The American Spectator

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Going for Barack

5.2.08 @ 12:01AM

(Page 3 of 6)

Race may matter somewhat. But it pales in comparison to the realization that one's hero has feet of clay.
-- Arnold Ahlert
Boca Raton, Florida

DON'T GET ME STARTED
Re: Eric Peters's Plug-in -- And Pay Up:

Mr. Peters's article about the cost of "Plug-In" cars is informative and we need this kind of analysis to counteract some of the hype. To go further:

A 20 HP electric motor, at 85% efficiency (a generous number) would consume 17.6 KW hours of electricity to go 40 miles in 1 hour, assuming average urban driving conditions. To recharge the battery, assuming a battery charger efficiency of 85% (also generous) would require 20.7 KW hours. Since the average household electrical outlet would be limited to about 1.8KW, it would take 11.5 hours to re-charge the battery for a 40 mile trip.

The cost of electricity varies greatly, depending on where you live from 6 cents per KW hour in Tennessee to nearly 17 cents in Hawaii. Assuming California (12 cents) it would cost $2.48 to re-charge for a 40 mile trip. That's $0.0621 per mile.

A Prius gets about 50 miles per gallon and at $4.00 for gasoline, that's $0.08 per mile. So the savings of the Plug-In would be $0.0175 per mile. Assuming 12,000 miles per year, the total annual savings would be $214.40. So if the price difference between a Plug-In and a Prius is $15,000, it would take roughly 70 years to amortize the cost difference.

Furthermore, an estimated cost difference of only $15,000 is highly optimistic. One Plug-In car maker in CA estimates the battery cost for his prototype costs $92,000.

Fact is we're not there yet with Plug-In cars, and have a long way to go before we will be. Toyota understands this very well -- hence the Prius. GM also understands this -- hence the Volt remains a "concept car."
-- John Music
Temecula, California

There is yet another cost that Mr. Peters has ignored: the cost of recycling the battery pack in these electric wonders. They contain extremely toxic metals which cannot just be thrown into a landfill, but which will require special handling. Energy efficient light bulbs are another example, but that's another story. Is the cost of oil and the resultant pollution of a conventional, internal combustion engine so bad when the TOTAL cost is computed? Someone better do the math quickly.
-- Patrick Slamon

"If we can figure out a way to produce large amounts of low-cost electricity..."

How about figuring out how to neuter the EPA. How about setting an energy policy that's Nuclear Power friendly. How about turning loose the Oil companies and letting them drill, drill, drill. How about some new oil refineries. How about eliminating the ethanol mandates. How about allowing science, technology, the free market, and American ingenuity do what it does best without government interference. Innovate!
-- Robert Welcher

Mr. Peters is right on target. People need to read this article. By the way, my son in-law works for GM. And one thing, he did not mention was the cost and when the battery might need to be replaced which would be important as well. My son in-law could not tell me when but the cost would not be cheap.
-- Joseph D'Ambrosia

One thing you don't factor in to this article is what I'll call the "Green Factor" which is where people desire to be environmentally friendly. GM didn't factor that in when they applied the numbers to doing a hybrid similar to the Prius. The numbers said it was not a good economic decision and GM went with "logic" to their detriment...and Toyota overtook them as the world's largest auto producer. I will grant you that a $3,000 to $4,000 premium is a lot less than a $15,000 premium for a new car!
-- David Prahl
Fort Wayne, Indiana

Mr. Peters forgets one critical thing -- you are still paying for the energy to power the dang thing. We already have in many areas of the country "brown and black-outs" from energy consumption outpacing electrical power production. Electric ought to be cheap, we do not need to burn fossil fuels to produce it, and we have hydro-electrical power -- wait! Can't dam rivers and put generators on them. We have nuclear powered -- wait! No new nuclear power plant has been built in the USA since the 1970s. We have wind farms, but that is not enough power for all the thousands of "electric plug-in" cars we will soon have.

Our monthly bills are near $200 for our 1876 sq ft house built in 1996 with lots of Energy Star appliances. In addition, shutting off AND unplugging items when not in use. How much more will the bill be when you transfer the costs of energy to power your vehicle?

Letter to the Editor

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