Virtue Signaling

Why do people buy EVs? Is it because EVs are “zero” emission vehicles? Is it because they are cost effective? Is it because EVs are easy to charge? Is it because EVs are a good investment? Is it because EVs are good for the environment? Is it because driving an EV is virtue signaling? Is it because of all of the above? Let’s take a look at each of these potential reasons.

Are EVs zero emission vehicles? No, they are not! In 2023, the vast majority of EVs are powered by electricity that is generated by fossil fuels. There may be zero emissions in the owner’s garage or while they are driving, but emission from generating the electricity they used was generated a few or hundreds of miles away by fossil fuels, oil gas, or coal. If the owner believes his/her EV is emission free, they believe a lie. The emissions are just elsewhere. My city government’s electric buses proclaim in giant letters that they are “emissions free.” THEY LIE! The emissions are just in someone else’s backyard.

Are EVs cost effective? Opinions vary widely about overall cost effectiveness of EVs. Cost of electricity varies from location to location, but it seems there is general agreement that in most places “fuel” cost for EVs is less than for gasoline vehicles in the long run. However, there are other costs that diminish the fuel savings value. Insurance, maintenance, and repair over the long haul may be problematic due to the fact that there is not enough data history to know for sure. Are EVs cost effective? Maybe or maybe not; it will be awhile before we know.

Are EVs easy to charge? Yes, for the most part they are. Some can simply be plugged into a normal 110 volt outlet. However, that takes a long, long time to go from minimum charge to a fully charged battery set. However, if you spend a few hundred to a few thousand dollars to install a 220 volt charging station, the time will be cut in about half. Then you have to assess what is your time worth? On long trips where you have to recharge one or two times per day, your travel time will increase accordingly.

Are EVs a good investment? EVs may have been when the government subsidy was $12,500. Now that the government subsidy has a maximum of $7,500, with a number of caveats, not so much. By the way, the subsidy is advertised as a Tax Credit, and that is a lie. A tax credit is a reduction of your tax liability, where whatever you owe Uncle Joe is reduced by the “tax credit.” For EVs, you get a cash subsidy payment from the government. So, an EV Tax Credit is another lie from your government. In addition, battery condition at the time of resale will be the determining factor for resale value. If the battery pack is worn out, the vehicle will be near worthless. Government agencies around the world jumped on EVs, and as they wore out, they became a worthless financial asset and an expensive environmental liability because of the batteries. Are they a good investment? Probably not.

Are EVs saving the environment? Governments all over the world say they are good for the environment. THAT IS A LIE! The environment hucksters are part of the cabal that “owns” too many governments. Just a cursory examination of the environmental damage done by the mining of the rare earth elements necessary to build just the batteries for EVs is a thousand fold more damaging than that done by mining all of the carbon based fuels combined. 

In 2023, there are tens of thousands of parked EVs that can’t be scrapped because there is no environmentally safe process to dispose of their batteries. EVs are the worst thing that has come along to destroy the environment in 50 years. The self-proclaimed “smartest people in the world,” the most devote environment religious zealots and hucksters, have created a massive environmental problem that they are too dumb to solve. Building and disposing of EV batteries are a much greater risk to the environment than human population and cow farts. Are EVs saving the environment? Absolutely not!

Are EVs virtue signaling? Anyone who looks at and understands science would not buy EVs as a result of all the lies that surround the reality of EVs. If EVs were as good as the liars portray, there would be no need for government subsidies. We are learning that for anyone living above the 45^th parallel and away from maritime weather influences, EVs are dangerous in the extremely cold temperatures that are common in those latitudes. You can fool people, but you can’t fool Mother Nature, and batteries just don’t hold up in extremely cold temperatures. California is already experiencing electrical grid issues, and EVs are only exacerbating the electrical grid problem. EVs and all the other “green energy” initiatives are lies that are far more damaging to the earth’s environment than helpful, and are at least decades away (if ever) from being practical and cost effective.

EVs were a fad for some, simply because they could afford to enter that market early on. But for the most part, it is virtue signaling by people who have no clue about the financial cost, the environmental cost, and the human slavery cost of having an EV. These people believe the lies they are told by the professional green energy scam artists who are getting richer everyday with lie, after lie, after lie.

As always, follow the money.