Who Killed the Electric Car?

A hundred years ago there were more electric cars on the road than gasoline powered vehicles. The Automobile Industry, decided we could go farther and get there faster. so they stopped producing electric cars. Fears of global warming and environmental concerns forced the automobile industry to re-introduce electric cars.

We took a break from watching my Dr. Who collection to watch this video last night. It clearly shows how our government and big business try to run and ruin our lives and succeed at doing so. Government and Big business are concerned more about the dollar than protecting the environment .

Alot of our problems and concerns that we look to government to correct will never happen. Why? Because doing so would upset the cashflow! Amnesty for illegal aliens...no change. Kick them out...cashflow upset!  Big business is no better.

If you are old enough you might remember reports of 200 mpg carbuerators. as the story goes, the patent was bought up and squashed never to be seen again. While that could be a rumor, Mobil bought the patent for a battery system developed in the last go round of electric cars that could out-live the car itself. It too has been squashed.

General Motors never had ANY intention of producing an electric car. They only did so because of laws passed in California, and made it fail intentionally with the backing of the oil industry and government. If you don't smell a conflict of interest here, then I suggest your head is located where you should be smelling something else.

Buy the DVD, Rent it, Download it, Watch it and Wake up! We Are Screwed!

If the electric car had been continued to be developed over the last hundred years...the environment would be in a better state today. Bailout the Auto Industry? Why so they can do more of the same to us?

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10 responses
I heard on the radio this week that Clinton had given quite a bit of money to the carmakers to develop gas saving ideas and they would not take it until the government agreed (1) that they would never MAKE the car makers actually USE any of it, and (2) the car makers would keep the patents. Ugh!Did you ever see that Tucker movie? It's worth seeing if you haven't.
— dewitte
I haven't seen that movie yet but I will. You remember what the name is?
— TechZilla
It is actually called Tucker, if I remember correctly.
— country_cinderella
Just found it a little while ago and netflix is sending it...
Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988)
— TechZilla
Forget bailing out the Big 3 Auto Makers, fund Tesla Motors instead. They are already selling electric cars, albeit expensive ones at the moment. Their plan is to make electric cars that average people can afford, but like all "new" technologies, it starts out expensive and gets cheaper as more people buy it.
— PhoneBoy
Toyota still is losing money on the Prius after 10 years. This is even with subsidies and tax breaks for buyers. Government and environmental wackos seem to think they are car designers by the way they demand technology that doesn't exist.
If we invest in anything, it should be in research. If all the car makers put thier heads together and developed a new technology as a consortium, the cost to do that would be equally shared and able to be used by everybody.
I think we ought to let the Big 3 fall flat on thier face. It won't stay that way for long if they want to stay in business. They need to look at other business models.
Look what VW did. They took a basic design everybody loved and slowly made minor changes to the very same car for many years. Why the hell do we NEED so many models to choose from? Screw the individualism factor...give us something we can afford and looks good and gets us there economically.
The Unions are the biggest problem. the other manufactures don't have them and turn a nice profit and the workers are happy to have a job.
— TechZilla
I think to say that the Unions are the biggest problem is way too much of a generalization. And to say that other workers at other manufactures are happy to have their jobs, well yeah they are happy to have A job. Plenty of non-union manufactures go out of business on a regular basis. The Unions are there for the people to have a united system behind them willing to go to bat for them if something goes wrong between the worker and the company, or even between worker and worker. I am not a member of the Auto Workers Union but I am a Union member in my trade. I have also worked places where there were no unions and I have only worked one place where the company seemed to be treating its people as well as a union would bargain for. The rest of the non union places I have worked the companies pushed and pushed because the workers had no one to help them fight back. I have also been witness to some really bad unions. It is not Unionism that is bad it is the corrupt officers that make it to power in some unions. These people only make it to power when union members do not pay attention and participate in who is being elected to represent them. Just like in government.Toyota uses Union auto workers in its American plants and they are not looking to be bailed out.The local auto worker unions near me have had to make many concessions over the past few years in the name of helping the companies stay competitive and afloat. Greed is the problem plain and simple. The greed of the auto makers, the greed of the workers that abuse the compensation systems, the greed of the insurance companies that impose overly strict safety rules (which they of course do not do until they first time they have to pay out money, then they go extreme), the greed of the material suppliers. It is a cyclical process things get really really bad and everyone is willing to take just enough to get by so that they do not kill the cash cow, but when things start getting better, then taking a little bit more seems okay, until the greed gets the better of everyone and they all want more than the next guy and they take take take until the cash cow is emaciated and near death.Sorry my post got so long and gabby. I just got on a rambling roll.
— country_cinderella
The Big 3 should fall flat on their face. Toyota is as much part of the problem as the Big 3. The biggest problem with electric cars are the batteries. They comprise the most weight and battery disposal/replacement isn't cheap. Recharge time is also a factor.
— PhoneBoy
Mobil bought the patent for a battery that would out live a car...where is it? Electric cars would suit the needs of 90% of the population. I haven't taken a vacation since I lived on lazywoods. But I do drive over 200 miles at a pop. So for now I fall into the 10% group...but they also have car rental agencies for the other 90% when they need it.
— TechZilla
Actually I love your post! Very good comments. The actual costs that the UAW has managed to add to the cost of a car is staggering. Get those costs down..they will sell more cars. The govenment is more afraid of losing revenue and upsetting the apple cart. AS in let's bail then out so we still get the same level of tax money.
Unions do have there place but it's obvious when it boils down to things...it's all about the money and what they are capable of doing is not nececessarily in our best interests when we let them do it.
— TechZilla