EVs Don’t Make Sense
To the editor:
Politicians and “green” energy schemers have the goal set for our country to be driving electric vehicles in the near future. The next few months will be filled with political rhetoric related to global warming, climate change, carbon dioxide (CO2) contamination, etc. Just a side note...increasing CO2 in the atmosphere will not lead to catastrophic consequences the global warming enthusiasts predict. Each of us exhale two pounds of CO2 daily – it is not a pollutant.
Lest I get sidetracked, let’s focus on EVs, which will not be a reality anytime soon for the following reasons: 1. Range anxiety...if you’re low on gas, chances are you’ll find a place to fill up, but EV charging stations may be sparse, especially in the rural areas.
2. Length of charge...the Level 3 charger takes 30+ minutes to charge if you can find one. Most are Level 2 and may take up to an hour.
3. Electrical charge is generated by coal, oil, or gas, since 60+% of electricity in the US is generated using fossil fuels.
4. America’s power grid simply can’t support a full transition to EVs.
5. Lacking crucial materials... America does not have access to the lithium, cobalt, etc. necessary for the transition to EVs. With most of those materials in the hands of our adversaries, it’s not likely the lofty goals of our green schemers can be achieved.
6. Environmental nightmare... Lithium production alone is so toxic that even the most ardent EV advocates don’t want it anywhere near them.
7. Performance drops significantly in cold weather. Just ask Chicago residents in January when extreme cold made charging impossible and charging stations became a car graveyard. Oh, just an FYI, heat like Texas also significantly degrades battery performance.
No, vehicles powered by gasoline aren’t going to be replaced by EVs anytime soon. Saw a recent newspaper picture of Jim Farley, Ford CEO, stating he had a reality check when he undertook a cross country road trip in his new Ford F150 EV. He admitted, “charging was rather challenging” and significantly delayed his progress.
Recently, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and the world’s foremost advocate for electric vehicles and leading proponent of solar and development of reliable energy, in a recent conference in Norway, went on record advocating increased exploration and drilling for oil and natural gas. He warned that humanity could be in trouble if the transition to lower carbon energy sources is hurried. Hopefully, the next leaders we elect this November will come to the same conclusion and bring our country back to today’s real world.
Frank Cernosek Ammannsville