2, says all electric car fans "are Dungeons and Dragons freaks"

By admin | Aug 2, 2009

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hydrogen, Green Daily

Last month, adrenaline junkie Jesse James attempted to set a new land speed record in his hydrogen-powered vehicle, sort of a purpose-built H₂-rocket. Things didn’t go as smooth as James hoped, but he’s still a huge fan of hydrogen cars. As part of the promotion for his show Jesse James is a Dead Man – which will air the attempt August 9 – James gave an interview with the LA Times’ Brand X blog in which he gave his “not a scientist” viewpoints on the difference between hydrogen and battery-powered cars. In case you’re curious, James really, really doesn’t like EVs. Instead, he’s a fan of his fast hydrogen car because everyone said he couldn’t/shouldn’t do it. His reasons?

I don’t want a bunch of people with … Birkenstocks to show up to the shop now from Oregon. [...] I wanted to prove I can make a car go 200 on water.
I like pistons and a crank shaft and putting fuel in something that you know there’s a flame and explosion going on there. That’s what I like. That’s what I’ve based my whole life on. I think the internal combustion engine will live forever. We just have to figure out a way to make it environmentally friendly and not belch carbon monoxide and hazardous emissions
[Electric vehicles are] for dorks. [...] All the people involved with that technology are Dungeons and Dragons freaks. I’m just not that into it. No one’s passionate about a golf cart.

For a man like James, converting cars to battery power is “too easy.” Oh, and he also calls Tesla “lame.” For some insight into how feasible James things hydrogen vehicles are, he told the LA Times that a car that “you can dump water right in. It will have a battery storage system like a hybrid and that will be used with electrolysis to convert water to hydrogen right on-site and you’ll be able to run it with water and it’ll be fully self-contained, self-sufficient,” is one year away.

Gallery: Jesse James