Rating: 
Summary: The Future is Now!
Review: "Forward drive" is a pleasure to read, written by Jim Motavalli, who is well-versed in his subjects. Reading this book is one of the few things today that makes me feel like I'm actually in the 21st century, not stuck in the 90's and never progressing. The book has a wealth of information not found in any other book, and there are only a few books about the future of automobiles. I had no idea that big automakers were not really in a hurry to give us a truly revolutionary car with a new power source; it seems the profit margin was less for holding off in research and development because of some link with oil companies. I mean, come on, it's the year 2001! Where are all the cars like we saw in Bladerunner? Are we still stuck using twenty-miles to the gallon gasoline internal-combustion engines? What is the message from automakers when cars depicted in video games, for example, seem more real than the actual future? Why isn't there yet a car that is beyond what we have?The book discusses much needed information about "the race" to build cleaner cars, and that a car with no emissions--a technological difficulty in itself--is actually possible. The questions of fuel efficiency, speed, power and appeal of futuristic cars are also addressed, indicating the knowledgeability of the author. Key among the topics of "Forward Drive" is affordability. I would not pay $100,000 to drive a non-polluting car, simply because I'm not willing to pay that much just to drive. Motavalli, editor of "E:" magazine, clearly shows his love for the craft of writing nonfiction. "Forward drive" cannot be fully absorbed in only a skimming or a preview; it takes a dedicated block of time to actually read its pages carefully. I have found it very helpful as a reference in the book that I am writing. This book is one of those you don't want to bring to the second-hand store if you have any concern at all about the future--which is actually right now. Highly recommended for intelligent minds. It's about time we have some new information about something that affects the majority of Americans: driving. Buy "Forward drive," you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: The Future is Now!
Review: "Forward drive" is a pleasure to read, written by Jim Motavalli, who is well-versed in his subjects. Reading this book is one of the few things today that makes me feel like I'm actually in the 21st century, not stuck in the 90's and never progressing. The book has a wealth of information not found in any other book, and there are only a few books about the future of automobiles. I had no idea that big automakers were not really in a hurry to give us a truly revolutionary car with a new power source; it seems the profit margin was less for holding off in research and development because of some link with oil companies. I mean, come on, it's the year 2001! Where are all the cars like we saw in Bladerunner? Are we still stuck using twenty-miles to the gallon gasoline internal-combustion engines? What is the message from automakers when cars depicted in video games, for example, seem more real than the actual future? Why isn't there yet a car that is beyond what we have? The book discusses much needed information about "the race" to build cleaner cars, and that a car with no emissions--a technological difficulty in itself--is actually possible. The questions of fuel efficiency, speed, power and appeal of futuristic cars are also addressed, indicating the knowledgeability of the author. Key among the topics of "Forward Drive" is affordability. I would not pay $100,000 to drive a non-polluting car, simply because I'm not willing to pay that much just to drive. Motavalli, editor of "E:" magazine, clearly shows his love for the craft of writing nonfiction. "Forward drive" cannot be fully absorbed in only a skimming or a preview; it takes a dedicated block of time to actually read its pages carefully. I have found it very helpful as a reference in the book that I am writing. This book is one of those you don't want to bring to the second-hand store if you have any concern at all about the future--which is actually right now. Highly recommended for intelligent minds. It's about time we have some new information about something that affects the majority of Americans: driving. Buy "Forward drive," you won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: USING ALCOHOL AS FUEL ALSO CREATES A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT
Review: A great read. I want to add that if a car is converted to run on alcohol, the burning of alcohol does not polute the air. Those interested in converting classic and old cars to run on alcohol, as well as how to get a legal permit to distill alcohol at home might want to take a look at the book titled FORGET THE GAS PUMPS--MAKE YOUR OWN FUEL. The book is still in print and available on Amazon.
Rating: 
Summary: Coming soon: fuel-efficient cars
Review: As an alternative fuels engineering research student at the University of Liverpool, UK. I found Forward Drive to be both informative and quantitatively sound. An excellent account of each particular type of fuel cell vehicle, provided any reader with relatively little knowledge, a picture of the intrinsic complexities related to the commercialisation of fuel cell vehicles. Although Jim may be opinionated on fuel cell vehicles, adequate justification was placed upon the diminish of the internal combustion engine and necessity of the fuel cell vehicle for the future sustainability of transportation.
Rating:
Summary: PhD Research Engineer Review
Review: As an alternative fuels engineering research student at the University of Liverpool, UK. I found Forward Drive to be both informative and quantitatively sound. An excellent account of each particular type of fuel cell vehicle, provided any reader with relatively little knowledge, a picture of the intrinsic complexities related to the commercialisation of fuel cell vehicles. Although Jim may be opinionated on fuel cell vehicles, adequate justification was placed upon the diminish of the internal combustion engine and necessity of the fuel cell vehicle for the future sustainability of transportation.
Rating: 
Summary: Too Shrill To Be Taken Seriously
Review: Environmentalists every stripe probably sit and wonder why they cannot seem to get any traction with their anti-gas guzzler campaign, and this lunatic raving is the perfect example of why that is. Motavalli has a wealth of facts and data at his disposal, but his potentially rational arguments are crowded out by his shrill denunciations of auto executives, auto workers and consumers, all of whom he scorns for not being as enlightened as he likes to think he is. Motavalli's fault is not in his material, but in his presentation. He could very well have made a profound impact with this book, much in the way Eric Schlosser did in the expose Fast Food Nation. Yet because Motavalli can't help but being hysterical for hysteria's sake, the reader comes away with the feeling that he has just attended a meeting of the Anti-Automobile Front, or some such extremist group where ecoterrorism is considered moderate. Too bad. This book, by accident to be sure, adds another victory to Detroit: it shows how irrational and extreme its critics are, and thus makes the dinosaurs in Detroit look reasonable by comparison. No wonder no one takes Motavalli seriously enough to propel him onto the bestseller list.
Rating:
Summary: Coming soon: fuel-efficient cars
Review: Forward Drive is a well-documented and welcome piece on the changes taking place in powering cars. Jim Motavalli's research reveals how the "electric car" is a far from a new idea since electric cars were quite commonplace in the early 20th century. The book describes how the Big Three (Ford, GM, and Chrysler) have only recently, and somewhat reluctantly, joined the race to produce fuel-efficient cars while continuing to produce SUV's that make a mockery of CAFÉ standards. Fortunately others such as Honda are in the forefront of the effort to bring more fuel-efficient and less-polluting vehicles to the public. The book has a chapter detailing the advances in fuel technology going on at such places as Ballard Laboratory. Also fascinating are examples of other fuel cell applications such as its use in energy production. While the section on how the fuel cell works were a bit technical, Motavalli's opus is an exciting look into the future where our skies will be less smog-ridden and our dependence on petroleum reduced.
Rating: 
Summary: The first reader-friendly book about fuel cell/hybrid cars.
Review: Forward Drive is the first popularly written book about the new wave of hybrid and fuel cell cars, which I believe will revolutionize transportation in the 21st century. This book is about amazing, high-tech vehicles that go far beyond the simple range-limited battery electrics we've seen so far. Imagine a car that performs as well as a Ferrari, yet has double the range and produces only drinkable water out of its exhaust pipe! That's the promise of the fuel cell automobile, which is only a few years from the showroom floor. Meanwhile, 70-mile-per-gallon "hybrid" cars (with both electric and gas engines) will be on the market in 2000 from Honda (the two-seater Insight) and Toyota (the four-seater Prius). I come to this topic with experience both as a 15-year automotive columnist and as an environmentalist who serves as editor of E Magazine. Writing for the only independent environmental magazine opened my eyes to the havoc wrought by cars--the smog they create, their contribution to global warming, and the sprawl that inevitably follows in the wake of their universal use. I didn't always see it that way. The day I got my driver's license, I drove the family station wagon 200 miles into the next state, so ecstatic was I at the prospect of liberation from the parental orbit. I bought a car as soon as I could, which was almost immediately. I tinkered with it on weekends. I subscribed to car magazines. I was a car nut. Cars are still a big part of my life. I've become accustomed to the shiny new test vehicles in my driveway. I've been to exotic places to drive new models, and gone on television and radio as an automotive guru. The car has certainly been good to me, but I'm becoming disenchanted. Driving down the empty, sun-dappled country lanes pictured in car commercials is certainly fun, but inching to work on crowded asphalt isn't. As I sit in traffic, windows tightly rolled up against the toxic fumes from all those idling exhausts, it's hard to remember the freedom I once felt. I've also learned a great deal about the harm caused by fossil fuels, as they're extracted, transported, burned, and fought over. And that's affected my love affair, too. I'm not sure you can call me a car "enthusiast," anymore, though I'm still hopelessly addicted to them. The good news is that cars are getting better, and quite rapidly. Automakers the world over are in a race to deliver the first fuel cell cars. The hybrids are here now. This book traces the history of alternative transportation, and it goes behind the scenes to test drive the experimental models the automakers are readying for the market. It makes the case that, despite a national mania for gas-guzzlers and sport-utility vehicles (SUVs), clean cars will soon predominate, pushed forward by hard environmental realities and worldwide legislation. Far from a dry dissertation, it's a wild ride through an industry in transition. The changes underway are as significant as the switch from horses to "horseless carriages" 100 years ago. The new cars will not only be cleaner, they'll be better. What will your next car be like? Read Forward Drive and you'll get a good idea.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating reading
Review: I would recommend this book as a fascinating read even if you are not an auto enthusiast (I'm not) or an environmentalist (who doesn't want clean air?), like the author. The writing that comes out of those two communities is generally dreadful, biased, and didactic. Thankfully, Motavalli's background as a first rate journalist has resulted in a book that is both balanced and well written. The history of the auto industry itself is quite colorful, and I would have indulged Mr. Motavalli a book twice the size if he wanted to tell even more of the story than he did. Maybe in another book. It's always a pleasure to find non-fiction that is actually entertaining to read. But of course this is more than just entertainment, since there is a lot at stake for all of us here. More than fun, this is an important book. He clearly makes the point that clean cars are not a nice-to-have, they are extremely critical if we are to have an inhabitable planet. We can't afford for the 400 million more cars in China -- let alone the rest of the world -- to be the polluters and fossil fuel consumers we now drive. I was impressed by the level of research. Motavalli even lists the names and titles of all the people he interviewed -- a rarity, and proof of the meticulous research he did, although the depth of his knowledge and it's authenticity is obvious from the text. This is a timely and important book, and I hope it raises a lot of consciousness. But at any rate you'll learn enough interesting tidbits to make you the hit of the next 50 cocktail parties. Especially if you drive there in a new hybrid car.
Rating:
Summary: Too Shrill To Be Taken Seriously
Review: This book is just flat out amazing. I read it every night, and that's a lot of reading (272 pages a night). Anyways, trust me, it talks about cars that are developing, such as electric and nitrogen...Peace out fools
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