Archive for the ‘Electric Cars’ Category
Electric Cars vs. Oil Companies
The oil industry is all over the news. People are outraged at rising gas prices and the constant drain on their budgets to fuel their travel. Most people don’t realize there is any alternative, but electric cars could potentially eliminate the need for gas stations almost completely. That’s exactly why the oil industry is doing everything possible to stop you from learning about the benefits of electric vehicles.
In fact, oil executives have gone to extreme measures to make sure you don’t find out about electric cars. Most people think these vehicles are a commodity only affordable to the rich and famous. We assume electric cars are a “Back to the Future” kind of fantasy, without ever understanding that these cars are actually alive and well in manufacturing plants around the world. One hundred years ago, more electric vehicles were produced than gas vehicles. Originally, the automobile industry was centered on the idea of earth friendly travel, with the goal of saving people the expense of gas as inflation would inevitably make travel nearly impossible.
Unfortunately, the oil industry is willing to do almost anything to keep you from knowing about electric vehicles. Overall, they have been largely successful. I bet you didn’t even know that you could convert your own gas-powered car to electric power for about $5000 by using electric car conversion kits. Imagine how much money you would save in gas over the course of a year. If you spend $100 in gas each week, then you would save $5,200 in the first year alone! That would more than pay for the conversion. If the oil companies would lose that kind of money on one person, imagine how much money they would lose if we all converted our cars to electric power!
This is their great fear, so they are keeping people ignorant to the advantages of electric cars. They’ve painted a picture through the media to make us believe that electric cars are slow and unreliable. I bet you’ve always pictured electric cars as golf carts with doors. That’s what most people imagine. Yet, electric vehicles are actually much faster upon take off than gas-powered cars. They are reliable and efficient, and they can save you thousands of dollars. If people truly understood the potential of electric vehicles to change their personal finances, the oil industry would suffer a severe loss.
The government has become involved in this crucial issue and they made a major difference in how we view electric vehicles. In the early 1990’s, when oil became a bit scarce and politicians feared that we would eventually be in trouble, they stepped in. In 1995, the Zero Emissions Vehicle mandate required all car manufacturers to produce an emission free fuel source. The next year, General Motors released the EV1. This electric car was vastly popular, and gained a lot of attention as celebrities like Tom Hanks and Mel Gibson drove them through Hollywood.
Unfortunately, the trend didn’t last long. Soon, the new oil friendly administration repealed the emission free regulations and General Motors pulled the EV1 off the market. At the same time, Toyota pulled their electric vehicle off the market, and within a matter of months, the concept of electric cars was dead.
That brings us to the question on everyone’s mind. Why are we using gas? If we know it’s possible to create cars that are good for the environment and for the American pocketbook, why do we continue to fuel to gas industry? Is there truly a conspiracy between the oil companies and the United States government to keep us visiting the gas pumps?
While no one can say for sure, there is a definite connection between the wealthy capitalists and the oil companies. Car companies have obviously received some pressure from the powers that be or they would still be creating electric cars. Those vehicles were extremely popular, so why wouldn’t they continue to produce them, especially since our economy is struggling and people need to cut corners in every possible way.
There has been an obvious power struggle between car companies and the oil industry. For nearly a decade, the oil industry was winning. In the past few years, people are starting to learn about the benefits of electric cars and more models are becoming available. Many people are converting their gas-powered cars to electric energy to save money. If you do a lot of traveling, it would be worth your time to at least research electric cars and how they could change your finances this year. Not only can we benefit from using electric cars, we could also use electric bicycles, electric buses or even hybrid vehicles. All of these options would lower our impact on the earth.