Feeling Empowered for One Oil-Free Weekend (Nissan Leaf)

The New York Times ^ | 21-Jan-2011 | Ezra Dyer

[Cronos]

It’s an exceedingly normal four-door that just happens to sever the umbilical cord that tethers our cars to a region of political instability, the Middle East. Even if net emissions were the same as a gas car’s — and they’re not — I’d rather send my money to a coal miner in West Virginia than to the sultan of Brunei or to Hugo Chávez in Venezuela...

[Cronos]

I liked this bit in the article "I’d rather send my money to a coal miner in West Virginia than to the sultan of Brunei or to Hugo Chávez in Venezuela"

I think we should also drill ANWAR, license more rigs for getting oil and natural gas from the US and buy at the most from Canada. Build more nuclear power plants and STOP IMPORTING ANY OIL FROM THE MOSLEMS or Chavez. We have enough resources of our own and we don't need to give the Mozzies our $$. Let them try to bleed the Chicoms -- and I bet the chicoms won't tolerate it...

[Cobra64]

I agree. In the meantime, Obama wants us driving these things:

[Cobra64]

My preference is sending money to American oil companies drilling here.

[shibumi]

How 'bout we just "Leaf" your Nissan
eating smoke at the line?

[DaxtonBrown]

This is what I am driving (except mine is a four door and not quite as polished - yet!). Speak power to da Man! My 57 Bel Air eats Leafs for breakfast!

[Svartalfiar]

Even if net emissions were the same as a gas car’s — and they’re not

Nope, they're not. They're actually worse due to the rare metals and all needed for the complex battery, which are mostly mined in China, who doesn't care about the environment.

So, once you factor in the environmental damage due to China's rare earth metals mining practices, the air/sea cost of shipping (NOT an electric boat I'm sure), and then all the oil and coal burnt at power plants to generate the electricity, your wimpy little hybrid/electric car not only is more environmentally damaging than probably any regular car, but it also has less horsepower :p

As for plugging it in only at night, during non-peak hour times, that's exactly the times solar power plants are useless!

[barb-tex]

First, Obama has plans to shut down coal powered plants. so 1/2 coal powered leaf, volts, & etc. vehicles will be boat anchors and fishing reefs as utility costs will skyrocket in the obamanation. also the subsidy could dry up under the pubbies so us rate payers won't be hung out to dry for golf carts. I think Ford's managers have let their enviro-wacko
streak cloud their judgment\.
Bang on your rep to cut out ALL environmental subsidies
1

[zipper]

I agree and I’d rather send my money to a nuke plant than a coal plant — but either is preferable to funding arabs or Chavez.

But I won’t abandon the idea of electric cars. The batteries get better every year, and they will make or break an electric car’s viability. Batteries are making huge leaps in technology all the time — and have a direct impact on the car’s performance. I don’t want to buy one yet but they’re getting there.

Newt Gingrich had a great insight. Since nuke plants produce 100 percent output around the clock they are a perfect match for commuters who charge their cars at night. Coal or other fossil-fueled plants are not a good match, since they would have to produce more pollution in off-hours. So if we are moving to electrics why aren’t we building more nuke plants? Never mind, I already know the answer — nuke plants don’t fall under “renewables”.

By the way I got 63.1 mpg in my Prius on a recent cross-country trip of over 370 miles.

[Spartan79]

Even if net emissions were the same as a gas car’s — and they’re not — I’d rather send my money to a coal miner in West Virginia than to the sultan of Brunei or to Hugo Chávez in Venezuela.

Just declaring that the electric car's net emmissions are not the same as those of a gas-powered vehicle doesn't make it so. Indeed, as one commenter noted, they may actually be higher.

And I wonder what will happen to the costs of charging when electricity rates "necessarily skyrocket" per Obama?

Anyway, I'd delighted this prissy little fool isn't using oil-based fuel. More for me and my SUV!

[HiTech RedNeck]

Environuts are part of the reason why not more nukes and sooner; the other reason is historical and virtually moot now, i.e. the fear that rogue states would steal some of the fuel. As Iran and North Korea have shown, it’s more feasible for a rogue state to roll-their-own if they really, truly want it. In the meantime, the waste from a typical reactor for a hundred years would fit in a large broom closet. French reactors store the waste on site.

[Puckster]

http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?4705-US-spec-Nissan-Leaf-first-drive-confirms-range-problem.

http://www.greenoptimistic.com/2010/10/14/nissan-leaf-air-conditioning-range/

Everyone who buys an electric car will eventually need to buy a gas car, doubling their “foot print”, if all things are considered. Otherwise, they'd just end up staying home not taking any vacations or road trips.

[benewton]

370 miles is cross country?

[dirtboy]

I’d rather send my money to a coal miner in West Virginia than to the sultan of Brunei or to Hugo Chávez in Venezuela...

You mean the same coal miner just put out of a job because Obama's EPA cancelled a permit for a new mine? You know, the additional coal needed to power that electric car?

[JerseyHighlander]

That company Tesla has developed a battery drive system that does not use Rare Earths.

Toyota made a big announcement recently about moving their hybrid platform to the Tesla battery system due to China restricting RE exports.

Now it’s on the Obama Administration and the psychopaths at the EPA to unblock the loan agreements to fund the construction of the new generation of nuke plants already approved.

I’d be happy to drive a commuter car powered by nuke power... at under a dollar a day in commuting energy costs for up to 80 mile roundtrips.

The current generation of Prius simply do not work in subzero weather here in NJ, heard three Prius owners complaining of getting consistently under 35mph during this cold snap. The Leaf must be worse since without a motor the batteries do not warm up at all from lost gas motor heat exchange.

[Lion Den Dan]

which are mostly mined in China, who doesn't care about the environment.

O human beings.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

It's like saying my sister's car just went a 100 miles and used no gas. Was on a truck being sent to the salvage yard after some moron totaled it. But her car did make the trip. Never mind that the truck was using the fuel.

BTW. For those who like to help others there's only one hybrid that is supposed to be jump started like a regular car ( battery to battery ). May be the Leaf. Definitely look at the manual before doing it. Also do not use a portable jump starter on hybrids as the amps are too high. Only cables from another car.

[Doogle]

[Doogle]

...see post #17...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2660882/posts

[CrazyIvan]

Can’t we pass legislation to make the sun shine when we need it?

[BigCinBigD]

Batteries not included...