New posts from Gas 2.0! |
- Canada vs. Electric Cars: Round 2
- Higher Gas Tax Means Lower Economic Vulnerability
- The Artega SE, A German Tesla at Twice the Cost
| Canada vs. Electric Cars: Round 2 Posted: 10 Mar 2011 02:00 PM PST
Last week, Canada’s Globe and Mail published an article without running it through fact-check, which is usually a reliable indicator that the article was either;
I like to pretend there isn’t all that much evil in the world, so – in this case – I’m willing to give the Globe and Mail the benefit of the doubt and go with “b: clueless.” Am I being too harsh on the Canadians? Again? Maybe … but I’m being as diplomatic as I can when referring to the author of the article in question, who uses claims like “The Nissan Leaf is the only market-ready all-electric car” as the basis for comments like “That's why I shake my head when I hear US President Barack Obama, in a push for clean energy, calling for one million electric cars to be on American roads by 2015. Again I say: Fat chance.” (emphasis mine) Ignoring the fact that the writer’s conclusion seems to ignore the actual data, the claim that Nissan’s Leaf is the only ready-to-wear electric being sold underscores a severe lack of industry knowledge that seems to include an alarming ignorance of Google search results for electric cars – which returned Tesla Motors as the no. 1 result when I typed in “electric cars”. That car up there in the photo? Tesla Roadster. Fully electric. Been on sale for years. There are other EVs out there, of course (as even the most casual Gas 2.0 readers are surely aware) but it should be troubling that someone is out there claiming they don’t exist, then turning around and using false claims as a means to deliver a decidedly anti-EV message. (Never mind the dozens of EV’s destined to hit showrooms in the next couple of years. -Ed.) The article also includes the results from “a huge opinion survey conducted by Deloitte“, which showed “approximately two-thirds of respondents said they would not pay any more for an EV than a gas-powered car. Fat chance they'd get one for the same price!” That “fat chance” comment? Our friendly author, again, injecting their “informed” opinion. Our guide through this brave new world of EV antagonism goes on, telling us that “when you get into the details of the survey, 75 per cent of Canadians don't want an electric car unless it recharges in less than four hours and goes at least 480 kilometres on a single charge. It doesn't matter that more than 80 per cent of Canadians drive less than 80 kilometres a day and it doesn't matter that both the charge and the required range are technically impossible today.” (again, emphasis mine) Really? What about an EV that could be re-charged in minutes, on something like the Better Place Battery-swap rig that’s been in the works since 2009? That’s not only technically possible today, that’s been done … 2 years ago! Is that battery-swap oversight just another example of the author’s carelessness, or is there some serious agenda-pushing going on here? Maybe it’s both. Maybe it’s neither. Maybe it’s just pandering to Alberta’s heavy-duty pickup market. In any case, it is certainly an article filled with oversight after oversight, and controversial opinion after controversial opinion. What do you think? Let us know in the comments. Source: The Globe and Mail.
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| Higher Gas Tax Means Lower Economic Vulnerability Posted: 10 Mar 2011 11:22 AM PST
The United States has the lowest gas taxes of any country in the developed world, and the Federal Government takes a mere pittance of 18.4 cents per gallon while most state governments take a mean average of around 26.6 cents. That isn't a whole lot when you consider that gas prices right now are hovering around a nationwide average of $3.50 a gallon, and that the government barely takes in enough money to maintain the current highway system, never mind expand it. Hell, the Federal gas tax hasn't been raised a single penny since 1993. So the gas tax has to go up sooner rather than later, and if it were to be raised significantly, to the rate of about $5 a gallon, it would seriously limit our vulunerability to gas spikes. Think about it. Every time gas price goes up a quarter, it is costing an extra $5 to fill up. That is $5 that could have been spent elsewhere in our consumer-driven economy. When gas prices go up, people travel less, go on vacation less, and generally spend less money. This has a huge ripple effect across our economy, which still relies very heavily on petrol. Most Americans still don't have access to alternative forms of transportation like public transit, and the continued growth of suburbs has meant long commutes. By keeping the gas tax low, and thus gas prices low, we keep maintain our dependence on cars and thus oil. People have no reason to want for alternatives because hey, I'll just keep pumping cheap gas into my tank. Then prices jump 50 cents in a few weeks like they have been recently and the entire economy takes a hit. In fact, recessions have followed every gas price run up since the 1970's. Starting to get the picture? Raise the gas tax so people rely less on petrol and demand alternatives like public transit and electric vehicles. Even GM’s former chairman Bob Lutz thinks a higher gas tax will steer people away gas guzzlers, and the Congressional Deficit Committee thinks a 15-cent increase is the Federal gas tax is a good start. That way, the next time gas prices spike (and they will) people will be able to turn to alternatives, rather than pump their paychecks into their gas tank. Makes sense to me, but how about you? Source: The Economist Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.
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| The Artega SE, A German Tesla at Twice the Cost Posted: 10 Mar 2011 07:20 AM PST
The Artega GT features a 300 horsepower Volkswagen V6 engine in a car the weighs just over 2,400 pounds thanks to its aluminum frame and carbon fiber body. It is, in a lot of ways, a German Lotus, and at the Geneva Auto Show Artega unveiled an all-electric version of their superlight sports car. Packing two electric motors powering the rear wheels, the all-electric Artega SE makes 380 horsepower and about an extra 500 pounds from the lithium-ion battery pack. Even at 3,000 pounds though, the Artega SE is faster than its petrol-powered brother by a full half-second (0-60 of 4.3 seconds, compared to about 5 seconds for the petrol motor.) No mention on the exact size of the battery pack, but Artega claims a driving range of between 200 and 300 km (between 125 and 186 miles) which is pretty comparable to America's own Tesla Roadster. However, thanks to the European Value Added Tax and all those electric batteries, the Artega SE has a price of over $208,000, twice that of the Tesla. Even the Europeanized Tesla has a starting price of about $120,000. So we're talking about a serious chunk of change. If I had the money though, I'd be all over this like white on rice. Just a personal preference, but I like coupes over convertibles. How about you? Source: Carscoop Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to HEMIs. You can read about his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout or follow his non-nonsensical ramblings on Twitter @harshcougar.
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