Here’s the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Graham asks: OK the hybrid sounds like a credible alternative for the short term (arbitrarily 10 years or until the last 7 year credit is paid off). You may have watched Harley’s latest electric monstrosity. The price was for a millionaire. It is so powerful (they say) It has a special (spirit level??) so it cannot flip on its back. The two banger, one of which unfortunately I once owned, may be on the way out.But what about the new Li battery with a dry process (not flammable) which is lighter, cheaper and much more powerful? One more breakthrough and the IC is toast. Even a Tesla is affordable on 7 years and negative interest rates. I can’t believe you still buy that “emissions” garbage. Which is political subterfuge. The burning of the Amazon forests which were previously protected have just been OK’d. We have just come out of the Indonesian forest burning season, so sever that Singaporeans cannot breath in the street. These are billions of tons of CO2 sinks being released, and nobody gives a damn. “Emissions” are a scam.
My reply: Where to begin?
As Geraldo used to say, I’m shocked (right word) that you think I buy the emissions scam. I have practically exhausted myself writing and speaking the contrary – including my last two articles. I think I may be the only car journalist who has publicly noted and deconstructed the flim-flam that carbon dioxide is an “emission” as historically defined. That it has been redefined to suit a political agenda. It is the replacement “emission” for the ones which are no longer a problem. Because the problem must continue.
And: “credible alternative”? This begs the obvious question – do we need an “alternative” to conventional cars? Are we running out of oil? Are IC vehicle emissions fouling the air? Nein and nichts. So… why the bum’s rush for “alternatives”?
Note that hybrids appeared about 20 years ago – when people still beeeeeeelieved in “peak oil,” that we were going to run out soon and needed alternatives fast. Well, here are – and there’s more oil than we can use. No need for “alternatives” – all of which (including hybrids) cost much more than the vehicles they are “alternatives” to.
It is insanity to seek “alternatives” that are inferior when it isn’t necessary to give up the superior. But the whole country appears to have gone insane.
On the rest: I m very skeptical about “breakthroughs” in battery design. I’ve been waiting for 30 years. Until one actually occurs – as to opposed to being asserted – the problems remain. Especially cost and recharge time.
Power isn’t an issue now. Arguably, too much effort is being expended on power. It is part of the reason for the poor efficiency and high cost of EVs. And there is something hugely aggravating to me about the government subsidizing “ludicrous speed” electric cars for the virtue signaling affluent.
In any event, a car that can’t match the economy/versatility and ease-of-use of a 10-year-old Corolla is an inferior car. It may be a sexier, better-performing car. A newer car. A “tech” car. But it is inferior as a way to get from A to B.
If I’m lyin’ – I’m buyin’!
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Here’s another thing people “buy”. It’s even more egregious than EV’s, i.e., gun control.
It seems what everyone is basing their numbers on is 1(one)”professor” who did a supposed study although he won’t reveal how he came up with numbers showing the US has the most shootings in the world when going by “real, recorded numbers”, something he didn’t bother with, it shows the US to be 62nd down the list.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXGgI2E5JUw
I forgot to address the “forest” problem. I had no idea the Amazon, or any other forest, had previously been “protected”. How did that happen? Lightning has been banned?
And just so you might gain some knowledge, although I’m sure you’re reluctant to do so, there are hawks that encourage forest burning by picking up burning twigs and flying them to another area to drop and start their own Private fire to run the critters out into the open where they can be easily picked off. I bet the hawks didn’t get that memo of “read my lips, no more forest fires”, a collective effort between Bush 1 and Smoky the Bear. And speaking of “Forrest”, cue what his mother said, “Stupid is as stupid does”.
morning eric, Where to start? If virtue signalling were to assert itself like typical explosive diarrhea, we’d need a total revamp of the entire sewer system. We’d be, quite literally, one of those “shithole” countries……and no hole would be large enough to hold it all and you could smell it before you see it.
I was doing a bit of reading yesterday in New Atlas. It’s an edgy kinda cutting edge rag about the latest scientific breakthroughs. It does too much virtue signalling so you have to temper the hard science with the bs they give credit to when it ain’t due.
So I see this ad for HD, yeah, balump, balump…..only electric….and not even that e model they had/have out for people who don’t know what a Harley is supposed to be. Naw, their new product is a tiny e bike built and marketed as a “balance bike” for kids. I’m surprised I remember what they called it. I didn’t read about it in depth because I didn’t want to hurl and I didn’t feel well anyway. But, from what my take, it’s a way to get your kid to be able to ride a bicycle without being able to chew gum and walk at the same time. No pedaling required. Just sit there on your uber-expensive daddy/mommy/ bike and roll via some control. Not sure what the control is or how fast they go(not very, you wouldn’t want little Johnny and his sister, little Mary, to learn about gravity and the consequences of having your butt on a conveyance with only two wheels.
I still recall learning to ride a bike. Sure, I fell, and even then I had the sense to jump away from it. I might end up on my knees and hands but the only thing that hurt are the very things where I live that still hurt, grassburrs and goatheads of which I sat down on two of same yesterday morning the kitties had left as a present in my chair. No need for an e bike, not falling becomes a major priority when concrete, grassburrs and heelspurs are what you have to land on.
Probably the kids that will receive these “balance machines” have a highly padded carpeted yard to ride them. And surely you’ll provide them with gloves, knee pads, helmets, shoulder pads and hired illegals to make sure they never endure even the slightest pain learning to ride a bike.
Besides, it could be hot and you can’t have the little tykes sweat. I can hear their “mommy”, “Honey, let’s change your clothes. If you perspire in these Neiman Marcus blouses, people wouldn’t even recognize them for the ultra-expensive clothes they are and once the color bleeds(not you babykins), our neighbor will think NM is making tie-dye clothes and when they run to get theirs, they’ll know ours are “sweated in”, one of the worst things in the world. A picture really is worth a thousand words. It’s certainly worth a thousand dollars since the photographer will be here any minute to spend a couple hours making sure we have this “immortalized” for all time in perfect imaging.
I won’t even try to describe the scenario of a male and female “adult” riding their bikes on what is a “made for a studio road” complete with the ultimate background images. Another ad for another virtue signalling group.
I think Graham either has a reading comprehension problem, or he hasn’t read much of your site. You, sir, do NOT buy the ’emissions’ narrative-not by a long shot!