who killed the electric car...

[retroworm]

Say you had an EV, and you drove it and loved it.

Now you see if only you do it, just one person, nothing really happens ...you save some money and we all breath a little easier ...pending you charge it with green energy.

But say all your family and friends and there friends and your whole city start to drive them.
Gas stations will have to lay off staff.
Fuel companies will notice a small loss in sails.
The government will not see the tax revenue from the fuel.
Oil change, muffler, automatic transmission, mechanics and tune up shops, will start to lay off staff and some will close all together.
Air and Oil filter plants will see loses.
Car companies will start to slow production as people will keep there cars longer as they break down less.
Soon many people are out of work and the government loses even more money when income tax revenue goes down and unemployment goes up.

In the end, if you have an EV, you save money, and every one else loses out, and if people find out that they can go and with high school shop knowledge, convert an older compact car to full electric with spare parts, the economy as we know it will crumble and chaos will ensue.

This gave me some chuckles...

"Gas stations will have to lay off staff."
Probably, but most gas stations make money from a lot more than just selling gas.

"Fuel companies will notice a small loss in sails."
Yes, and after thinking about it, will start producing some more useful goods. You can make lots of great stuff out of oil.

"The government will not see the tax revenue from the fuel."
I have a suspicion that they'll quickly figure new creative ways to tax something else.

"Oil change, muffler, automatic transmission, mechanics and tune up shops, will start to lay off staff and some will close all together."
What stops them from maintaining electric cars?

"Air and Oil filter plants will see loses."
Or produce something fancy for electric cars?

"Car companies will start to slow production as people will keep there cars longer as they break down less."
That's just assuming electric cars do last longer. Engine probably does, but wear and tear is quite universal to all materials. Even if it is true I have no idea how this is a bad thing.

"Soon many people are out of work and the government loses even more money when income tax revenue goes down and unemployment goes up."
New technology creates new jobs, maybe replacing old ones. That's progression and society adapts to it. World didn't end when thousands of shovelers lost their jobs to large digging rigs.

[Overmind]

Bottom line is that too much $-hungry people will have less $ to drain from their businesses.
Imagine having world-wide wireless power and electric cars. Every oil-related business would instantly FAIL.
That's why high end tech will never hit the civilian market.

[AlanA]

It seems that will have electric cars in the future. There is a hype around this cars (Tesla, GM Volt, …) Many people in the overunity-community can hardly wait fort hese cars. 
A few days ago everybody can read the news about the leaked phone conversation from the secretive CEO of Texas-based eeStore. He revealed that they will produce a ground-breaking mega-capacitor (see: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/technology/news/article.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10587618)

Also some MIT students announced a new electric car (187 kW AC induction motor, 0 to 60 in just 9 seconds and achieve a top speed of 100 mph at 12,000 RPMs, charge time: 10 minutes, range 200 miles) (see: http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/10-minute-charge-for-student-built-electric-car/). 
Doesn’t that sounds great.

But have they ever thought how expensive it would be to charge up these batteries. To charge up the batteries from the MIT car you will pay â,¬ 70,00/$ 50,00.
Ok, may be there will be no pollution. But it will not be cheap!!!

[mscoffman]

It's too bad that none of the companies that are talking
about retrofitting efficient engines/transmissions into existing
cars were ready during the US now terminated "Cash for Clunkers"
program. That would have been a ready source of OK vehicles
and would have generated amazing amount of positive press
coverage. I'm thinking of the MYT engine and others. See...
the MIBS drained a ready source of convertable vehicles
while gaining nothing but long term costs for the economy.
Hold onto your hats if the "CO2 cap and trade" bill passes.

:S:MarkSCoffman

[triffid]

I heard someone else saying that "cash for clunkers program" is a repeat of "who killed the electric car" since in both cases the cars are to be crushed with no parts removed for an aftermarket.Triffid