No Electric Car for Me Guest Post

Guest post by Mark Stevens

This is a guest post by Mark Stevens, a regular reader at this blog.  Mark is a retired science and technology teacher.  When he sent an email with this I asked if I could post it and he agreed.

Cut Greenhouse gasses!  Save The Planet!  A better vehicle!  Really?

 I didn’t know EVs (electric vehicles) are about 1000 lbs. heavier than their petroleum equivalents and therefore have higher brake wear (increased particulates), tire wear (increased nano particles), and require more charging energy.

 I didn’t know EVs’ batteries lose power in the cold and reduce their range, and the batteries need replacing after several years approaching half the cost of the vehicle.

I didn’t know the rare elements needed in EVs like lithium, cobalt, copper, nickel are mined in third world countries where child slave labor is used to mine the metals and the metals obtained are refined resulting in mass poisoning of the land and water and massive greenhouse gas emissions are emitted in  the refining.

 I didn’t know the grid doesn’t have the capacity to charge EVs on a massive scale which will lead to rolling blackouts like California, North Carolina and Texas when many families are charging at the same time.

 I didn’t know that electricity providers will boost rates significantly higher to charge EVs at home resulting in  cost-of-operation higher than a gasoline car.

I didn’t know the total greenhouse gas emissions in EV cars from obtaining rare earths to fabrication to end-of-life disposal is greater than that of conventional cars.

I didn’t know that if EVs were really viable they wouldn’t need thousands of dollars of taxpayer subsidies.

I didn’t know EV batteries can suddenly explode in an unstoppable fire that emits toxic gasses.  This results in ordinances requiring EVs to NOT park in garages.

I didn’t know the EVs’ components are not easily recyclable and end-of-life disposition is a major problem for landfills, recyclers and incinerators.

I didn’t know Connecticut’s fleet of electric busses were withdrawn due to several catastrophic fires.

I didn’t know a home charger costs thousands of dollars.

I didn’t know a 500 mile trip would require hours of recharging on the way.

I didn’t know I would have to detour and spend time finding a street charger.

I didn’t know low and middle-income Americans will find using and affording a new or used  electric car will be unaffordable.

I didn’t know the tax on your gasoline to keep our roads maintained will soon be replaced by a special tax on your electric vehicle registration as make-up.

 I’ll stay with my gasoline-powered car.