The Electric-Vehicle Cheating Scandal
A government rule makes them look nearly seven times as efficient as they are.
I’m shocked, shocked…that the deep state would run afoul of the actual law in pursuit of their own dreams.
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Buried in the article:
"After environmental groups pointed out the illegality of this charade, the Energy Department proposed eliminating the 6.67 multiplier for electric cars, recognizing that the number “lacks legal support” and has “no basis.”
Carmakers have panicked and asked the Biden administration to delay any return to legal or engineering reality. "
I presume this opinion article is factual (its written by lawyers who, I assume, have a dog in this fight). If so, I’m glad it’s been exposed by environmental groups. And I’m glad that a Biden administration department is proposing to change it.
As a Democrat, I am happy to let the chips fall where they may, even if it makes Democrats or Democratic administrations look foolish or bad.
Republicans? Hmm.
All that said, the origin of the news behind this opinion article is nowhere on the internet. I spent a good bit of time searching for a press release from some environmental group trumpeting their discovery. Or any news source beyond this opinion piece - which has been copied multiple times elsewhere, but never links to anything else.
So I’d really like to find the background info. Not saying it’s untrue. But I always like the original source
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This is about the CAFE standards for car manufacturers, not the miles per gallon equivalent for EVs that consumers see on car stickers and on fueleconomy.gov.
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Another CAFE oddity is that FFVs that can run on E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) get their fuel economy divided by 0.15 for CAFE purposes (i.e. pretending that only the 15% gasoline in the E85 counts), although this is also not visible on window stickers.
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Nope!! And the gas car bailed them out.
“Ford said Friday the move impacts 1,400 workers at the plant. Roughly 700 will transfer to its Michigan Assembly Plant and others will be placed in roles at the Rouge Complex or other facilities in Michigan, or take advantage of a special retirement program.”
I believe we’ve reached “saturation” to an extent. There is only to much demand right now. If you build a desirable, wanted product people will buy it. If you try to force products people aren’t ready for, sales will not live up.
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I don’t disagree. I’m not in a city and I’m in a very cold area for much of the winter. Charging infrastructure and cold-weather degradation of the battery remain hurdles that have not been addressed to my satisfaction.
Which sucks, because I’ve also been a “super-driver” for 20 years - before the pandemic we were putting 30k miles a year on our main commuter car. I would love to not pay for gas. It’s not a political issue for me at all.
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I personally would buy a hybrid before an EV. I just see it as being so much more versatile and useful for my own needs.
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My husband just got the hyundai Ioniq SEL 5 AWD. He loves it so far. It has been fantastic for commuting 40 miles each way and our weekends together locally. I will get a new car in the next two years probably and I am not sure of the range issue. His car drives great and he really couldn’t be happier though.
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That’s a fun car.
Not sure where you live but people I know who had range concerns initially became a lot more comfortable after a few trips.
It does vary by region but I’ve charged in quite a few parts of the country and haven’t yet experienced problems of any significance.
Enjoy!
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Yours does seem like a good use case for an EV, depending on your electricity vs gas prices.
If it’s a commuter are you able to install a charger at home, or access one at work? That takes most of the pressure off for many people.
It’s also possible the charging infrastructure in the areas you’d travel is better than you realize but it does depend on the area.
I’ve had my Honda CR-V Hybrid for 8 months now, and I really like it.
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One of our cars is a plug in hybrid. It’s great for getting around town and we go Houston miles without getting gas. The downside is you lose cargo space as you have both the battery and the gas engine. Our kid has same car in gas version so we see the difference. Not an issue if you don’t need the space.
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A friend of mine owns a Honda Insight and is excited that a Civic Hybrid will debut in the 2025 model year.
Didn’t there used to be a civic hybrid? I swear some friends had a civic hybrid sedan a while ago. It was discontinued.
ETA…yes they did. Glad they are bringing that back!
Civic Hybrid – 3 Generations
- 2012–15.
- 2006–11.
- 2003–05.
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The Insight had the first generation in 2000-2006 (a small two seat hatchback), the second generation in 2010-2014 (a four door hatchback), and the third generation in 2019-2022 (basically putting the Insight name on what was effectively the Civic hybrid).
I’ve been eyeballing this one too. A neighbor has two of them in their driveway. Not the most exciting car aesthetically, but it reminds of the original “econoboxes” of the 1980’s.
Our Uber driver in SoCal a couple weeks ago had one and loves/loved it.
We love love love our Tesla Y. Best car we’ve ever owned (as a former largely BMW family, mostly 3s, one 5 series). Didn’t expect to love it this much. Amazing to drive, love love that it’s an EV (home charger) and trips have been just fine.