Need for Electric Cars

It seemed an interesting coincidence on the April 20 Editorial Page when a letter about electric cars followed your editorial on fuel-efficiency standards.

One can only hope that the Bush Administration will follow through on these initial steps toward a fuel economy policy, and maybe even a national energy policy. If our energy demand continues to rise as it has in the Reagan years, OPEC will again be calling the shots as it did in the 1970s. Also, the large part of our trade deficit attributable to imported oil should not be overlooked.

As for electric cars, all is not lost. During the Ford-Carter years the government had a very active program for electric car development. When the Reagan Administration took over, the order went out to stop all such commercial nonsense. Fortunately Congress, in its wisdom, insisted that a very modest ($10-$12 million annually) program of research and development be continued. Such an effort is ongoing. Consequently, vastly improved batteries, drive trains, transmissions, motors and controllers are available for the next generation of electric vehicles. The state-of-the-art can now provide a delivery van or utility vehicle that can more than satisfy the mileage requirements. Think of the smog alleviation if most of the urban and inner-city vans and delivery trucks were electric.

C.J. SMITS

Las Vegas