“So, in review, what have we learned?” Turner asked at the end of his post:
Electric cars, after you factor in government incentives, make as much economic sense as environmental sense. If those incentives go away—and I have grave concerns about what would happen under a Romney administration and a Republican Congress—that would change dramatically.
Nissan makes a very economical EV.
You should never write blog posts about electric vehicles unless you’re wearing asbestos undershorts. Flamers, fire away.
Indeed, you have to give Turner credit for owning up to his mistakes and doing all that he could to correct the record. But it’s harder to counteract a misunderstanding (especially one that was echoed by other outlets) than it is to create one, so the importance of taking one’s time and getting it right the first time should also be a lesson here.
The lesson is, if the government distorts the market through tax credits, then certain consumer goods will be purchased which otherwise would be rejected as poor values. Another word for this is rewarding inefficiency.
#1 Posted by Andy A, CJR on Fri 19 Oct 2012 at 07:52 PM
Turner's corrections helps me to see that people really just don't know anything about electric vehicles. Turner has done a good thing for journalism and has my respect.
#2 Posted by Brian Keez, CJR on Sat 20 Oct 2012 at 11:26 AM