Why Electric Cars Won't Work in the USA

In short, because Americans have the crummiest driving habits of anyone I've ever seen.

We're a nation of terrible drivers, with the laxest laws that essentially permit just about anyone to get behine the wheel, and then we allow them to drive *forever* with very little re-testing or driver refreshing, or advanced techniques classes or anything.

So, an electric car will perform with a drastically more limited range than advertised. Think about it: How many Americans actually get the MPG rating that was on the sticker of their car? I do, but I take care to do it. Most people do not.

I see them all the time. People that race away from the light, only to slam on the brakes at the next light. People who hit their brakes at the slightest curve in the road, even when going uphill (they don't think that just letting off on the gas is enough).

And don't even get me started about weather. Two drops of rain and they all act like it's a blizzard. And you've got two types of drivers: the NASCAR wanna-bes and the grandmas, with no in-between. They are either racing past you at 100+, or going so slow you wonder if they died behind the wheel.

Either way, they drive wastefully, never getting the most out of their vehicle in terms of economy. How well do you think these people will faire with an electric car?

While I'm no fan of the Hybrid because it seems to be a no win (small gas engine and you have to lug around batteries too?), I have to admit that, when you consider how most people drive, it may actually be a better fit than a pure-electric.

LED Lights Mean More Electricity For Your Car

A newly developed 19-Year LED Bulb could mean a substantial cost savings for you, even while you're spending $0.12 per kWh to charge your Nissan Leaf.

Panasonic's new bulb, which screws into a standard socket, uses about 7.3 watts, but produces the light of a 60 watt bulb, lasts about 19 years, and uses LED technology, so it's "greener" than a compact florescent bulb (which uses mercury).

We'll see how this goes. So far, I haven't been impressed with LED lighting, I find it too dim, but, between the LED and CFL lights I have, I've definitely been saving cash on the electric bill, even if the house isn't as bright as it could be.

Hey, in the dim light, I can turn down the brightness on the iMac, which saves even more, so, by the time I'm sucking up the juice to charge the Leaf, I'm already ahead on the savings.