Electric and Hybrid Cars: Another Government Flop?

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As we know from ethanol subsidies and other failed government initiatives, Big Brother does not always consider the big picture when choosing winners and losers. The newest example being the Chevy Volt.

Rather than letting the Free Market choose a solution to the concern of the use and rising cost of petroleum, Big Government stepped in and heavily funded the production of the Chevy Volt, a plug in style car, via tax subsidies, tax credits, and grants.

This MSRP on the Chevy Volt comes to about $40,000. After another tax credit to the buyer, the final sticker price comes to about $32,500, report Ed Morrissey from Hotair. So how much does it cost the American taxpayer? Oh, only up to $250,00 per vehicle. You can read all of the details at how he arrived at this number at his article here.

To be fair, I also read an article claiming to debunk his numbers. They claimed that $250,000 was too high of a number and the actual taxpayer cost was closer to $81,000. So if they are right, (read article here) the cost to the taxpayer is still more than double the selling price of the car! Crazy. Oh, and due to the high sticker price, GM has had to halt their production line, because the silly cars are not selling from the dealers lots. I wonder why? I just bought a 2012 Ford Fusion SEL, fully loaded (leather, sun roof, 12 speaker Sony, etc), which get's around 32 mpg on average, for around $28,500.*

While we're on the subject, check out this article on 7 reasons why buying an electrical car is a terrible idea.

So what about Hybrids? Are they a good idea? Well, a recent Truecar.com study reveals that even if as prices rose to $5 per gallon, it would still take over a decade to actually see a return on investment in a hybrid vehicle. (see Blaze article here) Something to think about before buying a hybrid.

Sudbury, Ontario (image source)

Let's say you don't care about cost, you just want Mother Earth to have a brighter future. See the picture on the right? That is not the effects of a natural disaster or those "evil oil barons". That is the destruction caused by the mining and production of nickel, the primary material used in Toyota Prius batteries. Read the shocking environmental impact is the article here.

The article claims that "Building a Toyota Prius causes more environmental damage than a Hummer that is on the road for three times longer than a Prius." It is a sad and ugly fact that big government cheerleaders do not want the public to be aware of. Especially because the Toyota Prius has become the flagship of the elite "environmentally responsible" among us.

So I and all other conservatives hate the environment and don't care what we pass on to our kids, right? No, I stand for economic and environmental responsibility as well, but I do not believe in government mandated programs that try to force the consumer to "make the right choice". I believe in rational, responsible, economically-sound solutions.

*Author note: The reason I bought a Ford, is because they did NOT accept government bailout money like GM and Chrysler did. Even though the President is trying to claim credit for Ford Motor Companies over-whelming success. My dealer told me that about half of his first-time buyers state that reason for choosing Ford. That is how the Free Market is supposed to work.