Electric cars have their own faults

Re: “Bring on the Juice,” Oct. 25:

I find it interesting in all this talk and excitement surrounding electric vehicles that there appears to be so little discussion of the cost or source of electricity.

Today most electricity is generated by the burning of coal, natural gas and petroleum. How will we meet the added demands for electricity without the increased burning of these fuels? Are we trading the savings at the pump for an increase in the electric bill? Throw in cap-and-trade bills and who knows what you have?

Bob Filacchione

Buena Park

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I do not share in the enthusiasm for electric cars.

Charging and depleting a battery is basically a destructive process; eventually the battery wears out. With my laptop, the time between recharges becomes less and less. Therefore, if a car is advertised as having a 100-mile range when fully charged, I would not be surprised if the range dwindles to 35 miles or less as the battery degrades. Batteries are also expensive to replace.

And if electric cars ever do account for a significant percentage of the miles driven in the U.S., the government will be forced to levy a substantial tax on electrics to offset the loss of gasoline excise taxes.

Max Slegers

Lakewood