Comments on: California Wants One in Seven New Cars to Plug In By 2025

By: tapra1

tapra1 — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:25:25 +0000

its borders after a years-long battle with the federal government, which under the Bush administration had sought to protect its status as the nation's sole fuel economy regulator.Enter Technology

By: Shine

Shine — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 09:07:00 +0000

I would want to have one of those too.
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By: Van

Van — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:35:09 +0000

Hi Charles, nice to see you have considered the matter. Here is my take:

The so called "invisible hand" reflects the judgment of people. In the past some scoffed at this but in today's smart phone, Google search, and social network world, these folks can run circles around the plodding bureaucrats and Government regulators.

Slavery is where those with power compel those without power to do their bidding. Why not rely of truth and information? If you consider the Soviet economic model, we saw lip service toward the common good, but selfish corruption ran the place. Why give the "me monster" that lives within us a bigger club?

Plug-ins pollute less than fossil fuel burners because (1) a significant fraction of electricity comes from non-fossil fuel energy, and (2) they do not burn fuel when idling and operate more efficiently in stop and go conditions.

By: Charles

Charles — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 02:45:07 +0000

So let the invisible hand of the free market work its magic, you say. Well the free hand is a very selfish being. It looks out only for itself and usually is very short sighted. Government on the other hand is supposed to look out for the general good and be far sighted (not that it does its job all that well). In a warped market such as cars, you have the problem that cars cause a general harm (pollution) and have a societal cost (roads and other infrastructure) that is not reflected in their cost (at least in the USA). It is therefore necessary for the government to step into the market and warp it even more. If you want to un-warp the market by taxing cars what they cost society, then I would not mind getting rid of CAFE and other mandates. The un-warp solution seems impossible for the USA, as we have developed a society that needs the car to function and lack the courage to change.

By: Van

Van — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 17:45:47 +0000

Here we see the Liberals mandating what the market should decide. If the best car overall is a plug-in, plug-in sales will soar.

Also note we are still waiting for technological advancement to provide a powerful enough battery, i.e. 2 to 4 times more powerful than the first generation lithium batteries in EV's now, to make Plug-ins the best value.

A Plug in EV with less than 42 KWh of capacity is a joke. Range needs to be near 130 miles, rain or shine.

A Plug in Hybrid needs to have at least 12 KWh of EV mode range, i.e 40 miles or so.

Such cars are on the horizon but to pass a law and treat the car buying public as slaves is mandated misery.

By: MrEnergyCzar

MrEnergyCzar — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 03:50:10 +0000

I'm sure the various interests against fuel efficient cars will put up quite a fight. The RAV4 EV would be great if it was 4 wheel drive. For some reason it's not, at least initially.....

MrEnergyCzar