Tim Goodrich has served three tours of duty in a support role in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he loves his all-electric Nissan Leaf. His basic message, for all the Vince Vaughan types out there, is that if Americans think electric cars are “gay,” maybe it's because we aren’t as in touch with what it takes to get the oil required to make a conventional vehicle go.
"How much sense does it make," he asks, "to send money to countries that don't like us, don't share our values, and sometimes find ways to get that money into the hands of terrorist organizations?"
For those of you who like terrorists and are immune to all but the most crude economic logic, Goodrich has you covered, too.
"Every year, we send at least $250 billion to overseas countries because the cars we drive have an insatiable thirst for oil," Goodrich wrote in a recent commentary. "In other words, about half of our trade deficit is due to imported crude petroleum." […] "The whole world is positioning itself to secure energy reserves," Goodrich notes, "including what China is doing in Africa."
But how does Goodrich manage the "range anxiety" that comes with owning an electric car in L.A.? Simple: He relies on an iPhone app to tell him where charging stations are, and he plans accordingly. It's just like the logistics involved in a real military campaign, although this one obviates the need to shoot anyone.
