The Volt: Not Ready to Roll

And small wonder that the Obama task force looked askance at the Volt, which offers the size and power of some small Volkswagens at Cadillac prices. Geoffrey Styles, founder of the energy consultant GSW Strategy Group, recently reported that it would take a minimum of six years for drivers to recoup the differential between the Volt's projected price and that of a Toyota Prius -- even assuming $4 per-gallon gasoline.

Electric cars might ease a lot of problems related to auto emissions -- global warming not least among them. This is why green-minded politicians love them and entrepreneurs tinker with them.

Of course, to the extent that they relied on coal-fired electric plants for power, electric cars might simply move the emissions problem around. And who knows what environmental challenges might be posed by the disposal of millions of big, used-up lithium-ion batteries?

More fundamentally, the electric car is hostage to the oil-price cycle. Indeed, to the extent that we use more electric cars, we reduce the demand for petroleum, which drives down the price of petroleum, which makes electric cars less competitive with gas-burning ones -- and so on.

There's no way to change this pattern unless and until a breakthrough radically cheapens electric-car technology -- or the U.S. government drastically and permanently increases gas taxes.

In the meantime, we would probably accomplish more in terms of sustainable fuel savings simply by driving less, trading in big cars for smaller ones, and improving existing hybrid and internal-combustion technology.

The Obama administration should refrain from lavishing public money on losing propositions such as GM's Volt -- and let the entrepreneurs keep on tinkering.

Charles Lane is a member of the editorial page staff.