I believe that any company should be able to sell any product (legal products) to any ready and willing buyer. If somebody "feels" that they are going to save the earth by buying an electric car - go for it! But why, oh why, make me pay for it?
Please, just don’t think electric vehicles are “zero emission.” (see paragraph 4:
Devonshire Research Group Announces the Issuance of Tesla's Intellectual Property Research Analysis) Not only is the cost of producing the batteries bad for the environment, so is the disposal. And, as previously mentioned, where exactly do these “believers” think this “zero emission” electricity comes from?
Elon Musk (CEO of Tesla) has received over $4,900,000,000.00 dollars (yep, that’s 4.9 BILLION dollars) in government support for the various businesses he runs (
Elon Musk's growing empire is fueled by $4.9 billion in government subsidies - LA Times). The Tesla 3 is expected to sell for about $35k. After even more “subsidies” it could actually come in at $25k.
The federal government has a HORRIFIC track record when investing in new “green” technology. Want some examples? Here are just a few:
Evergreen Solar ($25 million)*
SpectraWatt ($500,000)*
Solyndra ($535 million)*
Beacon Power ($43 million)*
Nevada Geothermal ($98.5 million)
SunPower ($1.2 billion)
First Solar ($1.46 billion)
Babcock and Brown ($178 million)
EnerDel’s subsidiary Ener1 ($118.5 million)*
Amonix ($5.9 million)
Fisker Automotive ($529 million)
Abound Solar ($400 million)*
A123 Systems ($279 million)*
Willard and Kelsey Solar Group ($700,981)*
Johnson Controls ($299 million)
Schneider Electric ($86 million)
Brightsource ($1.6 billion)
ECOtality ($126.2 million)
Raser Technologies ($33 million)*
Energy Conversion Devices ($13.3 million)*
Mountain Plaza, Inc. ($2 million)*
Olsen’s Crop Service and Olsen’s Mills Acquisition Company ($10 million)*
Range Fuels ($80 million)*
Thompson River Power ($6.5 million)*
Stirling Energy Systems ($7 million)*
Azure Dynamics ($5.4 million)*
GreenVolts ($500,000)
Vestas ($50 million)
LG Chem’s subsidiary Compact Power ($151 million)
Nordic Windpower ($16 million)*
Navistar ($39 million)
Satcon ($3 million)*
Konarka Technologies Inc. ($20 million)*
Mascoma Corp. ($100 million)
* Filed for bankruptcy.
The government (ultimately, that means me - and some of you - the taxpayers) should not be in the game of choosing winners and losers. As noted above, the track record it has pretty much sucks. I just HATE the fact that I have to contribute to companies and buyers with subsidies. I didn’t ask anyone to throw in $10k when I just bought my Outback. Why do you think you have a right to reach in my back pocket to subsidies what you “believe in?”
Please understand, I’m from Wisconsin and wish there was global warming!
:grin2: