Let's Reward The Slackers!
Charity for the car companies! $30 billion in taxpayer dollars tossed out to The Big Three -- their reward for responding to the oil crisis in the 70s by building cheap, ugly econoboxes for 20 minutes, and then going back to supplying America with vast gas guzzlers.
The Japanese picked up where they dropped the ball -- which is why I, a girl from Detroit who'd love to drive an American car, drive a hybrid Honda Insight. Wired has the deal on their blog:
The Department of Energy made a big deal of the hand-out, announcing it at a plug-in hybrid conference in Washington D.C., but c'mon -- $30 million? To be spread out among three companies over three years? What'd it do -- scrounge change from couch cushions in the Pentagon? EV advocates were quick to thank Uncle Sam for the money but said it's going to take a whole lot more than that to wean us from oil -- which, by the way, will collect $17 billion in tax breaks during the next decade.
Wait -- $17 billion in tax breaks for the oil companies? Uh...why? Are we a free-market system, or a free handouts system?
Again from Wired:
General Motors, Ford and General Electric will share the money, which Assistant Energy Secretary Andy Karsner said would accelerate development of the cars to make them cost-competitive by 2014 and commercially viable by 2016.2016? When the Chevrolet Volt and a plug-in Prius could be in showrooms by 2010 and Nissan says it'll skip plugs entirely and give us an EV at about the same time?
More on plug-in hybrids here.
Amy
I dont know how much you have heard about it, but there is a company out your way called Aptera. They are building and selling ( as of this date in California only ) a true hybrid. Meaning, it runs on electric only, until voltage drops to the point a single cylinder generator kicks in to recharge the batteries. It looks a bit like a lunar rover, but hey, at $26,000 for the electric only and just a bit more for the hybrid, it beats a horse and buggy. Range for the electric only is approx. 140 miles, and the hybrid three to six hundred.
teebone at June 16, 2008 3:46 AM
...a girl from Detroit who'd love to drive an American car...
Why? And what do you mean by American car?
Shawn at June 16, 2008 3:59 AM
There is no free market. A free market wouldnt have tort reform or limited liability. There wolud e no minimum wage, child labor laws, or restrictions on dumping chemical solvents in drinking water.
The free market is a catch phrase that corperstions pull out of their ass whenever there is a peice of legislation that affects their bottom line
lujlp at June 16, 2008 4:52 AM
This is exactly why I drive a Hyundai. My Sonata isn't exactly great on gas, but at thousands less than the Japanese or European competition for a similar car, I can live with that.
As far as the American cars go, the Big Three haven't built anything in years that I'd want to buy. Ford and GM? Too bland. Chrysler? Plug ugly (What were they thinking? Calibre? 300? Aughh!)
old rpm daddy at June 16, 2008 5:54 AM
Fascinating article in the current Atlantic magazine about the Chevy Volt.
URL: http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/general-motors
LMM at June 16, 2008 6:13 AM
I bought a 2004 Kia Sorento in 2006, and I love it - I'm getting an average of 22 miles to the gallon highway. I fill up once a week, or when I get down to 1/4 of a tank, whichever comes first. It's got a V-6, so it's more powerful than I need it to be, but it's fun to drive, and it's a nice-looking vehicle. http://www.kia.com/sorento/index.php
Flynne at June 16, 2008 6:29 AM
Wait, let me get this right......US-based car companies failed to see the REALLY big NEON colored writing on the wall regarding fossil-fuel-run cars, and now we're expected to pay to get them up to speed?????? Maybe we should give hand-outs to fashion designers who fail to correctly predict trends and make clothes no one buys?? It makes as much sense.
DH drives a ford focus and really loves it, and it's decent gas mileage, but I'm going to look into that Aptera, and at the smartcar too. I"m really doubting I can fit 3 carseats in either though. And dh is looking to commit suicide via buying a motorcycle, just to lower our gas bill.
We live in the boonies and have to drive to get everywhere. We are looking to sell our house and move in closer for less driving, but that'll take a while in this market. Ugh.
momof3 at June 16, 2008 6:44 AM
I drive a GM vehicle and will never own another one. The quality just sucks - I am sick of having to keep fixing stupid things. It only has 80K miles on it, and I am already on my third motor for the rear wiper. The front one has worn out, too. Honda and Toyota make vehicles that you don't have to replace all the parts on, so my next vehicle will be one of those.
Pirate Jo at June 16, 2008 6:57 AM
Pirate Jo, BF has a Toyota Tacoma, the small truck. He LOVES it - he bought it new, it's got the extended cab, it runs really well, and he keeps up with all the maintenance and such. I don't believe he's ever had to have major work done, the most involved he got with it was when he had to replace an O2 sensor on the engine. His nephew is a mechanic though, so they took care of it in the driveway. He washes it every week, wheels and all. It's almost an obsession. o_O
Flynne at June 16, 2008 7:13 AM
Mom, what's a DH?
Crid at June 16, 2008 7:35 AM
Mom, what's a DH?
Those guys like David Ortiz who bat in place of the pitcher in the American league? I don't think many of the are in Focus, though.
justin case at June 16, 2008 7:40 AM
22 mpg isn't that great... I get 20-22 mpg with my 99 jeep cherokee. don't get me wrong, I love my cherokee, its *fantastic* in the winter when we get a crap-ton of snow, but I put on 50+ miles a day just getting back n forth to work. its quite fun to take off roading, tho
amber at June 16, 2008 8:09 AM
Crid, in Mom's case DH is Dear Husband. Amber, for me 22 mpg is pretty damn good; I think, that I may be getting a little more than that on the highway. I'm only going 10 miles one way to work, though. Haven't gone off-roading in my Kia, although I suppose I could. And yeah, 4WD in winter is a blessing!
Flynne at June 16, 2008 8:21 AM
Just as we're giving handouts to the lazy Detroit automakers, Honda rolls out a hydrogen-powered car:
http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/16/autos/honda_zev.ap/index.htm?cnn=yes
I put myself on the list for one, but you can't be a journalist.
As for why I'd like to buy American, I like to support our economy (when we don't make sucky ass products), plus I'm from Detroit, and it's sad what's become of the city. Used to be known as "the Paris of the midwest." Now it's not even the Gary, Indiana of the midwest.
Amy Alkon at June 16, 2008 9:39 AM
Well, they make an awful lot of Toyotas and Hondas in the USA. From what I understand, they pay pretty well, too. As well as what American automakers pay their people, but they don't promise you pensions and medical care for life. In other words, a similar pay and benefit plan to what Americans in other industries receive.
Pirate Jo at June 16, 2008 11:14 AM
first line, Amy... $30million not billion...
as for the Hydro Honda... it's neat, but I'd put the money on a plug-in hybrid... 70% of people drive less than 40miles a day, so pluggin it in is prolly the best. Now hydrogen fuel cell for the house? NOW! we're talkin'...
SwissArmyD at June 16, 2008 11:31 AM
Wait -- $17 billion in tax breaks for the oil companies? Uh...why? Are we a free-market system, or a free handouts system?
Amy,
The tax breaks are on production coming from ultra deep water. They were offered as an incentive. The incentive is/was a suspension of federal royalties, (the feds get 25 to30 percent of all the production in federal waters off the top at no cost). If you call that a tax, then yes the suspension of collecting future production is in fact a tax break. But since those wells are $200,000,000 a pop and their production platforms are $200,000,000,000 a pop, this was the only way to get companies to drill the wells.
It isn’t as if $17 billion dollar check is sent to them every year. This is the total amount of oil that has/would be produced over the entire period of time at current record prices. Of course the prices have not been stellar since the beginning. One could suspend future royalty suspension in ultra deep water, but I do not think it would be fair to penalize those companies that were willing to take the risk in the first place. Were would we be with out that production now?
rusty wilson at June 16, 2008 3:09 PM
An American car? You mean one made mostly in Mexico and Canada with a Big 3 name tag slapped on it at the end? I don't buy into that "buy American" crap unless I know the product was actually made entirely here. Otherwide I just buy the best product I can get.
As for the new alternative fuel cars, I am not sure about their viability in the near term. For short trips - the market, commuting (if you live close to work), errands around town they may be OK. But if you want to drive further - my nearest family is about 75 miles away - you will need to stick to good old gas powerred. there are simply no services available for the alternative fuel vehicles yet, and if they were to break down - away from home - what are you going to do? Pay to tow the thing 100 miles back home?
When people talk about the "smart car" ar eyoutalking about those funny little cars that look like the old gremlin suffering from stunted growth?
For all the positives the alternative vehicles present, until there are alternative service areas as well placed as gasoline stations, I will pass on them.
steveda at June 16, 2008 3:24 PM
My Honda Insight is a gas-powered car that also happens to have a battery that's powered by regenerative braking. If I run out of gas, I believe the battery will continue to power the car (the hybrid battery, that is). My hybrid battery is under a 10-year warranty, and this is just a great car, extremely reliable. Nothing like the Detroit-mobiles my parents have driven throughout my lifetime...constant problems.
As for a car breaking down far away, there's AAA 75-mile towing, which I had when I owned old cars. I think it's maybe $75 a year or something. But, the most I've needed since 2004 for my Honda is a new gas cap...sigh...several times. I get gas so infrequently that I wasn't used to it, and I'd forget the cap on top of the car and drive off.
Amy Alkon at June 16, 2008 3:33 PM
lmm, thanks for teh volt link
Crid at June 16, 2008 4:04 PM
Per someone else - if you want an American car, buy a Toyota.
I've got a VW Jetta - engine made in Germany, transmission from Argentina, final point of assembly Pueblo, Mexico.
It's got almost 80,000 miles on it. I've had a bunch of stupid little shit go wrong with it, but most of it was covered under warranty. And the engine (1.8 Turbo) goes like nobody's business. And it gets 30 mpg at 80 mph on the highway. Not bad for just over 20 large.
Electric cars are the future, and they always will be. Until someone comes up with a battery that can be fully charged in 10 minutes without exploding and will run a car 300 miles on a charge, they will not be viable.
Hydrogen is the dumbest energy storage system you could ever come up with for a car.
Now, if this algae to oil by way of bacteria thing can be made viable, we've got millions of acres of ocean we can grow and harvest algae from and turn into biodiesel. That happens, and I'll swap the Jetta I have now for one with a TDI.
brian at June 16, 2008 7:52 PM
Get a locking gas cap. that way the cap will be stuck to your keys. There is no way you'll ever drive off with out your keys
lujlp at June 17, 2008 6:34 AM
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