Interesting Take on Electric Cars.

With you all the way.

I don't see myself in an electric car, or HEAVEN FORBID, an electric tractor!

Just looked it up to prove the math, and that's the example that came up.

Watts are  VOLTS x AMPS... on a 240v charger that would be 67 amps for 1 hour.. He said it took 10 hours to charge... so he could be using a VERY SMALL charger, or the whole story is wrong.

The volt gets 37MPG when in gas mode. On a full charge it went 40 miles.

Around here (Long Island NY) gas today is 2.89 and electricity is $0.21 per KWH.

So the Volt cost 7.8 cents per mile while running on stinking gasoline. When running on clean electric, it costs 9.8 cents per mile. It already costs more to run in electric mode.

Only a few places have low (.11) electric rates, I note that those places also have lower gas prices....

So GM stopped making the Volt, it wasn't selling.  Gm has the magic touch-remember the Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix? Same car from same joint GM/Toyota factory.

Toyota sold a ton at a premium, Pontiac struggled to give them away at lowered prices.

The grid will collapse if we all got electric cars. Massive infrastructure upgrades will be required. Both distribution and generation. We have the NIMBY (not in my back yard)

anti-everything. So expect a fight. Need for a lot of grid enhancements will collide with opposition forces. Will be a mess.

As for electric rates, I can see additional charges added to support the highway infrastructure. Or that and raising registration rates on all vehicles. Hey good idea, a tax increase, a no-brainier, can't pass up a tax increase. For the New Green Deal.

Fusion reactors are still "just around the corner". Yeah, but that is also nuclear, the neutrons will activate and transmute the reactor materials, leaving another radioactive mess. Power plant will have a short working life, 1/3 of a fission nuke at 5x the cost. What a bargain!  And that was our holy grail hope for the future?

I guess our only non-fossil fuel way will be massive affordable grid batteries that can store this solar and wind energy. Just to add to the grand challenge, let's tear down the dams and hydro electric plants. Let the river run free and green and wholesomely feel-good!

I recently saw a chart, the us electric consumption is now 10X what it was in 1940.

And set to double if we go electric cars and electric home heating.

Trillions and trillions to be spent on infrastructure. What stocks to get? Siemens? They have an Allis connection.

But, at today's costs, why would I?  Let's say it saves me $25 per "fill up" to an otherwise comparable car.  I fill my car with gas maybe 30 times per year?  So I save $750 per year?  Take 25-30 years to save the same money in gasoline, totally ridiculous, not even close.  

Had a very similar conversation with a coworker back in the 07-08 crunch.  He was going to buy a smart car, or some other such super economy vehicle because he said he couldn't afford to drive his PAID FOR truck to work.  I calculated how he couldn't possibly save enough on gas to make his car payment, though I might have chipped in a few bucks a week just to watch him get in and out of an economy car.

If you need a new vehicle, and saving money on fuel is a consideration for you, sure it saves money.  But you can't pay for a vehicle on fuel savings from another vehicle.  My sister did the same thing, traded in a paid for vehicle on something better on gas, though NOTHING wrong with her current vehicle.  Total money spent goes up, not down.

I'll drive my car until the wheels fall off.  185,5xx this morning.  30 mpg.  Why in the heck would I spend money on something that gets 35mph?  Let alone, $70k for a Tesla or whatever?!  Crazy people!!!

However, on a national basis, reports are, our national grid system is at near capacity. and, while today, we may have many more homes with 240v 200 amp services than when the original article was written, there are still a lot of homes with 100 amp services.  And, instead of major investments in new power plants, we are shutting them down in favor of windmills and solar farms! Even IF, and that is a big IF, the windmills and solar farms proved to by viable, the addition of an electric car in place of 30-40% of the current national fossil fuel fleet would be a backbreaker for the current(no pun intended) grid infrastructure! 'the lights would go out in Georgia', as well as most of the rest of the country.

In addition, the windmills and batteries and solar cells all require extensive mining operations for rare materials, and toxic processing, and create major EOL disposal issues. The net effect is less green, not more green, at least at current technology.

Electric vehicles do have a place, but it is doubtful they will ever be cost effective (in pure dollars, and/or resources) to be considered viable in most cases.

However, what does become abundantly clear from this discussion......all one need do to have a clear understanding of why such questionable green technology is being foisted upon us, by those in Congress and investors, is to examine who is heavily invested in such 'pie in the sky' schemes. Why, it is the very same people passing legislation forcing it upon us, and the very same politicians that are shutting down our current power plants and setting unproductive EPA standards on current vehicles, and forcing gas and oil transportation via rail, rather than much safer and cheaper pipelines, etc !!!! (why do I hear Gomar Pyle in the background...'surprise, surprise, surprise'!)  YES, the very same people who can act on insider trading! The very same people who can actively pass legislation that could/would have a major effect on their very own investments.

and, of course, the more direct route of siphoning our tax dollars to political friends and family. does anyone remember the solar cell company Obama granted $millions to, and two years later it all evaporated, grant money gone, borrowed money gone, and company bankrupt.....and nothing to show for it!

re: GM..... As of now, that’s the plan, things can change but they’re totally committed at this point.

They have NOTHING to lose.....

The CEO and other '3letter' types will personally make millions and of course ..

When the E-car biz fails, the taxpayers will, once again, BAIL OUT GM.....

best to buy 'futures' in aluminum (grid wire)... as the 'GRID' has to be much improved to power the chargers to repower the batteries..