Posted on 05/16/2014 12:37:47 PM PDT by rickmichaels
The only thing environmentalists revel in — more than predicting a fiery doom for our planet — is gloating over the successful replacement of the infernal combustion engine with good, clean electricity. So, it is, then, that there’s been much trumpeting of the news from Norway and, more recently, the Netherlands, where plug-in vehicles have seemingly achieved the enviroweenie’s holy grail: mainstream acceptance.
The numbers are startling. While North Americans remain devoted to their internal combustion dinosaurs drinking, well, dinosaur juice — Toyota sold barely 200 plug-in versions of its Prius hybrid last year in Canada and Nissan only 470 Leafs — both the Netherlands and Norway boast that plug-in vehicles represent more than 5% of their total car market.
Even those impressive numbers don’t reflect the 42-point, above-the-fold headlines that EV sales were generating in Holland last year. In December, PHEVs accounted for an incredible 23.8% of Dutch new-car registrations. Yes, almost one in four cars sold in Holland in December was some form of plug-in electric vehicle, either the plug-in hybrid version of Toyota’s Prius, a battery-powered electric vehicle like the Nissan Leaf or an extended-range EV such as Opel’s Ampera (Chevrolet’s Volt in a slinkier dress). Indeed, four out of the top five selling passenger cars in the Netherlands plugged into the electrical grid. Surely, it is the green car revolution we have all been told is imminent.
Or is it?
What’s driving or, more accurately now that updated figures are available, was driving the Dutch EV boom was incentives. A recent study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) revealed that Holland, along with Norway, is throwing money around like Justin Bieber at a Miami strip club. Taxes and registration fees are waived, electricity is subsidized as are the stations, and parking fees, seemingly an issue in overcrowded Europe, are often waived.
The totality of the incentives is staggering. According to the ICCT, Norwegian subsidies are worth up to 11,500 euros, equivalent to 55% of the cost of a new car. Holland’s numbers are even more generous: Depending on the exact propulsion system and the carbon emissions the government deems it may save (the Netherlands subsidizes plug-in hybrids more favourably than EVs, while Norway promotes pure, battery-powered electric vehicles), going electric in Holland could save you as much as 75% of the purchase price of a Volvo V60 plug-in hybrid.
Also lost in all the hype is that the Dutch subsidies greatly favour corporations and private business. Private purchasers are, according to Peter Monk and Zifei Yang, authors of the ICCT’s Driving Electrification white paper, eligible for much less (1,800 euros for a privately bought Renault Zoe versus 6,100 euros for a company car, and 20,900 euros for a privately owned plug-in Volvo V60 versus 38,300 euros — out of a purchase price of 51,571 euros — for the company-leased alternative). Small wonder that, depending on the exact nature of your vehicle, up to three quarters of Dutch plug-in sales are to corporations and private businesses. Yes, Holland’s green car revolution is really just a corporate tax dodge.
And the Dutch really have been following the money. As of Jan. 1, the government has reduced its corporate welfare program, and sales of anything that requires an electrical umbilical cord have plummeted. EV and PHEV sales in December were 9,309; in January they were 404. Sales of best-selling models were particularly hard hit; Mitsubishi’s hybrid Outlander dropped to 83 in January compared with 4,988 just the month before. This drop was made all the more calamitous for Mitsu’s electrification prospects since, of the 8,197 Outlander PHEVs sold in Europe last year, 8,009 were to Holland. Other marques saw equally precipitous losses; BMW’s i3 from 225 to 15 units, Tesla’s Model S from 578 to seven and Nissan’s Leaf from … well, you get the idea.
But, you’re thinking, at least they got some of those horrible fuel-sucking pigs off the road with a commensurate reduction in tailpipe emissions and fuel consumption.
Not so fast. According to autobloggreen.com, “Fleet owners in the Netherlands are finding out that you can overshoot the mark by 80% in fuel consumption with plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.” Arval, a leading leasing company, told Dutch Nos television that the 60 corporately driven Opel Ampera, Chevrolet Volt and Toyota Plug-in Prius vehicles it surveyed were consuming 80% more fuel than their government rating (2.2 L/100 km for the Prius; 1.6 L/100 km for the Ampera/Volt) — the worst case, an extended-range Opel, consuming as much as 7.8 L/100 km.
It seems that while the corporations like the write-offs the tax exemptions bring, the people actually diving these plug-in write-offs aren’t bothering to, well, plug them in, instead often driving them as if they were gasoline powered only (where the Ampera/Volt is particularly inefficient). Indeed, Arval director Dick Bakker told the broadcaster, “Most people don’t use the car properly. If someone with an Ampera or Prius plug-in hybrid is using the same amount of petrol as you in your old (Renault) Clio (subcompact), then we have made few advances over the past few years.”
So here’s another take on Holland’s green car revolution. The Dutch government offered massive tax incentives to promote “green” cars. Corporations welcomed the huge write-offs. The resultant emissions reduction in no way warranted the vast amounts of public monies spent. It’s funny how we haven’t seen that headline.
Right next door in France they have nearly 100% clean affordable energy. The greenies gasp. It’s NUCLEAR. They do, however, plant a few stupid awful eyesore windmills to keep up appearances.
That ad wouldn’t fly these days. The “fat agenda” lobby would be up in arms. Using a fat family to promote the spaciousness of a car just isn’t PC.
You didn’t miss much on the Cricket, it was widely regarded as a typical British problem vehicle.
Ah yes, the rebadged Hillman Avenger.
Oh, I dunno about that. Maybe they could get Kirstie Alley to hawk it.................
Well, OK. I mean, normally I wouldn't but if it's gonna save the penguin-eating baby polar bears from drowning and the planet too I guess I'll get my next Lambo in green. The dealer says sure, OK, but I dunno - they acted like they'd never heard the words "trailer hitch" before...
The humor is that back then, people of that girth were fairly uncommon and today they are ubiquitous.
I had very little trouble out of mine.
Oh there was that time I was coming back to Florida on I-95 in Fredericksburg, VA when the Automatic Transmission fell out and it had to be towed back to Florida behind my mom’s van who had to drive all the way up to get us, after me and my wife spent the night in the local jail for having a stolen car that wasn’t stolen at all.........................
At least it wasn’t a Morris Marina.
lolz
Many have been destroyed on Top Gear. :-)
dropping rather big pieces of the motor doesn’t sound so great
When we got it back to FL, I bought a manual transmission and associated parts from a junk yard and converted it. It ran fine until the gear shift came out of the floor on a busy downtown bridge in Jacksonville. Had to drive 30 miles in 2nd gear all the way home..........................
Some cars should come with a spare
I can vouch for that..............
The cops said, “This car is stolen!”
I said, “Who in their right mind would steal this car?”.....................
Awesome! Not a bad looking rig for its era, just bad mechanicals and electricals.
lol
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