The economy university students live in today is one fueled by oil; as petroleum reliance has grown through the years, others have searched for a more environmentally-friendly and renewable alternative fuel source, specifically for transportation.
Dan Neil, a Pulitzer Prize winning automotive critic for the Wall Street Journal, spoke on campus about the electric car Monday afternoon.
Neil is a Wolfpack alumnus, of the class of 1986 with an MA in English. He credits his success during college to professor Michael Grimmwood . Reminiscing about his time on campus, he recalled that college life was wild and fun, much like it is today.
“But maybe less over the top,” Neil said.
After graduating, Neil worked at News and Observer for a short while, before becoming a freelance writer for Car and Driver. From 2003 to 2010, Neil was an automotive critic for the LA Times, before deciding he needed to return to Raleigh. For the past two years, he has been working at The Wall Street Journal.
While many newspapers have automobile sections, Neil said he made the automotive critic niche fit to his style.
“There are plenty of car ‘reviewers’ out there,” Neil said. “Not many have the gall to call themselves ‘critics’.”
Neil is the first automotive critic to have won a Pulitzer Prize for his work.
In 2010, documentary filmmaker Chris Paine approached Neil, asking him to be a part of his new feature. Titled Revenge of the Electric Car, Neil said he acted as the “Greek chorus” to the backdrop of the story.
“I’m a little embarrassed about how enthusiastic I was back then,” Neil said.
When the concept of electric cars hit the media a little more than ten years ago, it received a lot of attention. Since then, the hype has died down, and even caused a little controversy, Neil said. Neil asserts electric cars have to overcome two hurdles: technology and public consciousness.
According to Neil, the technological obstacle is all but overcome. Making electric cars today is more cost efficient and practical than it was in the past. Electric power is inexhaustible and, while the batteries are tricky to repair, they’re reusable.
However, the criticisms of the electric car itself could be harder to overcome. Public response to events like the bankruptcy of Solyndra , a green tech company with the Obama administration’s stamp of approval, has become increasingly negative according to Neil.
Neil remains optimistic about the future of electric cars. Despite all the hardships in developing a viable, successful product, there has still been an enormous amount of achievement.
Sharing his achievements with the eager listeners at the Scholar Forum, students noted their interest.
“It definitely put the electric car idea in a better perspective,” Matthew Zalesak , freshman in industrial engineering, said.
Though Zalesak said he is not 100 percent sold on the idea, he is willing to do more research on the subject.
Others, like Kurt Spencer, sophomore in computer science, came into the speech with a bit of back knowledge.
“I am very optimistic for the future [of electric cars],” Spencer said.
Neil left the Scholars Forum with a piece of advice.
“Don’t dismiss new technology in its emerging state,” Neil said.
