Originally Posted by
IMPUL
Wow. There are a bunch of government rebates for buying a EV. Literally thousands of $.
There's one for buy it, one for buying a at home charity station another for installing it. They get special plates, use HOV lanes.
Why is the government "basically" giving money to businesses for EV like this?
Because one of the roles of government is to attract and stimulate new viable economic sectors and demonstrate to the world that we are forward thinking. If our government wasn't like this, we'd still be shoveling horse**** off our roads.
Originally Posted by
IMPUL
So the cost of the car is high but you get a rebate, you "get" money, but really that probably helped sell you on the higher price for "being earth friendly and saving us all from our certain doom" so the car dealer made the sale and made lots of money.
Until the economies of scale kick in, rebates are necessary to help the new economic sectors compete with existing ones. Without these rebates, we become entrenched in the old ways of doing things while the rest of the world passes us by. The economic crisis in Alberta is a perfect demonstration as to why we need to diversify our economy.
Originally Posted by
IMPUL
You have to buy a new battery in 5 years so it's a good thing you have $5000 laying around .. More money to the dealer...
Batteries that will become much cheaper once those economies of scale kick in.
Originally Posted by
IMPUL
Now the charger. Pricey.. Or is it after it's 50% to a max of $500 rebate.. How much does it cost you ask.. Coincidentally enough about $1000... Which is funny cuz it looks like something an amateur weekend electrician could make for $300 or less.
Yes, but if the amateur weekend electrician decided to get his home-made charger certified by CSA and other safety agencies and then had to buy the insurance necessary to protect himself if he is sued by someone who's house burned down because his charger had a fault he overlooked, the price would likely be...oh, around $1000.
Originally Posted by
IMPUL
And install.. Same rebate if installed by a licensed electrician ( *slow clap* job creation ) I bet it also costs about $1000.
But again a simple job that most ppl with basic electrical knowledge could do. White to white, black to black etc.
You demonstrate your ignorance by suggesting that the identified neutral wire would be used in a residential 240 volt car charging circuit. Your "basic electrical knowledge" just caused your house to burn down because you didn't wire the charger correctly. Now you try to make an insurance claim, but guess what? Your claim is denied. You didn't even know what gauge of wire and size of breaker to use. Better stick with the 120 volt charger if you want to stick with your basic electrical knowledge; it probably came with the car.
Originally Posted by
IMPUL
Now this "zero emission" stuff is funny. Cuz the batteries alone travel all of the world to be extracted, refined, built, installed. Same with the copper and materials for the engine/motor.
Which will be the bottle neck in EV cars wed probably use the worlds supply trying to save the world with electric car motors. All made all over the place then assembled in another place then shipped to be sold from another place. It would literally be more "green" to not have done that, and just used what we have already created. Not to mention, how do we electricity? The laws of thermodynamics says it must be transferred from something. And even if it was "green" it probably really wasn't.
While I agree with you about the initial resources needed for EV's need to be pulled out of the ground, much of it can be recycled. The mining, refining, and recycling of those resources represents a global generator of diversified economic stimulus. As for how do we electricity, one of the largest untapped resources in Canada is hydro electric. Niagara Falls has been a natural, great big green provider of energy for a long time. Nice place to visit, too.
Originally Posted by
IMPUL
Just like it would have been more fiscally responsible to banish the drive clean a few years ago after the program had paid for itself. But instead it expanded, become more intrusive with less practical results. the sniffer actually READS tail pipe emissions, the odb test simple tells you if the sensors are working. *Wink* I think VW showed us that. Oh and by the way, those ships carrying batteries and materials and EV cars all over the earth are way bigger polluters then our cars.
The drive clean program definitely demonstrates faults in our current political system that needs to be addressed, and, as far as I'm concerned, only the tip of the iceberg. As for the ships carrying batteries and materials for EV's, I don't think they really compare yet to the tankers shipping oil. I think it's a reach to call EV's bigger polluters than automobiles. Again, I point out that the economies of scale are in favour of typical ICE cars, to the point where we are often blind to the expense of infrastructure in place for petroleum powered vehicles.
Originally Posted by
IMPUL
So these shops are getting paid right? They actually don't make much and inspections are going to hurt shops now too, with this stricter and more in depth safetys.
Actually, an annual safety inspection makes more sense than a bi-annual emission test.
Originally Posted by
IMPUL
So the big auto companies and unions are happy, but smaller shops have to twist the arms of ppl with older cars. Seem like a good reason buy new and avoid the hassle right?!?
Companies want to make money, unions want to make sure their members get their fair share of that pie. I doubt either care whether they're building buggies and whips or hover cars powered by Mr. Fusion.
Originally Posted by
IMPUL
I'm not even going to get into selling carbon credits. But "F" "green" initiatives .. They are about the wrong kinda green ..
Yes; in fact, why not turn back the clock and go back to shoveling horse**** from our roads?
In our culture obsessed with absurd excess, the Nissan Micra is my counterculture car of choice.
Be sure to visit my blog at
mymicra.com!
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View my fuel log 2015 Micra SV manual: 6.4 L/100 km ... 44.3 mpg (Imp) ... 15.7 km/L ... 36.9 mpg (US) ...