I ran across an article at the PJ Media website that discusses how there are issues with Electric Vehicles (EVs) that progressives are not willing to talk about. Read the article here. (Look below for more links of interest) I am going paraphrase heavily in this blog post and am going to add my own thoughts and additional points. This is in no way a reflection on the author, Mark Tapscott. The article is great and quite illuminating. He covers A LOT of ground in short, concise points. As my dear readers know, I have a tendency to ramble on. In the arena that Mr. Tapscott finds himself, I'd take an educated guess that his word count is limited by his editors. I don't have an editor. I should, but I don't. That gives me much leeway, as I said above, to ramble.
1. Fossil fuels and nuclear energy account for more than 80% of US power generation. EVs are fueled by Fossil fuels. What is not included here is the power generated by hydroelectric dams. Hydroelectric power creates an additional for 10-12%. That about 8-10% coming from renewable such as windows and solar. No question this is not a trivial amount and it has increased dramatically over the last 15 years or so. But even at this level, renewable energy is no where near ready for prime time. The overwhelming evidence bears this out. Locations that rely heavily on renewables have a difficult time meeting the needs during periods of even higher than “normal” demand.
The trouble arises when the greenies insist that we can go totally renewable. Several years ago I published a post comparing a large wind generating field in Central Washington to the Wanapum dam, which is on the Columbia River just downstream from the wind generation field. In a nutshell, the dam has the capacity to generate 1,185 megawatts of electricity. The turbine field, with about 150 turbines can generate 273 MW. While one might think "OK, this field generates about a fifth of the dam just downstream. This sounds reasonable." Keep in mind this turbine field stretches for miles on the tops of ridgelines north and east of the city of Ellensburg. Admittedly, I am biased, but these turbines are an eyesore. On top of that, turbines are known killers of wildlife, mostly birds, including eagles. This last point could be another point the progressives won't talk about. It kind of muddles the water when it comes to the whole "We're caring for the environment" shtick. And one last point here, and it had been covered my many over the years. That 273 MW of electricity doesn't get generated unless the wind blows and there is no storage capabilities. Hydroelectric, fossil fuel, and nuclear generation doesn't need storage, it is on demand, all of the time.
2. Cobalt is necessary to make batteries. This comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which uses child labor. This!!! The left always, always, always accuses the right of not caring. Not caring for the environment. Not caring about the downtrodden. Not caring about children. I could go on and on. Yet here we are. The progressives are trying to shove EVs down our throats, going about ways that will make us drive these damn things. They know what is going on in places like the Congo. There is absolutely no way that can't know. We've told them. There are pictures. There is video. The evidence is right there in front of them. They choose to ignore it. And do you really think that mining operations in the Congo are following any sort of environmental regulations and laws? If you believe they are being environmentally responsible in the Congo, or anywhere else for that matter, I have some ocean front property in Arizona you might be interested in. But despite the overwhelming evidence out there that places like the Congo use child labor and are destroying the environment the progressives willfully turn a blind eye. All for the grand agenda.
3. Charging stations are notoriously fickle. In some locations nearly a third of the stations are out of order. In Tapscott's article he points out that in San Francisco nearly 1/3 of the charging stations do not work. In a YouTube video I ran across several years ago testing an EV, the authors struggled to find working stations. Granted, this video was several years back when EVs were more of a novelty than actual worthwhile transportation. If EVs are going to be the wave of the future and the primary means of transportation, then having even 1% of the charging stations down is not doable. For this to work, charging stations will need to be just like gas stations, available everywhere, in abundant quantities, and 99.99% reliable. If this cannot be done, then the EV will be nothing more than a commuter car, good only for short trips from the house. Is this by design?
4. If we swap to an all-electric economy to power our vehicles, the rise in demand for electricity will be sharp. Some estimates are 40% and higher Just based on what has happened in California and Texas this figure might be underestimated. Less than 1% of the privately owned vehicles in California are EVs, yet the state has requested that EV owners not charge their vehicles during peak demand times, 4pm-8pm. Interestingly, this high demand period is the same time most folks are home from their jobs and would need to charge their vehicle. We all have heard of various places, mostly blue states, that have asked (demanded?) that consumers not charge their vehicles during high demand periods. How often does anyone of certain age (30+) remember a time when utilities and state governments told residents to curb their power consumption? I’m not referring to situations when issues arose, such as a natural disaster occurs. I’m referring to when demand for electricity surges during the summer months as folks turn on their A/C.
5. Charging an EV is equivalent to adding up to 2 AC units to a home. EVs require year-round charging. AC units are seasonal, when demand for other electric components decreases, i.e., lights. It not a one-to-one correlation. There is no question that demand for electricity increases during the summer months in most locations. That is offset somewhat by the decreased use of lights as the days are longer and folks spend more time outside. When we lived in Omaha several years back our electricity bill rose pretty good over the summer months as we turned on the A/C. This increase was offset by a significant drop in our natural gas consumption. But with the longer days and more time outside, we didn’t need the lights (or as many) for longer periods of the day during the summer. We were not unique. How are we to meet the demand for increased electricity use if EVs become common place? As states across the USA shutter fossil fuel plants and rely more and more on so-called green energy many locations cannot meet demands now. How far away are we from being limited to how much electricity we consume? Will there come a day in the not distant future when we will be told to shut off not only unnecessary lights, but lights to move about our homes? Will utility companies, under the dictatorial demand of various states shut off power to people who use more than their month allotted amount? And how high will energy bills get as cheap and effective means of power generation are shut down for over favored green energy? As we have seen in Europe this past year, green energy is not only not reliable, it is also quite expensive compared to other forms.
6. It is estimated that 1 in 6 Americans are struggling to pay their electric bills. As to the close of the last point, the cost, we are already seeing a significant surge in energy bills in many areas of the USA. This is leading to people not being able to afford to light and cool their homes. That 20% of our population, the most prosperous nation the world has ever seen, cannot pay their bills is sickening. Will that number reach 30% or 40%? As it stands now, the remaining 80% of the population that are not in immediate danger of having their power shut off can make decisions. We can decide that going out to eat is a true luxury. We can skip the vacation to the coast or to grandma’s house. We can stop doing home improvement projects. The people in that 20% don’t cut these expenses because they don’t, by and large, have these expenses. They are already living hand to mouth. Home improvement projects and going out to dinner are not part of their budgets. As energy prices continue to surge, the next level up in the stratum will soon find that making choices how they spend their hard-earned dollars won’t be enough. Personally, we have yet had to make big sacrifices. Yes, we didn’t take the trip up the San Juans like we planned, and we slowed down a couple of projects, but we are not yet to the point where we have to decide do we pay the mortgage or do we pay the electric bill. How soon will it be before it is just the elite that can afford to light and cool their homes?
7. To meet the demand utility companies will need to add $5,800.00 in grid updates for each EV purchased. This will be passed along to the consumer. This ties in with the above point and could very well be the tripping point where only a select few will be able to pay their bills without making huge sacrifices elsewhere in the budgeting plans. $5,800.00 is not small potatoes. No public or private utility company is going to absorb this cost. It will be passed along to the consumer. Either directly, or indirectly. Some of you will say let the government pay for these upgrades. Where in the heck do you think that money will come from. A keep in mind, no government project has every been cost effective. Not. A. Single. One. There will be enormous cost overruns. There will be kick backs to be paid (think Solyndra). There will be pockets to fill. The only people who will benefit from this kind of government program will be the elite. Yet another transfer of wealth from the low and middle class to the wealthy.
8. A lithium leach field is one of the most toxic places on earth. It is a neurotoxin so powerful that any wildlife that encounters this dies within minutes. Is it possible that the countries that are processes the lithium are doing so in the most cost-effective way. i.e. little to no thought about the environment? We have already determined that the progressives, in their hell-bent-for leather drive for getting us away from fossil fuels don’t get a darn about the impact to the environment. A couple of other point to consider here. The two main components of the batteries that go into EVs are cobalt and lithium. Both are considered rare earth minerals. Why? Well, because they are rare. Plus, one needs to consider where these minerals come from. No place on earth where these minerals are minded could be considered friendly to out interests. In fact, several countries that mine these minerals could be considered hostile. Secondly, no one has really thought out how the worn-out batteries are going to be handled. The lifespan for the batteries is around 10 years. If everyone is driving around in EVs, that is A LOT of battery materials that need to be disposed of. Yes, some recycling can be done. But at this time, it is not cost effective, not by a long shot. To be cost effective, the cost for the batteries is going to have be much more expensive than they are now, which is around $10K. And we haven’t even begun to talk about trucks (700+ horsepower needed), buses (500HP needed), and trains (~7,000HP needed). These will require batteries that dwarf the needs for a 150HP passenger EV.
9. Average cost of EV: $66,000.00. ICE: $48,000.00. Medium household income: $67,521. For blacks: $45,870. For Hispanic households: $55,321. This doesn't take into account that the next "big thing" in EVs are going to be pickups. These average north of $85,000. This will certainly drive up the average cost of an EV, which are already out of reach for a significant portion of Americans.
As an unintended consequence (or is it part of the plan?), for those who cannot afford an EV and must stay with an ICE, those will also soon be out of reach for many due to the economic law of supply and demand. The chip crisis that drove up the cost of new vehicles by more than 20% also impacted the used car market. Again, the law of supply and demand. People couldn’t afford a new car or truck, so they went the used car route. This in turn drove up the price of used cars. The covid caused shortage of chips was just a test run. Let me restate this; it is a feature, not a bug. The elites intend to drive us (pun intended) us regular folks out of our vehicles. Cars represent freedom and nothing is more disgusting to the progressive elite as us lower life forms having freedom.
10. The vast majority of charging occurs at home. This is mostly fine for those who live in a single-family dwelling. But it could poses a serious problem for those who live in multi-family locations. Are apartment owners going to install enough charging stations for all the residents? What if an apartment has multiple vehicle owners? How much will the apartment owners charge the residents to install the charging stations? At $5,800.00 each, that is a pretty pricey bill to pass along.
11. Charging occurs at night. This is exactly when so-called renewable energy wans significantly. The sun sets and winds tend to taper off. This is also when demand increases as people come home from work and the kiddies are home from school. Lights are turned on. A/C or heat is set to comfortable level. Meals are cooked. Showers are taken. A little bit of trivia for you: In the last couple of years, California passed a law that stipulates that no new construction may have gas. Can’t heat the home with gas. Can’t heat the water with gas. Can’t cook a meal with gas. California is only the first. Other states have contemplated passing the same laws and regulations. This is only going to cause demand for electricity to skyrocket. How is the demand going to be met when the forms of generation are not going to be available?
12. EVs have no range as compared to an ICE. Last month I published as post detailing the range difference between a gas-powered truck and an EV. Each were towing a trailer. The gas-powered truck made the round trip on a single tank, while the EV truck had to make three charging stops to go the same distance. And the costs were nearly identical.
We've all heard many in the progressive elite circles say if you're concerned about rising gas prices just purchase an EV. Easy to say when each and every one of them is making north of $200,000 a year. Many of those are WELL north of that figure. The Secretary of Transportation, who actually knows nothing about transportation, has suggested that folks buy EVs so they don't have to worry about rising gas prices. Never mind that EVs cost an average of $66,000. Never mind that the folks who are most impacted by the rising price of gas are the poor and lower middle class. Not exactly the kind of people who can just go out a plunk down $66,000 for a new car. To top it off, these same folks are the people who are struggling to pay the ever increasing electric bills. furthermore, they didn't bother to explain how people who making $40,000-$50,000 a year and are having to make hard choices with their finances were supposed to afford an EV. The biggest problem with elites if they have absolutely no clue how the rest of us live. Unicorns and fairy dust.
Do you see a common thread here? Each issue is not about the car or saving the environment. It is about control. Owning and driving a vehicle has always represented a kind of freedom. The freedom to go where you want, when you want. The only thing controlling this freedom is your time and your pocketbook. The progressives don't give a hoot about the environment or child labor. They only care about controlling your movements, your freedom to do what you want, when you want. If EV components are scarce or expensive, then it makes even the purchase of a vehicle very difficult for most. If charging an EV away from home is time consuming, or not readily available, it curbs you ability to move about when you want. According to the progressive elite, these things are not failures, but features. If the elites can control your movements, your freedom, they have total control.
Piercing the Electric Car Fantasy. Definitely worth a few minutes of your time. A deep drill into facts and figures.
Down with Electric Vehicles. Not as detailed as the previous link, but some good numbers for you to store away in your gray matter for recall later when arguing with progressives.
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