In a decade, thousands of electric cars were created, driven then destroyed. Why would such a thing happen? Gasoline cars destroy the environment, cause health concerns, and are costly to drive and maintain. In a democratic society, competition is what drives development and cost. Companies are not allowed to join up with other companies to create a monopoly. This is why the car companies, the gas companies, and government are separate. Then why were electric cars created and destroyed all in the same decade? This is because a monopoly between the car companies and gas companies. And what did the government do? They helped them. The electric car was destroyed by the oil companies, the car companies, and the government creating a monopoly to prevent change.
The first electric car produced by GM was called the EV-1. It was released to the public in 1996, however, it was only available to lease, not to purchase. Over the next decade electric cars were developed and made better and better. Then, in 2004, GM removed EV-1 off the roads, and destroyed all 1,117 of them. They removed them because they said there was no demand for them. Why would GM do this? There is clearly a demand for the electric car. Oil prices are spiralling out of control. Global warming is having an enormous effect on the planet. The reason the GM removed the cars is because they want to remain in control. They didn’t want the industry to change. They were making huge profits of the gasoline vehicle. GM removed the cars because they did not want a change.
Every two weeks, you pump in fifty dollars of gasoline into your car. If the electric were brought onto the market, oil companies would become non-existent. Oil companies are number one profiteers in the world. They had to protect their industry somehow. The oil companies convinced us that electric are worse than gasoline cars. They told us they don’t go far, they’re worse for the environment, and that just wouldn’t work in America. The oil industry probably even bribed the car companies to get the EV-1’s off the road. Why let the world drive for free when let them pay fifty dollars to fill up every two weeks? It just doesn’t make sense from an economic stand point. Because there is a monopoly of oil the world, they control how we live our lives. They decide the cost of everything by cost of oil. If the electric car was introduced they would lose the power and the money. Oil companies killed the electric car so they could stay in the picture.
The government is supposed to control how the economy and business is run. In 1998, The California Air Resources Board told car companies that they had to develop a zero-emission car. The car companies started to develop the cars and realized they could just sue the board. Eventually it was decided that they would only have to develop the cars if there was a demand. The car companies then tricked the American people to believe that they did not want this car, thus, creating the illusion there was no demand. Then the Bush administration decided to fight the electric car. The law that car companies have to develop zero-emission cars was shortly later removed. Why did the government do this? Once, again it is a money issue. Gasoline provides stimulus to the economy and government. No money would be coming in from oil if people were driving electric cars. The government fought the electric car because there was no money in it for them.
The electric car was a revolutionizing product. It was destroyed by the oil industry, car companies and the government so they could keep a few extra dollars in there pocket. It took a law for the seat belt to be worn by people. It took a law to produce more gasoline efficient car. It’s going to take a law to bring the electric car back into our world.
