Let me get this straight. Margaret Wente is opposed to electric cars because overall carbon emissions would increase if the electricity to charge the cars isn’t generated by renewable energy and also because changing the world’s fossil fuel energy infrastructure “will take decades”. While this may be true due to several political and technological challenges, one has to wonder why Ms. Wente, of all people, is bemoaning the fact that our energy infrastructure isn’t based on renewable energy. After all, she has made a living out of criticizing and undermining any effort made to make this shift. 

If anything, the reason why our future transportation and energy infrastructure won’t be running on renewable energy is because of the self-fulfilling prophecies made by those, like Ms. Wente, who are content with maintaining a status quo that is unsustainable both environmentally and economically.