Merry Christmas!

Twelve Christmas Stories

1. Never forget what it is like to be a kid at Christmas.

2. A Christmas Miracle.

3. Christmas memories that last forever.

4. The best gift this Christmas is giving to others.

5. Treasured Memories of Christmas.

6. A Simple Christmas.

7. This Christmas Story Will Touch Your Digestive System.

8. Coming home this Christmas.

9. Setting the Pattern For Christmas Traditions.

10. We have survived hard times.

11. The best Christmas gifts of all.

12. Christmas is about what we give, not what we get.

July 14, 2022
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With gas prices at record highs, a new Consumer Reports survey found that 36% of Americans say they are planning to buy or lease an EV, or considering it. I suspect this is the real reason why gas prices are at record highs.

https://www.consumerreports.org/hybrids-evs/interest-in-electric-vehicles-and-low-carbon-fuels-survey-a8457332578/

But they might want to try renting one first, to make sure they know what they’re getting into. We’re seeing a growing number of stories lately about people who’ve put the electric vehicles that President Biden is trying to force us to drive to practical testing, with shockingly bad results. I told you about the trailer towing test, where the estimated range immediately started dropping until the driver had to turn around and come back before the electric pickup died.

https://www.westernjournal.com/journalists-tow-camper-behind-electric-truck-end-stunning-failure-make-85-miles/

Here’s someone else who tried that, with similar dire results.

https://www.westernjournal.com/couple-towed-trailer-behind-80000-electric-truck-stop-every-100-miles-2700-mile-trip/

We’ve also seen several stories of nightmare long distance trips in rented EVs that turned into days of panicked searches for charging stations. But there are too many stories to keep up with them all, so here’s just a quick round-up of a few of the more recent:

In the new JD Powers Initial Quality Study, the EV brand Polestar ranked last among 36 brands, with Tesla tied at #30.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/the-number-of-new-vehicle-problems-has-hit-a-record-high-new-study-says/ar-AAZkoKl

It's reported that GM’s new HummerEV produces more CO2 per mile driven than some gas-powered sedans.

https://www.inputmag.com/tech/gmc-hummer-ev-carbon-dioxide-emissions-electric-truck

Not long after the president of Toyota said that EVs are over-hyped, Toyota issued a recall of its new electric bZ4X SUVs because the wheels are coming off. No, that’s not a metaphorical comment on the EV movement. The wheels are literally falling off.

https://www.westernjournal.com/now-wheels-wont-stay-toyotas-new-electric-car-dangerously-fails-results-massive-recall/

And if your intent in buying an EV is to help the environment, Issues & Insights has some “everything you know is wrong” info you should see. For instance, when you factor in the carbon footprint of the manufacturing process and the need to dispose of spent batteries, electric cars can be worse for the environment than classic cars or even a new gas-powered car.

https://issuesinsights.com/2022/07/05/confirmed-again-the-green-agenda-is-taking-us-backward/

And none of this even addresses the mastodon in the room: how are we going to charge tens of millions of electric vehicles when power companies even in Texas are warning people to turn off their lights, raise their thermostats and don't use their appliances during daylight hours to avoid widespread blackouts and brownouts due to "green energy" sources being unable to meet current power demands? 

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Comments 41-50 of 56

  • Ingrid Ekins

    07/14/2022 07:34 PM

    I would never buy one of these. I live in Michigan. Just imagine being stuck in a snow storm, trapped in traffic and you run out of power. Now you have caused a bigger traffic problem and you have no heat. Keep your electrical cars away. They also create more waste in manufacturing than a gas powered car.

  • kathy anderson

    07/14/2022 07:18 PM

    Well we have entered a new age; the decade of stupidity. People can not seem to reason or to think and have trouble building a car the size of a lawnmower. How about term limits on woke college proffs. Thanks for the article. Bless you.

  • Mike Manoogian

    07/14/2022 07:12 PM

    I have considered an EV. It would be useful for commuting and short trips. That said, I would have to keep my Prius if I need to travel more than 200 miles and an EV is much more expensive to lease or buy. An EV pollutes too. It needs power that was generated at power plants that are fueled by fossil fuels.

  • John M Burns

    07/14/2022 07:10 PM

    Why has our government not really promoted hybrid vehicles? They’ve been around for years, get great gas mileage and make a lot more sense than electric vehicles. My wife and I have had three of them getting around 35-40 mpg and they’re great. There are no charging stations, great gas mileage and less maintenance than other vehicles. We currently own a new Venza and are getting 42 mpg, love it. Do they hate oil companies that much?

  • Robert Janovick

    07/14/2022 07:00 PM

    Has anyone calculated the power plant equivalent to charge / replace one million vehicles?
    Has anyone calculated the acres of photo cells to charge / replace one million vehicles in the winter (and they need more amps to keep the occupants warm)? Use an average of 50 miles per day per vehicle with two hours at 15 degrees.

  • Stinky McGee

    07/14/2022 06:00 PM

    I love "the mastodon in the room."

  • Stan Hardcastle

    07/14/2022 05:53 PM

    People are stupid. All they think about is a Fariland where silent cars roam the highway. They never research the Negative aspects of an electric vehicle. I have said in about 5 years, they will be gone. They have been tried before and never succeeded. Now, our Green Woke Administration wants to cram this stuff down our throat. (Follow the money to see who all benefits?) I have advised my friends in the Automobile Manufacturing Business to offer both Electric and Gas to their customers and see what sells best. They should also make a Chassis for the electric Cars where they can convert them easily to a Gasoline Engine when the electrics croak.

  • Eddy Ng

    07/14/2022 03:59 PM

    Dear Mike,

    I won't dispute many of the things that were mentioned in the articles which links you provided. However, there are a lot of good things about EV that you won't understand unless you experience it yourself. First, I'm not a tree hugger and I'm not a crazy environmentalist and not a supporter of global warming or green new deals. I just love EV because I drive it myself. I agree that the EV transition should not happen in one night. It will take a long time before the infrastructure can support millions of EV on the roads. And EVs are expensive and not every one can afford them. But reading your article, people will get an impression that EVs are so bad that you should not even touch them. It's like reading a CNN article about Trump. If you want to write about EV, you should probably try one yourself for a long period of time and then write a balance article about it.

    I just want to point out a few things about EV:
    1. EV is not good for towing trailer simply because we don't have an EV with a sufficient long range yet. However, EV is really great for day to day driving where most people do not drive more than 150 miles. Most EVs can handle 150 miles without charging. With my EV (a Tesla Model Y), I charge once every 2-3 days in my garage. It's really convenient to plug it in at night and then get a "full tank" the next morning. Even better because I have solar panels. I know that solar panels are expensive and not everyone can afford it. But even without solar panel, charging at home will save you tons of money. Especially when the gas price is sky high like it is now.

    2. I have done plenty of long distance trips in my Tesla. Even driving it from Florida to Colorado. No problem at all. I'll say you can have problems if you are trying to go to places where there is not a charger available. And I know there are many of such places. But I'll say going from one major city to another is not a big issue with many EVs nowadays. It will take longer because you have to stop to charge your car. But with good planning, you will not be stranded in the middle of nowhere.

    3. Hummer EV is not a good representation of most EVs that are on the market. GM simply tried to create a monster EV that Hummer fans will buy. And as far as its environmental friendly characteristic, it will be the same as the gas version one.

    4. Many EVs, especially newer ones, will have some initial quality issues as they figure out the manufacturing. But a more mature EVs like Tesla Model 3 or Model Y have a very good reliability. I'm on my 3rd Tesla over the past 6 years. I changed them not because of reliability issues but only because I could sell my used car at higher price than when I bought it. I can tell you that every time I changed to the newer Tesla, the initial quality improved by a lot. But even with my older ones, I never had any major issues with the car. As a matter of fact, they are almost maintenance free except for regular wear and tear like tires and windshield wiper.

    5. EVs in general are nicer to drive. Not just Tesla. I have friends who own Ford Mustang Mach E, Rivian R1T, etc. And they all agree that EVs are nicer to drive.

    6. There are many use cases where EVs are definitely a better alternative than gas car. Police car is one example because it idles a lot. Many police cars idle with engine turned on. With EVs, it won't consume energy (or consumed very little) when idle.

    7. The auto pilot system in many EVs make driving a lot safer. I know you can find a lot of articles that will bash Tesla auto pilot or Full Self Driving. But if you pay proper attention when driving, the auto pilot really increases the safety of your driving. I dread driving long distance without my Tesla auto pilot now. The auto pilot system will keep your car in the lane and withing safe driving distance. Super useful when you are in heavy traffic. Or when you are tired after driving for so long in the road trip.

    Again, I agree that EVs are not for every one. But for those who can afford them, they are very nice cars to drive. There are many good qualities in EVs that you should experience yourself. I'll say the experience of transitioning to EV is like transitioning from land line to a cell phone. In the beginning, you think why I need one. But after you experience the convenience of it, you can't even imagine switching back to land line. And yes, your cell phone can run out of battery too :-)

  • Andy Flannigan

    07/14/2022 03:27 PM

    People pushing this are head in sand ignorant.

  • Ed Thompson

    07/14/2022 02:37 PM

    Had an interesting conversation about EV’s with someone who I consider as being intelligent. His statement was “way back when, people were opposed to the horseless carriage when the automobile was first introduced to the people “. My reply was “nothing was being done to anyone to force them to quit their horse and buggy and go buy a vehicle “. The Amish don’t seem to have any problems using them to this day. True they do get drivers using modern vehicles if they need to go longer distance or for jobs where a truck will help get things done faster and safer than a horse drawn carriage would be.But we have a government working hard to force people to get an electric vehicle using false data as a pretext to prove their reasons behind their actions. Maybe in the distant future after many years of improvement for these things and a wide support system that will be as fluid as going to the gas station and as fast and easy as that is now, maybe then after much improvement and cost of these things get way better, ya, maybe then, but rushing headfirst and jumping in pool before checking if the water is deep enough and even there, makes no sense to me right now to even think about getting one of those EV’s . Quit trying to force us to get something that still needs tons of work done to actually help the people and the environment! Don’t jump—- take baby steps and learn more.

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