There is understandable excitement about the prospect of widely available electric vehicles that would reduce the need for gasoline.
But there is less enthusiasm about the price tags that may be attached to many of those vehicles.
For instance, the much-publicized Chevrolet Volt electric car would travel up to 40 miles on a four-hour charge before its gasoline engine kicked in. That initial 40 miles on battery power would be sufficient to travel relatively short distances around town conveniently without needing a fresh charge.
A potential downside, however, is the Volt’s base price: $41,000.
Over time, of course, as technology advances, the price is apt to fall within the reach of more consumers. But unfortunately, as is often the case, the federal government is unwilling to wait. It prefers electric vehicles for environmental reasons, and it wants buyers to snap up the Volt and some similar vehicles even before the price comes down naturally.