Meanwhile, why doesn't the government encourage people to buy electric cars?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

Why isn't the government providing great incentives for people to buy electric cars? HUGE tax breaks?

People are already crying that their gas prices might go up because of the Egypt crisis.

Why do we have to rely on ME oil?

We have enough oil ourselves to use for accessory products.

Gas should be a thing of the past.

Hurry up!

and while you are at it - where are our high speed trains?

[Make7]

1. Tax credits are available for qualifying electric cars.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/taxevb.shtml


Also for some plug-in hybrid vehicles:

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/taxphevb.shtml

 

[ProSense]

2. It has been proposed

Making electric vehicles more affordable with a rebate up to $7,500: The President is proposing to transform the existing $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles into a rebate that will be available to all consumers immediately at the point of sale.

PDF

[Rosa Luxemburg]

14. good news

[TheWraith]

3. There's already a $7500 tax credit for buying an electric or range-extended electric vehicle.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see 100% government financing of Volts and Teslas for every American, but that gets expensive fast.

[taterguy]

16. Where's my fucking tax credit for my bike?

I could get a really nice one for $7,500.

Maybe even a spare.

[gateley]

4. I think they are - don't they offer incentives to electric car buyers? And I know

they're constantly working on tweaking the batteries.

Biden was a big proponent of this when he was in the Senate, in fact introduced legislation for research, so I know he's behind it. (I think a test drive in a Tesla Roadster is what sold him on it :7)

Sounds like a good bill, and I THINK it passed. (That's back when there was still bipartisianship.):

''Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., introduced legislation Thursday that would boost federal investment in the development of lithium ion batteries that he says is critical for producing the next generation of hybrid vehicles.

Biden's bill, called "The American Automobile Industry Promotion Act of 2007," would provide $100 million a year for five years toward research and development of battery technology. The funds would go toward battery research at national laboratories, small businesses and educational institutions.

Supporters say lithium ion battery research is a key to the development of advanced hybrid technology such as plug-in hybrid cars

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070330/BUSINESS/703300335/1006/NEWS

[mkultra]

5. you are clearly in touch with the reality of things

lol

[sadbear]

6. They're currently having rolling blackouts in Texas

Our grid is crap. I wonder what several fleets of electric cars would do to that.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

13. excuses, excuses

[Tesha]

24. Electric cars mostly charge at night; sadly, our grid can stand as many electric cars...

...as America is likely to have for the near future.

Tesha

[Common Sense Party]

7. And how do we currently produce all that electricity for those cars?

I imagine you're okay with expanding nuclear power, right?

[Rosa Luxemburg]

15. the cars don'r use much

not as much to produce gas.

[Honeycombe8]

8. You must be one of them big city fellers...talkin' about rails and 'lectric cars.

High speed rail is certainly worthwhile...for big cities, and to connect nearby metro areas. To move large masses of people.

Electric cars, I think, will be a part of the landscape for years to come. I am so glad they're here (again). But...they are not practical as an only car, or in rural areas, Los Angeles, or places where you need to travel longer distances. They travel only shortish distances, and when they dry up, you can't pull off the road and quickly charge up, like you fill up your gas tank. On a 110, it takes as many as 8 hours to charge an electric car; maybe only a couple of hours to charge using a 220.

Then there are hybrids...combo electric & gas (Prius, Chevy Volt). These seem to be here to stay, now that their technology has improved. (Not all hybrids are good, though. Some get only a few more mpg than their gas counterparts, and get less mpg than smaller totally gas vehicles. You have to shop around for the right one. Prius has this segment nailed down, looks like. And the Volt looks promising...if it turns out to be a reliable vehicle.)

There is a govt subsidy for buying the Volt. Not for buying the Prius. The govt often gives a subsidy when a new hybrid comes out, to help defray what is a high initial cost on the vehicle. The subsidy whittles down over the years, as the cost of the car declines because of mass production & efficiency.

I'm getting a new car this year (I hope I don't have to wait until next year). There are so many more choices now than when I bought my last car 13 1/2 years ago. Still, to throw the high mpg requirement in there, with the other requirements, does make it a little sticky of a choice. I can't get EVERYTHING I want and need. So I've put the mpg at the top of the list of priorities. My list includes Prius, Hyundae Elantra Touring, Lexus CT200h (a hybrid hatchback coming out in 2011 winter), Subaru Outback (not great mpg...but I just love that car, and the gas mileage isn't THAT bad), maybe a VW Golf is in the running. Very exciting. Wish I could consider the Volt or Nissan Leaf...but as an only car, I can't risk getting a car that could leave me stranded on a hwy because there's no juice left (the Volt takes gas, but even with the gas, it'll only go so many miles, I think - plus I'm wary of Chevrolet; not a strong reliability history there).

The Prius is coming out with a version that is like the current one, but ALSO is a plug-in. That is a car I could consider as an only car, since it could go forever and ever without having to be plugged in.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

12. America has to wean itself off oil

sure you can run out of gas in the middle of nowhere.

[Honeycombe8]

21. A car you can't use for the purposes of a car (to get you from point A to pt B)...

is not a useful car. They can be used as second cars. A lot of families have two vehicles. I don't. I need a car that serves the purpose of getting me from point A to point B. And point B may be thousands of miles away.

I will not travel long distances in my old Subaru; it's too risky. And I wouldn't be able to, either, in an electric car. It could cost me my life, if I were to get stranded on a highway.

But if I ever get a second car, electric would be exciting.

Buying a Prius IS getting off oil. It is not totally off oil. There is no vehicle as yet that does that reliably. But w/the Obama administration's push for alternative energy, maybe that vehicle will be invented. Maybe the plug-in Prius will do that. I could use the plug-in for commuting, not having to use gas at all, for weeks or months on end. But I would have the option of using gas for long distances. Sweet. If I can live with a low-to-the-ground hatchback. Not very practical for driving on wet roads, icy roads, going through flooded intersections, over bumps, etc.

[Tesha]

25. On those infrequent occasions when you need to go a great distance, rent.

If 99% of your trips are within EV range
but there's that once every few months
trip that's too far, rent!

It would probably still be more economical
for you and certainly better for the planet.

Tesha

[AngryAmish]

9. Because we have to pay for those subsidies

So how is that budget doing, anyway?

[Tesha]

27. Perhaps we should subsidize oil less?

Much of our defense budget is really a subsidy
for the oil industry.

Tesha

[golfguru]

10. The electric cars need electricity

and we need to expand nuclear or coal fired power plants to furnish
electricity to charge batteries of electric cars. Both options are
difficult because of environmental reasons.

Oil & natural gas power plants require more imports.
Sun and wind power has to be transported long distances via high
capacity transmission lines. That infrastructure will require very
high capital outlays.

On top of all that, the batteries are very expensive to replace.
And they could present a problem of safe disposal.

Lastly the cost of buying a electric car itself is much higher than
a small gasoline powered car.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

11. it doesn't need all this

the amount of electricity is neg. and wind power is enough.

[golfguru]

17. Dream on!

BTU's in a tank of gas of 10 gallons = 1,140,000
Electricity equivalent of 1,114,000 BTU's = 334 KWH of electricity

My monthly electricity usage currently is 770 KWH.
I need 10 gallons of gas every week. So my electricity cost
will triple with a electric car to be charged.

If all people have similar needs as mine, we will need to triple
our generating capacity.

Get familiar with technical details before making guesses.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

18. Actually no

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=electric-cars-cost-per-charge

charging from empty to full is $2.75 which gives 100 miles.
to go 100 miles in my car it costs $12 (gas $3/gal)

[golfguru]

20. All depends on assumptions made

You are getting 25 miles per gallon in your car.
If you get an electric car, it may get more or less miles depending on size of car.

Also electricity rates vary widely. Rates in Chicago for example are 2.5 times
the rates in Vancouver, WA.

But the main point is, we do not have excess electric generation capacity right
now. So where will the additional electricity to charge electric cars come from?

I will grant you that cost per mile of electric cars is much less than gasoline
powered cars. But there are other costs besides fuel/electricity costs. A small
gasoline powered car is $15,000. Electric car is $40,000. That is a big obstacle
to most buyers.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

22. electric cars will be less expensive as more people buy them

[golfguru]

23. How can more people buy them to begin with when they cost so much more

than gasoline cars? The hybrids still need gas after 50-100 miles.
The pure electrics go further but still do not have the infrastructure
to service them.

For example I am driving 180 miles tomorrow each way to check out some
properties in Seattle. Then driving back the same day. So I will be driving
little over 400 miles. If I was driving a electric car, I would have to find
a place to recharge batteries and spend 3 or more hours for batteries
to recharge. Very impractical for me at this stage.

Electric cars will become popular someday. But not until we run out of
oil. By some estimates there is enough oil left in ground in the US alone
to last over 100 years of domestic consumption.

Therefore I will not be investing in any company which focuses on electric
cars.

[Tesha]

26. Overnight, there's plemty of unused "base load" capacity right now. (NT)

[Tesha]

28. Lithium batteries present essentially no problem of "safe dispsosal".

Neither do Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries.

Where do you get your (dis)information?

Tesha

[Arkana]

19. The high-speed trains are currently being turned away from states that need them

by politically vindictive teabagger governors.