There is something truly pathetic in the administration's childlike faith in the efficacy of "green" solutions to what ails the American economy, environment, and politics. Despite mountains of evidence to the contrary, we will not save our environment by switching willy nilly to alternative energy sources, nor will we create the "millions of green jobs" promised by the administration to offset the loss of employment in the fossil fuel industry.
It's just not possible, feasible, or was it ever realistic. And that goes double for relying on electric cars to save the auto industry. This WaPo piece on the Chevy Volt should open some eyes at the White House - except, of course, it won't:
Maybe it was karma, but the Volt's launch coincided with publication of a 72-page report by J.D. Power and Associates that confirmed, in devastating detail, what many other experts have found: Electric cars still cost too much, even with substantial federal subsidies for both manufacturers and consumers, to attract more than a handful of wealthy buyers - and this will be true for at least another decade.What little gasoline savings the vehicles achieve could be had through cheaper alternative means. And electrics don't reliably reduce greenhouse gas emissions, since, as often as not, the electricity to charge their batteries will come from coal-fired plants.
The Obama Energy Department has suggested that, with the help of federal money, manufacturers can ramp up mass production and bring the price of electric-car battery packs down 70 percent by 2014 - thus rendering the cars more affordable.
But J.D. Power is skeptical. "Declines of any real significance are not anticipated during the next 5 years," the report notes, adding that "the disposal of depleted battery packs presents yet another environmental challenge."
Nor are industry and government close to resolving the lack of a nationwide recharging infrastructure - or the vehicles' poor performance in cold weather or on hilly terrain.
A stubborn refusal to face facts is not very smart. And you don't need an Ivy League education to figure that out.
But in the face of a cult-like belief on all things green, reason and logic make no progress.
Hat Tip: Ed Lasky
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