Gasoline and Other Dirty Things

I've had a few requests for an update on how much gasoline I have used. Who am I to keep the fans waiting?

I'm moving up the ranks on Voltstats. I'm currently at 125 today and I didn't use my car much this weekend.

Here are the rest of the stats:

I've driven a little over 103 out of my not quite 1900 miles on gas.

I'm doing really well with my EV % and MPG. I need to keep driving to move up on the other lists, and drive better on gas when I do use gas, but that's a lost cause. I only switch over the gas when I KNOW I'm going to be going at high speeds (i.e., not being EV efficient, because remember even though the Volt uses gas, it is only used to power a generator so it still drives best using EV efficiency tactics).

Here is a fun graph.

Which maybe isn't too interesting except that it shows how very possible it is to drive a volt over 1500 miles per month without having to use much as at all.

Here are some other proud moments in my EV driving history, short though it has been thus far.

So that's fun!

Now that we are done obliquely referencing gasoline, we can move on to other dirty energy sources - specifically, coal. This article has been circulating around Facebook and other green car sources for the past few days. Click the pic if you'd like to read the full article.

Again, I can't help stating that an important point is being missed here.

Yes, it's true that West Virginia has the dirtiest grid in the country. I mean, I haven't measured it myself but being in the middle of coal country, this is highly believable. But, why shouldn't the state with the dirtiest grid incentivize electric cars? 

For one thing, if the grid is so dirty, and WV is a "coal state", why NOT incentivize technology that will increase revenue to coal companies in the state? This is called, doing business. Does it make tree hugging hippies like you and I happy? Of course not. Does it make business sense? Of course it does. This is no time to pretend that we live in a country where the interests of businesses are not important to our government.

For another thing, as I've said before, the technology needs to progress. The gas powered automobile is an endangered species, and no one that we can save by putting it in a protected refuge. In a matter of time - and it matters not how much time that is - the gas stations will close, the car technologies will evolve, and the grid will be using different power sources. Let's move it along, folks. It just makes sense.