Re: Orangutans

[Tonico <tonico@DCONN.COM>]

I am glad to see someone hit the nail on the head. The "orangutan factor"
as it relates to EV is to somehow get people to believe that "getting more
bang for buck" is a bad thing.  We all try to pay less for more.  At this
stage of the EV development the EV will loose in practicaly everyway when
considered under this.
Sure the increase in the cost of gas would somehow reverse this, but people
are not going to put up the money upfront so that over the next 5-10 years
they may get it back.  If we look at countries which artificially keep the
cost of gas more than double our own, still there is no stampede to buy
EVs.
Even a conversion has problems with this.  Just about any run of the mill
car will cost less than a $1000 for a rebuilt engine. Compare that with
$5000 for a reasonable conversion.


> People by and large make totally rational choices based on the price of
> things.  Only a few can afford to have other motives such as the
> environment.  Since gas prices are the lowest in history counting CPI,
and
> all of the external costs of cars and fossil fuels are paid by society,
not
> by the users, people buy SUVs not EVs.
>
> One single factor will change all this: the price of gasoline.  Nothing
> else will do it.  Hybrids will sell much more and much sooner than EVs
> because range is not limited.  The orangutan factor also plays a role,
but
> price and performance plays a bigger role in my opinion.  People
generally
> embrace new technology if it makes their life better and isn't too
> expensive.  Social change is where the Orangutan factor really takes
> effect.

Re: Orangutans