Quote:
Originally Posted by island911
No, it's more than that - you just said so. " government subsidies or rebates. Just the costs that Joe Public "
It's a technology push at tax-payer expense. There is no free-lunch when it comes to cars. Cars take resources. Electric cars take more, but at least they play a shell game to confuse the consumer. ooooh, look, free power... no tax... look at those suckers paying road tax... sales tax. I'm rolling in my $100k electric laptop on wheels, beotches..  |
Trains, planes, automobiles... Add to that computers, food, paint, communication, etc. Many things we have available to us in our daily lives have been 'improved' or 'reinvented' at taxpayer expense. Military airplane technology has made commercial flying safer, NASA furthered computer technology (and paint technology too), think of Jeeps and WWII, the intercontinental railway, Tang....
Yes, cars take resources, all in varying amounts. Isn't that part of this - being able to choose what works best for you. Teslas are cars - they have certain costs, they have a visceral appeal to some, they fit certain lifestyle needs. People will buy them if they like them, they will buy a Porsche if that is the car that fulfills their needs/wants.
However, that Porsche will never get 'cleaner'. As time goes on, the cats, seals, etc wear down, and more pollutants are released, just the way combustion engines are - part of the 'costs'. The energy used to power an electric car is getting cleaner - every day power companies clean up the grid - with better scrubbers, with cleaner fuels, with wind and solar. The Tesla will only get 'cleaner' with age, again a cost or benefit that some people will consider.
Choice is good. And what is wrong with people buying Teslas for 'image' - you do remember you are on a Porsche site - right?