Advertisement

Ronald Reagan: Father Of The Modern Electric Car?

 
1,880 views Mar 14, 2012
Follow John

U.S. President Ronald Reagan

U.S. President Ronald Reagan

Enlarge Photo

Related Photo Galleries


See more photos »

With the Chevrolet Volt having become such a punching bag of certain media outlets lately, we found ourselves musing on a remarkable notion in electric-car history:

The father of the modern electric car is none other than conservative icon Ronald Reagan.

That idea came a few weeks ago in an article posted on the Daily Caller, an online news outlet launched by Tucker Carlson, the conservative commentator, and Neil Patel, an aide to former vice president Dick Cheney.


Boiled down to its basics, the argument says that by signing legislation to create the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in 1967, while he was governor of that state, Reagan launched the governmental body that would later mandate the sale of zero-emission vehicles--first in the late 1990s and again starting this year.

In fact, the man who would become the nation's 40th president in 1981, not to mention an icon of the conservative right, was no less than the very first chairman of CARB in 1968.

How times change.

The establishment of CARB, and its role in fighting the prevalent Los Angeles smog in those days, are covered in great detail by acclaimed author Daniel Yergin in his latest book, The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World.

2012 Chevrolet Volt

2012 Chevrolet Volt

Enlarge Photo

We'd covered that history last year, when the book came out, but we must admit we hadn't connected the dots between Reagan and California's smog-fighting efforts.

The entire piece in the Daily Caller is worth reading, in part because it correctly identifies the odious politics around electric cars as reflecting antipathy toward the General Motors bailout and the idea of government subsidies for technology, misdirected toward the vehicle itself.

As author Matt K. Lewis notes, "Conservatives — the largest ideological bloc in the U.S. — seem to harbor an especially strong disdain for the electric car."

"This is, perhaps, ironic."

Indeed.

+++++++++++

Follow GreenCarReports on Facebook and Twitter.





Tags:
Posted in:
 
Contribute
Send us a tip Comment Contact the editor
Follow Us

 

Have an opinion?

  • Posting indicates you have read this site's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • Notify me when there are more comments
Comments (19)

  1. CDspeed avatar CDspeed . Posted: 3/14/2012 8:41am PDT

    Ronald Reagan the father of modern electric cars........yeah right. But hey if believing this is what the republicans need to believe in order to get onboard with electric cars, who am I to argue.
     
    Post Reply
    +1
    Bad stuff?

     

  2. PaloAltoWorldView avatar Anton Wahlman Posted: 3/14/2012 9:00am PDT

    There are only a few making noises. Much of the debate is about the GM bankruptcy procedure and subsidies in general. If you look at who actually purchased Volts to date, I think you will find that it's probably a majority of Republicans. Maybe not significantly more than 50%, but I'm guessing a majority.
     
    Post Reply
    0
    Bad stuff?

     

  3. CDspeed avatar CDspeed . Posted: 3/14/2012 9:54am PDT

    You have to admit that it wasn't the Democrats who are kicking the Volt around. But this story is not Volt related anyway so, whatever.
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  4. Bearing avatar Mark Bearing Posted: 3/14/2012 10:58am PDT

    I don't believe it (Regan etc) either but a great number of republican politicians are on board with electric cars in a big way. In fact I'll bet you'll find that a great many of them are all for building more, especially in their home states.
    I also don't think it makes a difference if you are republican or democrat as a consumer - we all read the Maroney label and the EPA efficiency stickers the same way and most of us have mastered simple arithmetic.
     
    Post Reply
    +1
    Bad stuff?

  5. PaloAltoWorldView avatar Anton Wahlman Posted: 3/14/2012 8:48am PDT

    According to this article, the Chevrolet Volt was developed by Republicans, under a Republican President, by a capitalist corporation, and appealing primarily to Republican car buyers: http://www.thestreet.com/story/11434371/1/the-official-car-of-the-republican-party.html
     
    Post Reply
    +1
    Bad stuff?

  6. cracovian avatar Red Baron Posted: 3/14/2012 9:13am PDT

    Reagan would be considered more liberal than the most leftist liberals today. All the freaks who invoke his name these days don't even have a clue... His son said the other day that the patients took over the asylum and he would appreciate if they left his father's name alone - he's nothing like them.
     
    Post Reply
    +2
    Bad stuff?

     

  7. PaloAltoWorldView avatar Anton Wahlman Posted: 3/14/2012 10:02am PDT

    My best advice to anyone who wants to become more familiar with Reagan is to watch the 1964 speech that launched his political career. In this speech 48 years ago, you will see that he was totally on the money: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXBswFfh6AY
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  8. jengelhardt avatar Joe Engelhardt Posted: 3/14/2012 4:22pm PDT

    Are you serious, talk about clueless! Carl Marx is right of most of the liberals today.
     
    Post Reply
    -2
    Bad stuff?

     

  9. robok2 avatar robok2 Posted: 3/16/2012 7:09am PDT

    Really, Joe. I guess I missed the platform of the Democratic party that called for 100% state ownership of the means of production. But since not understanding what the words socialism and communism is a basic part of today's right-wing orthodoxy, why should I be surprised?

    Feel free to enlighten us all with an example of a policy where liberals today are to the left of Karl Marx. This should prove amusing...
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  10. tterbo16 avatar Brett Owen Posted: 3/14/2012 12:04pm PDT

    hehe, so that's why CARB is useless
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  11. fb_1001015277 avatar John Briggs Posted: 3/14/2012 12:05pm PDT

    The point is that Regan saw a problem (smog) where government (like it or not) would need to play a role. The "free market" might be the right answer to many questions, just not every question.
     
    Post Reply
    +3
    Bad stuff?

  12. Tribble2 avatar Steve Mazor Posted: 3/14/2012 12:09pm PDT

    Ronald Reagan is definitely not the father of the EV. While he may have been part of the early CARB, as President his administration did their best to kill the USDOE electric and hybrid vehicle research project that was housed at JPL in the early 1980s. Speaking as one of the laid-off engineers and researchers, I watched as they dismantled the labs and poured concrete into the dynamometer pits. Luckily, some of the work was picked up by INREL and they ran with it.
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  13. fb_100000301945849 avatar Ladson Geddings Posted: 3/14/2012 3:35pm PDT

    Boy, there's a complete lie because some news maker had to meet a deadline.

    Reagan had no intention of supporting EVs by starting the ARB. The fact that the board supports them now is because the other party, Dems, have moved the board in the direction of reducing air pollution and EVs are a way to do that. If anything Reagan was a Union busting, oil-lover.
     
    Post Reply
    -1
    Bad stuff?

  14. jengelhardt avatar Joe Engelhardt Posted: 3/14/2012 4:32pm PDT

    As a Electrical and Nuclear Engineer, I love technology and anything with a motor! The problem I have and most conservatives is tax payers funding peoples purchases of elecric cars. They should stand on their own. Ronald Reagan would agree.
     
    Post Reply
    -1
    Bad stuff?

  15. VoltOwner avatar Volt Owner Posted: 3/14/2012 5:05pm PDT

    "If anything Raygun was a Union busting, oil-lover."
    There, I fixed it for you.
     
    Post Reply
    +1
    Bad stuff?

  16. fb_100000620415278 avatar Peder Norby Posted: 3/14/2012 10:47pm PDT

    Reagan was a Californian that looked over an ever swelling population and the smog that the density created. He rightly began the California Air Resources Board as a new board to improve the situation. History shows CARB as a leading regulatory driver that ushered in the electric car.

    That Republican root word of "conserve" is alive and well today in many Republicans, myself included.

    Please read this lambasting of an editorial from a Republican from San Diego, a CARB board member. This reflects my idea of what the republican party should stand for.

    http://www.nctimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/forum-zero-emission-standards-do-not-burden-buyers/article_8026c18d-249e-5b6c-a4b3-960332b94152.html

    Cheers
    Peder
    BMW ActiveE spouse
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  17. James Davis avatar James Davis Posted: 3/15/2012 4:35am PDT

    If just signing an EPA bill makes Regan the father of the modern electric car, then Carter would be the father of the modern solar panel. You remember them, the ones Regan ripped off the roof of the White House and directed the clean energy funding to coal, oil, and nuclear. Doing that would also make Regan the father of dirty energy, wouldn't it, and putting those two together would make Reagan an oxymoron, or maybe just a moron?
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  18. fb_1470388190 avatar David Laur Posted: 3/15/2012 10:12am PDT

    As evidenced by his very first advt as President when he removed the solar panels and set the thermostat to a "California- like" level?
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  19. fb_208177 avatar Doug King Posted: 3/16/2012 12:18pm PDT

    And Nixon established the EPA...
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

 

Have an opinion?Join the conversation!

Advertisement
Advertisement

Find Green Cars

Go!

Advertisement

More from High Gear Media

 
 
Green Car Reports
  • Follow Us
  • Twiiter
  • Facebook
 
 
© 2013 Green Car Reports. All Rights Reserved. Green Car Reports is published by High Gear Media. Send us feedback. Stock photography by Homestar, LLC.