Carty's interesting view on energy

Solar, wind, corn, Oh my!

Sep 25, 2007 Blade story titled Mayor calls for energy research center here

... in a letter from Mayor Carty Finkbeiner, such a facility would be called the Ohio Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Development. In it, the mayor told Mr. Strickland that an energy research center "would allow us to leverage northwest Ohio's resources to spur your vision of a greener, healthier, and more economically vibrant Ohio."

Related story, Sep 25, 2007 Blade article titled Solar power can fuel Ohio turnaround, officials say

New gas-guzzling Jeep

Sep 24, 2007 Blade story titled Official debut of the redesigned Jeep Liberty

Sep 24, 2007 WTVG story

Chrysler's celebrating production of the all-new 2008 Jeep Liberty. A big event is in the works at the Toledo north assembly plant today. Chrysler executives, along with Mayor Carty Finkbeiner and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur will talk about the new vehicle.

Sep 25, 2007 WTOL story about the new Jeeps:

Pricing starts at under Twenty-one thousand dollars for the Liberty Sport 4×2 version, and under twenty-three thousand for the 4×4. The Liberty Limited starts at just over $25,000, and just under $27,000 for the 4×4.

Sep 5, 2007 Detroit News story about the new Jeeps:

The EPA mileage numbers may discourage some buyers with the Liberty hitting 16 miles per gallon in the city and 22 mpg on the highway. There has been no decision to add a diesel engine to the Liberty, which the first generation offered to much fanfare. However, no one at Jeep would dismiss the idea either; it just won't put a time frame on it.

2008 Jeep Liberty Mileage :

2WD (manual and automatic): 16 mpg city / 22 mpg highway
4WD (manual): 16/22
4WD (automatic) 15/21

So on one hand, praise for wind propellers, solar cells, biofuels, and who knows what else, maybe burning cowchips and zebra mussel shells. And then on the other hand, praise for a vehicle costing over $20,000 and only getting around 20 mpg.

I have no problem with the Jeep vehicles. I really like the 'stretch' Wrangler. But if I was a hard core green weenie, I would not waste over $20,000 on a vehicle that gets such poor gas mileage. I don't care how the new Liberty compares to other SUVs in its class. That's not the point.

The mayor of Toledo is touting the Toledo area as some kind of center for alternative energy while at the same time the mayor celebrates one of the city's top employers that cranks out popular-selling gas guzzlers. In fact, Carty often congratulates himself for keeping Jeep in Toledo. So if Carty is on this alternative energy kick, why doesn't the maniacal tyrant demand Toledo Jeep produce an SUV that gets over 40 mpg?

Sidenote

Not related to the original posting here, but a bit funny.

We see photos and commercials of vehicles doing things that 99% of the buyers will never use the vehicle for. Here's a photo of the new Liberty from the Detroit News story:

I don't know how many buyers will ever have a need to scale such a steep bank like that with the entire family in the vehicle, but those photo ops don't always work out the way they're suppose to.

created by jr on Sep 25, 2007 at 09:04:30 am
updated by jr on Sep 25, 2007 at 11:26:25 am