California Runs Out of Bribe Money to Get People to Buy Electric Cars

Because why else would you pay so much for so little?

It's going to cost more to buy electric cars in California.

The state has run out of the $5,000 rebates it was giving people who purchased all-electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Roadster.

That's on top of a price increase for the Nissan Leaf. The automaker said this week that it would raise the price of the base model when the 2012 cars come out this fall by $2,420 to $36,050, including destination charge. The higher-trim-level Leaf SL will go up $3,530 to $38,100, including destination charge.

But there could be some relief for those who were on the waiting list for the $5,000 rebate. The state's Air Resources Board on Thursday will consider a recommendation to provide rebates of $2,500 to about 500 people who have already purchased cars and who were on the waiting list.

The vote would provide additional funds for about 5,500 rebates — also $2,500 — for electric cars and some other types of zero-emission vehicles such as the hydrogen vehicles that some automakers offer through experimental lease programs, said Mary Fricke, spokeswoman for the Air Resources Board.

What you never hear mentioned in these stories about electric cars is where those electrons come from to run those cars. Here in California they'll come from a nuclear or oil-fired power plant. In many parts of the country the power is generated by coal or perhaps hydroelectric. No matter what, electrons aren't free and somebody has to pay to generate them, so don't kid yourself that you're making some grand statement by buying one of these things.