Five stretch, gas-fuelled limos were lined up idling outside the National Press Club the other day when my friend pulled up for a lunch appointment. "Holy sh-t, I guess the PM is here," she said on the phone when she arrived. Guess what? He was inside -- probably blathering on about how everyone should buy an electric car. Everyone except him.
Has no one noticed the entire North American economy centres around oil, gas, carbon and fossil fuels? The latest stupefying move by the feds is to allocate $300 million in subsidies for anyone dumb enough to buy an electric car. Hey, if you can afford a $50-60K Tesla, you don't need a subsidy; you've got it covered.
Think about it, it's not just the beleaguered oil sands, it's everything else that is tied to cars. Things like gas stations and the corner stores attached to them, repair shops, after-market suppliers like Canadian Tire, tire companies, accessory companies, automotive trade shows....and on and on and on. Whither the car industry, whither the entire economy. Just a plain fact.
I know one guy who has an electric car, but he's a rich doctor so can afford one. And where do you plug the blessed thing in? An extension cord from the garage? I don't think we're there yet. And by the way, you can only drive so far until the battery dies and if you're in Lethbridge or Upper Rubber Boot Saskatchewan, you're sh-t out of luck.
No, the petrol-fueled car isn't going anywhere because there is currently no viable alternative. I can think of better places to spend $300 million.
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