Did consumers kill the electric car?

My local EAA chapter had an exhibit at the Living Green Expo in St. Paul
MN earlier this month. One of our state representatives visited, and
became quite interested in EVs. He's been contacting us for additional
information and offering help and advice.

Interestingly enough, as soon as he began talking about EVs, he started
receiving anti-EV propaganda. The same sort of thing happened to me the
instant an article mentioning me appeared in Mother Jones magazine. It
makes me suspect that oil and auto company PR organizations have set up
"trip wires" that alert them the instant anything appears, and have
prepared robot responses so they can instantly respond. A friend of mine
called them "sock puppets" -- robot responses from nonexistent people
that automatically appear to attack anything counter to the client's
interests. Be on your toes!

Anyway, here is one he sent us. He asked for a rebuttal. How should we
respond?

--------begin included document--------

Did Consumers Kill The Electric Car?

As detailed in "Who Killed the Electric Car?" and other sources, many
observers and passionate EV1 fans feel that automakers and oil companies
conspired to destroy the electric car. An alternative theory, however,
is outlined below.

After an early wave of interest, enthusiasm for the EV1 subsided because
of the car’s limitations. First, EV1s were expensive; they cost two or
three times as much as comparable gasoline powered cars. They could be
leased (but not sold) for $400-600 per month. Second, the batteries
“could not supply the range or durability required by the mass market.”
Third, the infrastructure for recharging was not in place. Fourth, the
high voltages and operating temperatures of the batteries presented some
unique safety hazards, and “only a relative handful of mechanics knew
how to work safely on the powerful batteries.” Fifth, the EV1 was a tiny
two-seater that simply did not work for families with children. Finally,
the car was fast, but the handling was odd because of the heavy battery.
  These limitations prompted an alternative-fuel specialist at J.D.
Power & Associates to conclude that EV1s “are just not acceptable to
consumers.” Honda had even less success with its electric vehicle, the
Plus, leasing just 300 in three years.
       
The final nail was driven into the electric car coffin by hybrid
gas-electric cars like the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight, which
have maintained great popularity partly due to their ability to recharge
while cruising down the road. Other automakers took note. Now virtually
every manufacturer has announced that it will produce a hybrid vehicle
by the end of the decade.

Thus, as one commentator noted, it is likely that market forces, not
nefarious tactics, killed the electric car: As the market success of
cars like the Prius and the market failure of cars like the EV1
illustrate, it wasn't a shortage that prevented battery electric
vehicles from selling and it wasn't a desire not to offer clean vehicles
that prompted manufacturers to stop producing them. The reason for the
market response to these vehicles is because, if given the option, the
general public would buy environmentally friendly automobiles if the
sacrifices that had to be made to drive them were minimal. Accordingly,
the level of sacrifices that has to be made to drive battery electric
vehicles discourages all but the most enthusiastic consumers from
leasing them.

--------end included document--------

Now, this is a *very* cleverly written piece of work. Nothing it says is
an outright lie that you could prove false. It doesn't rant or rave; it
sounds completely rational and objective. But it is designed to create a
totally false impression!

How do you counter such a thing? I think the key is to get as many solid
facts and references as possible, but not bury the reader in statistics
or it won't get read. You have to give someone who is entirely
unfamiliar with the subject an objective view of the situation that will
stand up to careful scutiny and fact-checking.

--
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget the perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in    --    Leonard Cohen
--
Lee A. Hart, 814 8th Ave N, Sartell MN 56377, leeahart_at_earthlink.net

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