Energy and the environment

Re “Expo puts environment in the driver’s seat,” Oct. 21

I couldn’t attend the Alternative Energy and Transportation Expo this year, so I was relying on The Times’ coverage for details about what advances manufacturers have made and what’s on the horizon. But most of this article covered an SUV-driving family who came to the Expo to scoff at alternatives to their 14-mile-per-gallon Ford Explorer XLT and complain that recharging electric cars is an inconvenience. This trivialization of an important story does a disservice to readers. In addition, The Times disparagingly describes the event’s audience as “plenty of bicycle advocates, vegans and people worried about their carbon footprint.” I expect this kind of snarky bias from Fox News, but I don’t accept this kind of dismissive, juvenile commentary in a Times news story.

Joe Galliani

Redondo Beach

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I drove to the Expo in my 4-year-old, all-electric Toyota RAV4 EV, which runs on solar power supplied by photovoltaic panels on the roof of my house. The car charges while I sleep and reliably transports me more than 100 miles between charges, at top freeway speeds. The RAV4 EV is no longer manufactured, so I went to the Expo to see what would be available in the next few years. I don’t consider the electric car an inconvenience or “an environmental fashion statement.” I consider it a viable alternative to war, cancer-causing pollution and worsening climate change. Anyone who drives such a car is helping everyone.

Moira Nelson

Hermosa Beach