My family and friends think I’m a bit of a green nut. It started when I went almost entirely organic about three years ago, buying organic food whenever possible. That included milk, eggs, and meat that were effectively twice the cost of their hormone-injected brethren. With each new lease expiry I’ve lowered the size and cost of my car while increasing the mileage: Pontiac Grand Am GT Turbo in 2000, Saturn ION3 in 2003, and Nissan Versa SL in 2007. Almost every light in my house is now low wattage, I buy biodegradable cleaning products and detergents, and we no longer leave the outside light on unless one of us is arriving home late and needs to see up the walk. Due to composting and recycling efforts I put out approximately one bag of garbage every two weeks.
But I have this unfathomable disgust for the electric car.
I can’t explain it but it’s always been there, since I heard of the first electric car when I was barely above a toddler. I’ve always been irritated by the idea of an electric car, and have never considered it a viable option for myself. Friends and colleagues have requested I join Facebook groups in support of the electric car – specifically Canada’s ZENN – and one in particular just about demanded I watch the documentary ‘Who Killed the Electric Car?’. The documentary changed nothing.
I think my major issue is that it appears every supporter of the electric car is under the misguided opinion that the electricity the car runs on is created by magic. As if the fact that the emissions coming at the beginning of the fuel cycle matter less than the emissions currently exiting at the end from our gas-powered vehicles. Specifically looking at the ZENN it gets even worse – it requires eight hours to charge, and that charge will carry you for a whopping 56km. Then you get to call a gas-powered tow truck to carry you back to your magic electricity machine. Oh, and did I note yet that it carries a max speed of 40km/h? Of course it shouldn’t be on the road! How many 40km/h stalled vehicles do we require on Canadian streets?
Forgive me, tree-hugging hippie friends. I’ve come a long way in my social and environmental responsibility, but you lost me on this one.
Today’s Random Links
Carleton cancels cystic fibrosis fundraiser as it only affects white men.
Police dash cam catches falling meteor over Edmonton.
For Cliff – cat tries to jump, gets owned.
“Let me Google that for you..” Hilarious!
Now Playing
Vince Guaraldi Trio – A Charlie Brown Christmas
I always thought the steam engine was the way to go.
Do you have the same hatred for hybrids?
Here’s a thought… instead of the goal at all auto companies being ‘more horsepower at all costs’… make the goal ‘more efficiency at all costs’. Really, it’s not a difficult concept. If you make cars 50% more efficient… guess how much longer the world’s oil supply will last.
I think the bigger issue is demand. We’ve somehow become a society whose sole goal is self-pleasure, with very little thought to anything outside of that. Years ago trucks and small trucks (pre-SUVs) were for contractors and people who hauled things; today, people authorize getting one because they might move in three years.
Small cars really didn’t start taking off in North America until gas got so high that it was hitting everyone in the wallet. That’s pretty much what it takes.
The cat owner is a jerk!