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Guest Opinion

Look deeper at electric vehicles

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There is an emphasis and a great push to have Americans, and the rest of the world for that matter, to move from internal combustion engines to electric motors. That is to move from fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel to electric power. Here’s what I believe needs to be done if the electric vehicle will become the predominate mode of transportation of people and goods in the United States and worldwide.

I sent letters to senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and I spoke to my State Rep. Shelby Labs on the subject of road tax. Depending on your state, the tax will vary when you fill up. There is also a federal tax. How will the “road tax” currently levied at the pump be collected on an EV? The EV will use the road system and should share in the cost. I did not receive any replies.

EV drivers need to know there will be another cost coming. I would strongly suggest the same system of taxing be for both state and federal.

Norway is running out of ICE vehicles to tax. This has reduced the country’s annual revenue by about $2.3 billion in U.S. dollars. Norway was not charging VAT (Value Added Tax) and no purchase tax, along with exempting EVs from toll charges and parking fees. There, most of these incentives to go electric are being rescinded. Keep in mind Norway has the highest sales of electric cars among all nations at about 75% of all new car sales being for electric cars.

I am not sure the EV manufacturers are presenting the true distance that can be driven in a fully charged EV and the time it takes to charge the EV. The EV is very temperature dependent. Once the temperature falls below about 30 degrees Fahrenheit the range of the cold battery can be reduced by 40%. That means you will have to recharge about twice as often. This also means a car left out in the cold or in an unheated garage will take significantly longer to fully charge. Batteries do not like cold or heat.

I would suggest the federal government require on the EV window sticker the reduced range of the EV based on temperature and/or other factors. At present we have on an ICE vehicle sticker the “highway” and “city” miles per gallon a consumer can expect so a similar range needs to be listed for a EV.

Also the problem, for example, of winter driving when lights, windshield wipers, defroster and heat need to be on. These requirements were not an issue for an ICE but will significantly affect an EV.

As an aside, what do you do if your EV runs out of electricity on a highway for any number of reasons? You cannot call AAA and have them bring some kilowatts of power to pour into your battery, but they can bring some gasoline or diesel fuel to your ICE vehicle and get you moving.

Lastly, I think consumers need to accept that an EV is a very different vehicle than what they may be used to in the past with an ICE vehicle.

Maintenance will certainly be different. How many charge cycles can you expect for your battery? How you charge the battery will affect its life. What is the total cost of replacing the battery? Recycle or dispose of the battery? The cost of a dedicated power line to be installed and what configuration if you will be charging at home? Level 2 charger installation is $2,500 to $5,500 and forget a home Level 3 charger. Who pays for “charging stations?” How will you pay for the electricity? Does the U.S. have enough cobalt and lithium for EV batteries given their use in all types of batteries and electronic devices at present? And, finally, how much of an increase in electrical generation will be required and where will it come from to support the rise in EV ownership? Right now in the U.S. about 1% of cars are electric or about 3 million. But what happens when it is 100 million?

Paul W. Ochadlick lives in New Hope.


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