Hole in the Wall
How Does Austin Energy Expect to Change the World With …
RECEIVED Sat., May 26, 2007
Dear Austin Chronicle,
Re: "AE & Plug-in Hybrids" [News, May 25]: I have read much about Roger Duncan and Austin Energy's aggressive pursuit of plug-in hybrid cars. But I have yet to see a few basic points addressed. How does Austin Energy expect to change the world with:
1) a car that does not now and may not in the future exist;
2) that will likely have lease/purchase, maintenance, and insurance costs that most drivers cannot afford (note the small number of hybrids currently on Austin streets);
3) that must be plugged into an outlet that many thousands of apartment/condo dwellers will not have available to them; and
4) will significantly increase drivers' utility bills until the V2G technology is available, which as the article admits, is even further away than the plug-in hybrid car itself?
I am happy to see Austin Energy putting so much of its support behind alternative energy sources, but I would be much happier to see the same enthusiasm for technologies that are already available and proven effective: solar, hydro, wind, and especially biodiesel.
Re: "AE & Plug-in Hybrids" [News, May 25]: I have read much about Roger Duncan and Austin Energy's aggressive pursuit of plug-in hybrid cars. But I have yet to see a few basic points addressed. How does Austin Energy expect to change the world with:
1) a car that does not now and may not in the future exist;
2) that will likely have lease/purchase, maintenance, and insurance costs that most drivers cannot afford (note the small number of hybrids currently on Austin streets);
3) that must be plugged into an outlet that many thousands of apartment/condo dwellers will not have available to them; and
4) will significantly increase drivers' utility bills until the V2G technology is available, which as the article admits, is even further away than the plug-in hybrid car itself?
I am happy to see Austin Energy putting so much of its support behind alternative energy sources, but I would be much happier to see the same enthusiasm for technologies that are already available and proven effective: solar, hydro, wind, and especially biodiesel.
Thank you,
Brea Plum
Brea Plum