Impractical But Cool

That's how the Washington Post reports the story of a Silicon Valley company that is producing exotic electric cars that could rival Ferrari or Porsche for their styling and acceleration.

There are more than a few problems with electric cars, not the least of which is how is the electricity being produced and distributed? Considering how few new power plants are being built in the US, the crossover to electric cars simply isn't going to happen, no matter how much folks would like to think that Detroit killed the electric car.

No, NIMBY kills the electric car. As does the fact that electric cars aren't reducing emissions, but only shifting the burden onto power generating facilities that largely utilize gas, coal, or oil to create electricity. Nuclear power still isn't a feasible alternative in the US, and hydroelectric facilities are coming under increasing scrutiny from environmentalists who complain about how they change the ecology. Same goes for wind, solar, and tidal power facilities.

And this doesn't even begin to address the problem of distributing the power that is generated. Just look at Queens, New York and see for yourself how well electric cars will fare. The power distribution system in the US is still woeful, despite the 2004 Northeast blackout and improvements made since then.