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Not a Buick....but amusing


Barney Eaton

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Georgetown TX where the photo was taken has been on national news because they claim to be totally renewable electric wise.

They signed some long term electrical contracts with wind and solar companies in West Texas....turns out the cost of the contracts

is more than they can buy power from other sources and the local headlines says they lost 23 million on electrical contracts in 2019.

Fortunately, I am on a different electrical grid, so I am not worried about my electric bill going up to cover the losses.

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Yawn is the overlooked, good part. In previous times weather and climate anomalies resulted in the "wise men", elders,, and various levels of leadership throwing  young women into a volcano or offer up her life to appease the supreme powers. Be glad it's merely a conversation between old men.

 

Maybe some enlightenment about Ben Franklin, George Washington, and John Quincy Adams promoting the deforestation of the colonies to warn the weather up would be good, as well. It all will, eventually affect the car hobby.

 

Bernie

 

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If every car is eventually electric, from where will the taxes come for road maintenance?  I think a few states are beginning to realize this and they'll start hitting the owners of electric vehicles with an excise tax.  If not, those few of us left still driving bs powered vehicles will see hefty taxes on the fuel that we buy.

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1 hour ago, RivNut said:

If every car is eventually electric, from where will the taxes come for road maintenance?  I think a few states are beginning to realize this and they'll start hitting the owners of electric vehicles with an excise tax.  If not, those few of us left still driving bs powered vehicles will see hefty taxes on the fuel that we buy.

 

I think Ohio charges a flat $200/year for EV ownership.  I'm not sure how that adds up mathematically in terms of gas mileage and spending, but I certainly don't like the idea of every owner paying the same.  That makes no sense, but I'm not sure how to do it fairly either.  Some people drive 70,000 miles a year on highways.  Some drive 5000 total and never leave town. 

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I would assume that you would have to report your odometer readings yearly or quarterly and be assesd by that.  I can't see an electric 18 wheeler paying only $200 per year and calling that fair.  They'd like it of course, but.....

 

According to some info from the Wall Street Journal, the average driver puts about 13,500 miles per year on a car. The same source says that the average fuel economy in recent years is about 22 mpg.  If that were the case in Kansas, where the tax on gas is $.24 per gallon, then the AVERAGE Kansan would be paying about $145 per year in gas taxes. Kansas has one of the lowest tax rates; go figure the same for your state.  Pennsylvania has the highest, Alaska has the lowest, followed by Missouri. (If you drive on Missouri roads and cross their bridges, you'll understand why.)

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The OBD3 roadside monitors will probably read and accrue your mileage while they pick up efficiency data.

 

The income opportunities have, surely, not been overlooked by the regulatory committees. If a new, electric car is owned by one "wealthy" enough to have a new car, the "wealthy" will be taxed in a manner to provide parity for the "poor" owner of an older gasoline powered car. Its a basic Robin Hood principle.

 

They are taxing sunshine in Arizona today because "wealthy" home owners can install solar panels. While the "poor" renter has to pay the utility provider. Its all planned and on the way.

Bernie

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There are practical solutions to the battery problem with electric cars.  I don't necessarily agree that the "future is stupid", as the captioned photo shows, but there are some teething problems with the electrics.  Turn the clock back to the days before gasoline stations, when gasoline was purchased from a drug store.  Gas stations weren't everywhere for a good long time in early automobile days.  Not to mention the gasoline that was available was pretty bad stuff.  There are a lot of articles in various publications from the 1907-1910 era discussing various additives in gasoline as attempts to increase the oxygen content.  It is interesting to read about the learning curves of automobile manufacturers, engineers, and interested citizens in working to, trying to improve automotive technology and performance.  In those days of the many electric brands of cars and trucks in service, basically they (in 1908) achieved the same mileage per battery loads that are achieved by today's "high tech" electric cars.  That in spite of today's vastly superior tire, suspension, and streamlined body designs.  Basically electric vehicles are no better mileage performers in year 2020 than the electrics were in 1908.  While there are major mechanical differences between gasoline powered vehicles in 1908 and 2020, unfortunately the mileage-per-gallon difference is not all that great.  The early 2 cylinder and 4 cylinder cars turned in acceptable mileage figures even by today's standard.  My 1950 Plymouth turned in a solid 11 miles per gallon, my 1965 Mustang, inline 6 cylinder and 3-speed manual would consistently turn in 29 miles per gallon, while a VW bug at that time would turn in 30 or 32 mpg.  Even from the days of 1965 our modern economy cars have not made really major improvements in mileage performance.  My 1982 Subaru (4-speed manual) generally turned in a solid 25 or 26 mpg.  By comparison my buddies '24 Model T Ford would turn in 24 mpg.  Today's top mileage leaders are turning in mpg's in the high 30s, even 45 and pushing 50.  And they are doing that with smaller and lighter cars, smaller engines and turbo chargers.

 

Not sure where I am rambling to with this, but I think the electrics need to be given at least an atta boy for trying.  While a gas buggy is dependent on oil pumped out of the ground, an electric is also dependent on some form of energy.  It is all about energy conversion from one form into another to make it useful to propel a conveyance.

 

Charge It 01.jpg

Charge It 02.png

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