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Costco Unplugs

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Boom_70, Aug 21, 2011.

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  1. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/17/citing-a-lack-of-usage-costco-removes-e-v-chargers/?ref=todayspaper

    "Citing a Lack of Usage, Costco Removes E.V. Chargers"
     
    Boom_70, Aug 21, 2011
    #1
  2. sgreenwell

    sgreenwell Well-Known Member

    Kind of trust Costco on this more than the electric car advocacy groups, especially since Costco probably realized what a shitstorm this would cause by removing them and decided it was worth it anyway.
     
    sgreenwell, Aug 21, 2011
    #2
  3. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    Several downtown Chicago garages have chargers:

    They set aside prime spots for them, and I never see a car parked at one.

    I also don't understand the idea of giving away the "charge" for free.

    If these cars ever become popular, owners are going to expect free charging stations as a part of the deal.
     
    YankeeFan, Aug 21, 2011
    #3
  4. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    Do people expect free information from newspapers after the advent of the Internet?

    I think you know the answer.
     
    Dick Whitman, Aug 21, 2011
    #4
  5. Starman

    Starman Well-Known Member

    Drill baby drill. Let's all buy 1973 Cadillac Eldorados that get 6 mpg. That"ll show "em.
     
    Starman, Aug 21, 2011
    #5
  6. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    Your point went right past me.
     
    YankeeFan, Aug 21, 2011
    #6
  7. pressmurphy

    pressmurphy Member

    Obviously, there's no such thing as free. The rest of the cars in those garages are subsidizing the new technology. That will change once electric-powered cars reach critical mass, whether that's in 15years or 50.

    BTW, just wondering if whatever subsidies and tax incentives currently in place will be in play if/when Congress pulls the plug on tax breaks for corporate jets, etc. After all, there's lots of talk about how everyone has to pay their fair share yadda yadda yadda.
     
    pressmurphy, Aug 21, 2011
    #7
  8. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    The point is that, yes, people will expect it for free. Once people get something for free, they develop a feeling of entitlement pretty quickly. I think that a good comparison is people who get pissed off nowadays when, say, the NYT goes to a pay model.
     
    Dick Whitman, Aug 21, 2011
    #8
  9. Azrael

    Azrael Well-Known Member

    Henry Ford built the first Model T in 1908.

    http://www.hfmgv.org/exhibits/showroom/1908/model.t.html

    The first drive-in filling station opened in 1913.

    http://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-112
     
    Azrael, Aug 21, 2011
    #9
  10. YankeeFan

    YankeeFan Well-Known Member

    OK. That was basically my point.

    They will expect it for free. And there will be a shit storm if they have to pay for it.

    It will become another "right" or "entitlement".
     
    YankeeFan, Aug 21, 2011
    #10
  11. Shoeless Joe

    Shoeless Joe Active Member

    I've got some questions about electric cars that someone may have answers to (and this isn't a gas/electric debate, just about the cars themselves)?

    Are they even remotely practical outside of an urban area, and even then are they unless basically every parking spot in the world has a charging station?
    What's the range of the cars and would they be practical in most of the United States and Canada where people drive many miles a day? I see them kind of like the rail system in Europe. While it would be great to have here, the distances just make it impossible.
    If you're out driving and run out of juice, are you hopelessly screwed?
    If you are out, run out of juice and do find a place to recharge, how long does it take to get you going again?
     
    Shoeless Joe, Aug 21, 2011
    #11
  12. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    There have been electric cars since the 1800s. It's an idea that is not practical or viable. It wasn't in the 1970s, when the U.S. Postal service tried it, or since the 1990s, with the revival of tries at it, began. We are talking about more than a hundred years, not 5 years, or if you just want to start the time clock in the 1990s, when this all started up again, decades now. There still isn't an electric charging station on every corner, for a reason.

    Gas-powered vehicles are more expensive to run with gas prices higher. And they are still cheaper than, and without the limitations, of electric vehicles. When gasoline becomes expensive enough, some other technology will overtake it for running vehicles. We are nowhere near there yet, and when it does happen, it probably isn't going to be electricity, which has failed to do it since about the advent of the auto.
     
    The Big Ragu, Aug 21, 2011
    #12
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