Australian Leadership Challenge- Gillard vs. Rudd

[Barra333]

But you're giving preferential treatment to others. A much better way to sell green technologies is, oh, I don't know... letting people buy them when they are the better alternative!?

When electric cars are better developed and there is better infrastructure to support them, they will sell.

When solar panels are cheaper and more efficient (easier to pay off and provide cheaper power than the grid offers), they will sell.

Preferential treatment to those who choose to take up the incentive. At this point in their development, most of those technologies which are unquestionably better for the environment still cost $$$ to produce and buy. Higher uptake will probably bring the price down. The incentives are needed to kickstart the cycle. Either that, or we wait until the price of fossil fuel based technology rises above the green stuff at its current price.

The congestion levy is similar - it preferentially treats those who dont drive certain types of vehicle. Does it cost the city £8 to have a car there? No. It give incentives not to drive.

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Slightly more on topic...
I am sick of the politicians here (all flavours). All they do is bitch about the other lot and say how bad they are, but no one will give any info on what they will do better. Or answer questions properly - Abbott was interviewed on the news last night and was asked three times who he would rather face at the election. Each time he gave a variant answer to 'they have no idea what they are doing'

I think Larry Emdur (of all people) summed yesterday up best. "Then all of a sudden...... nothing happened."

 

[MarinaDiamandis]

Diesel cars can get 3.9L/100km with less than 100g of CO2 per KM.

If people wanted diesels, they would buy them. Governments interfere enough as it is, like the U.K goverment trying to tax 'gas guzzlers' off the roads.

Preferential treatment to those who choose to take up the incentive. At this point in their development, most of those technologies which are unquestionably better for the environment still cost $$$ to produce and buy. Higher uptake will probably bring the price down. The incentives are needed to kickstart the cycle. Either that, or we wait until the price of fossil fuel based technology rises above the green stuff at its current price.

That's not how selling something works - if you have to give people money to buy it, it's likely not a very good product (or you have an awful sales/advertising team). Nobody will buy an electric car if it is a hassle to find charging points, etc. The infrastructure needs to be there already, or be seen to be growing to convince people that electric is a practical alternative to internal combustion.

The congestion levy is similar - it preferentially treats those who dont drive certain types of vehicle. Does it cost the city £8 to have a car there? No. It give incentives not to drive.

It tries to price people off the road, you mean. Bow down to our will or we'll bleed you dry! You already pay more tax at the pump than oher drivers, but we'll take and take until you give in!

Slightly more on topic...
I am sick of the politicians here (all flavours). All they do is bitch about the other lot and say how bad they are, but no one will give any info on what they will do better. Or answer questions properly...

They all do that, sir...

A certain English politician likes to bitch a lot, I don't think I have ever heard him put forward an alternative suggestion to a problem.