oakwcj said:
A good article in today's SF Chronicle about the Republican effort to tar EVs [aka "Obamacars"] with the Solyndra and healthcare reform brushes:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/19/MTJA1NL8OD.DTL&type=autos
Good article.. I tell you what, it is exhausting for me. I'm a republican and I drive a Leaf. A lot of my friends, family, and co-workers are also republican. But they are far more polarized than me. They hate Obama and everything about him. If there is a story in the news about "Obama eats a cheeseburger" then they are posting on facebook or talking about how he did it wrong and why he doesn't know how to properly eat a cheeseburger. So it really doesn't matter what Obama does (even if it were the exact same thing a Republican president would have theoretically done), it is wrong. So as soon as somebody fictionally created a link between Obama and EVs (particularly the Volt), suddenly the Volt is bad in every way imaginable. I'm sure you've all heard the FUD:
- It catches on fire.
- It costs a million dollars a piece to make, all funded with taxpayer money.
- Its only possible purpose is to solve global warming, which doesn't exist of course.
- It costs more to operate than a gas car.
- It pollutes more than a regular gas car because of the coal power.
- The battery will need replacement after 5 years and cost $20,000
- Nobody is buying them.
It is getting really annoying. I suppose the most annoying thing is that nobody wants to do their homework before forwarding on emails about that kind of thing, or spouting off nonsense verbally. And often bad press about the Volt tends to overlap into Leaf territory as well. So I'm constantly battling with people in my own political party on this subject matter. (I guess it is a good thing we agree on all of the economic issues, gun rights issues, foreign policy issues, etc.) The fact that I've been driving a Leaf for about a year with zero problems and nothing but extreme praise for the vehicle has certainly changed a lot of minds. A lot of my friends and family thought I was crazy for buying it. They were certain it would never work as a family car due to the range, or that it would be breaking down, or that I'd be getting it towed home every few days, etc. None of that has materialized.
I actually hope Obama is not re-elected. Now I'm saying that from two perspectives. One because I don't agree with his philosophy, but as far as EV's are concerned I think having his name attached to them is bad for EV acceptance. I suppose certain republican candidates might actually make matters worse if they repeal the tax credits. But take Rick Perry, for example.. (I know he doesn't stand a chance at election anymore) he is very much in favor of EVs and energy independence. If he were in office, and supported EVs then all of the sudden all of the republicans would support the EV movement. Right now they fight the EV movement solely because Obama's name has become attached to it.
I also agree with the article that they need to concentrate more on advertising the money savings over paying for gas. Most people I encounter still don't take "cost of ownership" into account when considering the cost of an EV. They just look at the sticker price. I've talked to many people who thought my car was "too expensive" but then when we started comparing numbers for gas and maintenance instead of just the car payment, often my car comes out considerably ahead. Sure.. My car payment is around $420 a month, but my fuel cost is about $10 per month. Compare to a vehicle that may have a $250 car payment with a $300 gas bill and other maintenance. The math is pretty easy. This really needs to be advertised to the public. People just don't get it. I think that would do a lot to debunk the "too expensive" myth.
And.. I've said it 100 times, so might as well make it 101. They need to get away from the environmental advertising. That only appeals to a small segment and alienates quite a few potential customers.
