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Gas price plunge threatens fuel-cell and electric cars
SFGate.com ^ | 12/25/14 | David R. Baker

Posted on 12/25/2014 12:23:13 PM PST by NormsRevenge

ehicles, as did concern about global warming. But now gasoline prices have plunged to their lowest level since the Great Recession, averaging $2.50 nationwide for a gallon of regular. If gas prices stay low — granted, a very big “if” — one of the most powerful arguments for alternative fuel cars will be wiped out.

“You have an early-adopter group that’s much more interested in these vehicles as a way of doing something 'green,’ and the cost of fuel is not going to be a big factor for them,” said John O’Dell, a senior editor at the Edmunds.com auto information website. “Once you get out of the early-adopter group and into the mainstream, then gasoline prices matter a lot.”

(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; US: California
KEYWORDS: electriccars; fuelcell; gasoline; opec; plunge; prices; saudiarabia; threatens
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To: LogicDesigner
I would love it if we were less dependent on oil

Why? What's wrong with oil? It's one of God's many gifts like rain, sunshine and forests.

It would devastate some of our biggest foreign rivals like Iran and Russia and we wouldn't have to be so involved in the Middle East in the future.

With our new-found resources, all that's going to happen anyway, and the goat-rapers can starve for all I care.

Up to this point, battery powered cars are junk.

61 posted on 12/26/2014 5:28:28 PM PST by ROCKLOBSTER (Celebrate "Republicans Freed the Slaves Month")
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To: LogicDesigner
...carbon dioxide....It does, but its still produces a good bit less than gasoline

Whatever!

That's a moot point. It produces water vapor too.

Oooooooohhhh....Boo...Hiss...

62 posted on 12/26/2014 5:32:25 PM PST by ROCKLOBSTER (Celebrate "Republicans Freed the Slaves Month")
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To: NormsRevenge
Eliminate the subsidies and bury them in the dust bin of history!!!
63 posted on 12/26/2014 5:38:35 PM PST by dalereed
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To: ROCKLOBSTER
“Up to this point, battery powered cars are junk.”

How so? The Chevy Volt has gotten the highest customer satisfaction rating of any car that GM has ever made and the Tesla Model S has gotten similarly high marks on customer surveys. The Nissan Leaf had some problems in Arizona until Nissan modified the battery to better handle high temperatures. Other than that, they have performed well.

There have been zero fires caused by Volts in the real world. There have been a few Model S fires but at a five times lower rate than the average gasoline car.

64 posted on 12/26/2014 6:22:28 PM PST by LogicDesigner
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To: Ingtar
“I guess I, and about half my coworkers, are in the 22%.”

That's entirely possible. I'm sure that, on average, some professions have longer distance commuters than others.

65 posted on 12/26/2014 6:28:47 PM PST by LogicDesigner
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To: LogicDesigner

I would rather use a gasoline powered vehicle and pollute less anyway.


66 posted on 12/26/2014 7:06:29 PM PST by Ingtar (Is this the Ebola and rumors of Ebola mentioned in the Bible?)
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To: LogicDesigner

“Cleaner” is not the same as “clean”. The inference drawn by those who think electric cars are “green” is that since there’s no gas, it’s totally clean, no harm done to the environment (if you accept the argument that burning fossil fuels damages the environment in the first place). That is not the case, as your stats just showed.


67 posted on 12/26/2014 8:21:08 PM PST by Personal Responsibility (I'd use the /S tag but is it really necessary?)
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To: LogicDesigner
How so?

Oh, they're fine....unless you want to go somewhere, or run the headlights, and the heater, and the wipers...in a cold climate.

68 posted on 12/26/2014 9:03:04 PM PST by ROCKLOBSTER (Celebrate "Republicans Freed the Slaves Month")
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To: LogicDesigner

If you know...

How much does the electricity cost for 40 miles?

There are quite a few cars that get 40 miles per gallon on the expressway if you are just commuting back and forth to work.


69 posted on 12/26/2014 10:38:00 PM PST by zeestephen
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To: zeestephen
“How much does the electricity cost for 40 miles?”

50% to 60% less than gasoline. It is even less if you have a time-of-use (nighttime discount) electricity plan available in your area, which it seems that most people do.

70 posted on 12/26/2014 10:42:48 PM PST by LogicDesigner
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To: LogicDesigner
I need hard numbers.

What's the cost of a kwh in your neighborhood?

What is the total cost for 40 miles of electricity charged from your home?

Thanks.

71 posted on 12/26/2014 10:57:45 PM PST by zeestephen
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To: LogicDesigner
The Chevy Volt has gotten the highest customer satisfaction rating of any car that GM has ever made

I've seen one (1) in my life.

It's probably not too far fetched to believe: that since the Volt is the pride and joy of Gubmint Motors, and since it's very likely that the bulk of purchases are from federal, state and local governments, that therfore, those nameless, faceless, overpaid/do-nothing bureaucRATS would of course give the Volt golf-cart high "customer satisfaction ratings".

72 posted on 12/27/2014 10:06:51 AM PST by ROCKLOBSTER (Celebrate "Republicans Freed the Slaves Month")
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To: LogicDesigner
“How much does the electricity cost for 40 miles?”

50% to 60% less than gasoline. It is even less if you have a time-of-use (nighttime discount) electricity plan available in your area, which it seems that most people do.

What happens to that cost savings when your State adopts a mileage tax for the vehicles not paying their fair share of using the highways?

Ed

73 posted on 12/27/2014 10:07:48 AM PST by husky ed (FOX NEWS ALERT "Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead" THIS HAS BEEN A FOX NEWS ALERT)
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To: zeestephen
“What's the cost of a kwh in your neighborhood? What is the total cost for 40 miles of electricity charged from your home?”

I live in Texas and we currently have ridiculously low prices available at the moment, as low as 4.8¢/kWh, see http://www.powertochoose.org or specifically https://signup.cirroenergy.com/files/0901751880f7b903.pdf . (We also have free nighttime plans available with the catch being that you pay more during the day.)

However, I did my “50% to 60%” calculation back when gasoline and electricity both cost a lot more so the numbers will be different now.

The Volt requires roughly 13 kWh to charge its 40 mile battery.

74 posted on 12/30/2014 4:48:19 AM PST by LogicDesigner
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