Electric car rebates: “Take from the poor, give to the rich”

Regarding the pro/con “Should federal tax credits for electric cars be scrapped?” (Nov. 17):

The U.S. electricity grid is a 157,000-mile network fueled mostly by fossil fuels, and there will not be substantial reductions of the use of coal through 2040. Whatever greenhouse gasses we emit now will stay in our atmosphere for decades. Heavy long-range rechargeable electric vehicles do not represent “the most promising of green technologies.” Building cars with manufacturing emissions several times their curb weight is counter to the world’s best interests.

The production and export of 78,359 Tesla Model S cars to more than 30 nations has produced about 3.2 billion pounds of greenhouse gasses for the 1 billion miles they have traveled thru June 2015. Several of those nations have electricity grid emissions that are multiples of the U.S. grid rate.

If an egalitarian gasoline-fueled hybrid like the Prius had been substituted, the world would have experienced about 800 million pounds fewer emissions. We need to be pragmatic and objective about mitigating climate change. Emissions of fossil-fueled light vehicles are less than 12 percent of the U.S. total. Electricity emissions represent more than 31 percent. The billions spent on loans and rebates for expensive rechargeable electric vehicles has many more productive uses. Tesla bumper sticker: “Take from the poor, give to the rich.”

This story was originally published November 27, 2015 at 3:05 PM with the headline "Electric car rebates: “Take from the poor, give to the rich”."