Hurry and get yours before they're gone!

I recently speculated that Obama would soon direct that everyone had to buy an electric car battery because the government has poured billions of your hard-earned dollars into that industry when there is virtually no demand for it. In July, Obama visited the GM factory where the Chevrolet Volt is manufactured. I'm sure you'll want to run out and get one right away when you find out that:

1) The sticker price starts at $41,000. But the government (again using your hard-earned dollars) is offering a federal tax credit of $7,500 if you buy one. That's not a deduction, that's a credit -- it's subtracted from your total tax bill. So those of us who can't afford a $33,500 car will be subsidizing those who can.
2) It will take about 10 hours to fully charge the vehicle. That's using the electricity we've been told we should conserve. Now that Oncor has installed smart meters, what happens when they decide you've used enough current for the day and turn you off? Guess that means you won't be driving your uncharged electric car the next day.
3) The effective range of the Volt on one charge is about 40 miles. So there won't be any driving to Dallas for the day in it. In fact, if you live in the country, you'll be lucky to make it to town to work and back home before the charge gives out. But, GM says, you can charge it while you're at work. I kind of wonder what your employer is going to think about everyone running up the company's electricity bill to charge their cars. Anyway, the Volt has a gasoline engine that will kick in when the charge runs out. I thought the whole idea of this thing was to go green, and here it is using electricity from coal-fueled power plants and (gasp!) gasoline.

So hurrry up, folks, because I predict these things will sell like hotcakes (week-old hotcakes, maybe).

"Volt prices start at $41,000." The Dallas Morning News; July 28, 2010; p. 3D.