Scorpio Neil Young Is Creating the Leading Edge of Cars

by Robert Wilkinson

Yes, THE Neil Young, Mister musical pioneer and icon, friend of farmers everywhere and radical independent thinker, has dedicated himself to creating a better automobile. This guy is into pushing technology ahead despite the usual boring views on what can and cannot be done. What you're about to read is exciting. Maybe we should petition Congress to make him a "Czar" of the American auto industry? I'll bet it wouldn't cost us $25 billion to get the job done!

He decided to go for creating a new type of automobile, one that in his own words, will "eliminate roadside refueling." You can read more about it in the recent NY Times article Long May You Run: Neil Young’s Eco-Lincoln." From the article:

...Mr. Young, the iconoclastic godfather of grunge, has assembled a team to turn a nearly 20-foot-long, 5,000-pound 1959 Lincoln Continental into a vehicle that will run on natural gas, electricity or some other form of clean energy. His aim is to win the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize, a $10 million challenge to develop a vehicle that can get 100 miles per gallon or better by 2009.

He’s calling the project Linc Volt and he picked that Lincoln from his collection because it was his “favorite of the craziest and most out-there designs that American automobile manufacturers had come up with,” Mr. Young said. “I thought it would be a good poster child for the latest in technology.”

You can watch videos on You Tube about the project featuring the Linc Volt Hot Rod Lincoln. What's so innovative about his project is this (from the same NYT article):

...Mr. Young said he would share whatever his team comes up with, so that others could build on their work. His Shakey Pictures is producing a documentary on the project, and he’s putting much of the video online as the project moves along ... He said the car would also be linked to the Internet, so its vital statistics could be piped online in real time during each test drive.

“It’s a reality car show,” Mr. Young said. People will be able to see what mileage the car is getting, how it’s doing at different altitudes, how much battery life is left and how the generators are working.

“Lots of people will be able to pick up data from the Web site, and maybe learn from it and put it in their own projects,” he said. “The idea is to share the knowledge over the Internet and share the experience.... It’s an inclusive approach, rather than a secretive approach.”

Mr. Young said the information should run two ways. “We’re going to have an innovation gallery,” he said. “People can submit ideas, talk about them and vote which ones are best.”

This is yeehaw engineering at its best! And we may just have a great machine before we know it. Oil is obsolete!!

© Copyright 2008 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[faith]

neil young is a triple scorpio
wow!
what a cool dude

[Rose]

It's so great to know people are working on viable alternatives. I read that Dennis Weaver was involved with the development of a solar powered car (full size) and drove it cross country. That's the ultimate clean, renewable power.

[Venusian]

God Love you Robin. Every time I start feeling negative or scared I come to your website and you simply blow my mind. This is awesome news. I am an engineer - so I know that given resources, time and effort things can change for the better.

I am going to forward this lincvolt.com to all my friends.

[Micheline]

AWESOME DUDE
Wow what a wonderful man. He is an older human being who does not care that he is living his comfortable little life. He is one person who is getting off his couch or away from his fame and cares about the earth. Wow wow wow. I am astounded.
and thankful cause I have a lot less cash then he does and he not so tied to his money as some of us are or somce might be or may have been or might become.
Lots of love to you and all of you
micheline

[Robert]

Hi faith - I remember hearing that rumor years ago, but it's not so. He is a Sun in Scorpio with Moon in Aquarius. Sources say he was born either 4 am or 1 pm, putting Libra or Aquarius on the Ascendant. His Moon in Aquarius certainly would make him a visionary.

Hi Rose - Yes, Dennis Weaver also was a pioneer builder of Earthships. His home in Colorado is awesome. And yes, it'll be a very good day when we're running cars off the Sun combined with brake friction generation. We already have the battery technology, but under Dubya alternatives had no chance given his obsession with making his father a few billion dollars off of Saudi oil.

Hi Venusian - Sure. Everyone reading this should pass the links on to as many people as they can. Over time it becomes common knowledge and we all benefit.

Hi Micheline - I suspect that he's a petal to the metal visionary who will do his thing in his way. He's never seemed to be about comfort, given the themes of his songs. He's certainly a good example of how to use what money you have wisely, taking little or nothing for granted. And imagine what a much wealthier man or woman could accomplish with the same amount of drive!