#4 Electric cars are back!
France gets the honors for inventing the electric car in 1881! Advances in lead/acid batteries and electric motors gave these cars a big advantage over the noisy and stinky internal combustion competition. But limitations on battery capacity, and the development of the oil well, allowed ICE cars to take off early in the new century, and that is where things stood for the next 100 years. The internal combustion engine has had an amazing run, but they are shockingly inefficient. And then there is that little problem concerning fossil fuels…….
If you charge an electric car with electricity generated by fossil fuels, it will still be 4 to 5 times as efficient as burning that fuel in an internal combustion powered car — still worth doing to cut down on carbon emissions. But far greater advantages will accrue as the grid is converted to renewables.
The transportation sector accounts for 29% of US greenhouse gas emissions, our biggest “contributor”. Amazingly, there are no sacrifices required to make a big improvement — electric cars are better in almost every way, and further advances are coming fast.
The tipping point towards electric cars will probably come quickly. In fact it already has in some countries — electric car sales in Norway have reached 80% of the market. Yes, there were some government subsidies involved, just as subsidies have benefited the petroleum industry for a century. Not surprising, the US is bringing up the rear when it comes to EV sales, but the tide will turn to electric vehicles regardless, simply because they are better and cheaper to operate. In addition to much lower fuel costs, maintenance costs are substantially lower — no oil changes or tune ups, no exhaust systems to replace, and brakes last far longer.
There will likely be bumps in the road to electric car dominance, the race for battery minerals for one. But the rush is on! Fleet operators will be at the forefront, simply because of the economic advantages. For the rest of us, helping to slow climate change and reducing air & noise pollution will be a big impetus. Don’t let the current dearth of charging stations slow you down. If you have a house with a driveway and an electrical outlet, your home will be your most important gas station.
THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP:
* Write to local companies you do business with, and to your town government. Ask about what they are doing to address climate change and if they have plans to installed EV chargers for their employees. Being able to charge while at work will be a big incentive for workers to switch. Let them know you have expectations.
* Make an appointment with a local car dealer to test drive one of their EVs. You don’t need to buy to find out how much fun it is to drive an EV, and it will show dealers that there is interest. Cheap fun! Almost all dealers will have EVs on the lot this year, or do a little search at: Electric For All: Dealers
* Consider buying an EV yourself! The Federal government, and many state governments as well, offer tax credits. Some states even offer rebates for used EVs. If you are a two car family it can make real sense to have one of them electric, and save the other for road trips until the charging infrastructure improves. I’ll bet you’ll find that an EV will work for 90% of your trips.
For information on how rebates work, at least in Maine, go to: Efficiency Maine
To get an idea of the many new EVs available , look at: Green Car Reports
Thanks for reading,
Doug Hylan Brooklin, Maine
“We are running the most dangerous experiment in history right now, which is to see how much carbon dioxide the atmosphere can handle before there is an environmental catastrophe.” Elon Musk (who admittedly might have a dual agenda!)