Monday, November 22, 2010

More unintended consequences!

I wonder how many environmentalists are really giving this an honest look:

The first mass-market electric cars go on sale next month, and the nation's electric utilities couldn't be more thrilled — or worried.
Plugged into a socket, an electric car can draw as much power as a small house. The surge in demand could knock out power to a home, or even a neighborhood. 
Now, if you'll remember, depending on which source you consult, between 45 and 60 percent of the electricity generated in the United States is generated by coal-fired plants, which have come under attack by the environmentalists in recent years because of their pollution levels. Yet you never hear any of them talk about that. The folks who wrote the column mentioned here didn't even mention electric cars and those unintended consequences as they advocated the institution of a carbon tax. No doubt they'd see electric cars as a godsend because of the money that would be raised via the power the cars would take off the grid. But it'd be fun to see what they'd say, in their more honest moments when they thought no one was listening.