ELECTRIC CAR BOONDOGGLE
Subsidies for the Rich, Nothing for Us
The latest news on electric cars is that they don’t work very well in the cold. Not only does the battery drain more quickly; it also takes a lot longer to charge the car when it’s cold. Lacking a garage, as many do, you might find your commute car is no longer an option.
For the rest of us, cost is a huge obstacle. Not only do electric cars cost a lot more, they also need a new battery (average cost $10,000), at least every ten years. That drops to about eight if you live in a colder climate. For those worried about the environment, while an electric car emits very little pollutants, the damage to the environment from mining the rare earth elements to fuel it is pretty dire.
How about charging stations? Many people find that they are too few and far between. Besides, it takes a lot of time to charge an electric car. I can refuel my gas car in a few minutes, freeing up my spot for someone else. Sure, Tesla chargers are faster, but they don’t charge your car in minutes. When needing a charge, you are likely to discover that the rare charger is already being used by someone else, possibly for hours.
Rebates for the Rich
In their push to make us buy an electric car, the Feds give you $7500. Most states offer rebates, discounts or tax credits. The latter is only of interest to the wealthy. Why are we giving rich people taxpayer money? The idea of a rebate is to help someone purchase something they could otherwise not afford. But it isn’t working. Why?
Let’s look at the one key person willing to speak out on the move to force us to electric, Akio Toyoda, Chairman, Toyota. He believes that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are not the final answer. No matter what the auto industry undertakes to promote growth, Toyoda says the electric car segment will only ever account for a maximum of 30% of the market. The fact of the matter is that several markets have already cleared that percentage, some significantly. As per his statements, Toyota intends to adopt a multi-pronged strategy to reduce emissions, utilizing battery-electric vehicles (BEV) in addition to automobiles with internal combustion engine, hybrid, or hydrogen drivetrains.
"That silent majority is wondering whether EVs are really OK to have as a single option. But they think it's the trend so they can't speak out loudly," Toyoda said, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The Government-Industrial Complex Fails
Politicians, completely captured by the “danger” of CO2, have forced through laws that will remove options, such as hybrid or gas cars, from the market. Reluctantly, US car manufacturers have fallen in line, hoping the rebates will spur purchase decisions. But they haven’t. Most of the wealthy have already bought their car, and the rest of us aren’t rushing to shop.
The car manufacturers believed that they would be able to make a lot of money through these sales, but now, they are backing away from EV. GM and Tesla have announced they are cutting their production goals.
The good news is that people can speak through their wallets. We need to make sure that politicians have to back away from their misguided policies. Don’t buy an electric car. Buy gas, hybrid or hydrogen. It may be the only way we can kill these mandates.
