charging stations

Electric Vehicles are Not a Panacea

Fandango33 Comments

I’m writing this as a post, rather than as a very long comment on Marilyn Armstrong’s post from earlier today, “Electrifying Everything.” I encourage you to read Marilyn’s very well written post before reading this post. Go ahead. I’ll wait a few minutes for you to do that and return.

Ah, welcome back. Yes, as Marilyn said, EVs are not the answer, the panacea, that will save the planet from climate change. Yes, the cost of EVs needs to come down to where they are comparable to similarly equipped gas-powered cars. And that will happen sooner, rather than later. And yes, our government and the transportation industry need to address the dearth of fast charging stations outside of big cities (and even in big cities). Fast charging stations need to be as ubiquitous as are gas pumps today.

But, as an EV owner for almost three years now, I’d like to address two claims about EVs that I think are misleading. First is the claim that people don’t like the way electric cars are built.

I don’t understand how not liking the way they are built can be an issue. Most electric cars on the market (excluding Tesla) are built by Ford, GM, Chrysler, VW, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, Honda, BMW, Audi, etc. These are the same companies that build traditional gas-powered cars. So what’s behind people not liking how EVs are built when they are built by the same companies as traditional cars? There is ONE study (and the only such study I could find) from Consumer Reports that claims that the reliability of EVs is less than that of gas-powered vehicles. That same study said that the reliability of plug-in hybrids is even worse. But I’ve had my EV for almost three years and have had zero reliability issues.

Second, people are allegedly concerned about the “expensive maintenance issues that are part of the package.”

The truth is that EV maintenance costs are way lower than that of comparable gas-powered cars. EVs have fewer moving parts than gas cars. There are no oil changes, and regenerative braking reduces wear on traditional brakes. Again, I have paid zero dollars in maintenance costs for my EV since I drove it off the lot on August 12, 2022. Zero dollars!

So, yes, the EV alone is not going to end climate change. It’s not meant to be THE solution to climate change. But EVs emit zero pollutants into the atmosphere, and once the price of EVs come down and once charging stations are readily available nationwide, that zero emissions fact will have a positive affect on our climate.

We just need the fossil fuel industry and the GOP politicians to agree to support — rather than fight tooth and nail — the migration to EVs from gas guzzlers. If that could happen, we will go a long way toward cleaner air and maybe even be able to slow down the inevitable catastrophe that climate change will have.

As a nation, we should be encouraging people to buy electric vehicles when and where it makes sense. We need to stop giving people excuses for not considering driving an EV just because some consider EVs to not be the one solution that will halt climate change. How naive can you be?

Image credit: https://blog.evsolutions.com.

SoCS — Las Vegas or Bust

Fandango4 Comments

For this week’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, Linda G. Hill has asked us to use the words “plain” and/or “plane” in our posts.

“You’re being ridiculous,” Dick said. “It’s almost 600 miles and more than eight hours by car. But it’s an hour and a half flight.”

“But if you add an hour’s drive to get to the airport,” Michael said, “having to be at the airport two hours before scheduled departure, the hour and a half flight, and then another 45 minutes from the airport to the hotel in Vegas, in the end, you don’t save that much time point-to-point.“

“What’s really going on here, Michael?” Dick asked. “Do you have a fear of flying or something?”

“Okay, once again let me try to explain it in a way you can understand, Dick. The plain and simple truth is that I fly all the time for my job and I don’t want to have to board an airplane to start my vacation,” Michael said. “I am so sick so spending time in airports, lining up to board the plane, sitting in a cramped seat, and dealing with all that crap. So there you have it. If you’re so keen on flying, then fly. I’ll drive and I’ll meet you at the hotel.”

“But Michael,” Dick said, “You have an electric car with a range of maybe 280 miles on a charge. You’d have to stop to recharge at least twice. How much time would that add to your eight hour drive?”

“There are plenty of fast charging stations between here and Vegas, Michael said. “With fast charging it takes about 30 to 40 minutes to fully charge the car and I can use that time to grab a meal or get some coffee. Even with two charging stops, I can still make it in ten hours by car. So why don’t you keep me company on the drive? It will be an adventure?”

“Nope, you take your car, I’ll take a plane. I’ll meet you at the casino.”

Who Won The Week — 08/28/22

Fandango45 Comments

The idea behind Who Won the Week is to give you the opportunity to select who (or what) you think “won” this past week. Your selection can be anyone or anything — politicians, celebrities, athletes, authors, bloggers, your friends or family members, books, movies, TV shows, businesses, organizations, whatever.

This week’s recipient of Who Won the Week is the state of California. Why am I giving my home state this honor? Well, it’s because California is taking definitive action to do something about climate change.

Under a policy approved Thursday by regulators, the state seeks a dramatic cut in carbon emissions and an eventual end to gasoline-powered vehicles. California will require that all new cars, trucks and SUVs run on electricity or hydrogen by 2035. If the goal is reached, California would cut emissions from cars in half by 2040.

The rules mandate that 35% of the new cars sold be plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV), EVs, or hydrogen fuel cell by 2026. That proportion will rise to 68% by 2030 and 100% by 2035. Californians will be able to keep driving gas-powered vehicles and buying used ones after 2035, but no new models would be sold in the state by that year.

This move gives the most populous U.S. state the world’s most stringent regulations for transitioning to electric vehicles. It is expected to prompt other states to follow California’s lead and to accelerate the production of zero-emission vehicles by automakers.

The policy still needs federal approval, but that’s considered very likely under Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration.

Reaching the 100% goal by 2035 will mean overcoming some very practical hurdles, most notably enough reliable power and charging stations. The state now has about 80,000 stations in public places, far short of the 250,000 it wants by 2025. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents many major car makers, warned about the lack of infrastructure, access to materials needed to make batteries, and supply chain issues as being among the challenges to meeting the state’s timeline.

You may recall that in 1961, President John F. Kennedy said, “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.” That goal was achieved in 1969.

Surely, if we could put a man on the moon in less than nine years, we can address the concerns of the auto industry and get enough public charging stations on the road to meet the needs of an all-electric vehicle state in twelve years.

What do you think of California’s move to electric vehicles by 2035? Too ambitious? Not ambitious enough? Not practical? Reasonable?

So who (or what) do you think won the week?

If you want to participate, write your own post designating who you think won the week and why you think they deserve your nod. Then link back to this post and tag you post with FWWTW.