Someones stealing PT Technology

MossRoad · Mar 17, 2009

SnowRidge said:
I hope you are seeking alternative employment. The daily newspapers' days are numbered. The Seattle PI goes web only tomorrow.

Yeah, most sane people would.

However, the company has been very good to me (22 years in April). I could have made more money elsewhere, but this company lets me take off to see my kids' play sports, get awards at school, attend church on a weekday with them, etc... as long as I make up the time elsewhere. That's worth more than money. They know that if they call me anytime 24/7 I will be there ASAP and get things going fast. It is owned by the same family for about 140 years. They own a holding company that owns several newspapers, TV stations, cable TV company, radio stations, etc... I feel quite a bit of loyalty to them and will stay as long as they let me. Call me crazy!

At least I am in I.T. I'm pretty sure the company will always be a news gathering source in our community, even if it goes all electronic. That means they will have computers and hopefully, I will be needed to maintain them.

If not, well, it was a good run.

BobRip · Mar 17, 2009

SnowRidge said:
The business model of the company discussed in the article has them owning the battery and the consumer leasing it, so they take responsibility for it. It sounds like they are planning an exchange system similar to what is available with 20 LB propane tanks, augmented by the ability to recharge it at home and work. If it works out, the initial markets would all be in urban areas.

I think the hybrid will be the only viable electric model for long distance driving for some time. Unfortunately, dealers who could not get enough of them a year ago are having a hard time unloading them today. It seems consumers are not willing to pay the premium price for a hybrid now that gas is under two bucks.

Some manufacturers are even offering rebates on their hybrids these days. There are some great deals out there for the people who still have a job and aren't afraid they are going to lose it. I hear both of them are going to buy a Prius.

Their initial locations were where range is short (small countries, islands), because of the limited range. This guy does not really have a product yet, just a concept. Has anybody here actually seen this or driven one. Let's go one step further. You get a freshly charged battery and it is 3 years old. It will have lost some capacity in that three years. Let's say it's a cold day, that will also loose you some capacity. Batteries have a lot of variables. Maybe the battery was charged last week and has rundown some since then. The range keeps dropping. It would not be difficult to get down to a 50 or 60 mile range from the initial 100. I almost think this is a scam or wishful thinking on the part of the originator. The guy does have some interesting concepts, and these might be part of somebody's future car, but I bet this company will not be doing it.