Reply #73: I have a solution. Electric cars. Think about it. [View All]

[truthisfreedom]

If we mandate electric car production to replace internal combustion engines, we don't need foreign oil, so the primary reason to have such a large military is obviated. All electricity comes from sources in North America. Coal, natural gas, hydro, nuclear, solar, wind, geothermal... we buy what we don't have from friendly nations nearby. Not one life has ever been lost at war over electricity.

It's simple. Mandate that the auto industry convert to electric cars. None of the arguments against electric cars hold water. I fill my Tesla Roadster Sport 2.5 (all-electric supercar) with $7 worth of electricity and it drives 220 miles at 65 mph. A car that gets 22 miles per gallon (and has half the performance of mine, which goes 0-60 in 3.7 seconds) uses $40 worth of $4/gal gas to drive the same distance. Some say that "exotic" materials are in short supply so electrics can't be built in large quantities efficiently. Not true... lithium for batteries, often cited as a problem, is available in many forms in many countries and is not in short supply. Yes, its cost is tied to the cost of oil... but look at this equation. If the cost of oil triples, the cost of lithium will probably triple. That will increase the cost of each 220 mile trip by $80, and will increase the cost of manufacturing a car with the same battery back as mine by... wait for it... a whopping $200. Wait... my battery pack lasts 7 years or 100,000 miles. If you drive 10,000 miles per year in a car that gets 22 mpg, tripling the price of gas from $4 will increase your yearly gas costs by $3600 per year. Over a 10 year period you'll pay $36,000 more for gas. I'll pay $200 more for the battery, and my electricity costs will be unaffected because no oil products are used in power plants to make electricity.

If you want to avoid the draft and reduce the deficit, mandate electric cars. Period.