I don't think it does. At least not for me. I look at it the same way I look at some of those PV installations you decry, though. Those purchases continue to enable an industry that will hopefully have a positive effect. We could all buy Civics and probably do the best for our one-off, but we wouldn't be moving towards a solution in the long term.
Point taken. Perhaps this is the right time to admit that when I'm not deliberately trying to be a phallus to obtain people's hircines, you're likely to hear me say pretty much the same thing. I do think there's a danger in an overly simplistic approach towards it, though. As much as I know we're probably all better off that the bozos who put those panels on the next roof over, where they're in the shade most of the day, got a huge subsidy check and preferential tax treatment for doing it, it chaps my hide, you know? Twice as much when I hear the utility guys gripe about what they've got to do to accomodate distributed generation (which is not insignificant) and then point up at that roof where all those panels are having their fifteen minutes of fame, um, I mean, daily full sun exposure. *Sigh.*
Toyota used to argue that in most of the United States, given the mix of generation types, and distribution and storage losses, even a plug-in hybrid was strictly speaking less carbon friendly than a plain hybrid. I read the papers and I found the argument fairly compelling. But, of course, moving a large fraction of the market to EVs -- particularly if you can charge them off-peak and you have wind, hydro, and nuclear in the mix -- offers other huge advantages; there isn't and never will be an ICE that's carbon neutral (excepting straight hydrogen vehicles whose fuel's made by electrolyzing seawater with renewables or nuclear) but when you get most people to EVs, you
do get the ability to clean up your generation mix as a matter of public policy. And that's a way forward. It's nice to have one.
No guarantees, but it's pretty much the only thing we have going right now. And the bright side is that it doesn't hurt very badly to own and drive one.
I agree again. If I didn't get that evil burst of glee every time I stomped on the not-gas pedal, I'd be one less EV driver in this city. Of course Musk is right: showing people that electric cars are fun and convenient and sexy is the easiest way to get large numbers of people into electric cars.
I just cringe (or worse) when I see people on TMC advocating things that would push many of the EV drivers I regularly interact with away from them. Banning use of "local" Superchargers, given how people do it here, looks like that to me.
OK, it's way past midnight. You're right -- I'll knock it off with the trolling. Thank you to everyone for the vigorous discussion!
