Green Energy, Electric Cars - Catastrophic Failures

Environmentalists do not want to discuss this problem as they have enough trouble rationalization the base cost to own an electrical car. Even with the taxpayers footing a large portion of the bill, the cost per mile and the utility of an electrical car can not be made to look like a worth while expenditure of family budgetary funds.

Electric vehicles is just another failure of government picking winners and losers in the market place. The mere fact that it costing the taxpayer billions every year falls on deaf ears, just as Ethanol and solar panels bring virtually nothing to the energy table other then contributions, in the millions of dollars, to Democrat campaign organizations.

Green energy is just more waste, more corruption, more criminal activity and more middle and lower class dependence. Elections have consequences if you hadn't notice the price of food and gasoline.

Pricing Electric Cars
February 4, 2013
Source: Carroll Lachnit, "The True Cost of Powering an Electric Car," Edmunds.com, January 21, 2013.

The cost of electricity varies far more than the cost of gasoline. In order to truly figure out the cost of electric cars, discussion should focus not on gasoline savings but on the cost of electricity, says Carroll Lachnit, features editor at Edmunds.com.

• Electricity rates vary from state to state, ranging from an average of 8 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in Washington to 36 cent per kWh in Hawaii.
• Different rates means that an all-electric 2011 Nissan Leaf would cost only $28.29 to drive 1,000 miles in Washington state but more than $97 to drive that same distance in Hawaii.
• The cost of fueling an electric vehicle (EV) can be calculated by multiplying the vehicle's kWh/100 miles figure by the electricity rate to get the cost per 100 miles.
• If an EV requires 42 kWh to travel 100 miles and the cost of electricity is 10 cents/kWh, then it would cost $4.20 to travel 100 miles.

The cost of electricity is based on how much the utility company charges adjusted for when and how much is used. Without special plans to accommodate EV owners, the cost of charging at home could easily raise rates above the national average when added on top of existing electric usage to run a home.

• The Southern California Edison utility has created two specialized options for EV users aimed at reducing prices.
• The first offering provides a "super off-peak" rate of 10 cents per kWh for charging EVs from midnight to 6 a.m., when many EV owners will be in bed resting for their morning commute. In exchange, charging during the day will cost 55 cents per kWh.
• The second offering charges for the time-of-use. Customers pay to have a separate meter installed that monitors EV charging alone and assesses fees based on demand for electricity at the time of use with a discounted base rate of 11 cents per kWh for off-peak usage.

Ultimately, it is the onus of the consumer to research what rates are available in his or her area before purchasing an electric vehicle.