Electric Cars: Cost Effective If Gas Cost $8 a Gallon

If you’ve been wondering whether the money you’d save on gas can justify the higher costs of electric vehicles such as the Chevy Volt or Nissan Leaf, here’s your answer.

A WSJ story about the “Bumpy Road” facing electric vehicles offers this key estimate:

Absent the government incentives—which could be ended at any time—Boston Consulting Group’s Xavier Mosquet estimates that gasoline prices must rise to $8 to $9 a gallon before electric cars will be cost-effective for buyers.

Since most electric vehicles seem to be limited to 100 miles before needing a recharge, I also worry about what might be called the “road trip factor.” How can you even think about a road trip with one of these cars? Even if there were plenty of recharging stations out there, it’d be difficult to make good time on a longer journey if you had to regularly pull over and spend several hours recharging your car. So you’d probably have to own another vehicle just for longer journeys, or perhaps you’d have to rent another car from time to time—and who wants to spend money on either of those after purchasing an expensive new high-tech car?

Don’t get me wrong: I’m rooting big-time for electric vehicles, and I hope that one day no one is filling their cars with gasoline. It just seems like, as things now stand, they’re only practical in very specific situations. And they’re cost-effective in even fewer situations.

How 7-Eleven’s New Slurpee Rollout Is Perfectly Shaped to Attract Crowds All Summer

Nowadays, retailers and manufacturers can’t merely introduce a new product to consumers and call it a day. The way that 7-Eleven is launching “Slurpee Lite,” its new low-calorie drink, shows how a product rollout must be an “event.” This week’s event includes a big Slurpee giveaway.

Why This May Be the Ideal Time to Buy Real Estate

Well, it’s only taken half a decade, but the moribund real estate market is finally starting to show signs of life. If you were thinking about making a move on a piece of property, right now is possibly the best time. You can still take advantage of low prices in most places around the country, and mortgage rates are at once-in-a-lifetime record lows: 30- and 15-year fixed mortgages are around 4% and 3%, respectively.

http://projectreincarnate.wordpress.com projectreincarnate

A couple of significant details were conveniently left out of this picture that Mr. Brad Tuttle paints for us. Have you done the actual research necessary to back your claims up?

1. Gasoline might actually cost $8-9/gallon if the government didn’t directly and indirectly subsidize the oil companies at the level of ~$70 billion per year. New electric vehicle purchase subsidies are economic crumbs when compared oil subsidies, that the industry has enjoyed for decades.

2. DIY gas-to-electric drive conversions can be done easily for $10K, WITHOUT government subsidies. If you paid someone to do the conversion, that would add another $6K or so. If the government subsidized conversions at the same level as they do new car purchases, conversions would be a no-brainer.

Oddly, even though DIY conversions and new EV purchases both boast ZERO emissions, only the latter get subsidized heavily. Could this have something to do with the lobbying power of Big Auto?
http://kentuckyish.wordpress.com kentuckyish

I have suspected that there is little economic incentive to such cars given the current state of subsidies, taxes and fuel costs. As far as practicality goes, at least the Chevy Volt has a small gas motor which extends its range to 310 miles (is it really electric then?).

Environmentally, the car would help push emissions to coal power plants instead of individual vehicles. However, I’d think a true environmentalist would be concerned not just about smog in their metro area but also about how key materials such as lithium are extracted by entities like the Bolivian government. I’m sure Bolivians like their water with a hint of lithium in it.
tedword

projectreinCARnate seems very unbiased (lol!) I just checked the website and it is an organization to supporting, explaining and educating on the conversion of gas-to-electric cars.
Mr. Tuttle was commenting on an article already written in WSJ and he simply mentioned that electric cars will need to be more convenient to make it practical/possible for the masses.
I happen to think your your organization is a great method for informing people but don’t shoot the messenger – reread the blog and I think you’ll see that your comments actually have nothing to do with Mr. Tuttle’s article.
reilly1235

Auto makers are yet to come up with a plan that would make electric cars affordable compared to the cars that consume diesel and petrol..With several billions being invested by the US government in providing federal grants to electric auto makers,we may very soon see an affordable electric car..
http://www.thegreenautos.com