Government is pushing EVs – but this push wouldn’t succeed if enough people refused to be pushed.
If enough people recognized the evil of this push and refrained from buying an EV, even if they aren’t being pushed into buying one. That, of course, would take a grander view of things that rises above the pettiness (and short-sightedness) of immediate self-gratification.
Many were unable to rise above that during what was pushed as a “pandemic” (the only one that was ever declared that didn’t kill roughly 99 percent of the normally healthy population). They were the people who knew wearing a “mask” – or a “gaiter” – was theater. Who, after all, risks their life for the sake of shopping at Wal-Mart? But they put on the “mask” anyhow – because it was inconvenient to not be able to shop at Wal-Mart.
They needed to get their “shit,” as one person put it.
And for the sake of that, they and others who did the same affirmed and egged-on the mass hysteria, which helped to expand and prolong it. After all – look! – everyone (just about) is wearing a “mask.”
There must be a “pandemic.”
And that, of course, led to the “vaccines.”
Cue the part about short-sightedness. It may indeed have been inconvenient to not be able to shop at Wal-Mart. That was the short-term cost of not playing along by putting a “mask” over your face. But the long-term pay-off would have been undermining the push that came in the wake of “masking” to “vaccinate” all those “maskers.” It would have been much harder to push drugs on people if “masking” had been pushed back against – because it would have been much harder to push drugs on people who could see were even less needed than the “masks” they weren’t wearing.
There is a parallel here, as regards EVs.
Just as “masks” were pushed, EVs are being pushed. Neither thing is a natural thing and both things are suspect things for exactly that reason. There was (and is) a reason for the pushing – and it’s not a good one.
And just as “masks” were worn by many for the sake of convenience, many are buying EVs for essentially the same reasons.
It will have the same result.
Buying EVs legitimizes the pushing of them. It normalizes EVs – just as wearing a “mask” (or a “gaiter,” even when emblazoned with skulls and crossbones) enabled and gave strength to the “masking” regime.
The relationship is self-evident.
Granted, EVs – unlike “masks” – aren’t entirely pernicious. Some people like them for reasons that aren’t illegitimate and even just because. There’s nothing wrong with that, per se. But EVs are the vehicle of perniciousness, because they are being pushed.
And that is the evil of them.
And of affirming it.
The long-term cost of that will be the elimination of alternatives to EVs and – much worse – the cementing of the underlying narrative that it was necessary. Just the same as “masking” affirmed the “pandemic” narrative and everything that eventually got pushed on all of us in its name.
It will not be just EVs, you see. If you cannot see that, you are blind. It will be gas-burning everything (stoves and water heaters, for instance). It will be all kinds of things. Everything that follows from affirming the need for the one thing to be pushed.
And that is why it is arguably a moral problem for anyone who has a problem with things being pushed on people to buy an EV – even if they want and don’t see themselves as being forced to. 
For anyone to buy one given the push is to abet immorality. It is no different than choosing to do business with an evil business, which is precisely what’s going on here. It does not matter that it benefits you; indeed, it makes it worse – as you are deriving a benefit from evil and facilitating the propagation of evil.
Consider, for example, Tesla. It is a company that used legalized extortion to obtain the capital to finance the development of its electric vehicles. Elon Musk did not invest his money. He used government regs to force other businesses – other car companies, specifically – to “invest” theirs, in his, via carbon credits these companies were pushed to buy from Tesla, in the manner of a shop owner in Little Italy being pressured to buy protection from a Mafia thug.
Should one do business with the Mafia thug, knowing what he did to the shop owner – even if the business is good for you?
The only way you can do it – and not feel complicit – is to not think about it. To pretend you don’t know what the Mafia thug did to that shop owner. And besides, it wasn’t you who did it. All you wanted was to do your business, right?
That is the nature of such business.
. . .
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China is Throwing Away Fields of Electric Cars – Letting them Rot!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SEfwoqKRU8
Hidden – China’s Flagship EVs are Exploding in Huge Numbers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOA7qKMcjcE
New Study on Electric Car Deaths Shocks the Entire Car Industry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQxY2s-oIak
Tesla not looking so good neither ….
After a Ludicrous Speed runup of its stock price to touch $300 in mid-July, today TSLA shares have been smashed back down to $216 — a 28% loss for punters who got top-ticked a mere month ago. Over-the-waterfall chart:
https://tinyurl.com/4e3j4zur
OUCH!
Not only is the air hissing out of EeeVee Fever (that’s so last year), but also, sales and interest rates and the eclownomy all are starting to noticeably suck.
Say it ain’t so, ‘Joe’! 🙁
Polestar not looking so good…
https://twitter.com/WholeMarsBlog/status/1690317963788992512?s=20
On the heels of your article, Eric, here is an EV article for you. A Canadian EV truck owners realizes the hassles (and the scam) of owning one, and had to switch to renting a gas guzzler to finish his road trip from Canada to Chicago. But not before having his EV towed. And ouch, what a price to pay for that thing, too! https://www.newstarget.com/2023-08-15-canadian-describes-his-ev-experience-as-scam.html
It lives AGAIN!!
Today my Mom was being discharged from intensive rehab for a stroke she had 5-6 weeks ago. When we arrived at the facility they “asked” us to wear masks. It was an edict that began today. I told her the insanity wouldn’t end until we stood up and said “No”. Only my brother willingly complied, “Hey, sometimes you gotta go along to get along.” he said. My wife and I carried the damned thing in our hands, my Dad let it hang off one ear.
Many of the staff didn’t wear one or if they did, did so with it pulled down on their chin. After several hours a lackey came and gave us the printed edict and said they were “asking” us to wear them. We still didn’t comply. After we got back from the cafeteria for lunch another quisling showed up and said it was “mandatory”. I explained that had they not screwed up our paperwork we’d been gone 3 hours ago. We still didn’t comply. Her steely glare was the only facial expression I could discern.
The Shit Show is now beginning Act 2.
Was that a requirement from the hospital or the government?
Hospital, Tampa General
Doesn’t a hospital as a private business have the right to require masks if they want?
RE: “Doesn’t a hospital as a private business have the right to require masks if they want?”
Depends, who is the, “they”? What agent might they be?
Does the goobermint compel them or bribe them to act on their behalf?
…At what point does a private business stop being a private business and become an arm of Da Law and the mafioso who run them?
Is a hospital really a, “private business”?
“Fascism with American characteristics.”
“Private” business? Nothing in so-called healthcare is “private”.
For decades we’ve had socialized medicine in the country. The only debate is whether it started in 1936 or 1966. Nothing done in the field is private. It is a complete Public/Private Partnership. As in all cases GovCo is running the project. Those that don’t comply with GovCo will be fined, jailed or worse.
There are still people who have a passion and desire to help those in need of medical care. However, those managing these endeavors are nothing but government hacks that are not directly on GovCo’s payroll.
There is not room enough to list all the licenses, certificates and approvals that go into every thing related to the Medical Industrial Complex. Do you really want to talk about the pharmaceutical industry?
I wish I’d taken the written form letter they were handing out. I’d like to get the names to see who Mandy is going to bring on board next.
Hi Mark,
Thank you for reporting this – as appalled as I am to read about it. I expected it to return – and when it does, it must be shoved back into the hole from whence it came. Anyone who puts that rag on their face again is a part of the problem. Anyone who “asks” is the enemy – and ought to be treated accordingly.
I started a slow burn the moment I saw the girl at the reception desk wearing the Holy Compliance Rag. I had a feeling what was coming because there were two boxes of the damned things sitting on the counter.
We’d been dealing with these health issues for the past month. It’s the first time any masking has been seen, let alone slightly suggested.
Now this.
The entire medical/pharmaceutical Industial Complex needs to be torn down and the fields salted. Any fertilizer should begin with the blood of the Sackler family.
This is the final stand.
A parallel health care system, as well as other parallel systems (food supplies, etc) are already established or being established. The corporate/ government system hopefully will collapse under its own weight, but after claiming hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives.
“parallel systems”
That does seem to be key.
I’m doing a piss poor job of integrating. So far.
‘How we handle HEALTH CARE off grid and Homesteading…’
OFF GRID with DOUG & STACY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lB1gxPpC9o
“We give you special news. Godzilla is turning towards the Ginza district. As soon as possible take shelter, please.”
well, you know there is an election coming & there needs to be a reason to do all that mail in voting again
The 2023 Mazda3’s Engine is so Clever it Makes EVs Redundant
In 3 years around ……30,000 miles you save … $1900 in fuel savings with an EV but the EV costs about ……$19,000 more.
$1900 in fuel savings…not for long….electricity rates are going up….and soon EV’s will have to start paying road tax….and with all the EV fires insurance rates for EV’s will go up a lot….no savings….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEM4eyMjk7Q
Is It Time To Ban Electric Vehicles?
The New York Fire Department recently reported that so far this year there have been 108 lithium-ion battery fires in New York City, which have injured 66 people and killed 13. According to FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, “There is not a small amount of fire, it (the vehicle) literally explodes.” The resulting fire is “very difficult to extinguish and so it is particularly dangerous.”
Last year there were more than 200 fires from batteries from e-bikes, EVs, and other devices.
A fire ignited at an e-bike shop and killed four people near midnight on the morning of June 20. Two individuals were left in critical condition. The fire commissioner has warned New Yorkers that such devices could be very dangerous and typically explode in such a way that renders escape impossible.
FDNY also reports that in just three years, lithium-ion battery fires have surpassed those started by cooking and smoking as the most common causes of fatal fires in New York City. It’s happening all over the country as these blazes have become commonplace. Cars and e-bikes are randomly blowing up in driveways and garages.
the same scaremongers on the left who have zero tolerance and want bans for small risks when it comes to everything from swimming pool diving boards, gas stoves, plastic straws, vaping, fireworks, and so on, have a surprisingly high pain threshold when it comes to people dying or suffering critical injured from “green” electric battery fires.
Or consider this: In 1965, Ralph Nader almost single-handedly helped ban the popular Chevrolet Corvair—famous for its engine placed in the back trunk of the car. Nader’s bestselling shock book “Unsafe at Any Speed” declared the car was deadly. But there was no real evidence of that claim, and to this day there are no reliable statistics on how many passengers—if any—died in Corvairs
What is indisputable is that EVs will cause far more deaths than Corvairs ever did.
One other example: There have been more fatalities in just one city in a single year from lithium-ion batteries in cars than all the people who died from the 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear plant accident—which was zero.
Yet, after the accident, thanks to the environmentalists’ fear campaign (with the help of the blockbuster anti-nuke movie “The China Syndrome”), no domestic nuclear plants were built for three decades. That is despite the fact that nuclear plants emit no greenhouse gases.
But with EVs, the greens are pushing aside any concerns about the collateral damage of deaths and injuries. Biden wants to mandate that nearly ALL new cars sold in the United States be EVs by 2032. If that happens, many thousands of Americans may die or will be injured from electric vehicle fires.
All this is especially hypocritical because once upon a time the left’s mantra was “no trading blood for oil.” Now they are willing to trade blood in exchange for getting Americans to stop using oil. An irony of all this is that because of all the energy needed to produce windmills, solar panels, and electric batteries, new studies are showing that the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to this “net zero” transition is close to zero. It turns out, green energy causes some pollution, too.
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/it-time-ban-electric-vehicles
from zh comments….
they took a government subsidy to buy those four wheel virtue signals. I’m surprised the author doesn’t suggest ending all subsidies to EV’s and EV charging. End the subsidies hardly anyone will buy them.
Unsafe At Any Amps
It is odd that they would take years of tax dollars and research and then hand it over to Mr. PayPal. I also found it odd when the government chose to subsidize Mr. PayPal’s Tesla. Even more strange is the turn about with Twitter. Makes you wonder, if Mr. PP was in bed with .gov before, why should we believe he is no longer? ……he is a freemason part of the luciferion aristocracy
The EV hoax is dead which is why they will rot on lots all winter.
The fact that they are fire hazards both in an accident and just sitting in your garage is just one of many reasons.
Ford and GM is going to go bankrupt over them and it serves them right for jumping in bed with the gov and going along with the hoax.
Good luck with that UAW retirees.
Google “e-bike fires” … holy God, I thought the cars were bad, but most people have the bikes in the house when charging… and they literally explode !!
“Unsafe At Any Amps”. . .BWAHAHAHA. ROFL. Good one Anon.
That says it all right there: “The fire commissioner has warned New Yorkers that such devices could be very dangerous and typically explode in such a way that renders escape impossible.
FDNY also reports that in just three years, lithium-ion battery fires have surpassed those started by cooking and smoking as the most common causes of fatal fires in New York City. It’s happening all over the country”
Well, gee-wizz, why aren’t they putting asbestos in those batteries? …Psft!
Hypocrites.
Murderous, hypocrites.
The little town we’re in has been suffering power outages lately, not related to the monsoon season. Like clockwork they last around and hour, then the lights come back up. Just out of curiosity I drove around during the last one. Turns out only single family houses were without power. It was nearing dark so easy to tell. On Main Street the GovCo buildings and businesses were just fine. One new restaurant named Moscato has installed EV chargers in his parking lot. Cant help but wonder how they found the power for those. Lots of solar paneled roofs and EVs in my neighborhood, all without power. IDK but if it were me I’d avoid the grid tie in as it seems they can just take your power at will. Imagine spending all that money thinking you. were generating your own power to find out “All your electricity belongs to US” I cant wait until GovCo dictates force a choice on Arizonans. You want your electric clown cars comrades, fine no air conditioning for you
Solar panels don’t work without an electricity buffer, because they generate chaotic, peaky power which is useless to appliances in your home. There are two ways of doing a buffer- connecting to the grid, which is so huge it can soak up the noise, or dumping power into your own batteries and using those to supply useful power.
I’ve got a few solar panels and a battery and I’m immune to blackouts, which happened for several weeks in total this last winter. My battery is always running the house during a blackout, and whatever power the solar panels make is used to keep it charged. This battery comes with a fancy charger/inverter which adjusts hundreds of times per second to supply the deficit, or absorb the excess as quickly as possible, because without that, the voltage would sag or spike and destroy stuff.
Hi Opposite Lock, If you don’t mind I’d appreciate any links to equipment you recommend. I’m pretty stupid when it comes to electricity but I think I kind of get what your saying. You need a large number of deep cycle batteries/inverter to make it work without a grid tie in? And even then, you would probably need to leave your AC off of it.
My only real electrical needs are my multiple freezers full of wild caught fish, local raised beef, and home grown garden goodies. Fortunately I have a small gas generator to run those in a pinch. I can cook anything I need with my propane grill and wood smoker. Lights aren’t so much of a problem. I can even live without hot water/AC in the summer. Still need a wood stove at our current locale, even though winters here are survivable without heat, its uncomfortable.
The takeaway for me is, people used to ‘own’ whatever power they produced from solar, per say. Our APS had to buy it back at wholesale market rates. I believe thats over now. The people around here have bought into some kind of rebate/rate reduction scheme. These companies covering everyones rooftops w/solar panels seem to still use the ‘energy independence’ argument as a selling point. All tax rebated and subsidized of course.
I have one of the smaller Ecoflow Delta portable kits that I use for all-electric camping and essential devices backup. It isn’t the cheapest solution but it is fairly complete. The larger Delta Pro (with the 30A RV socket) can be mated with another to supply 220 split phase to a sub panel. They also have a more permanent system for van lifers and off grid projects.
And yes, if you enjoy this sort of thing setting up solar can be a somewhat easy DIY project (at least if you screw it up you won’t have a basement full of water). However most home gamer solutions are 12 Volt systems which mean you’re dealing with high amperage and heavy gauge cables. The Ecoflow systems are 48 Volt systems internally and the solar charger is made to input up to 100 VDC, so that you can use much smaller gauge cable without losing current due to resistive loss. And unless you’re going with something like the larger Vitron systems the inverters aren’t going to tolerate big surges and spikes.
https://us.ecoflow.com
Thank you for the help RK. Looks like I could power my current small (1200 sq ft) house with the double Delta pro system and covering my roof in solar panels.
We’re in an HOA and I’d have to put in that other power panel with a bypass. Need to find out, I have a feeling the power company here wont allow you to put in a bypass, as the few neighbors I’ve talked to have it set up where the only benefit they receive is a much lower electric bill. They have no control over what they produce. Then again, they all seem to be about the tax credits around here.
The other thing is not knowing if we stay here. Arizona has become such a Marxist shithole I’m looking other places. I should probably just set up that Delta Pro down on my doomstead. I could probably take my well off the grid with that. one of those Eco-flow portables would work nice for our trailer, as its already propane for the little fridge, stove, and insta hot.
I have a little Honda gas generator for each place. They are super quiet to run. Thanks again for the link.
I posted a comment earlier that never showed up. Filters gone wild? Moderation of link, maybe?
Reposted here without link to CNBC today.
Vietnamese EV maker VinFast is now worth more than Ford and GM after Nasdaq debut
On Tuesday, the Vietnamese electric vehicle maker listed on Nasdaq following the completion of its merger with the U.S.-listed special purpose acquisition company Black Spade Acquisition.
In response to how VinFast plans to compete with the big players in a competitive market like the U.S., Lê said that there is enough market share for each player.
″[With] the whole world and U.S. in particular moving from internal combustion engines to EVs, there’s room for everybody.”
—
The words of actual communists, folks. And “Black Spade” acquisition? Isn’t that a “death card” a la Apocalypse Now? Is this the turnabout?
Hi Funk,
I don’t think VinFast (another treacly neologism; surprised it didn’t include “ster” in it, too) has sold 1,000 cars in the U.S.
If that.
This company is a frightening vampire squid.
Battery “subscriptions”…
The company is currently taking reservations for two electric SUVs, the midsize VF8 and larger VF9.
The VF8 and VF9 start at $57,000 and $76,000, respectively – but both can be ordered without batteries, lowering the up-front cost significantly, if the buyer opts for a monthly battery subscription. Without batteries, the VF8 and VF9 start at just over $42,000 and $57,500; the battery subscriptions are priced at $169 per month for the VF8 and $219 per month for the larger VF9.
Commie “conglomerate” invested in real estate, education, technology, and now EeeeeVeees, which are “not profitable”, but the business is valued on the US Stock Market at $85 billion…
While VinFast is new to the United States, it’s not a typical startup. Founded in 2017, VinFast is a unit of Vingroup, Vietnam’s largest conglomerate, which has interests in real estate development and education as well as a number of technology businesses.
But while Vingroup is well established in its home country, VinFast itself isn’t yet profitable: It lost about $1.3 billion in 2021, and an additional $1.4 billion through the first three quarters of 2022.
I’m sure the fellas bleeding out in my chopper would be happy to know the Vietnamese are doing so well in the US.
Wasn’t the US fighting in Viet Nam so that the Vietnamese would be free to do those kinds of things? The South Vietnamese were our allies. I think the sacrifice those men made worked out okay in a roundabout way. Not that they should have been forced to do it of course.
‘And “Black Spade” acquisition? Isn’t that a “death card” a la Apocalypse Now?’ — Funk Doctor Spidock
Dunno, but sounds rayciss as hell.
VinFast’s Asian owners still brush with Darkie toothpaste.
https://blackhistorycollection.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/dsc00578.jpg
I just re-watched the scene on YT and, yeah, it’s one of ’em. That scene is crazy, Kilgore’s troops have just razed a village and killed and maimed a whole bunch of folks while the US propaganda loudspeaker drones on “we are here to help you.” Sound familiar?
“Many were unable to rise above that during what was pushed as a “pandemic” (the only one that was ever declared that didn’t kill roughly 99 percent of the normally healthy population). “ Article
Those that in fact died did not die of any virus. The elderly were chosen to die as they are the most costly, especially to those that abhor Medicare/Medicaid and SS,,, and were/are the easiest to kill and get away with it. Using the required Covid protocol they were given remdesiver and put on ventilators. Remdesivir kills about 50% and the vents are 90% efficient at killing. The rest were killed by neglect, no food or water. Left alone to die. And what was the punishment? $$$$$$$$$$$$ paid by government per kill to hospitals and doctors. Far as I know,,, they’re still killing them. Here in Floriduh Desantis has extended the government reward to kill elderly. They have killed so many that they managed to lower the national life expectancy by a whopping two years!
EVs are just a small part of that big pot of boiling goo they’re stirring. About time to do a taste test before the 5 (five) minute cities are here. You would be amazed how many people are out there that would enjoy beating the crap out of you if you are a ‘rule breaker’. Ask the Aussies. They got it upfront and personal and are still getting it.
Can you tell me where you got the statistics that remdesivir kills 50%, and ventilators killed 90%? I would like to show that to people.
Well put: “The only way you can do it – and not feel complicit – is to not think about it. To pretend you don’t know what the Mafia thug did to that shop owner. And besides, it wasn’t you who did it. All you wanted was to do your business, right?”
Night before last we had a community wide power outage, PG&E. Some folks have bought Model 3 Teslas because of the price drops, and incentives, (Kick backs). I’m wondering if the utility has had to install some beefed up infrastructure to handle all the new loads. It will be interesting to talk to some of these folks about their battery charge status after the other night.
You paid how much? How damn dumb are ya?
If you’re rich, you wouldn’t be buying an EV, you’ll be buying a new Bombardier jet and hiring a pilot.
If you need to drive the streets of Moscow, you rent a limousine, a driver to take you there to the destination, then back to the airport for departure. Business is done.
Enjoy a fine dining experience, some vodka.
Rich people don’t live in Arizona and don’t camp at primitive camp grounds.
If anything, they’re in Nepal with Sherpa lifting the gear for the trip to a secure remote location. Send in the helicopter after the mission is complete.
A rich person wouldn’t be caught dead in a Rivian.
Hi Drump,
Yup! Being rich used to stereotypically mean you could be a snob. That’s still true, but “snob” is becoming synonymous with Leftist. That’s rich, isn’t it?
Is It Time to Ban Electric Vehicles?
https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/is-it-time-to-ban-electric-vehicles-5466935
Hi Horst,
I wasn’t able to get past Epoch’s paywall. I despise these. I will never put one up here.
Same reason I never read Epoch Times, Eric. Besides, they print some sketchy stuff.
Hmm. I never got a paywall notice. Maybe because I have Javascript disabled?
Checking. Yup. Enabling Javascript blocked me. No more Epoch Times links in the future.
Short term thinking indeed. That’s what’s been running the United States for the last 30 years. The day short term thinking was institutionalized was on April 9, 2001. That was the day that the SEC ordered the stock exchanges to begin decimalization. Why is that important? Well, when your minimum trade is in 1/16 of a dollar, about $0.06, the stock doesn’t move as quickly. This, along with fixed dollar commissions trades (May 1, 1975), Schawb’s bargain basement “brokerless” trades in the 1990s, and the rise of algorithmic programed trading from the big houses in the ’00s, meant the stock price lost any relationship to the company it represented. Nothing matters to the investor other than today’s gains. They’re not willing to wait for a new technology to pay off because they can get an extra nickel somewhere else today. And now thanks to the FED, forget dividends too, you can get better than 5% on CDs. So why sit on a dog stock for a 3% dividend? If it starts to move you can always buy it back later, right?
And once you incentivize your managers with options the only thing that matters is the stock price. Do the bare minimum to keep the company operational. Change the color scheme or logo font and act like it’s a revolution. Never mind the leaky roof, that’s the next guys’ problem. I’ll be promoted out of this shithole by then…
There’s growing pushback around the world against this INSANE push for “Net Zero” and “100% green energy”…….
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Transition-Tension-Greenlash-Wave-Jeopardizes-Energy-Reform.html
The fellow in that picture at the top appears to be virtue signaling about how he “Cares about the climate” (charging an EV instead of gassing up a gas vehicle) and “Cares about protecting the health of others” (Wearing a face diaper). The only thing he wasn’t doing was wearing something signifying he “Stands with Ukraine”.
Mercedes-Benz appears to be all in with the agenda of the WEF…….
https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/world-news/world-trade/mercedes-benz-disconnects-from-russia/
Alabama and governor mee maw just pissed away $1.2M on 16 charging stations. That’s $75K per station. What a waste of taxpayer money.
Wait until they start limiting fuel thus closing gas stations. Gee,,, the fun is just beginning! Soon you’ll have a couple bricked gas guzzlers and be out shopping for an EV. At least that’s their thinking and I don’t think its far fetched. Baaaa aaaaaa…..
Now that the SPR is empty, gas is going up bigly near me in Eastern NC. We’re now in the high threes, about to cross 4 the more remote you get. Wouldn’t be surprised to see $5/gal in a month or two.
The politically oriented SPR release was artificially keeping prices down by keeping supply up. Gas also figures in the monthly inflation stats so it seemed to be “moderating”. Now Brandon is lying 24 hrs a day about how “Bidenomics” is “winning.” Aren’t you glad your chocolate ration has increased from 40 grams to 20, comrade?
Oh be thankful you’re not paying Washington State prices. Thanks to the lunatic governor and complicit state house and senate we’re enjoying a “carbon fee” tacked on to our fuel. It’s high 4s to low 5s for gas per gallon. Monday was my annual scooter trip to Idaho, soon as we crossed over near Lewiston I saw a number of 3.89 gas signs for those lucky Idaho residents. The media here in WA either ignores or if a high gas price story airs, it’s blamed on “refinery maintenance” and “transportation issues”. The refineries are in north west WA near Anacortes, it’s all lies all the time here. Idaho is a lot further from Anacortes than Central Wa.
Sparkey,
The Robert Reich types will blame high gas prices on “Corporate greed”, “Putin”, or “MAGA Republicans”, and people who’ve been propagandized by the media will regurgitate it uncritically on social media.
First time seeing a photo of someone wearing the gaiter emblazoned with skulls and crossbones.
The symbolism – what it says – seems louder/harsher & more supportive of the idea that fear is in the air than does seeing someone wearing a simple dust mask or surgical mask.
All of the above ‘say’ the same thing of course, it’s just that the gaiter does so with a dark & deathly growl vs. the ~softer way the dust mask does & so-too the image of a clean cut doctor-looking guy filling up his EeeeVee is softer than the image of a military boot stomping on the face of humanity, forever.
Was there an angelic halo above the image of the doctor-looking guy? Somehow, it seemed like it.
In the city I lived in, in the Before Times, a few years before The Plandemic, it was slightly fashionable among a certain sub-set of motorcycle riders to wear dark clothing along with a vicious looking skull mask while riding.
The mask wearing back then conveyed the image of, “I’m a bad-ass, so don’t fuck with me!”. Or, ” I’m so bad, I Am a danger to you, yours & your property!” …To quite a number of people it surly must’ve been like the very air the skull mask wearing motorcycle riders exhaled was flames.
If I would have seen a rider pull up along side one of those guys at a stoplight while wearing a dust or surgical mask it would have been like seeing Mickey Mouse or Goofy alongside Darth Vader.
That’s, how wearing the gaiter emblazoned with skulls and crossbones is so much worse than a simple dust mask.
…Am I conveying that well? Idk.
P.S.
It only took 13 seconds for my comment to post.
is that Martin Brock? He’s younger then I thought from his comments!
Anyway that guy is not wearing a mask for protection against covid but for protection from law enforcement so him and his anti-fa fag buddies can loot and destroy with impunity.
The 2023 Rivian R1T has a Gross vehicle weight rating
of 8,532 lbs.
There have been studies about crashes where one vehicle weighs about 1000lbs more than the other, but the difference in injuries for occupants of both vehicles was small.
But an 8500lb. Rivian pickup truck could do a lot of damage to my 3,500lb. Toyota Camry … or a 2,400lb. Mazda Miata.
Hi Richard,
Blame government. The incentive to purchase heavier vehicles is based on the benefit of tax incentives (mainly depreciation) for businesses. The IRS has three levels of automobile deductions for organizations that purchase a car/truck/SUV/van for business.
1. Auto luxury limits (for any vehicle under 6000 pounds). The first year bonus depreciation is $20,200 for a vehicle purchased in 2023. The deprecation decreases each year for a maximum depreciation of $65,320 over a 5 year span if used 100% for business. If used less than a 100% for business the depreciation drops to that percentage used. If under 50% business use – no depreciation or expense is allowed.
Example, I buy a Lexus LS for about $80K under my business. The car weighs around 4000 pounds. I can take a depreciation deduction of $20,200 for 2023. A deprecation deduction of $19,500 in 2024, $11,700 in 2025, and $6960 in 2026 and 2027. The remaining $14,680 is not allowed. Note: These figures are based on 100% business usage (which is pretty rare so the depreciation is likely to be less than that).
2. Passenger vehicles over 6000 pounds to 14000 pounds – 80% of depreciation can be taken in the first year if purchased in 2023. The bonus deprecation deduction is $28,900.
I purchased a 2023 Jeep Wagoneer which has a weight of around 7600 pounds for $88,000. I can depreciate $70,400 the first year (100% bus use) with the remaining $17,600 to be depreciated over the next 4 years.
3. Non passenger vehicles over 6000 pounds (e.g. Ford F450, utility vans/trucks, etc.). Can be deducted in full in the year of purchase.
There is no incentive to make cars lighter because there is no tax benefit to do so. Why would I purchase a lighter vehicle when I can deduct an additional $50,200 in one year by purchasing a heavier vehicle. That saves me roughly $10K more in federal taxes and and an additional $7681 if self employed.
Thanks for that info, RG. Very enlightening.
Show me the incentive and I’ll tell you the outcome. -Charlie Munger
‘Buying EVs legitimizes the pushing of them. It normalizes EVs.’ — eric
On Monday, at a primitive campsite on the Mogollon Rim in Arizona, what do I see but a Rivian R1Teeee — a lard-ass tub weighing 7,000 lbs.
Its owner had last recharged at Village of Oak Creek, outside Sedona, and had about 120 miles of range left. Here is his plan for getting home today:
1. Drive 40 miles south to Payson. 2,500 ft altitude loss will contribute regenerative braking. Do partial recharge.
2. Drive 100 miles south to Phoenix. 3,500 ft altitude loss for regen braking. Partial recharge.
3. Drive 120 miles south to Tucson. 1,000 ft altitude gain. 🙁 Park in garage next to wife’s Chevy Bolt (with its own Level 2 charger), connect Level 2 charger to Rivian.
Was he annoyed by this elaborate procedure, to make a trip I could do on 3/4 tank? Why, no. Instead, he waxed poetic on the coming EeeVeeTopia of solid-state Miracle Batteries. Even chargers will have batteries, he enthused, to zap in a charge in 5 or 10 brief minutes.
His eyes gleamed with the passion of a religious convert as he completed this peroration. EMF sickness, I wondered?
Morning, Jim!
It’s bizarre, isn’t it? I cannot understand it myself. People embracing (and rationalizing away) inconvenience. Even odder to me is that this dude you met is rich (only rich people can afford a Rivian). Didn’t having money used to mean you avoided hassles? Of course, when it comes to EVs, it’s not the hassle that matters. It is the image that does.
Maybe Martin will elaborate!
Buying an EV will save the planet so your children will not have to move to another planet, and never visit you when you are old. A lot of people believe that. They are virtue signaling. I personally virtue signal by not buying a private jet, a Rolls Royce and a Rolex watch.
The EV “half ton” isn’t a religious artifact, it is a fetish object, a type of sex toy which stimulates a different pleasure center of the brain for a very wealthy segment of the population. The exclusivity of being a member of the club adds to the appeal.
I do believe that the EV truck Waterloo is coming shortly, when Elon cannot deliver the promise of the dopamine hit of the Cybertruck at a price the masses can afford.
‘Even odder to me is that this dude you met is rich (only rich people can afford a Rivian)’ — eric
Someone asked him what he paid for it (about $90K, probably, with options) and he got all coy about it.
‘If you have to ask, you can’t afford it,’ he advised smugly, citing a common cliche.
But we are talking about a classic Tucson liberal here … a species that’s almost Californicate in its virtue signaling.
Hi Jim,
Yup. I think that’s the key to understanding the EeeeeeeVeeeeee: It restores the exclusivity of vehicle ownership. What fun is it owning a $100k V8 Escalade when the vulgar cur who cuts your lawn can afford a $50k V8 Tahoe?
Or – for that matter – a $10k used V8 powered one?
Once again, GM’s badge branding backfires. I imagine a scene like the meme where the truthteller gets tossed out the window for stating the obvious…
https://imgflip.com/i/7vxjtk
Golly, why aren’t Cadillacs selling?
Marketing!
The economy!
Because they’re just rebadged Chevys that rattle after 6 months…
Rivian lost $6 billion last year selling ~ 20,000 vehicles, losing roughly $200k each.
The trucks are about to get very exclusive … when Rivian goes out of business.
What mystifies me is where the EV owners think the replacement batteries are going to come from if the manufacturer disappears or, in the case of the Leaf, the model goes out of production.
That’s a solid point.
“What mystifies me is where the EV owners think the replacement batteries are going to come from if the manufacturer disappears or, in the case of the Leaf, the model goes out of production.”
It’s the same mentality that’s ruining American business, they can’t see beyond the next quarterly report. Stock buy-backs to boost the stock price? How long can THAT stuff go on?
Hi Mark,
In re: “What mystifies me is where the EV owners think the replacement batteries are going to come from if the manufacturer disappears or, in the case of the Leaf, the model goes out of production.”
My take on this: They don’t care. Most EV people are affluent people. They do not keep any car for more than a few years before trading it in for new one (or a new leased one).
This EV thing is a class thing.
Good luck finding a Tahoe for $50K! A new one will set you back between $75-80K. A new Suburban is $90K-95K out the door. A Jeep Wagoneer is $87K out the door (not the extended version) which is over $100K. A Toyota Sequoia is between $85K-90K.
The starting MSRP price is garbage.
RG,
A few years ago, when I was looking for a MINI, I was at a Toyota dealer to look at a used one. Just for grins and giggles, I looked at the brand new Sequoia on the showroom floor; it was like $80K! I was like, seriously?
Hi Mark,
The prices on cars are ridiculous, but the prices on everything lately is ridiculous.
I needed price and availability on a new electrical panel (wholesale). This electrical panel was originally $200 just a year ago. Thirty phone calls later (because nobody had any) and the price was $900 for the one that was found. Remarking on the high price the distributor stated if you can find another one for cheaper “order it.” He was right. We paid the $900.
This is the new normal.
We are moving from LA to Tucson and hope to stay away from that breed. We were just hoping that by staying away from Whole Foods we avoid them. No worries, anyone on this site will help your cause. We had the land of Reagan, Prop 13, and initiatives for defense of marriage, secure borders, and elimination of race quotas stolen from us.
There’s the rub. It is the topic du jour at the cocktail party (or campfire ring). Narcissists have to be noticed for something, might as well be one of the 1% of the population that drives an EV. Once he becomes a bore, rambling on about his new toy, the reality will settle in. Like showing up in last year’s hot designer evening wear. Then it will quitely be traded in for something else and the search for the next popular gadget will begin.
This “solid state” battery that will magically eliminate the range problem really cracks me up. Just what is this battery made of, exactly? Even if such a miracle were to occur I’d like to know where the power is going to come from. Will there be substations on every corner with 115kv transmission lines running down your street? Try that with the Nimby crowd; not even a mention of where the actual power is going to come from as the greenies continue to shut down reliable base load generation.
Mike;
Yes, it seems that the more the battery tech improves the more stress there will be on the grid.
Toyota claims a range of 745 miles of range and a recharge time of 10 minutes.
If we assume a “middle of the road” number of 3.5 miles of range per kWh for a typical EV, that equates to 213 kWh transferred in 10 minutes.
Doing the math on that and assuming 15% loss, that equates to 1.5 megawatts of demand per charger.
So a charging station with 10 chargers would be 15 MW.
Imagine the infrastructure required…imagine handling a cable sized for 1.5 MW to plug your car in to recharge.
That’s a whole lot of copper. The wire price per foot is probably over $50.00.
Mike and Steve. You guys got it. The more energy density is packed into a battery, the more it will take to replenish. Those stated ’10 min’ recharge times do NOT tell you at what voltage. Probably 800v or more. That’s not going to happen anywhere but a commercial zone.
To get any decent charging times on any high-density battery to give decent range, you will need what the industry calls medium voltage of 1130 or 2160. This is power line stuff.
There still is no replacement for the mobile energy density in petroleum. And that’s the rub isn’t it.