I just read an announcement article by GM (Government Motors), which is mostly owned by the AFL, stating that it is going to become profitable by selling all of us an electric “green car”, the “VOLT” I believe, which will get, they say, 230 miles to the gallon. Sounds like a helluva deal. The deal is that you plug it into the garage wall to charge it up. You just go out in the morning, unplug it and it gets that huge mileage.
I read the article with some incredulity and was soon rewarded. First, they say, it has a 100 mile range … it goes 40 miles before the gasoline engine kicks in and then it goes another 60 miles … maybe. There were some bugs with the prototype, like not being able to climb a hill anywhere near as fast as a VW Beetle. Then there was the unanswered questions about the batteries, like life or cost. Then the non-profitable first model selling price of $40,000, to be raised in the future for such things as profit and “shipping and handling.” … yeah and I have a bridge for sale …
I have a few questions myself. First, if the trip is less than 40 miles, isn’t it getting infinite mileage? (or aren’t they telling us something?) Second, if you, like me, live a hundred twenty five miles from the nearest city, will GM pay to tow me in? Third, won’t charging the car raise your power bill in a manner similar to having all the elements on your kitchen range on all the time? (of course that electricity comes from a coal fired plant) Fourth, I live where it gets 60 below zero and although I can probably withstand the ambient temperature, how will I keep the windows defrosted without running the batteries down? Fifth, I suspect that, although I don’t need one, some of you might like or even need an AC … doesn’t AC require a compressor? — But I guess that the thing that I really don’t understand is, if you are a worker in the factory, how do you strike if your union owns the company?