Jun 5, 2022·edited Jun 5, 2022Liked by Jeffrey Carter
At the very moment when the government has proven itself corrupt and incompetent at everything it does, it seems people more and more default to having the government do everything for them. Is this some kind of infantilization, where the government is the Dad that people never had, who’s going to magically drop out of the sky and fix everything? It makes no sense. Everything the government touches these days is a scam, which wasn’t always the case in the past, but it seems like it’s always the case now. Everyone can see this, yet they pretend it’s not true, they prefer delusions. Weird. The times we live in are not just stupid they’re mentally ill.
I think that it is a function of how government sees its role in our society. If we look at it politically, Marxists see it as 100%. Socialists 100% except for a few who feed off it; Democrats 90% except for many on their side who feed off of it GOPe 50%. The real question is what do the others see govt role as being.
One interesting thing I see is that a lot of crypto fan boys think they are reinventing capitalism, and capitalism is a poor mismatch for the crypto economy.
There's a cool video on YouTube comparing the total cost of ownership of a Mini Cooper S with the SE version, and the EV wins hands down. If the owner has solar as well, the monthly commute bill can be in single figures. If you do long trips, maybe not, but for a town car the EV is perfect. Disclosure: I'm a climate skeptic. I don't believe in robbing the poor to give to the rich, and thus subsidies to EV purchasers are morally wrong.
You are correct. I think that setup can work and I considered it-and still am considering it. Currently I have a RAM pick up truck and a Porsche diesel. But, you need to buy all the infrastructure and install it. That has to cost $100k-and the EV is your "in town car". So, it's really only the wealthy that can do that. Agree on subsidies. One of the best positive externalities of EV cars is no noise pollution and cleaner air. In places like LA, Phoenix and Las Vegas, that is a nice to have.
Given that EVs take a while to charge, the current gas station / convenience store model is probably not the right one...who wants to hang around a convenience store for 45 minutes (or more) while your car charges? Better option: locate them in the parking lots of casual-serve restaurants so you can have your car charged while you enjoy the all-day breakfast (or whatever) at Cracker Barrel.
Right. If there is a market for it, wouldn't Cracker Barrel be putting in the right kind of charging stations in? Would be good business for them because they could charge for electric, and food plus sell stuff out of their kitschy store. The question is why aren't they doing it?
What about the electric vehicle manufacturers building out the charging stations? I stumbled upon a Tesla charging stations in the parking lot of a Culver’s restaurant in Wisconsin two years ago. Let the manufacturers hold the responsibility for supporting their product. If Elon can power transport to Mars (a bit like New Orleans, btw) he can figure out charging stations. Get solar panels atop every building along the highway. Build more nukes. Just get it done.
I like when someone asks a simple, obvious question, like Mr. Carter has done. Maybe the answer the EV companies won’t say out loud is, “Why do it when the government will do our bidding”?
As an aside, here’s the best overview of the carbon footprint of an EV, and it’s from Volvo. Amazingly it’s not all pro-EV, meaning it’s honest. The basic answer is that it takes many miles for an EV to better the carbon footprint of an ICE vehicle. I wonder why no other car manufacturer has released such an honest assessment? It’s so easy to be fair and honest, but no one seems interested in virtue any more.
The benedict piece is fascinating. So is the traffic jam video. Having just been in LA, those effects are brutal. So many 60 to 20mph breaking events, and they are dangerous and nerve wracking as they come out of nowhere. My neighbors house went up for sale yesterday and lots of fancy tesla's parked on the street. If you like the looks, status and speed, great. But don't tell me that a car with an entire floor of batteries is an eco revolution! Like you say, no free lunch.
At the very moment when the government has proven itself corrupt and incompetent at everything it does, it seems people more and more default to having the government do everything for them. Is this some kind of infantilization, where the government is the Dad that people never had, who’s going to magically drop out of the sky and fix everything? It makes no sense. Everything the government touches these days is a scam, which wasn’t always the case in the past, but it seems like it’s always the case now. Everyone can see this, yet they pretend it’s not true, they prefer delusions. Weird. The times we live in are not just stupid they’re mentally ill.
I think that it is a function of how government sees its role in our society. If we look at it politically, Marxists see it as 100%. Socialists 100% except for a few who feed off it; Democrats 90% except for many on their side who feed off of it GOPe 50%. The real question is what do the others see govt role as being.
One interesting thing I see is that a lot of crypto fan boys think they are reinventing capitalism, and capitalism is a poor mismatch for the crypto economy.
There's a cool video on YouTube comparing the total cost of ownership of a Mini Cooper S with the SE version, and the EV wins hands down. If the owner has solar as well, the monthly commute bill can be in single figures. If you do long trips, maybe not, but for a town car the EV is perfect. Disclosure: I'm a climate skeptic. I don't believe in robbing the poor to give to the rich, and thus subsidies to EV purchasers are morally wrong.
You are correct. I think that setup can work and I considered it-and still am considering it. Currently I have a RAM pick up truck and a Porsche diesel. But, you need to buy all the infrastructure and install it. That has to cost $100k-and the EV is your "in town car". So, it's really only the wealthy that can do that. Agree on subsidies. One of the best positive externalities of EV cars is no noise pollution and cleaner air. In places like LA, Phoenix and Las Vegas, that is a nice to have.
Given that EVs take a while to charge, the current gas station / convenience store model is probably not the right one...who wants to hang around a convenience store for 45 minutes (or more) while your car charges? Better option: locate them in the parking lots of casual-serve restaurants so you can have your car charged while you enjoy the all-day breakfast (or whatever) at Cracker Barrel.
Right. If there is a market for it, wouldn't Cracker Barrel be putting in the right kind of charging stations in? Would be good business for them because they could charge for electric, and food plus sell stuff out of their kitschy store. The question is why aren't they doing it?
What about the electric vehicle manufacturers building out the charging stations? I stumbled upon a Tesla charging stations in the parking lot of a Culver’s restaurant in Wisconsin two years ago. Let the manufacturers hold the responsibility for supporting their product. If Elon can power transport to Mars (a bit like New Orleans, btw) he can figure out charging stations. Get solar panels atop every building along the highway. Build more nukes. Just get it done.
That is one way to do it!
I like when someone asks a simple, obvious question, like Mr. Carter has done. Maybe the answer the EV companies won’t say out loud is, “Why do it when the government will do our bidding”?
As an aside, here’s the best overview of the carbon footprint of an EV, and it’s from Volvo. Amazingly it’s not all pro-EV, meaning it’s honest. The basic answer is that it takes many miles for an EV to better the carbon footprint of an ICE vehicle. I wonder why no other car manufacturer has released such an honest assessment? It’s so easy to be fair and honest, but no one seems interested in virtue any more.
https://www.volvocars.com/images/v/-/media/project/contentplatform/data/media/my23/xc40-electric-light/volvo-cars-LCA-report-xc40.pdf
The benedict piece is fascinating. So is the traffic jam video. Having just been in LA, those effects are brutal. So many 60 to 20mph breaking events, and they are dangerous and nerve wracking as they come out of nowhere. My neighbors house went up for sale yesterday and lots of fancy tesla's parked on the street. If you like the looks, status and speed, great. But don't tell me that a car with an entire floor of batteries is an eco revolution! Like you say, no free lunch.