Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Electric Cars, Again


What we're pumping money into:

Costs are high. The government has estimated that a battery with a 100-mile range costs about $33,000, although stimulus money could bring that down to $10,000 by the end of 2015.

So what we're looking for is a drop from are-you-on-drugs levels, down to still-too-expensive levels. And we're going to get people to buy them by subsidizing them. Just great.

Electric cars are a metaphor for the rest of the Obama administration: a really cool idea that just won't work. Wouldn't it be cool if talking to hostile middle eastern leaders brought about friendship and harmony? Yes! Will it? Puuuhlease. Wouldn't it be great if we could change the climate? Sure! Can we? Don't be silly.

And believe me, I'd love for battery technology to be there now. I'd probably go into the electric car business, if they made sense yet. But building factories to produce batteries that aren't good enough doesn't get you any closer to good enough.

BTW- the blogger servers are acting up so posting is hit or miss. Sorry.


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