking out any sort of loans.

These two major transformations ( of people’s spending habits and the redesigning and beefed up policing  of the banking industry) I believe will have have profoundly positive benefits in the years ahead.

Cars – For years the auto industry had looked upon greener, more fuel efficient vehicles as a nice idea, but something really to be tinkered with rather than fully exploited.

But now fuel efficient and smaller vehicles are THE priority for all manufacturers, and those that don’t commit risk going out of business sooner rather than later. That is not to say that we will all be driving around in hybrids in 2 or 3 years. That is completely unrealistic. But I believe the current crisis has probably brought their widescale introduction forward by at least 5 if not ten years.

The oil industry’s powerful lobby may well try and apply pressure to water down greener commitments, but there is simply too much public and political pressure now to prevent real and long overdue change from occuring.

Brazil has really demonstrated what can be achieved where there is a real willingness to make sensible change. A switch to cars powered by sugar cane fuel has reduced debts to the oil cartels and brought significant additional  benefits to the economy.

Oil. This year it has reached record highs and also dropped by a record amount. There must be universal acceptance that allowing such dramatic swings has no long term benefits for anyone – including the producers.

Allow oil to be priced way too high ($150 a barrel) and business expansion starts to dry up, people spend less, transport companies go out of business, heating bills go through the roof, and public spending on all manner of things starts to diminish.

On the other hand if oil is far too cheap then that introduces a whole different set of problems for the producers and distributors. I think the industry will be forced to explore new ways of future oil pricing which offer more stability for both consumers and sellers. The huge swings in price we have seen this year have simply been too dramatic to sustain. If the price of oil continued to bounce up and down so crazily in future years it would be almost impossible to try and price anything… from setting fuel tax levels and prices at the pump to calculating home heating bills. How would Governments be able to accurately predict and budget for income from oil taxation or sales? The numbers are always huge, so any radical alteration introduces major problems for strategic financial planning.

So again another need  for real world evaluation of systems, pricing, and supply issues.

Speculators. Nobody can argue that they haven’t caused harm to the financial markets this year. We can argue over how much or how little. Again experts are now assessing their value, the threats they can pose, and if there should be a future in allowing people to bet on whether a company will survive.

I would suggest  – as a general principle – that such forms of gambling should be confined to being placed at a horse racing style bookies establishment, and that the amounts involved should be legally limited to a paltry “fun wager” amount.  Can it be right for a company to simply bet millions of dollars in the hope that in so doing they will wipe a company out by driving down its share price? How does that help the economy in any positive way? Let those same people use their considerable business minds to invest that  money in more productive ways – such as  backing ( through share investments) new companies where they envisage real growth potential.

Short term selling has been restricted in some countries during the current crisis, and I suspect that in time new restrictions will at least reduce the potential for harm to companies, and lead to  bans on the practice in some countries.

Working together. The crisis has forced countries to cooperate, share information and ideas, act in unison, and forge new alliances. There is a definite feeling that we are all in this together, and although individual governments may have their own territorial solutions to the problems there is a realization that the global economy can only “heal” when most of the nations get their financial systems back on track.

Love thy neighbor. A lot of people won’t give a dime to a beggar in the street, but there are now numerous cases emerging of people being prepared to make financial sacrifices (particularly in the work place) to prevent misfortune for others. People are now willing to take pay cuts to save their own jobs or those of colleagues. That re-evaluation of the needs of others during a crisis, along with a new found comaradarie of spirit for survival, I believe will bring future benefits. They could be small (from simply new friendships emerging) through to having bigger impacts (such as a new commitment to supporting charities or local good causes). It almost feels like what the Brits call the “Dunkirk Spirit”.

In conclusion let me say that there is no doubt that the next 12 months are going to be horrible, and maybe the following year will be a tough one too, with people losing their homes, businesses, jobs, marriages, cars, holidays…you name it.

But when we finally emerge from this greed inspired nightmare, allow a few years of calm to pass, and then reflect on what has then changed as a result of the events of 2008, that is when I believe people will see that everyone has learnt and acted on some important lessons, and that much has been gained.  We can’t all be individual financial winners, but we can all benefit from the improvements that have taken place to safeguard our futures on so many levels.

Electric Vehicles | Street Legal Electric Vehicles | Street Legal Electric Cars

Odds are, you probably own a gasoline or diesel powered vehicle. If you are considering making the switch to an electric car, there are some things you should consider before getting started.

Should I Buy a New Vehicle?

If you are in the market for an electric car, the easiest option is to simply go new car shopping. There are a few production electric cars out there right now. Be aware that while an electric car is more expensive up front, if it suits your commuting needs you can save a lot of money in the long run on fuel costs. Most production electric cars have more limited range than a gasoline vehicle, but as long as you don’t drive more than 50 miles on a daily basis, they will be just fine. Along with the electric car, you will usually receive a power station for your home, where you plug your car in to recharge overnight. Remember, power isn’t free, and has to come from somewhere. You can expect a rise in your electricity bill, but usually you are still saving money over a gasoline vehicle. And check the laws in the state you live in! California, for instance, offers some very nice incentives to owners of green alternative fuel vehicles. This includes electrically powered vehicles.

Converting Your Existing Vehicle

If you just don’t want to give up your gas guzzlers style or storage capacity, it is possible to convert your vehicle to run on electricity. Just be aware from the get go that this is an expensive project that is definitely not a do-it-yourself deal. Pretty much every active component of your vehicle will have to be replaced with versions designed for electric vehicles. But the costs will probably not be much more than purchasing an electric vehicle, and you may like the results much better.

Get in touch with some companies that specialize in alternative energy sources, such as solar power or fuel cells. Even if they can’t help you with your specific project, they can probably point you towards someone that can. The company that you finally settle on will have quite a few issues to discuss with you, such as the battery types, or whether to go pure electric, or hybrid. Electricity-generating fuel cells are another option, but can be expensive to maintain. There are many different ways to go when talking electric car conversions, and many need to be worked out with someone who knows what is what.

It’s All Worth It

But once you actually perform the conversion, you will be amazed at the difference. Electric vehicles are nearly silent, and you’ll never have to pump gas again. They have a very futuristic feel about them, with computerized systems and displays as finishing touches. And they produce no emissions whatsoever, so you are doing a major favor to the environment. Imagine how much less smog there would be in your city if everyone drove zero emission electric cars.

Electric Vehicles | Street Legal Electric Vehicles | Street Legal Electric Cars

The rise of the tides, polar bears swimming for their lives and a country with 2 billion people that burns enough dirty coal to blanket the skyline should be enough to make a person at least try to do something good for the environment. But as much as we’d like to ride a bicycle to work, at least here in Southern California, with the most highly traveled freeways in the world, putting the pedal to the asphalt could be as much of a form of suicide as if would be a marathon.

People in Los Angeles have a real love affair with their cars and it’s not just some weekend fling. We LOVE our cars. We love them so much that it’s rare that we’d actually share them with anyone outside the immediate family.

It’s not an unusual sight to see Angelinos riding on the freeway, one person to a car. Oh sure sometimes you can find families in the diamond lane and on weekends you might be lucky to see two or more people in one vehicle going somewhere, but by and large, and mostly during the peak of travel time – rush hour, its one car, one driver.

The solo motorist is a very common animal in this neck of the interstate because to share commute would mean to give up our privacy, our alone time. Since the rush hour driving period can span a good three to fours hours and the average driver has to travel at least 30 to 60 minutes each way to get to work, Californian’s get to use this period of their lives for quiet reflection, catching up with friends, putting on make up, shaving or taking a coffee moment with their favorite half – calf, triple grande latte, no foam, soy Americano.

And if we’re going to spend that much time behind the wheel shouldn’t we at least be comfortable? Of course the real question is – Can we be GREEN as well?

At one time, not too long ago, Hybrid cars were pretty much looked upon as something for the future along with jet packs and talking wristwatches. But since the dawn of the 21st century a plethora of Hybrid and Green vehicles have begun to be produced and on a mass production scale.

No longer mere electric autos that only went as fast as your grandmother’s Rascal with a battery the size of a work bench and a life span of a gnat, today we usher in a whole new breed of environmentally friendly cars that actually look, act, feel and drive like – cars.

And they come in all sizes.

If you’re a big person or just like your SUV but don’t like the way Prius owners sneer at you when you pass, you’re in luck. Manufacturers like Toyota, GM, Chevy, Saturn and more have taken your beloved behemoth and turned it green. The Saturn Aura Green Line SUV is one of their newest gas-electric hybrids to step up to the plate without having to eat the whole dinner. The new Vue Green Line two Mode puts together the output of the Saturn’s 3.6 liter, direct injection variable valve timing V-6 with two active-cooled 55 kW electric motors. This combination gives you excellent performance without having to sacrifice leg room or cargo space just because you want to get better gas mileage and save the planet.

General Motors is definitely jumping the shark and will be offering 16 new Hybrid models over the next four years. The same hybrid evolutionary platforms will be seen in other car models such as the Chevy Silverado and the GMC Sierra. Finally full sized trucks that can have descent gas mileage, much lower emissions and be part of the green revolution. It’s enough to make a red neck scratch his head and wonder what’s going on in the world.

Now if you like the idea of smaller cars and want to get away from gas altogether you may want to check out something like the “neighborhood” type of all electric vehicles, like the GEM Peapod Electric Car.

Yes, the Peapod. This little car from Chrysler’s GEM, ENVI division seems more like an iPod accessory than a form of transport, yet the Peapod is a sleek ultramodern urban auto whose name comes from its teardrop shape stuck on wheels.

Using the oval form provides maximum interior space with grand viewing capabilities through over sized tinted glass, including an over head roof panel. With seating for four, the 102 inch wheelbase has an overall length of 143.6 inches. It’s just 56.5 inches wide but 70.5 inches tall. This makes the Peapod two inches shorter than the Mini Cooper but with a longer wheelbase.

Truly a car for the city, Peapod drivers have a 32 feet curb to curb turning circle with the entire vehicle weighing not much more than 1,290 pounds. The rated payload capacity is just 910 pounds which is plenty for four adults in a comfortable setting.

The downside is the Peapod isn’t going to take you outside the city or anywhere that has a speed limit above 35 mph, but it can get you as far as 30 miles on a full charge. After that you’ll need to plug her into a standard 110 – volt outlet and juice her up for about six to eight hours. Not too bad if you consider this as a great way to commute to work, plug it in for the day and then drive it home.

Perhaps the Peapod is a little too small and vegan for your tastes.

How about the Chevy Volt? Coming out in 2011, this green machine was first introduced as a concept car back in 2007 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit and it was an instant hit.

The Volt is a plug-in electric car with a 40 mile zero – emission range on all electric operation. After the 16 kWh lithium battery pack is maxed out the Volt kicks in a small internal combustion engine-generator with a range of an additional 300 miles. That’s a sweet deal plus it runs on E85 ethanol or a combination of fuels. The car’s propulsion drive is through the electric motors.

And if you’re afraid you’ll have to give it a running start, not to worry. The Volt’s 0 to 60 mph time is a quick 8 to 9 second jump with a top speed of 100 mph. Not bad for an environmentally friendly auto that delivers 111 kW of power converted to 150 horsepower.

But perhaps like most people who tend more toward a Goldie Locks mentality, you’d like something more in the middle. Not too big and not too small. Just right.

One of the most popular cars on the road today is the Honda Civic and now you can get it as a Hybrid. Priced for 2008 at a range of $15,610 to $24,590, the Civic Hybrid has a 40 MPG in the city and 45 MPG on the highway.

Honda is known for making solid dependable cars and the Civic Hybrid won’t disappoint. The 1.3 liter in-line 4 front engine combines with an 82 kW electric power source and uses a multi-point injection fuel system.

Or if you’re a Nissan fan, the 2009 Altima Hybrid has a 2.5 liter in-line 4 front engine with 89.0 mm bore, 100.00 mm stroke, 9.6 compression ratio, double overhead cam, variable valve time/camshaft and four valves per cylinder.

The Altima sports a 20 gallon tank over the Honda’s 15 and also includes multi-point injection fuel system with a maximum torque of 158. The price ranges from $19.500 to $29,000, depending of course on your choice of options.

Since our big blue planet is in desperate need of us to really act green, your selection of electric cars that will help make our world a healthier place to live have finally arrived without having to give up our private space or precious coffee time.

Electric Vehicles | Street Legal Electric Vehicles | Street Legal Electric Cars