Posted on 08/14/2009 5:51:51 PM PDT by WhiteCastle
Conservation: The Chevy Volt is said to be able to get 230 miles per gallon. That's if it's continually plugged into a fragile and overburdened power grid. Where will you be when the lights go out?
Since most U.S. electricity generation is not carbon-free, the Congressional Research Service agrees. The "widespread adoption of plug-in hybrid vehicles through 2030 may have only a small effect on, and might actually increase, carbon emissions," it observes.
"If you are using coal-fired power plants and half the country's electricity comes from coal powered plants, are you just trading one greenhouse gas emitter for another?" asks Mark Gaffigan, co-author of the GAO report. The report notes: "Reductions in CO2 emissions depend on generating electricity used to charge the vehicles from lower-emission sources of energy."
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
OK. Just see so many anti-electric car posts. One can argue about motives, incentives, etc., but electric cars are should be a part of the transportation pie. Great for city commuters. Now, if only H-D would come out with an electric!
Based on their own PR, I guess you might be right. ;-)
***Yeah, but those methane emissions from the unicorns....***
It’s not the methane emissions that worry me. It’s those darn unicorn horns which don’t beep in an emergency.
They’ll call us the “midnight juicers”
Makes sense to me.
You may be right, I just don’t see it happening in the near future. Americans are just to use to their gas burning, long range, no distance restricting vehicles. IMHO ;-)
Cap and trade will crash the entire country.
It’ll probably bring back neighborhood midwifery. I can see many situations where someone failed to plug in the car.
Unless we build a lot of nuke plants, I don’t see how we can support an electric fleet.
Anybody that buys one of those fascistmobiles deserves to have their butt kicked daily.
Thus the phrase, "Honk if you're horny".
Not being smug, just looking out my window at the local highway. I also have a sense of history when it comes to American trends in transportation. I have read much about the innovations in transportation and consider myself somewhat educated on all the latest automobile technologies (you assume a lot) because I’m in the market for a new vehicle. I just don’t see it happening in the near future.
I was around when the ICE BOX was still a household phenomenon, when the TV became a household item, when TV went to color and I love all things new.
I have the latest computer gadgets, and a computer configuration second to none (put it together myself), so I can’t be accused of not wanting change. I just don’t see this trend happening in the near future. JMHO ;-)
Well, it will only cost 40 cents a day to charge, off peak hours, per GM spokes people on local Detroit radio.
Now I’m wondering how they will make
these car owner pay for road repairs!!
Well, it took my Dad untill 1978 to know that “Color TV” wasn’t a fad.
He wouldn’t get cable TV untill 2004.
I have read that the number of tons of coal is about 5 to be equivalent of a tank full of gasoline. Admittedly coal is much dirtier than gas so how much pollution will be added on top of oil pollution.
Its the dirty little fact they won’t talk about.
Have a good day.
LOL!
Prove it!
The PUBLISHED stuff says it'll go 40 miles on a full charge and THEN a 'small' gasoline engine will kick in to go 300 miles!
Yeah - sure.
Show me the TANK size...
Tell me the engine DISPLACEMENT...
(I can do the math)...
Will the engine DIRECTLY drive the car or go through a lossy generator system to charge the batteries?
Inquiring minds want to know!
Don’t think enough people will buy them to make a difference. Do the math. Volt with tax credits cost about $35,000. Regular car, about $18,000 that gets about 20 mpg. So you save $17K and at $3.5 per gallon avg. over the next several years, you can buy about 4,800 gallons of gas or go about 96,000 miles before you break even. Just saying.
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