Cap and Trade 101

4 Responses to Cap and Trade 101

1. Robert Goldmann says:

   January 22, 2008 at 2:08 pm

   Check my comment at Salon. Your numbers are all wrong. In order to recover $9000 in additional costs over a hybrid in 4 years, one would have to drive 30,000 miles per year (at $3 a gallon; 40 miles per gallon which I get in my Prius), 82+ miles per day, which is twice the 40 mile range you cite.

   Sloppy.
2. N. Johnson says:

   January 22, 2008 at 2:57 pm

   Your link to americanprogress.org has an extra http:// in it, and as such, doesn’t work properly.
3. john says:

   January 22, 2008 at 3:20 pm

   Funny, I consistently get 45 mpg in my prius.
4. Joe says:

   January 22, 2008 at 5:14 pm

   Robert:

   PLEASE comment on the relevant post. Also, YOU made a VERY big mistake.

   This is a Saturn Vue plug in hybrid, which is 1) a crossover (not a Prius-sized car!) and 2) like most hybrids, NOT anywhere near as optimized for efficiency as the Prius, which is easily the best hybrid.

   You can’t do the full calculation unless you know 1) the actual kwh/mi of the plug in, 2) the actual mpg of the Saturn Vue (not the EPA mileage), 3) cost of power for EVs — which in California was only five cents a kilowatt hour, 4) price of gasoline — $3 I think, and 5) driving assumptions.

   I probably shouldn’t have relied on AFS Trinity calculations. When I do the calculation with numbers I think are reasonable, I get more like a 5 to 6 year payback. But that is only if you have to pay for the battery, which I doubt. Also, I’d design the car with fewer batteries and more refueling.