Audit Reveals Yet Another $100 Million May Have Been Wasted On Upstart EV Company

Despite a lack of demand from the American public for electric cars, the federal government gave a California company more than $100million in taxpayer money to establish a network of car-charging stations that is plagued by multiple problems, a government audit revealed.

The company is San Francisco-based ECOtality, which recently named Brandon Hurlbut - one-time chief of staff to former Energy Secretary Steven Chu - to its board of directors.

'I’m a political beast,' ECOtality's then-president, Jonathan Read, said on a 2007 shareholder conference call. 'Playing the political card is something that when the time is right we’re going to play very hard.'

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vdiv - 8/1/2013 11:12:45 AM

+3 Boost

100,000+ and increasingly growing EV drivers in the US somehow contradict the notion of "lack of demand from the American public".

AutoSpies publishing disproportionately large number of EV-related articles these days, many of which are political hit pieces and slime more than an objective review of the issues also contradicts the notion for lack of interest.

But hey, it's entertainment. Where should I deposit my quarter for another 2 minutes? :p

Agent009 - 8/1/2013 12:39:15 PM

-1 Boost

EV technology is being forced out there when there is no demand and is not cost effective nor environmentally friendly.

IMHO a total waste to invest at this time.

vdiv - 8/1/2013 12:56:53 PM

+3 Boost

Hmm, but writing about them is definitely worth the time :)

Have the Agents driven an EV? What are their personal impressions?

MorePower - 8/1/2013 4:37:07 PM

+1 Boost

@009

EV is way better than hydrogen fuel cells in terms of reliability and robustness.

Natural Gas and Hydrogen are waste of time.