I am sorry but I find the electric car ads rather humorous. They go on and on like it is "free" to "plug-in". It seems that because electricity is invisible it is magic! Wow :-) If you read the Edumnds.com review on the real cost of running an electric car you will be surprised! Also, over 70% of the electricity in the US is made from fossil fuel -- so just because they have converted that nasty coal into electricity does NOT mean your little e-car does not run on fossil fuels! LOL Do they really think we are that dumb?
So what's the true cost of an electric car? Hard to say. They cost a lot to buy -- The Chevy Volt has a sticker price of $40,280, the Nissan Leaf is priced at $32,780 -- but buyers get a $7,500 tax credit that reduces the cost. I can buy a more well appointed Chevy Cruz for half that. The government even gives tax credits to buyers of the $109,000 Tesla Roadster. So your tax dollars are being given to someone who can afford to buy a $100K car.
The tax credits are just the most visible form of federal support. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, says the government has invested $5 billion (of your money) so far to electrify the nation's transportation system. It gave loans of $2.6 billion to Nissan, Tesla and Fisker to established electric car factories, $2.4 billion in grants to establish 30 electric vehicle battery and component and another $80 million for advanced research and development. (editorial.autos.msn.com)
(Cut and paste this White House Report) http://www.whitehouse.gov/files/documents/Battery-and-Electric-Vehicle-Report-FINAL.pdf
Every electric car and component maker reflects your tax dollars at work. Ecotality, for example, (they make the Blink charging stations) is leading a $230 million initiative, half of which is funded by DOE, that plans to install more than 15,000 EV charging stations in the coming months. So why are the collective tax dollars going to benefit a handful of people who choose to drive or who are ABLE to drive electric cars? It would be impossible for me to make that choice with where I live and where I work... I thought the Obama administration was all about "fairness".
Also are we trading one boogeyman for another? These cars are based on a lithium-ion battery. They need a lithium supply. The world's current supply of lithium comes from very few countries. One third of the current supply comes from Chile, but Bolivia and Afghanistan also have massive deposits. We know the pitfalls of Afghanistan. Bolivia is not a lot better -- we had a major falling out with them, they are unstable and we don't want to be dependent on them -- the diplomacy is getting better but it is fragile at best... Santigo, Chile is father away from Washington DC than Moscow is -- so just because they are on the same hunk of landmass, does not mean they are nearby. If Americans start driving electric cars in earnest, the question naturally arises: Will we be at the mercy of the world's producers? It's a question that sounds eerily familiar, right?
Most lithium is produced from brine and the surge in the use of lithium for car batteries has prompted further exploration. Wait now, exploration? Isn't that what they do for oil? Now won't they have to trample all over mother nature looking for lithium?
A recent research paper from the Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, Ill., concludes, "It appears that even an aggressive program of vehicles with electric drive can be supported for decades with known supplies." They estimate that current lithium "deposits" (again, sounds familiar right?) will last until 2100 -- that is 88 years... What then? I thought electricity was "forever" and clean and well yes magic -- so now these cars not only rely on fossil fuels to make the electricity but they now rely on another element, lithium, to be built in the first place -- that sounds like a double whammy to me rife with costs and political potential.
"Everything comes at a higher cost than expected, so while the environmental impact (of lithium production) might not be as bad as mountaintop mining, it’s going to be important to pay attention to this lithium race and the politcal costs, social costs, and general level of cooperation displayed. Not to mention the regulatory processes, foresight, and yes, the environmental impact, because there will be one. " (downtoearthnw.com)
This was my mental morning exercise. Hopefully something to think about :-) I hope folks are prompted to dig for the whole story -- if not, let me know, maybe I will do it!
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