Giles Free Speech Zone

The purpose of the "Giles Free Speech Zone" is to identify problems of concern to the people of Giles County, to discuss them in a gentlemanly and civil manner, while referring to the facts and giving evidence to back up whatever claims are made, making logical arguments that avoid any use of fallacy, and, hopefully, to come together in agreement, and find a positive solution to the problem at hand. Help make a difference! Email "mcpeters@usit.net" to suggest topics or make private comments.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Thinking about a new electric car?

With the release of the new Chevy, pardon me Chevrolet, (it has been deemed unacceptable to refer to a General Motors vehicle as a Chevy).
With the help and influence of Algore Nissan has the "Leaf" and Chevy the "Volt" and others are said to be coming.

Before you run out and buy one of these "miracle earth saving vehicles" you might want to consider that the initial cost of over $40,000.00 is only the beginning. An advertising campaign is now under way that shows how you just drive into the ole garage and plug her in for an over night charge and you're ready to go next morning unless of course you plan on travelling more than seventy miles.
What isn't shown in these commercials is the fact you have to purchase some components in order to recharge at home.
Since it is the beginning of electric vehicles, why not start to learn
about the components needed to recharge such vehicles at home?
Most home garages are equipped with 120-volt outlets and electric vehicles can be charged from these outlets. However, the recharge time for the Chevy Volt
is about 10 hours from a 120 outlet. A 240-volt outlet cuts the recharge time
to about 4 hours. The cost of a ten hour charge under proposed TVA rate charges is significantly higher than a four hour charge both will require about as much electricity as an average size house uses in a full day.

Both Nissan and Chevrolet offer complete charging systems for
homeowners. This includes assessing the home, obtaining the
electrical permit, installing the equipment, and performing warranty
service. Nissan says that its equipment costs $2,200 and Chevrolet provides
it for $2,000.

Oh don't forget that the batteries will have to be replace after approximately three years at a cost of over $4,000.00. And don't worry about having an accident because you'll be sitting on top of those nickel metal hydride batteries when they explode.

What is gained by this great advance you get to drive about eighty miles for 3 dollars of electricity instead of eighty miles for $8.00 for gasoline. For those who are saving the earth by not using fossil fuels keep in mind that those fossil fuels are being used to make the electricity.