re: #652 Liberal Classic

I don’t think the government can overcome the obstacles that electric cars pose simply by offering tax incentives, adopting standards, etc. Until battery-powered vehicles are truly a substitute good for combustion vehicles, or the expense of operating a combustion vehicle overcomes the limitations inherent in battery-powered vehicles (i.e. range, charging time) then they are unlikely to be widely adopted by the broader automotive public.

The deeper question is whether this is an appropriate area for federal government action. Should the mix of cars sold in the US, and their aggregate energy consumption, be something left to the free market, or is there a government role there?