Then there's this; NASA researchers improperly manipulated data in order to claim 2005 as “THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD.” NCDC deleted actual temperatures at thousands of locations throughout the world as it changed to a system of global grid points, each of which is determined by averaging the temperatures of two or more adjacent weather observation stations. So the NCDC grid map contains only averaged, not real temperatures, giving rise to significant doubt that the result is a valid representation of actual Earth temperatures....

And then this....According to Dr. John Bates, the recently retired principal scientist at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center, the Karl study was used “to discredit the notion of a global warming hiatus and rush to time the publication of the paper to influence national and international deliberations on climate policy.”

Seriously, its hard to trust anything the government says, especially these days....Cheers, and happy President's Day Weekend.

As an engineer, I have always believed that one should always select the correct tool for the job to be done. This is definitely the case for EVs.

I am not an advocate for the total elimination of petroleum-fueled vehicles. EVs, at least at today's level of technology, are NOT the best choice for everyone. My wife and I found ourselves in need of a second vehicle. I needed to drive out of town several times a week to care for my mother. With one vehicle this left my wife with no car. Driving to my mother's home was around 75 miles roundtrip and I was driving there 3-4 times a week.

I looked for a suitable and economical used car but for what I wanted to pay most of the used cars were worn out, damaged, or just unreliable. Stopping at a local Nissan dealer to look around they offered me a 2-year lease on a Nissan Leaf at a low down payment and low monthly payment. In addition, our apartment had just installed several EV charging stations with one located just outside our unit.

The Nissan Leaf offered the range I needed, low costs, and almost zero maintenance. In fact, I probably will not even have to buy tires before my lease ends. It met my needs for this application. It was and is the right tool for the job.

Is an EV right for everyone? No, I do not believe so. I would NOT want to travel across the country or even beyond the range of my EV unless I was positive I could recharge easily. Part of the problem with charging stations is that even when you find a charging station, it may not work. Lots of people are installing charging stations but are not maintaining them. I have visited a few that were not working properly. I think this is a big problem.

But EVs do have a place. If one is retired and living in a warmer climate for most of the year and drives mainly to do their local errands or shopping, the EV may be ideal. They are low maintenance and if they can be recharged at home in your driveway or garage, gas stations would never be needed. If one drove less than 100 miles per week and the owner could recharge at home, the EV would be almost perfect.

People seem to purchase cars based on their worse case use. I have had friends purchase vans or large SUVs giving the reason that they will need the space for vacations. But then they use the vehicle for their daily commute the rest of the time. Driving a large vehicle 50 miles daily for commuting, a common thing here, is very expensive even if the gasoline prices are low. Tires and periodic maintenance can be expensive. Why not buy a cheaper, more economical car to commute with and rent a larger vehicle for the once-a-year vacation?

I see a similar issue with EVs. EVs may have a place as a local commuter car to save energy and maintenance costs. However, I do not think they are the answer to all needs. At this time they are NOT the right tool to take cross-country or other long trips beyond their range. I think this winter has also shown that EVs may not be a good fit in areas with severe cold weather.

So, pick the right tool for the job. Just like in photography!

I saw a deceptive video about the cost of charging an EV (electric vehicle). The woman said that the most economical place to charge is at home, which is true. She claimed to "fill" her Tesla for $4.36 @ $0.08/kWh. That is not a realistic cost per kWh. My electric company does the same thing. It lists a lost cost per kWh, but then it adds fee after fee until I actually pay $0.33 per kWh.

If someone thinks they can charge their car for under $5.00, that's a big incentive to buy an EV. At my house, that $4.36 would be almost $18.00. Charging at public stations is comparable to, or more expensive than, buying gasoline. That's according to YouTubers charging at various locations.