$10K discount on the backs of Ontarians

Premier Dalton McGuinty announced today an up to $10,000 rebate to anyone who buys an electric car next year.

Unfortunately it can be any car, as long as it's a Chevy Volt, that's because that's the only electric car which will be available in 2010.

This is essentially a bribe by the government for you to purchase and experimental vehicle, which would without the subsidy most Canadians could not afford because of the $40,000 price tag. Certainly sounds like they already know it's going to be a hard sell. For that price you could buy a few very fuel efficient 4 cylinders which you would not have to worry about driving too far before being stranded.

McGuinty envisions 1 in 20 cars to be an electric. Canada sells over a million new cars per year, so would that mean the subsidies would cost us billions? If a product can't flourish without incentives, it should be a strong indication that it can't make the cut.

Even if this car were successful, ironically it would eventually kill off the other industries and repair services that are so dependant on gasoline cars, for example exhaust, emissions, cooling etc. See the movie, Who Killed the Electric Vehicle.

What if I don't want a battery powered car? Why should I have to subsidize those vegans that do. And since the government is in the car business, it wants to pay us with our own money to drive one of their cars. Weird.