RANT: Electric Conversions, Not what you think...... Options

[KaptKaos]

There's a fellow selling a motor in the classifieds. Here's the link:

http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=92077

Seems normal enough. I assume, maybe wrongly, that this person is using the car for an electric conversion.

I have no issue with people converting their cars to electric motors. However, I am wondering if it is reasonable to ask or inform the people that are looking to do this to please try to use '76 cars? This is particularly important in California, as the smog checks in California aren't required on Pre-76 cars.

There are two counter arguments that I can think of and they are:

1) '76 cars are fairly rare, and therefore either more expensive and/or harder to find.
2) The point of an electric conversion is to reduce emissions, so using a car that has higher emissions makes more sense.

I am not sure if this is practical/possible/reasonable/feasible, so I figured that I'd ask.

Am I out of line here?

Please note that I mean no ill will to the seller above.

[SteveL]

All this talk about electric cars saving the environment.
OK
Charge up that car.
Coal, Nuclear, Wind, Solar, Tidal.
Coal Electricity - look at the total impact of a mile driven, including charging hte car with a coal power plant. Bad idea.
Nuclear - see above, except think of waste disposal.
Wind, Solar, Tidal - this source is VERY expensive. Wind and solar are unreliable.
So, if you use them, your ability to drive is unreliable too. Also, Wind and Solar are NOT cost effective. It might seem like they are, but gov't subsidies (read tax dollars from everyone) is artificially losering the price. You are really paying a lot more for it, just some of it comes out of your paycheck directly.

[smontanaro]

Coal Electricity - look at the total impact of a mile driven, including charging the car with a coal power plant. Bad idea.
...
Also, Wind and Solar are NOT cost effective. It might seem like they are, but gov't subsidies (read tax dollars from everyone) is artificially lowering the price. You are really paying a lot more for it, just some of it comes out of your paycheck directly.

A couple comments. Coal is bad, the worst. No doubt about it. Most states don't derive all their electricity from coal though.

I have no concrete evidence to prove my point, but I'm pretty sure we (the consumer) already subsidize the petroleum industry in many different ways. They just aren't as visible as those subsidies written as such by Congress. All those lobbyists for Big Oil must be doing something for their clients or they wouldn't stay in business.