The Gadgets Page

I remember the electric car. Dilbert drove one in his animated sitcom. He was never able to drive it quite as well as Dogbert was able to. It was an early adopter thing that never really made it to my hometown.

This movie tells you why.

The only thing that bothers me is that electric cars get their energy from somewhere. In this case, you plug them into your home’s current and charge them up. Where does that electricity come from? It’s not free, you know. How do most local municipalities generate their electricity?

By burning coal and natural gas.

Sure, some cities generate electricity by harnessing the power of water or wind, but most cities put pollutants into the air to generate their electricity. I don’t see how an electric car is any better than a “gas-guzzling” version. The only difference is that you don’t personally see the effects of electricity generation unless you take a tour of your local electrical generation plant.

If you really care about the environment, buying an electric car, hybrid car or any other powered vehicle isn’t the answer. It might make the problem a little less bothersome, but it’s not a solution.

The solution isn’t a simple one:

• Find a job within five miles of your home or find a home within five miles of your workplace: Commuting accounts for a large percentage of driving.

• Ride a bike or walk to work: Human energy is a renewable source and it’s healthy for you.

• Shop for groceries at local stores that are also within walking or bike-riding distance: If the prices at the local stores are more expensive than the larger stores further away, it’s still worth it. We always forget to account for gasoline when we price compare.

• Consider your car to be for emergencies: If you consider your car to be used only in emergencies, then you will reduce your dependence on it. I would rather walk to the grocery store and ride my bike to work than fund this oil industry any more than I have to.

Strike a blow for independence by declaring independence from the oil industry. It seems to be more of a dictator than we realized.

“True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.”
– Franklin D. Roosevelt