The Ethanol Papers - Paperturn manuscript - Flipbook - Page 181
to be regular. The auto manufacturers make more electric vehicles per year
than that, and that low number is just totally meaningless. If California (and the
EPA) removed their unjustified restrictions on CNG conversions, at least millions of cars could be converted even if there is no increase in the production
of new CNG vehicles.
Not only is the number of electric cars being produced meaningless, but they’re
also too expensive: for the consumers and for the auto manufacturers. Consumers who purchase an electric car are paying a significant premium over the
true value of the car, and auto manufacturers lose thousands of dollars on every
electric car they sell. Sergio Marchione, CEO of Chrysler-Fiat said it best when
he described his company's electric Fiat 500 as great but asked that people
don't buy them because Fiat loses too much money.
Added to the cost and availability problems with electric cars is the fact that
battery production makes us dependent on China. At present, there's little to
suggest that reliance on China is any better than reliance on foreign petroleum
oil.
Incidentally, 100% of our CNG and ethanol supply is produced domestically,
and none of the ethanol producers are owned by foreign or terrorist-controlled
regimes. No American serviceman or woman has ever been killed defending
the domestic production and distribution of ethanol.
So when CARB, CALSTART, Jerry Brown, and the California Legislature say
"Let's Keep Going," what they mean is let's keep milking and bilking the working
public; let's keep padding our staffs with additional friends, relatives, and campaign donors.
I recognize that a number of alternative fuel producers and organizations have
signed on to this effort. However, I am certain that they have done so only in
the hope that the California politicians and appointees will throw some crumbs
their way. They know, as I know, that all previous efforts to get California to act
like the "green" concerned state that people assume California to be have been
exercises in futility.
